Forden C.I.W. School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Group of students sitting in gymA child and child playing with sandDescription automatically generatedA person and child sitting at a tableDescription automatically generatedForden Church in Wales Primary School is a nurturing place for pupils and staff alike. There is an overall feeling of inclusivity and a strong sense of belonging in the school. The headteacher, teachers and support staff take very good care of the pupils and want them to thrive in learning and in life.

Well-being is placed at the heart of the school's ethos. All pupils and their families receive a genuine welcome and pupils enjoy coming to school and being part of such a reassuring learning environment. Teachers and support staff are there to help when needed.<...br/>
They offer pupils a range of learning opportunities, all of which help to keep pupils interested in their learning. However, these do not consistently provide sufficient challenge to pupils to ensure their progress and the development of their skills as independent learners. Pupils are proud of Forden School and exhibit very positive attitudes to learning.

Pupils know that staff expect them to respect everyone in the school community and to behave well. The engagement of pupils in their learning is a notable strength of the school. The school grounds offer a stimulating environment to extend pupils' learning.

However, the school does not always make best use of this learning opportunity. The headteacher provides considerate leadership and generally knows the school well. She has correctly identified important areas of the school's work that she wants to improve.

These include pupils' extended writing and mathematics; nevertheless, evaluation and improvement processes require further honing. The headteacher values the opinions of staff, pupils, parents and governors, and uses these to improve the school. School staff trust each other and work well together to provide good support for each other and pupils.

Recommendations R1 Improve the quality of teaching, including formative assessment, to ensure that pupils are challenged consistently R2 Strengthen self-evaluation and improvement planning processes to accurately identify and bring about necessary development R3 Utilise the outdoors through the planning of purposeful learning experiences