Robert Ferguson Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher inspires staff and promotes high aspirations for pupils.

He empowers staff to use their initiative and share good practice. Leaders at all levels ensure that the school keeps on improving. Governors support and challenge leaders successfully.

They have ambition and high expectations for staff and pupils. Highly effective partnership working with other schools, universities and educational organisations enhances the work of the school. The school's work to promote pupils' personal development and welfare is excellent.

Pupils' well-being is at the heart of everything the school does. Pupils make an excellent contrib...ution to the happy atmosphere in school. Their good behaviour contributes to their good progress.

Improvement planning is incisive and focused on raising pupils' attainment. Teaching is effective. Teachers and support staff are motivated and make learning interesting.

They constantly develop their knowledge and skills by engaging in educational research and training. Staff use assessment effectively to ensure that pupils make at least good progress from their starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils' attainment in these subjects is rising in each year group.

Leaders are aware of where further improvement is needed. For example, they are aware that the most able pupils are not given enough work that deepens their learning in mathematics. Children in the early years settle happily and feel safe and secure.

Adults are enthusiastic and plan lots of interesting activities. Children make good progress from their starting points, although their mathematical development is not as strong as in other areas. Leaders ensure that the curriculum across the whole school is broad and covers all subjects suitably.

Pupils enjoy the broad range of topics they cover and the interesting activities, trips and visitors. Pupils' progress is not as rapid in geography, history and art as it is in other subjects. Activities in these subjects do not build on pupils' prior learning as rapidly as they could.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. The school is larger than average. Since the last inspection, the intake number has increased and pupils have joined the school in different year groups.

The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above average. The proportion of pupils who are supported for special educational needs is below average. An average proportion have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups and the proportion who speak English as an additional language are below average. The school is active in the Carlisle Schools Partnership; the headteacher is the chair of the partnership. The school met government floor standards in 2016, which set the minimum standards for pupils' progress and attainment.