The Early Years team at The Mead provides an outstanding and innovative environment that has its foundation in child-initiated learning. The practice within our Early Years department has been recognised as being outstanding by Ofsted during three Outstanding Practice Visits (2007, 2011 and 2014) and during two HMI visits in 2013.

Ofsted made the videos (right) of our Foundation Stage Unit as part of a suite of films showing good practice in the Early Years. The first video focuses on Early Years practice within The Mead Community Primary School and the second is based on assessment in the Foundation Stage which  features some of our practice.

I recently had the pleasure of visiting your fantastic school along with the South Gloucestershire group of schools. Firstly, many thanks for a truly inspiring day. The welcome from you and the team and your willingness to share practice and engage in professional dialogue was refreshing and certainly helped my colleagues understand that CPD is not just going on a course. We are really looking forward to working with the group of schools to develop our practice and the visit has helped remind me of the value of the research.

It has given us the launch pad, and now time, to really commit to the model of improving practice you shared.

I know that anyone visiting you cannot fail to be inspired but I would like to assure you that I will not just magpie a few ideas. I was incredibly impressed with the detail and rigour behind the practice and provision, and, as the group of schools meet to develop our ‘project’, it will be my mission to ensure everyone remembers the importance of it.

What we saw and heard has already had an impact at my school and will continue to do so going forward.

Conrad Hutton, Headteacher, Trinity CE VC Primary School