Fairway Infant School, Copthorne

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Fairway Infant School, Copthorne has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Community, achievement and a sense of belonging are at the heart of this school. All pupils are welcome, and their individual needs are nurtured. Pupils love coming to school.

Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and trusting. Pupils do their best to reflect the golden rule each day by being 'respectful, safe and ready to learn'.

The school is a place of high expectations for all pupils.

Throughout the school, the atmosphere is calm and purposeful. There is a culture of positive behaviour. As... a result, pupils behave well and work hard.

They are encouraged to develop interest, curiosity and enjoyment in their learning. This helps pupils to learn the school's ambitious curriculum and achieve well.

Pupils demonstrate kindness and respect for each other, staff and visitors.

They recognise that, no matter how they are different, everyone is equal. Pupils talk with maturity about the 'differences we cannot see' and the importance of friendship.

Pupils in the school are encouraged to take on roles and responsibilities.

They value and appreciate these leadership opportunities. For example, playleaders are responsible for the equipment used at breaktimes. Older pupils model positive behaviours and routines by helping younger pupils and children at lunchtime.

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

All members of the school community want the very best for its pupils. This happens even before children start in Reception. Children receive letters to invite them to the annual 'pea fair' in the summer term before they begin in Reception.

Here they are given a bag of 'golden peas' to spend at stalls or group games. Children meet their new classmates and key members of staff. This carefully considered transition reduces children's anxiety and sparks their enthusiasm for school.

The curriculum is effectively designed and sequenced from Reception to the end of Year 2. This ensures that pupils gain the knowledge and skills they need in each subject. Support given to staff helps them to teach the intended curriculum with confidence and expertise.

Children in the early years get off to a great start. Clear and consistent routines help children settle calmly as they learn and play. This creates a strong foundation for positive learning and behaviour throughout the school.

Teaching in key stage 1 builds securely on these foundations. This helps pupils to achieve the aims and ambition of the school's curriculum.

Teachers plan lessons that they know will interest the pupils.

They use their strong subject knowledge to explain new ideas and concepts clearly. Mostly, teachers check how well pupils understand the intended learning. They use this information to provide the right support for pupils through a range of adaptations.

However, on occasion, these checks are not as effective as they could be. Staff do not always monitor carefully enough to ensure that pupils understand the most important knowledge. This makes it difficult for some pupils to build on what they already know.

Reading is at the heart of the school's curriculum. Teachers use their training to deliver phonics lessons effectively. When children start in Reception, staff introduce them to a wide range of interesting books.

Children learn that letters make sounds. They practise reading books that include the sounds they are taught in phonics. This helps them to become confident, fluent readers.

Pupils who are at risk of falling behind receive timely help through small group or individual support. This helps them to quickly catch up.

The school builds trusting relationships with pupils and their parents and carers.

This helps the school to quickly identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school provides highly effective support so that pupils with SEND can progress successfully through the curriculum. Where personalised provision is required, staff skilfully ensure that the needs of individuals are met.

Provision for pupils with SEND is a strength of the school.

The school is rigorous in its approach to improving attendance and reducing persistent absence. Pupils know they need to be in school to learn.

The school works sensitively with pupils and families. This is having a positive impact on reducing rates of absence for some pupils. However, the proportion of pupils absent from school is still significantly higher than in other schools in similar contexts.

The school rightly identifies this as an improvement priority.

The school has carefully planned the curriculum for pupils' personal development. Pupils learn about themselves and their immediate family so that they can build the knowledge needed to begin to understand about life in their community and the wider world around them.

This helps them to understand different cultures, religions and beliefs.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Teachers do not always check what pupils know and can do precisely enough.

As a result, a small number of pupils are not learning as much as they could. The school needs to ensure that teachers check what pupils know and remember across all subjects and use this to inform future learning.

The school's work to improve pupils' attendance is not yet impacting widely enough.

While there is a range of evidence to indicate that improvements are being made, pupils' absence remains too high. This means that pupils miss important learning and other valuable aspects of school life. The school should ensure that it sustains and further develops its approach to improving attendance so that levels of absence continue to decrease.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2016.

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