Crown Meadow First School & Nursery

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 February 2026

There is a sense of community at Crown Meadow that is felt from the moment the school day begins. Pupils are happy to come to school and they like their teachers. They get on well with one another and say it is easy to make friends. Regardless of background or differences, everyone is welcome. Pupils learn to be tolerant and show respect for all. As a result, they are well prepared for life in modern Britain. There are plenty of interesting things for pupils to be involved in, such as games at lunchtimes, leadership roles and clubs. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, those known or previously known to social care, and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enjoy the range of opportunities offered. For example, the overnight residential trip to Malvern is a highlight that they look forward to. Pupils typically behave well and generally work hard. They feel safe. This is because they trust staff to resolve issues. Leaders have established simple systems to help pupils to share any concerns. Pupils confidently access pastoral support, when they need it. They say that bullying is rare and dealt with effectively. The positive school climate helps pupils to attend well. Although pupils' results in external tests are typically in line with national averages, pupils do not achieve as well as they should. In the early years, children do not make the progress they should in key areas, including communication and language. Across the school, pupils have gaps in their writing knowledge. This means some pupils are not as well prepared as they should be for the next stage. Many pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged access appropriate support. However, for a significant minority of pupils, leaders do not make effective enough adaptations to support them to access purposeful learning. This means that these pupils do not make the progress they should.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that staff engage children in frequent, high-quality interactions, so that children have the opportunity to develop their communication and language skills.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils develop key foundational knowledge in handwriting and spelling at the earliest possibility so that they are ready for the next stage.
• Leaders should continue to ensure that pupils’ barriers to learning and/or wellbeing are identified quickly and accurately so that effective support can be implemented at the earliest stage.
• Leaders should ensure that staff adapt the curriculum and teaching effectively, so that pupils with barriers to their learning can access the curriculum and build their knowledge well.
• Leaders should further develop the coherence of the personal development programme so that opportunities, experiences and the curriculum are tailored to the needs of their pupils.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)