Home Farm Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school Senior leaders communicate high expectations of pupils and staff. Systems to check on the quality of teaching and pupil's progress provide a secure platform for further school improvement. Good teaching helps most pupils to make better progress in their learning.

Teaching assistants work very effectively. Funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used well. These pupils are catching up in their learning.

Senior and subject leaders have planned a curriculum that offers rich learning experiences. This is extended through a well-planned programme of extra-curricular opportunities. Children thrive in the early years because staff plan activi...ties carefully to meet different learning needs.

Because pupils behave well and display positive attitudes, lesson time is used well and learning is productive. Staff provide high-quality nurturing support in the Orchard Room. This helps pupils with social and emotional difficulties enjoy their learning.

Well-informed governors work effectively with school leaders to put agreed decisions successfully into action. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Most-able pupils do not always have the opportunity to tackle challenging work soon enough in lessons. Sometimes pupils who have completed work successfully have to wait for the teacher before moving on to the next learning task.

Tasks in mathematics do not always build up pupils' deeper understanding in a clear sequence of learning steps. Pupils' handwriting and spelling are inconsistent across some year groups. Although pupils are working closer to standards expected of their age, too few are working in greater depth.

Attendance remains below the national average, despite concerted work with parents about the issue.

Information about this school

This school is larger than the average-sized primary school. Pupils of White British heritage make up around two thirds of the school population.

Pupils of Pakistani origin make up around half of the remaining pupils. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is higher than average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, and children looked after by the local authority.

) The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is around the national average. The proportion of pupils with statements of special educational needs, or education, health and care plans, is below the national average. The school meets the government's current floor standards that set out the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

Children in the early years attend part time in Nursery and full time in Reception. The headteacher was in post at the time of the previous inspection. The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.