Farington Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, thrive as they 'aim high' at Farington Primary School. They come to school eager to learn and are excited to see their friends and their teachers.

Pupils are greeted warmly by staff as they arrive each day. Pupils flourish in the safe, welcoming and friendly environment that is provided across the school.

Pupils behave well and are polite and well mannered.

They are taught how to recognise and manage their own emotions, which helps them to behave sensibly. Pupils play together happily at breaktimes. Older pupils regularly act as role models and help children in the early years.

The school has high expect...ations for pupils' achievement. Pupils try their best in lessons and listen carefully to their teachers. They talked confidently about their learning and understand why education is important for their future lives.

Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

Pupils get many opportunities to be problem-solvers through the curriculum and school life. They use these skills to take on various responsibilities in the school.

These roles allow pupils to contribute to the whole-school community, where they suggest fundraising ideas or changes to make the school even better.

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

This school plays an important role within the community. It knows the needs of the pupils and their families well.

The positive relationships with families and local organisations mean that the school is successful in guiding parents and carers to suitable support when it is needed.

In the main, the curriculum for pupils in key stages 1 and 2 has been carefully thought through. The school has mapped out the key knowledge and subject-specific vocabulary that pupils need to learn.

The order in which subject content should be taught is also clear. This helps most pupils to achieve well across different subjects. However, the school's curriculum thinking is not as well developed in some areas of learning in the early years.

This means that, at times, teachers are not as sure about what children should learn in order to readily access the key stage 1 curriculum.

Teachers are experts in the subjects that they deliver. They use skilful questioning to check what pupils know and can remember from previous lessons.

New vocabulary is introduced with care. Teachers ensure that pupils have fully learned each new concept before moving on to new topics. This means that pupils can remember accurately what they have learned.

The school has introduced a systematic reading curriculum. This curriculum is taught from the start of the Reception Year. In whole-class reading sessions, adults model sounds with accuracy.

Typically, pupils read books that are matched well to the sounds they have learned. Staff have received training so that they deliver the curriculum effectively. As a result, most pupils read confidently and fluently.

However, a small number of pupils are not supported well enough to catch up in their phonics knowledge. This hinders these pupils from becoming fluent readers.

Staff take the time to get to know pupils and their families well when they join the school.

This helps the school to work with families to identify and support pupils with SEND quickly. The school ensures that pupils with SEND receive the adaptations to teaching that they need to achieve well. Teachers are well supported in understanding the best ways to help pupils with SEND thrive in all aspects of their development.

Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is high. The school offers effective support to the families of pupils who struggle to attend school regularly. Teachers set clear expectations for pupils' behaviour, and pupils adhere to these expectations well.

Across the school, there is a calm atmosphere.

The school ensures that pupils have access to a variety of memorable experiences that promote their personal development. For example, pupils visit museums and have the opportunity to attend residential visits.

Pupils learn about the differences between people, for example different families, cultures and religions. They understand the importance of treating everyone with respect. Some pupils take on roles as school eco-leaders.

They help to keep the school environment free from litter and encourage recycling.

Leaders at all levels have played their part in ensuring that pupils enjoy a good quality of education. Change has been managed very well because the school and governors have considered the impact on staff's workload and well-being.

Those responsible for governance have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. They provide effective challenge and support so that the quality of education continues to improve.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• A few pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read do not receive effective enough support to help them catch up. This hinders how well some of these pupils develop reading fluency. The school should ensure that pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge are supported to catch up with the phonics programme.

• In a few areas of learning in the early years, the school has not defined the knowledge that children should learn. This means that, in these areas of learning, children are not as well prepared as they could be for their learning in Year 1. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking in the early years so that children are even better prepared for their learning in Year 1.

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