Fairford Church of England Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that the quality of teaching and learning in music and French is consistently high and in line with all curriculum subjects.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher has created a culture of high expectations for all pupils whatever their starting points. She has ensured that all staff have the skills and opportunities to make this happen. As a result, pupils of all abilities are making rapid and substantial progress.
• Senior leaders provide exemplary support and training to staff. Middle leaders have developed their skills and knowledge to be able to lead their subject areas very effectively. As a result, detailed curriculum plans are in place that ensure that staff can plan high-quality teaching.
• Leaders are constantly looking at ways to improve provision, seeking out the most successful ways of teaching. Teachers attend training to enable them to introduce these new effective ways of working into the school. The mathematics leader has become skilled in supporting others to teach mathematics mastery. Pupils are now developing a very secure understanding of mathematics.
• Leaders regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum to ensure that it meets the needs of all pupils. A recent change to the way in which writing is taught has been very successful, so that current pupils’ achievement is outstanding. For example, in Year 6, pupils wrote a description of an ocean journey linked to their reading of the book ‘Treasure Island’. All the pupils were able to write very effectively because they were able to use vocabulary from the text to very good effect.
• Leaders have a very effective system for monitoring pupils’ progress. This enables them to quickly identify any pupil who starts to fall behind. If this happens, leaders ensure that teachers take swift action to enable the pupil to catch up rapidly. Pupils’ work is checked to see if the support is having an impact. Consequently, all pupils continue to progress very well with their learning.
• Ongoing and valuable staff training has enabled leaders to achieve and maintain high-quality provision. Regular checks on teaching highlight any areas that could be improved. Staff then agree what changes to make to accelerate pupils’ progress.
• Leaders have made very effective use of the physical education and sport premium funding to enable all pupils to participate in competitive sport on a regular basis either within school or against local schools. Many parents commented positively on the ‘excellent physical education opportunities’ and on the benefits to their children.
• Leaders have a deep understanding of individual barriers to learning. This enables additional funding to be used very effectively to target support to meet the needs of vulnerable pupils. Leaders monitor the progress of each pupil regularly to ensure that there is ongoing impact. As a result, vulnerable pupils make rapid progress.
• Leaders ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve very well. The joint special educational needs coordinators (SENCos) ensure that all staff know how they can best cater for pupils’ individual requirements. Leaders ensure that precise activities are matched closely to the needs of pupils. Regular checks are made to ensure that these activities are helping pupils to make rapid progress.
• Leaders have put pupils’ spiritual, moral social and cultural education at the heart of everything they do. It is underpinned by the school’s values. Pupils learn about different cultures across the curriculum. In music, they listen to music from the Caribbean and South Africa. Parents talk about how participation in clubs and sporting activities has helped increase their children’s confidence and social skills.
• Pupils have a secure understanding of British values. Leaders have drawn up a British values curriculum that identifies what will be taught in each year group. Pupils describe British values as ‘being kind, democratic, fair and tolerant’. The work of the school is highly effective in ensuring that pupils are well prepared for their future lives.
• Parents are overwhelmingly pleased with the support their children receive academically and personally. All those who responded to the questionnaire said they would recommend the school to other parents. Many commented on the trust they have in the school. One parent commented, ‘I find the staff caring, approachable and more than capable.’
• Middle leaders have driven improvement in their areas with confidence, enthusiasm and rigour. They have ensured that pupils achieve highly in most subjects. Subject leaders often check learning in lessons and evaluate work in pupils’ books to check that it meets their high expectations. However, pupils’ attainment in French and music is not as strong because the curriculum does not support them to build their skills as well as it does in other subjects.

Governance of the school

• The governing body shares the commitment to providing the best outcomes for all pupils. Governors make sure that they know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Timetabled visits to the school provide governors with information about how well the school is progressing with its improvement plans. Each governor is allocated a curriculum subject, working closely with the subject leader. This enables the governing body to have a deep insight into standards across the curriculum and hold leaders to account rigorously.
• The governing body aspires to be, and is, increasingly knowledgeable and skilled. Governors are recruited for their specific skills depending on what is needed at the time. They attend training to make sure that they keep up to date with any new developments.
• The governing body makes sure that its structure is fit for purpose. Governors recently undertook a review of their systems to ensure that they were working as effectively as possible.
• Governors have a clear vision for bringing about further improvement. They want the school to be at the heart of the community and to be able to influence outcomes for pupils as early as possible. Governors have taken a step towards this by taking on the management of the pre-school. Plans are in place to admit two-year-olds from September 2019.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders have thorough safeguarding systems for recruiting new staff and checking after-school club providers. Adults new to the school rapidly undertake the range of training required. When necessary, leaders ensure that support is provided to facilitate this training. Staff have regular specific safeguarding training as well as ongoing updates on particular issues. Checks are made to ensure that they have a secure understanding of their responsibilities. As a result, adults in the school know how to identify and report any concerns.
• Concerns are quickly picked up through the school’s reporting system and looked at by the pastoral team. When appropriate, concerns are referred on to other agencies to ensure that pupils, and their families, get the support they need.
• The school’s ‘Prevent’ statement has been uploaded onto the website. Leaders have ensured that the school will give pupils the skills, knowledge and understanding to avoid being drawn into extremism.
• Parents, staff and pupils are all overwhelmingly confident in the school’s ability to keep children safe.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Leaders and staff have very high expectations of what pupils can achieve. By providing high-quality teaching that engages and motivates, they ensure that pupils make rapid and sustained progress across the curriculum.
• Teachers have very secure subject knowledge because of the ongoing training they receive from subject leaders. They plan sequences of lessons that secure and deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding. As a consequence, pupils are able to apply what they know and make strong connections in their learning. In history, key stage 2 pupils were able to infer and deduce using information they had learned in geography. Pupils say that they are challenged to think in lessons.
• Teachers give very effective feedback to pupils, providing clear guidance for improvement. In lessons, adults check on pupils’ understanding, providing additional support where necessary. In Year 6, the teaching assistant used questioning very well to help a pupil understand the rounding of decimals. Pupils say that they like the way teachers help them.
• The teaching of mathematics is a strength across the school as a result of the quality of leadership. Teachers deliver lessons that enable pupils to develop secure fluency and ensure that pupils know what to do if they get stuck. As a result, pupils are able to recall quickly. In Year 4, all the pupils were able to recall the 11 times table. Teachers consistently provide opportunities for pupils to use agreed strategies to competently solve challenging problems. In Year 5, pupils were able to work out the mass of an object by applying their knowledge of fractions.
• Reading is a high priority for the school. There is a reward system in place to encourage pupils to read regularly throughout the week. Reading records show that pupils read regularly at home and at school. As a result, pupils make very good progress and attain highly at the end of key stage 2.
• Leaders recognised that some groups of pupils did not progress as rapidly in writing as others. There is a strong focus on helping all pupils to include elements of what they have read in their writing. Evidence from books shows that pupils are making very strong progress in writing from their starting points.
• Whenever possible, teaching ensures that pupils with SEND have access to the same curriculum as their peers. Where appropriate, teachers adjust their teaching to provide these pupils with the support they need to enable them to make the progress of which they are capable.
• Physical education (PE) teaching provides appropriate physical challenges for pupils so that they make excellent progress. Year 1 children were asked to move like an alligator by alternately pushing and pulling with their hands. The teacher modelled expectations and encouraged pupils to do even better. Pupils said that they enjoy PE lessons and the wide range of sporting activities.
• Staff provide many opportunities to extend pupils’ learning beyond the classroom. A science dome in the school grounds gives pupils the space and equipment to carry out scientific investigations. Pupils have worked with authors at a local book festival. As a result, pupils’ learning is very secure.
• Homework is provided on a regular basis and is adapted to meet the needs of all pupils. Parents of pupils with SEND are given materials to aid the completion of homework as well as guidance on how they can best help their child. Staff in school support any pupils who need time or help to complete any homework. This ensures that all pupils benefit and feel included.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning. They demonstrate an enthusiasm for learning whatever the subject, settle to tasks rapidly and stay focused for extended periods. The quality of handwriting and presentation is very high in pupils’ books. In Year 4, diagrams showing the different parts of a flower were very well labelled.
• The school provides a range of learning opportunities to help pupils learn how to adopt a healthy lifestyle and why. The school’s curriculum covers healthy eating and emotional health. All pupils join in five minutes of vigorous activity at breaktimes. Cooking club teaches pupils how to prepare healthy meals.
• Pupils’ personal development is supported through a number of clubs. These clubs have helped to improve attendance, and develop pupils’ confidence and social skills very well. Parents were very positive about the impact on their children.
• Pupils who join classes during the school year say that they are made very welcome and quickly make new friends.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well in class and around the school. Pupils respond very positively to the school’s reward system. There have been no exclusions at the school for seven years. The school’s records show that incidents of poor behaviour have decreased over time. All staff agreed that leaders support them well in managing any occasional challenging behaviour.
• Pupils get on very well with each other. Teachers help and motivate children to learn with and from each other. Pupils say that bullying is very rare and when they occasionally fall out with each other, adults help them to be friends.
• Pupils enjoy coming to school and arrive punctually. The school has focused on making the school a happy and exciting place that children want to come to. Levels of attendance have been above the national average for the past three years. Leaders monitor attendance closely and take swift action if pupils’ absence becomes too high.

Outcomes for pupils

• In each key stage and across the curriculum, current pupils are making very strong progress. Pupils’ books, displays around the school and discussions with pupils clearly demonstrate this.
• Over the last three years, by the end of Year 6, attainment has been above the national averages for reading and mathematics. Last year, progress in writing was in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils working at the higher level in writing has been much higher than average for the past two years. Current pupils are making substantial and sustained progress in writing due to leaders’ actions.
• The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics over the last three years, at the end of Year 6, has been well above the national average. The school’s results for pupils achieving greater depth are considerably higher than the averages found nationally. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• By the end of key stage 2, attainment in grammar, punctuation and spelling is substantially higher than the national average at both the expected and higher levels.
• Disadvantaged pupils make very good progress across the school. Over the last three years, their progress by the end of Year 6 has been much higher than the national average for reading and mathematics.
• Specifically targeted provision and regular monitoring of work ensure that pupils with SEND make very good progress from their starting points. At the end of key stage 2, their progress was well above the national average in reading and mathematics.
• Over the last two years, attainment at the end of key stage 1 has been well above average. While the proportions of pupils reaching the expected standard are above the national averages, the proportion that attain the higher levels is substantially higher than the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who achieve the expected standard in phonics at the end of Year 1 is very high. Attainment has been above the national average for more than three years, increasing year on year. Almost all pupils reach the expected standard by the end of key stage 1 because the school puts in place very effective support to help those who need to catch up. Pupils who need additional support with phonics in key stage 2 make rapid progress due to the specific teaching they receive.
• Pupils’ attainment in music and French is not as high as it is in other subjects. This is because the curriculum does not currently enable them to make as much progress.

Early years provision Outstanding

• The early years is very well led. The recently appointed early years leader has worked with her staff to further improve the provision. For example, children in the pre-school can now more securely match letter sounds to objects.
• Children’s attainment on entry is in line with other pupils nationally. Children make sustained progress during their time in the Reception class. Nearly all children achieve a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year. The proportion of children exceeding expectations in reading and mathematics is significantly higher than the national average.
• Staff make themselves aware of children’s needs at the start of the year by liaising closely with the pre-school and parents. Support plans are effective in ensuring that vulnerable children are quickly able to make rapid progress.
• A small number of children start school with underdeveloped speaking skills. Teachers quickly identify those children and provide them with very effective support. As a result, a high proportion of children are at the expected level at the end of the early years.
• Leaders are ambitious for all children and have set a target that all children will achieve a good level of development. The early years leader takes into account adults’ skills when giving them groups of pupils to work with. Consequently, children who start school with weaker skills make rapid progress.
• Adults take into account children’s interests when planning to provide a motivating learning environment. Adults plan activities that challenge children and decide how they can include these interests. As a result of an interest in rolling marbles, children made their own marble runs out of plastic bricks.
• Teachers’ planning ensures that learning across the curriculum is covered well. A recent topic on polar explorers consolidated children’s knowledge of animal habitats. During the topic, children looked in detail at the structure of snowflakes. They learned that snowflakes are different from each other but they all have six sides. The children created collages that demonstrated their understanding.
• Phonics is taught exceptionally well. Adults check that children are saying the letter sounds accurately. Handwriting is taught alongside phonics. Adults make sure that children can form the letters correctly. Children participate enthusiastically in group sessions. Most of the children in the Reception classes can use their phonic skills to read and write simple words. Children leave the Reception class very well prepared for Year 1.
• Leaders identified that attainment at the higher level in writing was not quite as high as it is for reading and mathematics. As a result, there has been a greater focus on encouraging pupils to write, both indoors and out. Adults ensure that children are motivated to write. As a result, many children are now able to write simple sentences.
• Mathematics teaching is very effective. Practical mathematical activities engage children’s interests and help ensure that children are able to count and add accurately to 10. Children were operating an adding machine made out of boxes. They were able to use mathematical language accurately and work out the total without counting.
• Children in the early years behave extremely well and respond quickly to adult instructions. When engaged in activities, children sustain concentration for long periods. In the pre-school, children turned the pages carefully and looked at each page in detail while reading a book.
• Adults support the children’s personal development well. Regular trips to the Forest School enable children to learn to work together, to solve problems and to learn how to stay safe. Learning about their ‘personal bubble’ has helped children to learn to respect each other’s space.
• Staff communicate very well with parents. Homework information is written in cursive script to demonstrate how the children are asked to write. Links to video clips on the class pages help parents know how to pronounce letter sounds.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority 115622 Gloucestershire Inspection number 10058317 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Maintained 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 286 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs Yvonne Bennetts Mrs Julie Fellows 01285 712543 www.fairford.gloucs.sch.uk admin@fairford.gloucs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 9 January 2018

Information about this school

• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is approximately half the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils requiring support with SEND is below the national average.
• The governing body took on the management of the on-site pre-school in September 2018. The pre-school was judged to be good in June 2018.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in all classes. Some observations were conducted jointly with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.
• The inspectors undertook an in-depth analysis of pupils’ work across key stages. In addition, the inspectors looked at a wide range of pupils’ work in lessons. They also listened to pupils read.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, the SENCo, the early years leader, members of the governing body, subject leaders, teachers and with a representative from the local authority.
• A telephone conversation took place with a representative of the Diocese of Gloucester.
• The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, when moving to and from lessons and during break and lunchtime.
• One inspector met formally with a group of pupils drawn from different classes. In addition, inspectors spoke informally with pupils in lessons and around the school.
• A range of documentation was scrutinised by the lead inspector, including: the school’s own self-evaluation; the school’s learning improvement plan; records of ongoing professional development; and records of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Inspectors also examined attendance records, safeguarding documentation, school policies and the school’s own information about current pupils’ progress and attainment.
• One inspector spoke with parents as they brought their children to school. In addition, the lead inspector took account of 70 responses and free-text comments made on Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. 99 responses to the pupil survey and 38 responses to the staff survey were also taken into account.

Inspection team

Susan Watts, lead inspector Malcolm Willis Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector