Fairmeadows Foundation Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this school. They say that they want the school to be 'bigger so they can have more'. Teachers create safe and welcoming spaces for pupils to learn and develop.

Pupils know that bullying is not tolerated.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of clubs and activities. They enjoy learning and make good progress.

Pupils are safe and say they feel safe. They behave well. The relationships between pupils and staff are positive and respectful.

The headteacher ensures that the school's values of 'dream it, believe it, achieve it' are at the heart of school and everything they do. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to develop positive p...ersonal characteristics and be confident to take on life's challenges.

Pupils from all backgrounds and starting points are welcomed and nurtured.

All staff agree that every child should have the same chances to succeed and achieve their best. There are high expectations for staff and pupils to work hard, but also to have fun and achieve well while they are doing so.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has improved since the previous inspection.

The headteacher leads the school very well. The school is a vibrant, happy, productive place to be. Teachers know the pupils well.

The curriculum in most subjects, such as reading, history, PE and music are carefully planned. Pupils learn new things in an order that helps them build their knowledge over time.

Reading is now at the heart of school life.

Teachers help pupils to learn phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) right from when they start in the Reception class. Pupils use this knowledge to help them enjoy stories and a range of non-fiction books. Teachers read to pupils, and with pupils.

They encourage parents to read with their children at home.

Teachers plan activities for pupils to learn how to be healthy. The school provides a wide range of sporting and cultural activities.

Staff have high expectations of how many pupils will join in. Pupils take part in many competitions outside of school. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders and teachers put a strong emphasis on care and respect. Pupils are very supportive of each other. Learning is not disrupted because pupils behave well in lessons.

Pupils are respectful of other people's faiths, cultures and beliefs. Some teachers provide opportunities for pupils to learn about social and moral issues. However, leaders have not introduced a clear plan for which parts of the personal, social and cultural curriculum pupils will learn in every class.

Pupils do not build up their understanding of these important matters over time.

Pupils with SEND are well cared for. Teachers adapt the resources they use, and what and how they teach, to match pupils' needs.

These pupils, like their peers, achieve well.

Teachers make sure that children in the early years settle in quickly. Teachers put clear routines in place at the start of the year.

They expect children to behave well and they do. Children's learning is generally well planned. Children gain confidence in weaker areas and build on those areas in which they are stronger.

However, teachers do not consistently link the work the children do in the early years with what pupils will learn in Year 1. For example, the Year 1 science curriculum does not specifically build on what children understand about the world.

Teachers share information with parents about their child's work in school.

They gather information from parents about their children. This helps teachers to meet pupils' individual needs. This includes disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with SEND.

The mathematics curriculum enables most pupils to achieve well. Teachers provide equipment to help pupils understand new ideas and topics. Teachers plan lessons that follow on logically from previous lessons.

However, sometimes teachers do not use what they know about what pupils understand and can do to give them work that is demanding enough.

The headteacher ensures that managing staff workload is a high priority. He consults with staff when thinking about new ways of working.

Staff are well supported by the headteacher.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff and governors receive regular training and are vigilant to spot if pupils may be at risk.

Leaders support vulnerable children and their families well. They work well with external agencies, including the local authority.

Leaders have created a culture where pupils are nurtured and supported.

Staff show high levels of care for the pupils. Pupils learn how to stay safe in different situations. They learn about road safety and the potential dangers of the internet, such as cyberbullying.

Staff are never complacent, and they work hard to make sure all pupils are safe and well.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Teachers do not reliably use the information they hold about what pupils know and can do when they plan lessons in mathematics. Leaders should ensure that teachers use the curriculum plans that are in place for mathematics, alongside their assessments of what pupils have learned, to provide work that is sufficiently demanding and builds sequentially on what pupils have already learned.

. In some classes, teachers plan for pupils to debate and explore aspects of personal, social and moral issues, but this is not the case in all classes. Leaders should ensure that a carefully planned curriculum for pupils' personal, social and cultural development is in place so that pupils can build up their knowledge and understanding in an age-appropriate way.

. Curriculum plans in the early years do not link as well as they should do into Year 1. Teachers should plan sequences of learning so that all children build on the knowledge and skills they have gained as they move into Year 1.