Forty Hill CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong sense of community at Forty Hill. Everyone looks out for each other. Staff want the very best outcomes for each and every pupil.

Pupils respond to these high expectations. They work hard and achieve well. Staff know all pupils really well.

Pupils feel safe, well cared for and confident to ask for help.

Pupils are happy in school. They behave well.

They know why it is important to be kind and respectful to others. Pupils enjoy the rewards that come with working hard and upholding the school's values. One reward which pupils are especially keen to receive is an invite to the headteacher's tea party for great behaviour.

Bullyi...ng is rare but teachers sort it out quickly and properly.

Pupils said that one of the best things about their school is the range of exciting clubs and activities that staff provide for them. Pupils love their outdoor learning in the wooded area that is in the school grounds.

They enjoy newspaper club, where they sit and eat lunch together and discuss what is happening in the world. Pupils know that their ideas are taken seriously by staff. They have lots of chances to have a say in what happens in school.

The church, which is close by, is a much-valued part of school life. Pupils enjoy their regular visits, particularly at special celebrations throughout the year.

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

All staff make sure that reading is given high priority.

Pupils said they enjoy their class texts. They read every day and enjoy taking books home. Pupils achieve well in reading.

From the time children start school, daily phonics sessions help them learn to read well. Leaders make sure that pupils build their phonics knowledge securely. This helps pupils to read words accurately and quickly.

In the past, pupils were not always given books which contained words that matched their phonics knowledge. Leaders started to sort this out last year. Pupils now read books that match the sounds they know.

Most staff have a good understanding of how to teach pupils to read using phonics. But in Years 3 to 6, a few staff have not received comprehensive training in phonics. On occasions, this means that these staff are unable to help pupils in the same way that others do.

Teachers make sure that what pupils learn in mathematics builds on what they have learned before. This means that pupils can make connections between different concepts. Pupils have the knowledge and confidence to tackle more complex calculations as they move through the school.

Pupils achieve highly in mathematics.

Leaders have developed new plans for the other subjects in Years 1 to 6. They know that it is important to be clear about what they want pupils to know in each subject and in what order.

Leaders have identified the most essential knowledge that pupils must learn in history, geography, science and computing. Staff started to use these plans last year. But this was interrupted by some of the partial school closures.

These plans now need time to embed.

Leaders have made improvements to the plans in art, design and technology and music. What pupils learn in these subjects is now more organised.

However, leaders have not identified the key knowledge that pupils need in each topic or year group. Leaders are taking credible steps to sort this out.

In the early years, staff work closely with parents and carers to promote children's all-round development.

Staff make sure that children achieve well in the different areas of learning. They know what they expect children to learn and in what order. But, sometimes, leaders do not fully consider how children's learning feeds into the subject plans in Year 1 and beyond.

This means that children are not as well prepared for their future learning as they might be.

Learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Staff provide effective support to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

They make sure that subject plans are adapted for pupils' different abilities. This ensures that these pupils learn the curriculum as well as their peers.

Pupils' wider development, including their understanding of themselves and others, is a strength of the school.

Pupils learn about diversity and equality. The 'reaching out' programme involves every pupil in the school. It allows them to play their part in giving something to others in the community.

Pupils have many opportunities to reflect and pray. A wall of rainbows, which displays their hopes for the world after the pandemic, is just one example of this.

Leaders and governors share an accurate understanding of what is working well and the things that need to develop.

Leaders work together effectively in order to continually improve the school. Staff are highly supportive of leaders. Staff value the support and guidance they receive.

Parents are extremely positive about all that the school offers their children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Pupils' well-being and safety is always at the top of the agenda.

Staff share the mindset that 'it could happen here' when they talk about safeguarding. They know what to look out for and understand how to report any concerns about pupils' welfare.

Pupils feel safe in school.

They remember key messages from lessons about keeping themselves safe. They are alert to the dangers of posting things online, including personal information and images.

Leaders manage all safeguarding matters diligently.

They ensure that no time is wasted in getting pupils and their families the help they need to stay safe, including from other agencies.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In Years 3 to 6, a few staff's expertise in teaching early reading is underdeveloped. In these year groups, on occasions, extra help is not sharply focused on supporting pupils to apply their phonics knowledge.

Leaders should strengthen teachers' subject knowledge so that any phonics teaching in Years 3 to 6 builds precisely on pupils' previous learning. ? Subject plans for art, design and technology and music do not clearly identify the knowledge that pupils need to acquire in each topic or year group. This means that plans do not enable pupils to build their knowledge securely over time.

Leaders need to ensure that these subjects are coherently planned and make clear the knowledge that pupils need. Leaders are in the process of addressing this. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

• In the early years, subject planning provides clear guidance on what children should learn and remember. However, leaders have not considered fully how children's learning in the early years builds the foundations for the different subjects in Years 1 to 6. Leaders need to refine subject planning and make explicit how what children learn in the early years relates to pupils' future learning in the different subjects.