Ferry Lane Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Ferry Lane is a very welcoming school where pupils thrive. Pupils enjoy school because adults help them to learn.

Pupils get off to a positive start each morning when staff greet them with a smile and provide them with a bagel.

Pupils work hard to demonstrate the school's values of respect, responsibility and teamwork. Pupils' behaviour is typically calm and orderly.

They are confident that staff will listen to any worries they may have and help them. This means pupils feel happy and are kept safe.

Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum.

They work hard and produce work of a good quality in different subjects. Pupils learn to debate, and consid...er the views of others. For example, pupils in Year 5 debated whether robots should be feared.

These experiences help pupils to develop their own ideas and prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

There are several opportunities for pupils to take on positions of responsibility. For example, well-being ambassadors look out for any pupils who might be sad and help them to find friends to play with.

There are a range of enrichment activities on offer. For example, all pupils in Years 4 to Year 6 learn a musical instrument. Leaders provide a wide range of clubs, including pottery, crafts, drama and construction.

These activities support pupils to develop their talents and pursue their interests.

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

Reading is a priority here. Children begin learning to read within the first few weeks of joining Reception.

This is because staff want children to read fluently and confidently. The agreed phonics programme is implemented effectively. This is because staff have been well trained.

Staff regularly check the sounds that pupils have been taught. Pupils who find reading difficult are given the help they need to keep up. Pupils read books that are closely matched to the sounds that they know.

This means that they develop positive attitudes to reading. Staff read to pupils daily. Pupils visit the local library regularly.

These experiences help to develop pupils' love for reading across the school.

Pupils learn a well-structured curriculum. Leaders have set out the key knowledge and skills that they expect pupils to know in each subject from the early years onwards.

This is sequenced so that pupils practise and embed important ideas before tackling more complex work. For example, pupils in Year 1 solve number calculations successfully because they have previously learned what each number represents.

Teachers have the subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum well and to explain concepts clearly.

For example, adults in Reception encourage children to use language such as 'wavy', 'thin' and 'thick' when exploring mark making in art. Teachers typically check pupils' understanding and address misconceptions quickly.However, in a few subjects this is less consistent.

In these instances, some pupils struggle to recall important knowledge, vocabulary and skills and have gaps in their learning.

The school is ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders identify pupils quickly and effectively.

Teachers use a range of strategies to ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support they need so that they can access the same curriculum as their peers and achieve well. The school provides many positive experiences for pupils with SEND. This includes sessions with Teddy, the dog mentor.

Pupils typically behave well in lessons, and learning is not interrupted. This begins in the early years. In the Nursery, for example, children listen with concentration and know to use their 'thinking thumb' if they want to answer a question.

Similarly, older pupils understand how taking part in the 'daily mile' helps them to feel calm and ready for learning. The school takes effective action to encourage good attendance.

The personal, social, health and economic curriculum is exceptional.

It is designed to help pupils to become respectful, resilient and kind citizens. Pupils learn about healthy and unhealthy relationships. They are taught how to block and report any concerns that may arise when online.

Workshops help pupils learn how to keep safe within and beyond the school. Pupils are given opportunities to improve their environment. For example, pupils in the eco-committee were proactive in reducing the amount of litter in the school grounds.

Pupils readily take on additional responsibilities. For example, reading ambassadors are proud to read to the younger pupils and to share their book recommendations in assemblies.

Staff are overwhelmingly positive about how their workload is managed and how their well-being is considered.

Governors are ambitious for the school. They know what the school is doing well and what will make it even better. The school provides a wide range of support for families, including stay-and-play sessions, English classes for speakers of other languages and self-defence sessions.

Parents and carers value these opportunities.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, pupils' understanding is not checked carefully.

In these instances, some pupils struggle to secure key knowledge, skills and vocabulary and have gaps in their learning. This limits the depth of understanding secured in these subjects. The school needs to ensure that pupils' understanding of what they have learned is checked consistently.