Following an inspection on 15 June 2026, Trumpington Park Primary School, part of Meridian Trust, is celebrating a highly positive Ofsted inspection.
The school in Trumpington, Cambridge, was assessed under Ofsted’s new inspection framework, which evaluates performance across seven key areas for primary schools: “Achievement’, ‘Attendance and behaviour’, ‘Curriculum’, ‘Early years’, ‘Inclusion’, ‘Leadership and governance’, and ‘Personal development and wellbeing’. Inspectors also confirmed that safeguarding standards at Trumpington Park Primary School are met, highlighting a strong culture of keeping pupils safe. Under Ofsted’s new inspection toolkit, introduced in November 2025, the Exceptional grade is reserved for practice of the highest standard nationally, where other schools can learn from what is being done.
The school’s ‘Early years’ provision was graded ‘Exceptional’, the highest grade possible, with the report praising it as ‘a special place’ where ‘children learn and play joyfully’ and ‘flourish in every aspect of their early years education’. Inspectors found the early years provision to have a ‘meticulously designed curriculum’ that was praised further for ‘ensuring it identifies essential learning, while flexing to cater for children’s interests and needs’. Staff were found to ‘know every child exceptionally well’ and the report went on to commend the school’s EYFS as a ‘first-rate provision in all areas of learning enables children, including those who face barriers to learning, to grow in confidence, participate fully and become valued members of the school community’.
Inspectors recognised the school’s dedication to inclusion by reflecting on it as a ‘highly inclusive school’, described as a ‘richly diverse’ place where ‘pupils love learning’ and ‘develop a strong sense of belonging to this richly diverse community’. Leaders were praised for putting ‘inclusion at the centre of everything they do’ as Ofsted inspectors accredited staff for being ‘extremely well informed about the barriers pupils face’ and ‘determined to provide high-quality education for every pupil, so that all have the best possible chance of success’.
Ofsted judged the school to be operating at ‘Strong Standard’ in five categories: ‘Attendance and behaviour’, ‘Curriculum and teaching’, ‘Inclusion’, ‘Leadership and governance’, and ‘Personal development and wellbeing’ demonstrating its continued commitment to providing a nurturing learning environment for every pupil.
The school’s approach to building relationships with pupils and their families as soon as they join the school, while collectively using partnerships across the Trust and with external agencies ‘to strengthen their inclusive practice’ was also highly commended with ‘pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, making suitable and often rapid progress through the curriculum, from their starting points’.
The team of inspectors found that ‘positive, respectful relationships’ underpin Trumpington Park Primary’s success in many areas. The school’s positive culture extends to the teaching staff who ‘feel well supported’ leading to the delivery of the school’s high-quality teaching standards which delivers a curriculum ‘ambitious for all pupils, regardless of their starting points, and carefully designed to build pupils’ learning gradually across a wide range of subjects’. The school’s leadership team were described as ‘highly reflective and constantly strive for excellence‘, and their use of a ‘highly supportive coaching model’ ensures all staff are ‘suitably equipped to deliver consistently high-quality lessons’.
Mel Shute, Headteacher, added: “We are all incredibly proud to have achieved an ‘Exceptional’ rating for our Early Years provision. It’s fantastic recognition of the high-quality learning environment we strive to ensure our children experience from early years through primary school. To see our commitment and hard work recognised as ‘Strong Standard’ across other key categories is testament to the dedication shown by our staff to aiming high and working together for the benefits of our pupils and families. We are very proud of our school and the community we serve, where children understand a sense of community, citizenship and belonging’.
Lesley Birch, Deputy CEO of Meridian Trust, said: “This is a wonderful achievement by Mel and her team, and we are all incredibly proud. To reach the new framework’s highest grades speaks volumes about the dedication, consistency and excellence that the whole school community strive for.’
Find out more and read the full Ofsted Report Card on the Trumpington Park Primary School website
