Forge Wood Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Forge Wood Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.The headteacher of this school is Katharine Holman. This school is part of GLF Schools multi-academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by a chief executive officer, Julian Drinkall, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lynne O'Reilly.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this welcoming school. There are many opportunities to develop their personalities and leadership skills.

Pupils learn about their responsibilities for the environment while l...itter picking or celebrating 'world clean energy day'. They show kindness and consideration for each other. Older pupils help younger ones at lunch times.

They work together to fundraise for charities in mixed-age groups.

The school is ambitious that pupils will achieve highly and be self-assured in their knowledge of the curriculum. Pupils learn how to be resilient.

They frequently practise what they have learned until they have the knowledge of key grammatical and mathematical facts at their fingertips. In doing so, they develop personal stamina and highly positive habits for learning. Pupils achieve well overall.

Pupils behave exceptionally well. Staff act as excellent role models. Expectations are consistent throughout the school.

Pupils are taught to understand different emotions. Pupils learn how emotions such as fear and anger can make them act. They are taught ways of helping themselves feel ready to learn.

Pupils rightly feel safe in the knowledge that if they are worried, adults in school will listen to them and help them.

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

The school has redeveloped its curriculum, so it is more ambitious. The new curriculum particularly benefits pupils who have gaps in their learning, such as pupils who join during the school year.

Pupils are taught technical vocabulary so they can talk about their learning in detail. Pupils routinely revisit the most important knowledge and ideas throughout the curriculum. This helps them to remember key information and apply it to their understanding of new ideas.

The school's 2024 Year 6 published outcomes do not reflect the current strength of pupils' achievement, nor the school's typical end of key stage 2 attainment. During the year, the school experienced a turbulent time with unavoidably high levels of staff turnover and pupil mobility in the school. These circumstances adversely affected pupils' attainment.

The school has overcome these challenges and is now in a much more stable position.

The school has recently further refined the English curriculum so that pupils' learning builds more securely as they become fluent readers and writers. Staff have had the training that they need and the school is supporting them so that English is taught using the school's agreed design, as happens across other areas of the curriculum.

Staff check pupils' learning systematically. Carefully designed activities enable staff to spot pupils at risk of falling behind. Staff address misconceptions.

They make sure that pupils understand what they have learned, before moving on to more difficult concepts. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified quickly and given the support they need to thrive. They are taught to learn independently, and this helps them to be ready for the next stage in their education.

Reading is taught well. In Reception, pupils are surrounded by song and rhyme. They learn letter sounds quickly.

Staff swiftly identify any pupils who struggle and help them to catch up. Those who do not meet the standard at the Year 1 phonics screening check catch up by Year 2. There are frequent opportunities for pupils to develop their gross and fine motor skills.

This helps them with letter formation as they develop their writing skills. Most pupils attain well in reading and writing and become confident, fluent readers but there is still a minority who have gaps in their knowledge in these areas.

The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain.

Pupils develop an understanding of others' faiths and traditions through visitors to the school. They learn about democracy when voting for leadership roles. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including on the internet.

They know the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships, eating a balanced diet, getting enough sleep, and exercising regularly.

The school supports families to overcome barriers to pupils' attendance. Persistent absence is gradually reducing, and attendance is increasing.

However, too many pupils whose attendance has improved still arrive at school late. This means that they have gaps in their learning and do not achieve as well as they could.

Pupils show highly positive attitudes to their learning.

They behave respectfully and are motivated to achieve their best. Low-level disruption is extremely rare and does not interrupt pupils' learning.Governors have effective systems to challenge and support the school.

They scrutinise detailed information about pupils' achievement and invest in the areas which benefit pupils most. The trust works seamlessly with the school in their pursuit of excellence for all pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge in reading and writing. As a result, they sometimes struggle with fluency, and this prevents them from achieving as highly as they could. The school should ensure that staff have the ongoing support needed to teach the new reading and writing curriculum to the same high standards as other areas of the curriculum.

• Some pupils arrive at school late. This means they have gaps in their learning and do not attain as well as they could. The school should strengthen its work to increase punctuality.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in June 2019.

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