Forton Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils at Forton Primary School speak of the school's motto that encourages everyone to aspire to shine. Pupils are proud to be members of their school community. They enjoy being recognised for their kindness and ability to care for each other.

Leaders have built strong, positive relationships with families. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school and the way that they can communicate easily with the staff.

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils and children.

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum which engages and interests all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).... Teachers use a range of strategies to ensure that all pupils, including children in the early years, can access the ambitious curriculum. As a result, pupils and children achieve well.

Pupils and children behave well in lessons and there is a happy and calm feel throughout school. Pupils enjoy the family feel and like mixing and playing with their peers from the full range of year groups.

There are very few incidents of bullying.

Pupils are confident that staff will sort out any problems that arise. Pupils feel safe in school and said that this is because they make friends easily and because of the support that they receive from staff.

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

Leaders have designed a broad and suitably ambitious curriculum and teachers are clear about what pupils should know by the end of each year.

Pupils, including those with SEND, follow the same curriculum. Leaders make effective use of external experts to support the early and accurate identification of pupils' needs. This helps teachers to provide appropriate support for pupils with SEND.

Pupils, including pupils with SEND, enjoy their learning and achieve well.

Teachers are equipped well to design learning that supports pupils to learn the curriculum. They check regularly that pupils' understanding of earlier key concepts is secure.

In most subjects, teachers understand how pupils' learning builds over time. This helps teachers to know which aspects of the curriculum to emphasise and revisit. However, in a few subjects, leaders have not made it clear enough to teachers about the most important knowledge that pupils should remember.

Leaders have prioritised the development of the early reading curriculum. From their first days in the early years, children begin to learn and enjoy rhymes and songs. As children move into the Reception Year, they develop their understanding of phonics quickly.

Well-trained staff deliver the phonics programme effectively. They ensure that children take home books which are well-matched to their knowledge of sounds that they know. Those pupils and children who struggle to keep up in reading receive appropriate support from staff to help them to catch up.

By the end of key stage 1, almost all pupils are confident and fluent readers.

In the early years, much of what children learn is based around high-quality texts. This inspires children and younger pupils to read for pleasure.

Many older pupils are enthusiastic readers. They appreciate the joy that books can provide. That said, leaders are still working to ensure that there is a real love of reading across the school.

Some older pupils are not exposed to a wide enough collection of genres and authors.

Pupils, including children in the early years, follow teachers' instructions carefully. Leaders have introduced a new behaviour policy that is applied consistently well by staff.

Pupils are keen to be noticed doing the right thing and learning is seldom disrupted. Pupils understand their responsibility in helping to create a calm and friendly school.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of carefully chosen trips.

Many of these visits involve the whole school. Leaders are careful to design activities to meet the needs of pupils' and children's different ages. Older pupils enjoy taking on the role of learning buddies and supporting their younger schoolmates on these trips.

Leaders have ensured that pupils are able to take part in clubs to hone their skills, talents and interests. For example, pupils enjoy attending clubs in sports, music, computing and drama. Pupils have the opportunity to take on additional responsibilities.

For instance, those pupils who act as school councillors enjoy being the voice for their peers and representing the views of their classmates.

Members of the governing body have developed a range of systems to ensure that they understand leaders' priorities. Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school.

They understand the importance of being mindful of staff's well-being. Leaders are considerate of staff workload when making decisions. For example, subject leaders, including those in the early stages of their teaching career, work as a team to ease the burden of ongoing refinements to aspects of the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained and know that they must be vigilant to the signs that may indicate a pupil is at risk of harm.

Staff know what to look out for and what to do if they have any concerns, however minor.

Leaders' systems to report and record concerns are robust. School staff work with outside agencies when needed.

This ensures that any vulnerable pupils and their families receive timely and appropriate help.

Leaders ensure that pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. Pupils are aware of how to stay safe online and what to do if they have any concerns.

They are taught to keep themselves healthy and have a sound knowledge of healthy food choices. Pupils also learn how to stay well mentally.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, leaders have not made the most important knowledge that pupils should remember clear enough to teachers.

This hinders teachers in checking that some aspects of important earlier learning are secure. As a result, some pupils struggle to remember what they have learned. Leaders should make sure that teachers are clear about the building blocks of learning that will be most useful for pupils' subsequent learning.

• Leaders have not ensured that some older pupils are exposed to a broad-enough range of high-quality texts that they can read and listen to for pleasure. This means that some pupils do not read widely enough. Leaders should ensure that all pupils and their families can access texts from a wide range of genres and authors to support the cultivation of a real love of reading across the school.