Fairburn Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.

Children start school with skills below those typical for their age. They make outstanding progress to reach increasingly above average standards, especially in reading and writing, by the end of Year 6. The early years provision ignites children's curiosity, and develops a fascination for exploration and discovery, right from the start.

Outdoors and indoors, children access interesting resources and very well-planned learning experiences. Teaching is never less than good and is outstanding over time. Daily lessons motivate all of the pupils and encourage them to think for themselves.

All teachers and teaching assistants... have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve. They have created an inspiring environment in which pupils develop a real appetite for learning and give of their best. Marking provides pupils with regular feedback about how well they are doing and how to improve further.

Pupils say how much they enjoy these daily challenges. Pupils with special educational needs, and also those who are disadvantaged, achieve as well as their peers. This is because all of the adults are acutely aware of their individual needs and successfully seek to meet them.

The 'Fairburn Promise' is at the heart of the school's success in ensuring pupils' outstanding spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It promotes high quality relationships at all times, and assures an exceptional array of visits, opportunities and experiences that boost pupils' confidence and develop their physical well-being. Regular video and audio links with a local large multicultural school enhance pupils' awareness of different faiths and cultures.

They make strong contributions to pupils' growing understanding of equal opportunities and diversities, and help to prepare them well for life in modern Britain. Pupils' behaviour and safety are outstanding. All pupils are very proud of their school, are exceptionally well-mannered and highly welcoming of visitors.

Parents are unequivocally supportive of the school's work, particularly of the levels of care shown by all the adults, and of the progress their children make. The school is skilfully led by an aspirational headteacher. She has built a team of totally dedicated practitioners, all equally committed to providing high-quality teaching and learning experiences.

Key leaders and managers are determined to raise achievement even higher, so that even more pupils reach the highest outcomes in mathematics. Governors take their roles seriously. They have high expectations of the school's leaders and hold them rigorously to account.

Information about this school

This is a much smaller than average-sized primary school. All pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, and therefore eligible for support through the pupil premium funding, is below the national average.

The pupil premium is additional funding to support those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority. The proportion of pupils with disabilities or who have special educational needs is below the national average. In 2014, the school met the government's current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes in staffing and governance. The school is a member of a local 'RAISE' alliance of 10 rural primary schools. The early years provision provided by the school offers full-time Reception places.