Falconbrook Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Falconbrook Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at this school are happy and well cared for. They thrive in a nurturing environment where they feel safe and valued. Staff know each pupil well.

Pupils trust the adults around them to help whenever they face concerns or worries. This warm, supportive environment ensures that pupils feel secure and confident as part of the school community.

The school expects its pupils to 'show determination and to not give up when things get hard'.

Pupils rise to this. They work hard in lessons and approach learning e...agerly, for example through participating actively in discussions. This all helps pupils to achieve well, in line with the school's high expectations.

Pupils are confident, polite and courteous. They are respectful towards each other and towards adults. Pupils behave well, in and out of lessons.

Disruptions to learning are rare.

The school trusts pupils with responsibilities. The younger pupils in school appreciate the help they get from 'playground pals'.

Reading ambassadors help organise book fairs and act as library monitors. Pupils celebrate the diversity that is found in their school. For example, they learn about other people's faiths and beliefs through assemblies about different religious festivals.

These experiences help to prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.

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

The school uses a wide range of effective tools to assess what children know and can do as soon as they start in the early years. It uses this information to ensure that learning activities are ambitious and match children's needs.

In Nursery, children benefit from a clear focus on promoting listening skills and language development. For instance, they are supported to distinguish different sounds in the environment. This helps children when they start learning phonics in the Reception Year.

Staff have been trained to deliver the phonics programme well. They use effective strategies to help pupils remember and apply their phonics knowledge when reading. Those who are falling behind receive additional support to catch up quickly.

As a result, most pupils are reading fluently by the end of Year 2.

The school has put in place a curriculum that is well considered. It is designed in such a way that it builds on prior learning, starting in the early years.

For example, children in Nursery have plenty of opportunities to count and understand numbers. In Reception, children's understanding is extended effectively, for instance through learning to recognise objects up to five on sight, without counting in ones. This prepares children for when they start learning more complex calculations in Year 1.

Overall, the curriculum is delivered well. Teachers provide pupils with effective models and examples to help them to understand important concepts. Teachers quickly identify any additional needs that pupils may have, including special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Teachers are adept at adapting their delivery of the curriculum for these pupils. In the main, pupils learn successfully. However, some teaching does not check if pupils fully understand what they have learned before introducing new content.

At times, learning moves on before some pupils are ready, which reduces how securely these pupils understand important subject content.The school is committed to providing pupils with a wide range of experiences beyond the curriculum. Pupils make full use of the local area, enjoying visits to museums, galleries, art centres and theatres.

Partnerships with local schools allow pupils to take part in outdoor-learning festivals and film-making workshops. The curriculum is enriched with educational visits. The school ensures that pupils who are disadvantaged have equal access to these opportunities.

Through high-quality partnerships, the school creates many opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests beyond the academic curriculum. Pupils learn ballet from a professional dance company, for example. They also learn to play musical instruments, and they enjoy events where they get to sing together.

The school emphasises the importance of regular attendance. It quickly identifies any pupils who are at risk of poor attendance and provides effective support. This is leading to improvements in pupils' rates of attendance.

Leaders and governors have worked closely together to sustain and improve the quality of education that the school provides. Staff are proud to be a part of this school. They appreciate that systems and processes are streamlined to make their workload manageable.

A recent example of this is the way the school has reviewed expectations for how teachers give feedback to pupils. Staff described leaders as approachable and always willing to listen and help.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At times, teaching does not check if pupils have a secure understanding of important concepts before introducing new content. This creates gaps in understanding and hinders pupils from building strong, conceptual understanding. The school should ensure that teaching identifies and addresses misconceptions before moving forward so that pupils master knowledge securely.

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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in February 2020.