Fellview Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Fellview Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils who spoke to us used phrases like 'small and cosy' to describe this school.

They said the school's size helps everyone to get to know each other. It is a friendly place. Staff know pupils well and are good at looking after them.

Pupils feel safe and happy here.

Leaders want all pupils to get as wide a range of knowledge as they can. Pupils told us they learn a lot in class.

They also enjoy many activities outside the classroom. These give them a richer experience of learning. For example, they find out about the importance of respecting pupils' rights.
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They also take part in sports competitions. They are proud of the awards the school has received for organising these activities.

Staff always expect pupils to do their best.

By the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6, most pupils reach the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. In 2019, the number was above the national average.

Pupils behave well.

They also have a positive attitude to their work. Pupils said that there is very little bullying. They can rely on staff to deal effectively with any problems that come up.

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

Leaders provide pupils with an ambitious curriculum. They also provide many activities that give pupils the chance to develop outside the classroom. For example, pupils enjoy residential trips where they can take part in outdoor activities.

These give them the opportunity to build up abilities like working as a team.

Leaders carefully plan what pupils will learn and when. They adapt the curriculum to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They also provide extra support in class for pupils who need to catch up. Sometimes, though, teachers do not assess accurately enough what pupils with SEND can do. When this happens, a few pupils get stuck because the work is too hard.

The curriculum for reading and phonics follows a logical sequence. Leaders get children reading soon after they start in the Reception Year. Teachers organise phonics well in the early years.

They teach lessons that help children to progress through the curriculum successfully. Usually, most of them achieve the early learning goal in reading by the time they finish in Reception.

Leaders have acted to make sure that more pupils reach the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

For example, there are new books which pupils can read using their knowledge of phonics. However, teachers do not match these books to some pupils' abilities accurately enough. This stops these pupils from reading as fluently as they can.

Pupils continue to get better at reading as they get older. Leaders encourage reading by providing, for example, an attractive library. They fill it with books that support pupils' learning across the curriculum.

Older pupils read fluently and with understanding. Most do well in their reading test at the end of Year 6.

The curriculum in mathematics is well structured.

It enables pupils to acquire the knowledge they need. Teachers in the early years make sure that children learn about mathematics in different ways. They practise counting and using numbers every day.

They get children to use their knowledge of counting during other activities, like voting on their favourite story book.

Teachers mainly use assessment effectively in mathematics to check that pupils have understood what they are learning. Sometimes, however, teachers do not use it as well as they could to match pupils' work to their needs.

By the time pupils reach the end of Year 6, their attainment and progress in mathematics are usually the same as the national average or better.

The geography curriculum is set out in a logical order. Learning begins when children are in Reception.

The classroom has words and pictures on display to help them find out about the world. Pupils build up their knowledge well as they progress through the school. They have a secure knowledge of the subject by the end of key stage 2.

Pupils who spoke with us said that there is very little bullying. Staff sort out any issues effectively. Pupils behave well in lessons, which means that they can learn the curriculum without disruption.

School leaders and governors know the school's strengths and what needs to be better. They do all they can to make sure that staff have enough time to do the work they need to do. They provide regular training to improve teachers' subject knowledge.

Staff who spoke to us said that leaders support them well.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have suitable safeguarding systems in place.

They have few concerns about pupils' safety and welfare. If any come up, staff know how to report them because they are well trained. The leader in charge of safeguarding records them carefully.

She responds promptly. She refers serious concerns to the right services at the local authority, if needed.

Pupils feel safe in school.

They know that adults will help them and listen if they have any worries.

Adults teach pupils how to stay safe on the internet. Pupils know the dangers they need to avoid, like sharing personal information.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Sometimes teachers do not assess pupils' knowledge precisely enough. Consequently, the work that they give to some pupils, including a few with SEND, is too hard. It does not match their needs closely enough.

This means that these pupils are not secure in what they have learned before they move on to acquire new knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that teachers use assessment with more accuracy, so that the work they give to pupils enables as many as possible to know more and remember more.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 1–2 February 2011.