Foston Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils 'learn and grow together' during their time at this small village school. Pupils understand the school values of love, joy, patience and self-control. They know how these contribute to their progress in school.

Pupils are keen to meet the high expectations that the school has for their achievement. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

The school promotes a culture of mutual respect.

Positive relationships between staff and pupils are at the heart of the school community from the early years onwards. Pupils are happy and thriving. Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy learning.

They are polite and well mannered. ...Pupils feel safe in school and trust adults to deal with any concerns.'

Fantastic Fridays' provide a rich range of thoughtfully planned wider opportunities that enhance and further the curriculum.

These experiences both deepen pupils' understanding and broaden their horizons. Pupils benefit from the different extra-curricular clubs and trips. The sporting offer for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), is a particular strength.

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

The curriculum demonstrates ambition for all, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. The school's well-thought-out curriculum allows pupils to build securely on new knowledge and skills from what they have already learned. Staff routinely check pupils' understanding and ensure that this is secure before applying what pupils know to new ideas.

Occasionally, teachers do not identify and resolve pupils' misconceptions. This leads to gaps in their knowledge persisting.

The teaching of reading is a strength of the school.

Children in the early years get off to a flying start with phonics. Staff are experts in teaching children to read. Children's books are closely matched to the sounds that they know.

This helps them to master phonics quickly and to become fluent readers. There is strong support for those pupils who find reading difficult. These pupils are quickly identified.

Swift action is taken before they begin to fall behind. Teachers read to pupils every day. A carefully compiled list of books to read together is in place across school.

The school has a well-resourced library that contains a range of carefully selected books.

In the early years, children have an excellent start to their education. They experience an atmosphere where all feel welcome and high expectations are the norm.

Children in early years learn through well-sequenced, interesting activities in the intelligently resourced indoor and outdoor classrooms. They are exceptionally well prepared for their learning in Year 1.

Pupils with SEND receive the support they need to learn alongside their peers.

Staff carefully adapt the curriculum to meet their needs. This approach contributes to pupils with SEND achieving well.

The curriculum for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education helps pupils to understand how to stay safe online.

Pupils know when personal information should not be shared. The school provides pupils with opportunities to develop their citizenship. An example of this includes raising money for a charity based in Uganda.

Through this experience, pupils can see how their fundraising efforts are making a positive difference to the lives of others.Pupils' behaviour is calm and orderly. They have positive attitudes to lessons.

Behaviour routines and expectations are clearly embedded and consistently applied across the school. Pupils show excellent manners, which extend outside the classroom to the playground. Pupils play harmoniously together and develop strong friendships.

Attendance is a priority for the school. Highly effective attendance procedures are in place that are consistently applied. As a result of rigorous monitoring and timely actions, attendance is extremely positive.

Leaders have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and what it needs to improve. Governors work in close collaboration with the school to ensure continuous improvement. The school is highly considerate of staff's workload and well-being.

Parents and carers highly value the supportive and nurturing school community ethos. Parents are very appreciative of the care and support the school provides to them and their children.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, some pupils' misconceptions are not addressed in a timely manner. This can lead to gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding. The school should ensure it checks what pupils know and ensure that gaps in their knowledge are addressed before moving on to new ideas.