Ford Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Serving the community is at the heart of Ford Primary School's vision.

Leaders ensure an inclusive, nurturing environment meets the needs of all pupils and families. Pupils say that everyone is welcome.

Leaders have responded with sensitivity and compassion to recent events within the community.

This high-quality pastoral care for pupils and their families has been a key feature of the school's work in the last year. However, the quality of education pupils receive is not as well developed.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils' behaviour.

The inclusive approach means that all pupils have their needs met. Pupils are clear about rewards an...d sanctions. They say that pupils do fall out, but bullying is rare.

Positive relationships with staff mean pupils trust adults to sort out any worries or problems.

As the curriculum is not yet fully effective, pupils sometimes become distracted in lessons. They do not always listen carefully.

This is because teachers are not always clear about the specific knowledge they want pupils to learn.

Parents are positive about the school. They speak highly of the care and strong relationships staff have with their children.

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

Leaders have a clear vision and set of values for their pupils. They know their pupils and context well. They have thoughtfully taken pupils' understanding of Plymouth as the starting point for their whole curriculum design.

However, leaders' ambition for pupils is not yet fully realised through the curriculum. This is because the knowledge they want pupils to learn across the curriculum is not yet clear enough. Leaders know that the development of vocabulary is important for their pupils.

The curriculum, however, does not consistently help pupils to learn key vocabulary. This is because the specific knowledge these words relate to has not been identified.

All staff encourage a love of reading.

Pupils appreciate the range of books they can choose from the school library. They enjoy having books read to them by teachers. Younger pupils learn phonics well.

Staff have good subject knowledge, which means they are skilled at helping pupils to segment words and blend sounds with confidence. Pupils read books that match the sounds they are learning. Nursery children who are ready start learning phonics before they start Reception.

Pupils develop secure mathematical skills. A developing fluency in number means that they can apply this knowledge to problem-solving and reasoning. Children in the early years deepen their understanding of mathematics through a wide range of opportunities in adult-led time and play.

Children in the early years learn well. Adults are skilled at questioning and modelling language. This means that children have lots of opportunities to develop their speaking, listening and understanding.

The carefully planned environment ensures children develop positive attitudes. They play and learn together cooperatively and with confidence.

The strong leadership for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities means that these pupils have their needs well met.

Teachers are confident in making sure provision is in place to help these pupils access the curriculum.

Pupils' personal development is the cornerstone of leaders' work. Pupils have a good understanding of equality and say that everyone is treated equally at their school.

They speak proudly of opportunities to perform in, and serve, their local community. Initiatives such as the mini-police and the school parliament offer experiences that broaden pupils' understanding of life in modern Britain.

Governors are passionate about their school.

Along with trust leaders, they support and challenge leaders to bring about improvements. Staff appreciate their pastoral support for leaders and staff over recent months.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders' work to keep pupils safe is at the heart of what they do. They work well with a range of agencies to get the right support for pupils and families. Leaders' checks made when recruiting staff are thorough.

Regular training for staff means they are confident in recording and reporting concerns. This means that leaders can act swiftly.

Pupils learn about staying safe.

They can talk about how to stay safe when using the internet. Pupils understand the need to share information if they feel someone is at risk of harm. They trust adults to help them if they have a worry.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In the wider curriculum, subject leaders have not planned the content of the curriculum well enough. It is not clear what essential knowledge pupils should know and by when, in order to build their knowledge and skills over time. Leaders need to ensure the curriculum identifies the specific knowledge and vocabulary they want pupils to learn over time.

Teaching in the wider curriculum is not based on secure subject knowledge. This means that teaching does not always present learning effectively to pupils. Leaders need to develop teachers' subject-specific knowledge further so they can help pupils know more and remember more.

• Subject leadership is not yet fully developed. Leaders do not always know how the curriculum is being implemented in their subject. Senior leaders must develop subject leaders' expertise so the curriculum is well implemented.