Fairway Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school life at Fairway.

Most are eager to attend school and settle quickly and calmly into their learning when they arrive each morning.

Pupils understand the reasons behind the school's high expectations of their behaviour. These are focused on the school's values of being 'ready, responsible and respectful'.

Pupils talk about how these values help them to 'be a better person'. They are polite, for example, holding doors open for pupils and adults. Most behave very well in lessons, and they manage themselves well at social times, even on rainy days.

In lessons, most pupils pay close attention to their teachers and complete their learnin...g activities. Despite this, a significant number of pupils are not achieving well enough in some subjects because the curriculum is not always delivered well.

Pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe and healthy.

This starts with children in early years knowing about healthy snacks, through to older pupils talking about the importance of hydration and exercise. They learn about diversity and visit places of worship for different faiths. They take part in charity fundraising and community litter-picking, as they are keen to play an active part in helping others and the environment.

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

The school's curriculum has recently been updated because leaders rightly identified areas that needed strengthening. It is ambitious and now organised in a way that helps pupils to build their knowledge over time. In some subjects, the curriculum has changed significantly.

This means that older pupils do not always have the secure foundational knowledge needed for their new learning.

The curriculum is not implemented to a consistent standard across the school. In some lessons, teachers do not model effectively the language and thinking processes pupils need to master.

Assessment is used with varying degrees of success. Sometimes the checking of pupils' understanding 'in the moment' helps teachers to adapt activities well because they know what pupils have understood. However, there are times when misconceptions go unnoticed, or pupils do not successfully secure each step in their learning before moving on.

There is also variation in how well pupils are taught to read. Some of this is because not all staff are confident in delivering the phonics programme. The whole class reading curriculum used in key stage 2 is well-sequenced and helps pupils acquire the skills needed to become fluent, confident readers.

However, there is not enough urgency to how those pupils who are not yet reading at an age-appropriate level will catch up. Pupils enjoy reading in school and at home. Children in Reception love learning the actions that help them to remember stories.

Pupils in Year 5 are highly engaged in their work on 'Clockwork'. Older pupils value the range of books on offer for them to read independently and know how to make sure they choose books that support their level of reading skill.

The school knows that this variation means some pupils have not been achieving well enough, especially in mathematics.

There is a strong ambition to ensure that all pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage of their education. However, there are not always clear and focused plans for how this will be realised.

The support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is a strength.

Their needs are identified quickly and staff use the 'toolkit' targets well to make sure that learning is adapted effectively. The school's inclusive ethos supports these pupils in making good academic and social progress.

The school has worked hard to create a culture of good attendance.

They work closely with the families of pupils who are persistently absent. When the school faced the challenge of most pupils being educated at another school site due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), leaders ensured that pupils were able to maintain high attendance throughout. Parents and carers praised the school's management of this challenging period.

The school's 'curriculum promise' means all pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to enrich their learning and develop their character, for example building resilience on residential trips. Important cross-curricular skills, including debating and discussion, are woven into lessons across all subjects.

Trustees and leaders work well together to ensure that the school is meeting its responsibilities.

The trust has provided more support so that there is additional capacity to increase the pace of improvement around the quality of education. Leaders are consciously working to ensure staff workload is not increased by the improvements needed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Key stage 2 pupils who are not yet secure readers do not receive the additional focus and time they need to become better readers. They miss out on the valuable reading lessons experienced by their peers. As a result, these pupils are not making enough progress to catch up and be able to read at an age-appropriate level.

The school should ensure that its strategy for these pupils means they make rapid progress in developing the reading skills needed to read at an age-appropriate level and successfully access the curriculum. ? Not all staff model language and thinking to a consistent standard. This means that some pupils are not developing their language skills as well as they need to.

Some pupils develop misconceptions around mathematical processes because they have not been explained clearly enough. The school should ensure that all staff know how to model language and thinking effectively before asking pupils to apply this in their learning. ? The way teachers check for understanding varies in quality and effectiveness.

Sometimes they have not checked whether there are any gaps in pupils' prior learning linked to the curriculum changes. There are occasions when staff do not listen carefully enough to pupils' responses or notice misconceptions 'in the moment'. As a result, misunderstandings or gaps in knowledge are missed.

The school should ensure that assessment practice is strengthened and staff are confident in checking that all pupils have acquired the key learning they need to master. ? School improvement planning is often not strategic enough. The most important areas are not addressed with enough pace to bring about the rapid improvements needed.

Staff do not always understand the 'why and how' behind the plans. This means that improvement is sometimes slowed by inconsistency in how change is implemented. The trust should ensure there is a clear strategy for sustainable school improvement and that all staff understand their role and responsibilities within this.