Forest Hall Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy in this warm and welcoming school community. They enjoy coming to school and attend regularly. Parents describe the school as being a positive and happy place.

Staff know pupils well. Leaders have designed a curriculum that supports pupils' academic knowledge, as well as the development of their personal skills. Staff are determined that pupils develop the skills and knowledge required for a future in modern Britain.

Leaders are ambitious and have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils know that reading is an important part of their education. They talk with enthusiasm about the carefully selected books they read.

Pupils are respectful of s...taff and each other. Pupils feel safe. They say that bullying is rare.

When it does happen, pupils say that they get the help they need. Problems are resolved quickly. Pupils are keen to participate in lessons.

They concentrate well and have very positive attitudes to learning.

Well-established systems and routines result in a calm and purposeful environment for learning. Positive relationships between staff and pupils are clear to see, and pupils behave very well.

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

Reading is a key priority for the school. There is a consistent approach to teaching phonics. Leaders have clear expectations about the phonics knowledge pupils need to acquire at key points from Reception to Year 2.

Teachers make regular checks to ensure that pupils remember the sounds they are taught. Pupils get the extra support they need to catch up quickly. Pupils are given regular opportunities to share their opinions about their books with each other.

For example, pupils in Year 6 have put together their own top ten of recommended books for their friends to read. Leaders have made sure that the books on offer to pupils are up to date, informative and exciting. For pupils in the early stages of reading, books are well matched to their phonics knowledge.

Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy reading and feel that books can help them to understand the world around them.

The school's curriculum is ambitious, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Subject leaders have put in place well-sequenced curriculum plans for their subjects.

Leaders have identified the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn to reach ambitious outcomes. Leaders have considered how this knowledge is sequenced, starting from Reception. It is built up steadily and securely as pupils move from one year group to the next.

This supports pupils when they are working on new topics. For example, in a Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils were using their knowledge of number lines from previous years to help their understanding of negative numbers.Leaders and teachers teach pupils to use subject-specific vocabulary.

Teachers give pupils accurate definitions, and this helps pupils to use these new words with confidence. For example, pupils in Year 3 can use a wide range of words to share their detailed knowledge about pharaohs in Ancient Egypt, including 'sarcophagus', 'civilisation', 'hereditary' and 'mummification'.

Senior leaders have put in place systems to check that the well-sequenced curriculum plans are being consistently used in all lessons and that they help pupils to continue to remember even more knowledge.

However, because of COVID-19 impacting on class and school closures, these checking systems are currently not always regular or detailed enough.

Pupils achieve well in a range of subjects over time. The knowledge they gain prepares them well for the next stage of their learning.

At the end of topics, teachers carefully check what pupils remember. Teachers then use this information to make sure that pupils are ready to move on in their learning.

Pupils with SEND are very well supported.

Their additional learning needs are accurately identified and met. The highly knowledgeable special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) works alongside teachers to ensure pupils get the help they need.

The governing body gets the information it needs from leaders to challenge them on their work.

Governors have a good understanding of the school. The challenge and support they provide helps leaders to sharpen their actions to improve the school.

In the early years, children are happy and well cared for.

They learn to read, write and understand mathematics very well. Children enjoy a wide variety of books, rhymes and songs. This helps them to develop their phonics skills.

Staff work with parents and their children to identify any children with particular needs. Support is quickly put in place.

Leaders have fostered a culture in which staff feel valued.

Morale among staff is high. Staff spoke about the sense of teamwork and cooperation they experience.

Staff are very attentive to pupils' welfare and personal development.

A caring and supportive ethos is evident throughout the school. From early years upwards, the school provides pupils with meaningful opportunities to understand how to be responsible, respectful, active citizens who contribute positively to society.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a culture of care in the school. Staff know the pupils and their families very well. Pupils are at the centre of every decision made regarding their safety and care.

Regular training and updates keep everyone informed about the risks to pupils. Staff are clear about how to spot any warning signs and are confident enough to quickly raise concerns.

Safeguarding record-keeping is accurate and up to date.

Communication between staff is strong. This ensures nothing is overlooked. Pupils say that they feel safe in school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The systems leaders use to check the effectiveness of curriculum plans on increasing pupils' knowledge in all subjects are not sufficiently frequent or detailed enough. The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on this work. As a result, leaders do not have enough precise information about how well pupils are gaining intended knowledge in each subject.

Leaders need to check that curriculum plans are implemented consistently and effectively on a regular basis. They need to support subject leaders in using these checks to ensure that pupils are building their knowledge over time across subjects. They should ensure findings are precise so that any aspects that need improvement can be quickly addressed.