Farway Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are happy and feel safe.

Pupils are proud of the 'family feel' of the school. Pupils talk positively about the school's values of love, trust and respect. These values help them to feel a sense of responsibility.

As a result, pupils look after each other. Pupils know what it means to be a role model. Older pupils know the importance of setting a good example to younger pupils.

Pupils behave well. They are keen to learn. However, they do not learn effectively.

This is because the curriculum is not implemented well in several subjects. So pupils do not build their knowledge securely.

The school's curriculum ...for pupils' personal development is a strength of the school.

As a result, pupils know that everyone should be treated equally. There are a range of clubs to help to develop pupils' interests, such as art, film and sports clubs. Pupils also participate in residential experiences which helps them to develop their confidence and independence.

Pupils develop strong links with the local community. They value the 'open the book' assemblies delivered by the local church. Pupils enjoy having the opportunity to read stories to older members of the community.

Parents appreciate the support they get from staff.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has not been swift enough to make effective changes to improve the curriculum. The school and the federation have not worked strategically to improve the quality of education for the pupils at this school.

As a result, the quality of education for pupils is not good. The recently appointed interim executive board, which replaces the previous governing body, understand what the school needs to do to improve. Their collective experience means that they are in a position to hold the school to account.

The school has made some improvements to the reading curriculum. Children learn their phonic sounds as soon as they start school. However, assessment is not always used effectively to check what pupils know.

This means that expectations of what pupils can achieve is sometimes too low. Staff do not routinely model language accurately to pupils. This means pupils are not always secure in their pronunciation of words and sentences.

As a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

In other subjects, such as mathematics, the curriculum is well planned and coherently sequenced. However, the work pupils complete in is not always based on what they have learned and understood.

This means pupils do not build their knowledge progressively over time. As a result, pupils are not always secure in their learning.

The school is aware that further work is required to support staff with the implementation of the curriculum and to check its impact.

Currently, the implementation of the curriculum does not match the intent of school leaders. This has led to a lack of ambition for what pupils can achieve. Teachers do not adapt the curriculum to reflect the different ages and needs of pupils within mixed-age classes.

This means older pupils lack effective challenge and the curriculum does not meet the needs of all younger pupils. As a result, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge.

Staff are quick to recognise the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

However, the targets to support pupils with SEND are not always precise enough. As a result, the curriculum is not well matched to their needs.

Children in the early years play well together.

They are kind and polite to one another. The environment is calm and organised with a range of activities that reflect the interests of children. This means children enjoy learning.

However, the school has not designed the early years curriculum well. It has not clearly identified small steps in learning that build progressively to link to learning in Year 1 and beyond. As a result, children are not well prepared for the next stage of their education.

The school has systems in place to track the attendance of pupils. This has led to some improvements in rates of attendance. However, the school is aware that further work is needed.

Staff have mixed opinions on how their workload and well-being are considered by the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Subject leadership in some subjects is at an early stage of development.

This means staff are not always well supported to implement the curriculum effectively. For example, in some subjects, teachers do not use assessment to adapt the curriculum sufficiently well. This means pupils do not build on prior learning.

The school should ensure that all subject leaders are well trained, so that subjects are implemented effectively to ensure pupils know and remember the curriculum's essential knowledge. ? The provision and targets for pupils with SEND are not precise enough to help them to achieve well. The school should ensure that the support for pupils with SEND is effective, so that all pupils follow the curriculum successfully.

The school has not clearly identified the important knowledge and skills that children will learn through the early years curriculum. As a result, children do not gain the knowledge that they need to be prepared for Year 1 and beyond. The school should ensure that the content of the early years curriculum is clearly defined, understood and delivered effectively.