This Burgess Hill school is on track to get a ‘good’ Ofsted rating

The school shared the good news with parents via email after a visit from Her Majesty’s Inspector Frances Nation on Tuesday (June 29).

“Governors are so pleased that Ofsted are recognising the progress made as a result of all the hard work of the staff,” said Jane Davey, chair of governors.

She said governors are also excited about the positive impact this is having on London Meed pupils.

Head teacher Natalie Langtree thanked parents for their continued support and said the school will share an updated action plan in the autumn term.

“We are delighted that our hard work has been recognised,” she said.

Frances Nation from Ofsted said the recent monitoring inspection was carried out because London Meed Primary School had received ‘three successive judgements of ‘requires improvement’ at its previous section 5 inspections’.

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic and the first since Natalie Langtree became head teacher in March this year.

The inspector said the school’s leaders and governors are taking ‘effective action’ for London Meed to become a ‘good’ school and suggested they take further action to: implement their new phonics programme and make sure all staff are trained to teach it, further develop and implement the school’s curriculum in all subjects and across all year groups, make sure there is a ‘robust system’ where pupils’ needs are identified quickly so the right support can be given, and further strengthen staff’s knowledge and skills so they can support pupils with special educational needs or disabilities (SEND).

“You and your team are united in making London Meed ‘the school we want it to be’,” said the report, adding that the ‘recently relaunched school values of community, bravery, resilience, curiosity and respect’ are having a positive impact on pupils.

It also said the restructured leadership team was allowing leaders to be more effective and that parents, carers, staff and governors appreciated the improvements.

The report added: “Subject leaders are clear about their roles and are in the process of bringing about the necessary improvements.”

“They are now starting to identify the important knowledge pupils should learn and are checking that it is implemented well across all classes, including in Reception,” it said.

“This work is under way and, importantly, everyone knows exactly what needs to be done.”

The report also said teachers are using high quality texts to improve pupils’ vocabulary and reading and writing skills, and that children are ‘increasingly secure in their understanding of number in mathematics’.

Find out more about the school at www.londonmeedprimary.co.uk.