Lower Meadow Primary School

Lower Meadow Primary School is performing well overall, having maintained the standards identified at its previous inspection. The school prides itself on being inclusive, with a nurturing environment where pupils feel valued and safe. High expectations for all pupils are realized through an ambitious curriculum that addresses individual needs, including those of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Although the school has strengths in pastoral care and teaching in early years, some concerns were noted, particularly related to the performance of Year 6 pupils in statutory assessments and the need for improvement in writing skills for key stage 2 pupils.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive environment welcoming all pupils.
• Strong relationships between adults and pupils fostering a nurturing atmosphere.
• Ambitious curriculum that supports pupil development regardless of background.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND through tailored interventions.
• Engaging and clear teaching methods promoting positive attitudes to learning.
• Commitment to pupils’ language and communication development from early years.

Areas for Improvement

• Some Year 6 pupils not achieving as well as they could in statutory assessments.
• Gaps in writing skills not consistently identified and addressed in key stage 2.
• Some pupils have lower-than-desired attendance rates.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Lower Meadow Primary School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.0% of pupils at Lower Meadow Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Lower Meadow Primary School had 16.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 22.1% of pupils at Lower Meadow Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 15.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Lower Meadow Primary School received £8,489 and spent £8,866 for each of its 271 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £95,000 (£350 per pupil).

Across all 26 schools of Astrea Academy Trust, income was £8,290 and spending £8,206 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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All schools in Sheffield · Sheffield local authority: places and applications

Lower Meadow Primary School is part of Astrea Academy Trust, which runs 26 schools. The nearest others:

• Astrea Academy Sheffield Sheffield
• Byron Wood Primary Academy Sheffield
• Hatfield Academy Sheffield
• Hartley Brook Primary School Sheffield
• Greengate Lane Academy Sheffield
• Netherwood Academy Barnsley
• Denaby Main Primary Academy Doncaster
• Castle Academy Doncaster
• Carrfield Primary Academy Rotherham
• Astrea Academy Dearne Rotherham

What is Lower Meadow Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Lower Meadow Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Lower Meadow Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Lower Meadow Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Lower Meadow Primary School have?

Lower Meadow Primary School has 281 pupils on roll.

What age range does Lower Meadow Primary School cover?

Lower Meadow Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Lower Meadow Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 45% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Lower Meadow Primary School?

Lower Meadow Primary School is at Batemoor Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S8 8EE.