Meadowside Primary School

Meadowside Primary School Inspection report

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121901 Unique Reference Number Northamptonshire Local Authority 334946 Inspection number 8–9 July 2009 Inspection dates John Mason Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 352 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Sheila Walden Chair Diane Perry Headteacher 11 June 2002 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Park Road School address Burton Latimer Kettering NN15 5QY 01536 723985 Telephone number 01536 723985 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 8–9 July 2009 Inspection dates 334946 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors.

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Description of the school

Meadowside is a larger-than-average primary school which was formed in January 2008 by the amalgamation of the former Meadowside Infant and Junior Schools. Most pupils are of White British heritage and come from the small town of Burton Latimer. Relatively few pupils come from disadvantaged backgrounds. A small minority have English as an additional language. While the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average, the proportion with a statement of special educational needs is average. The school holds Activemark and Healthy Schools awards. The infant school had a stable history, but the junior school had experienced frequent changes of headteacher. Early Years Foundation Stage provision is provided in the Reception class. The Sure Start Children's Centre, which was completed in December 2008 and is strategically led by the school, provides an opportunity for very young children to play and develop while being cared for by

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Description of the school

a family member or authorised carer. Out-of-hours on-site childcare, before and after school and in the holidays, is offered by a private provider.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009

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Grade: 3

Meadowside has met the challenges of amalgamation head on and has quickly established itself as a satisfactory new school. Under the good, clear-sighted leadership of the headteacher and governing body, any vestiges of unsatisfactory provision have been eliminated. Subject leaders and other key staff have been empowered to lead the whole staff in addressing the underachievement which was evident in some of the junior classes. Although pupils in junior classes made inadequate progress in 2008, the current Year 6 have caught up well after a dip in Years 3 and 4 and reached above average standards, as they had when they were in Year 2. This reflects satisfactory achievement. The caring ethos of both the former junior and infant schools has been well maintained, so that pupils feel safe in school and enjoy their learning. Pupils of all ages are keen to show responsibility. They demonstrate this through their engagement in school and class councils,

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Grade: 3

looking after others at play and by willingly helping teachers around the school. A small minority of pupils find behaving appropriately difficult, but the school has taken well-gauged action to address any decline in standards of behaviour, including making improvements in the support given to pupils with behavioural difficulties. As a result, behaviour is now good, with very little disruption in class and few incidents at play. The tracking of pupils' progress has improved greatly since amalgamation and is helping teachers to make sure fewer pupils are left behind in developing good key skills which they need for their future. Because of the good care, guidance and support of staff, pupils' overall personal development is good. The quality of teaching and learning is satisfactory, as is that of the curriculum. Improvements in monitoring the quality of teaching and planning have led to effective strategies to develop

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Grade: 3

greater continuity in learning between the key stages, despite the physical constraints of still having two separate buildings. The whole staff have benefited from the very well coordinated support from the local authority in this process. Teachers have good subject knowledge and communicate this well to the pupils, but the tailoring of work to challenge the most able and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) is still variable from class to class. The statutory curriculum, including a secure programme for French, is well enhanced by a good range of enrichment opportunities, but ICT provision has been held back by delays in updating equipment, and provision for gifted and talented pupils is still at an early stage in development. From careful analysis of results, the school has identified the need to improve provision for those pupils with English as an additional language and has clear plans to address this issue.

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Grade: 3

Opportunities to consolidate writing skills, the pupils' weakest core skill, in the different subjects of the curriculum are not secure enough to raise the quality of writing. There is scope to build these into the ongoing planning to make more creative links between subjects of the curriculum. The school works well with others to promote learners' well-being. For example, the new Children's Centre for family learning and welfare is building good reciprocal arrangements with the primary care trust. Given the substantial improvements in pupils' achievement, care and teaching made in the 18 months since amalgamation, the school has a good capacity for sustained improvement. 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009

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Grade: 2

Children enter the Reception class with broadly expected skills. They achieve well to reach levels which are above age-related expectations in literacy, numeracy and social development by the time they enter Year 1. Parents appreciate the way staff help children to settle in and make friends quickly. Frequent observation and assessment enables teachers to plan children's next steps in learning well, helping them to make good progress. The learning environment both indoors and out is stimulating, promoting children's curiosity in learning well. There is an appropriate balance of child-initiated learning and teacher-led activities, the latter becoming more frequent towards the end of the year to help children adapt well to the different style of teaching they will encounter in Key Stage 1. Planning to address initial areas of weakness, such as social skills, writing or calculation, is good, but sometimes play initiated by the children

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Grade: 2

themselves is not supported in a way which develops the children's own interests consistently. This holds children back from reaching age-related expectations in their creative development. Adults provide good support for children's social and emotional needs. Children's welfare is promoted well and their personal development and well-being is good. They play together well and develop good levels of attentiveness, establishing good routines for learning. With careful written planning and good record keeping, the Early Years Foundation Stage is well managed.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure pupils make sustained good progress as they move through the school, by improving the quality and consistency of teaching. ■ Develop more creative links between subjects to make learning more meaningful and to provide more opportunities to develop writing and ICT skills in a wider range of contexts. ■ Promptly implement plans to provide better support for pupils who are gifted and talented or have English as an additional language. A small proportion of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

Pupils achieve well in Key Stage 1, but do not sustain this in Key Stage 2 where their achievement is satisfactory. Pupils enter Year 1 from the Reception class with skills which are above those normally shown by five-year-olds. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics are very securely above average by the end of Year 2, with a sustained trend from the former infant school being maintained over several years. Standards in mathematics, however, dipped slightly in 2009. In the first year of amalgamation, Year 6 results were average overall and below average in mathematics, indicating underachievement. Improved tracking of pupils' progress identified that in Years 3 and 4 in particular, pupils have not been making the progress of which they are able. Strategies to help pupils make up lost ground have enabled the current Year 6 to regain above average standards in English, mathematics and science, thus making satisfactory progress.

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Grade: 3

Targets which provide a realistic picture of what pupils could achieve were met in mathematics, but were not quite met in English because in writing boys did not do as well as girls. The progress of the few pupils with English as an additional language is not as secure as others. The school 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009 has plans to address this. Tracking indicates scope to further consolidate progress in Years 3 and 4.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress in their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. They share a good sense of community, knowing that taking responsibility and helping others is important. Younger children show this in the conviction in their singing, for example, while older pupils develop a good sense of local citizenship through the activities of the school council or through active involvement in school events or charitable causes. Pupils respond well to initiatives instigated by the school council, such as 'Walk on Wednesday' or 'Fit Friday' to promote healthy lifestyles. Pupils feel safe in the knowledge that staff will act upon their concerns promptly. Attendance is average, having fallen slightly this year, due to some families taking holidays in term time.

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Grade: 3

Teachers generally plan interesting activities that pupils enjoy. In most classes, teaching promotes good, trusting relationships which aid learning. Tasks are appropriately tailored to the various abilities of children within each class, but higher attaining pupils do not receive clear enough indication of what they can achieve in a task to be challenged to the full. Marking is regular and supportive, but the practice of indicating what pupils need to do next to improve, while developing well, is not yet consistent across all classes and subjects. Insufficient comment on aspects of writing is given when pupils are not in a formal English lesson. Teaching assistants are well deployed to support pupils with learning difficulties. The challenging behaviour of a very small minority of pupils is generally well managed, but some teachers are not always successful in organising activities to ensure all pupils stay fully focused on tasks in hand.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum meets statutory requirements. French is taught in all classes in Key Stage 2. Good links with the local community, through the police, local businesses and many others, provide enrichment and relevance to the curriculum, especially in the field of local citizenship. Aspects of personal, social and health education are also well enhanced through the involvement of health care professionals. The good range of well-attended clubs contributes to pupils' enjoyment of school. Whole-school planning to make more interesting and challenging links between subjects is developing well, but as yet does not sufficiently consolidate core skills in different contexts or map out how learning can be better extended. Planning for using ICT across the curriculum has been delayed by installation of new equipment, holding back pupils' progress in this area.

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Grade: 2

Good care and attention is paid to the safety and welfare of pupils. Parents note that 'teachers listen to the children and the parents' and that there are 'strong links between school and 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009 home'. Weaknesses in the provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities have been well addressed since the amalgamation. The new and experienced special educational needs coordinator has tightened up procedures, including more robust use of external services, to ensure that the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are now well met and that they can fully access the curriculum. However, the school is still waiting for local authority contractors to make the appropriate adaptations in the Key Stage 2 building to make it fully accessible to wheelchair users. Teachers now use tracking data on pupils' progress with

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Grade: 2

much more assurance, helping them to adapt teaching and provide individual or group tuition to support better learning outcomes. Pupils are well informed of their targets and know that they can help them to improve.

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Grade: 2

With the focused support of the local authority, senior leaders have made good strategic decisions, maintaining the quality of infants' provision while improving the juniors' provision. Middle managers and subject leaders have been empowered through professional development to take greater responsibility and accountability in their roles. As a result, the school has been able to build a balanced picture of its own strengths and weaknesses and been able to prioritise successfully to address these and bring about improvement. Given the underachievement identified in Key Stage 2 on amalgamation, it was appropriate for the school to first set targets which were achievable rather than challenging. Senior leaders, however, recognise that to promote good progress at all stages of pupils' education, greater challenge is now needed. The school is an inclusive and supportive community, but has more to do to improve opportunities

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Grade: 2

for pupils with English as an additional language and those with mobility issues. Its role in the local community has been strengthened with the family provision of the Children's Centre, but to fully meet the requirements for community cohesion, planning needs to embrace issues of national and global citizenship more widely. The governing body executes its responsibilities well and has played a critical, supportive role in the successful amalgamation process. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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needs of learners?

NA Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

10 July 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Meadowside Primary School, Burton Latimer, NN15 5QY Thank you for making the team of inspectors so welcome when we visited your school earlier this week. We enjoyed talking to you, meeting your teachers and seeing how you learn. Please also thank your parents who responded to the questionnaire. We agreed that Meadowside is a satisfactory school. Your progress is satisfactory because teaching overall is satisfactory. Meadowside has only been a primary school for one and a half years. When two schools amalgamate, as when the infants and juniors joined together, it is quite common that it takes a few years for the new school to settle into a good rhythm of learning. Year 6, for example, told us that they had to work particularly hard and do lots of practise to get above average results in their tests because they had fallen behind in the last years of the junior school. Also,

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you told us that behaviour had been getting worse, but now it is much better and you feel safe in school and can usually concentrate well in class. Many good aspects of the old schools are still evident and in many cases getting better. You get off to a good start in the Reception class and Key Stage 1. Your commitment to the community is good, like the school council or helping others. You understand how to keep healthy and safe. You enjoy all the clubs which teachers arrange. You recognise that your good social development is because your teachers care for you and support you well. You still don't learn as well as you should in Years 3 and 4, but things are improving. The headteacher and her team are doing a good job in making the new primary school a better place to learn and we are confident that they can keep the improvements coming. We have asked the school to do three key things to help make the school a really good one. These are:

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ improve teaching, so that all classes can learn really well and make good progress

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ make better links between all your different lessons to make learning more interesting and to give you opportunities to write or use computers in a whole range of different areas ■ provide activities to pupils who are gifted and talented or who do not have English as their first language to help them to move on faster. On behalf of all the team, I wish you every success as you change to a new class next year. Yours faithfully John Mason Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Meadowside Primary School, 8–9 July 2009

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