Fair Furlong Primary School

School report Fair Furlong Primary School

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Vowell Close, Withywood, Bristol, BS13 9HS

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher provides outstanding leadership and ensures that all pupils achieve the highest levels of academic and personal development.  The governing body of the school is highly effective. They know the school well and rigorously hold school leaders to account for every aspect of the school’s performance.  School leaders, including governors, focus relentlessly on improving teaching, learning and caring so that pupils can thrive.  Teaching is at least good and some is outstanding.  All staff have very high expectations of all pupils; their behaviour, their attitudes to learning, the presentation of their work and the progress they should make.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Pupils are friendly, engaging, polite, courteous and respectful. They are rightly proud of their school and of their behaviour.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Parents and pupils say that adults

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

at the school care for pupils very well and that the pupils say they feel extremely safe.  Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 has been above the national average for the past five years.  On average, pupils have made more than expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics each year for at least the last three years.  The school makes highly effective provision for disadvantaged pupils and use the pupil premium grant to very good effect. Consequently, all pupils sustain high levels of progress in reading, writing and mathematics for the whole of their time at the school.  The school’s curriculum and ethos promote and sustain a thirst for learning in the pupils who enjoy coming to school.  The spiritual, moral, social and cultural curriculum permeates every element of the school and helps to ensure that pupils are very well prepared for the next stage in their education and life in modern

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

Britain.  The curriculum and the values-based ethos of the school have an extremely positive impact on all pupils’ behaviour and safety, and make a significant contribution to their physical well-being and high rates of academic progress.  The Early Years Foundation Stage meets the needs of children exceptionally well through a range of imaginative and stimulating experiences. As a result, children achieve consistently high rates of progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 26 lessons taught by 16 teachers, six of which were jointly observed with the headteacher or the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books, listened to pupils read and talked to them about their work. Inspectors also met with groups of pupils including members of the school council.  Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, leaders of English and mathematics, other subject leaders, the leader responsible for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and members of the governing body.  An inspector met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took parents' views into account, including the 37 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View.  The inspectors listened to the views of staff and evaluated the 51 responses to the Ofsted staff survey.  The inspectors looked at a range of documentation including information about safeguarding, the school’s

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Information about this inspection

self-evaluation and improvement plans, the most recent data on pupils’ achievement, and information relating to teaching, behaviour, and attendance.

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Inspection team

Derek Myers, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Children in Reception attend full time and children in the Nursery attend half time.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is larger than average.  The large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. A small minority comes from minority ethnic groups. Few pupils speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for the attainment and progress of pupils by the end of Year 6.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives the pupil premium grant (additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils) is higher than average and too small for reporting purposes.  The headteacher is a National Leader of Education.  The school is a member of the Bristol Primary Teaching School Alliance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that all of the most-able pupils make more than the expected rates of progress in reading and writing from their starting points.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 This is a highly effective school led by outstanding leaders and managers. The headteacher personifies the school leadership’s uncompromising and highly effective drive to ensure that all pupils achieve. All school leaders, including governors, continually strive to improve the highest levels of achievement and personal development of pupils and have done so over an extended period of time.  All leaders and managers, including those responsible for governance, are highly ambitious for the pupils and ensure that all adults are equally ambitious. School leaders base their actions on a comprehensive and accurate understanding of the school’s performance and of staff and pupils’ past and potential performance.  School leaders, including middle leaders and those responsible for governance, focus relentlessly on improving teaching, learning and caring so that pupils can thrive. School leaders at all levels evaluate

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The leadership and management are outstanding

everything they do. School leaders promptly take adults to task if there is insufficient progress and ensure that action is taken to rectify the situation.  Professional development of all staff is focused and informed by the rigorous and comprehensive system for performance management that encourages, challenges and supports teachers’ improvement. Teachers value this and, as a result, the overall quality of teaching is at least consistently good, often outstanding, and continually improving.  The school has used their sport funding to very good effect. It has employed external sports coaches to work alongside teachers and, as a result, teachers’ confidence has improved. More pupils participate in sport and clubs because of the improved opportunities the school has provided, including at lunchtime. The school has also provided the pupils with more opportunities to take part in competitive sport against

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The leadership and management are outstanding

other schools in local and Bristol leagues.  The school’s curriculum and the school’s ethos promote and sustain a thirst for learning in pupils. Pupils enjoy coming to school and want to be challenged in their lessons. The curriculum covers a wide range of subjects and provides a range of opportunities for excellence. The curriculum and the values-based ethos of the school have an extremely positive impact on all pupils’ behaviour and safety, and make a significant contribution to the high rates of academic progress made by the pupils and their physical well-being.  Fair Furlong Primary School is a values driven school. All pupils are given equal and full access to the school’s provision. The promoting of equality, fostering good relations and tackling discrimination are core school values. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural element of the curriculum permeates every element of the school. Pupils are given the opportunity to be reflective in assemblies, which enables them to have

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The leadership and management are outstanding

a very good understanding of the school’s values. Pupils understand the meaning of democracy and have first-hand experience of what it is like to participate in an election. Pupils are very well prepared for the next stage in their education and life in modern Britain.  The school leaders make highly effective provision for disadvantaged pupils and use the pupil premium grant to very good effect. Staff are extremely proficient in early identification of pupils who may become vulnerable and provide them with appropriate support. Consequently, disadvantaged and vulnerable pupils are happy and settled in school and engage in their learning. This results in sustained high levels of progress over the primary phase, including in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school works very well with parents and has highly successful strategies for engaging with parents to the benefit of pupils. School leaders regularly seek the views of parents and act promptly to address any

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The leadership and management are outstanding

issues. As a result, the overwhelming majority of parents are happy with the school and all of them would recommend the school.  Senior leaders in the school work to promote improvement across the wider system. They are members of a teaching school alliance and provide support to other schools, their leaders and staff. The headteacher is a National Leader of Education and provides effective support to other school leaders. The English and mathematics leaders also provide support and professional development to colleagues from other schools.  The school is highly adept at identifying any child at risk of harm and engaging with partners to respond appropriately. Staff model professional standards in all of their work and demonstrate high levels of respect and courtesy for pupils and others. As a result, pupils feel safe and happy and actively engage in their learning.  Leaders have ensured that the early years provision is also highly effective.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority provides appropriate support to the school. They effectively work with school leaders to periodically review the standards of pupil achievement and teaching. They also provide effective support to the governing body.  The governance of the school:  The governors of Fair Furlong Primary School are highly effective. They rigorously hold the headteacher and senior school leaders to account for all aspects of the school’s performance.  Governors have a detailed and accurate understanding of the quality of teaching, which is informed by reports from the school leaders and their own monitoring. They know and understand their role in performance management of staff and of the headteacher and are clear about what is done to reward good teaching or tackle underperformance.  Governors have a very good understanding of the school performance, which is informed by a wide range of information including published data, internal pupil progress data and the results of

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The leadership and management are outstanding

monitoring. They challenge school leaders appropriately and are tenacious in their resolve to ensure all pupils make more than expected progress. For example, governors asked the headteacher to find out how well pupils of the school did in their GCSE examinations so that they could take this performance data into account also.  The highly effective governing body ensures financial stability through effective and efficient management of financial resources, such as the pupil premium funding, through a system of rigorous planning and controls.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils’ behaviour reflects the school’s values and the highly effective strategies all staff employ to promote high standards; this makes an extremely significant contribution to an exceptionally positive climate for learning. There are also excellent improvements in behaviour over time for individuals with particular behaviour needs.  Pupils are very enthusiastic about their learning and enjoy lessons. Consequently, behaviour in lessons is excellent. Pupils work at a good pace and respond very well to teachers’ feedback and instructions. They work well on their own, in small groups or as a class, and are excellent at helping each other. Pupils respond very well to teachers’ high expectations. This has a striking impact on their progress in lessons.  Behaviour outside lessons is exemplary, safe and well ordered. Pupils are friendly and very engaging, willing to talk, polite, courteous and respectful. They get on very well together within their friendship

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Behaviour

groups and across all age groups. Pupils take real pride in their school and their behaviour, such as when they are on school trips.  Pupils have an excellent understanding of all the different forms of bullying, including cyber bullying and prejudice-based bullying, and actively try to prevent it from occurring. Bullying in all forms is extremely rare and dealt with swiftly and effectively.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Systems for safeguarding pupils are thorough. Parents and pupils say that adults at the school care for pupils very well and that they feel extremely safe.  Pupils play a significant role in the health and safety of the school. Two elected pupil health and safety officers work with the school caretaker to ensure the site is safe. They also monitor suggestions from pupils about behaviour and work with staff to resolve any issues.  All groups of pupils are safe and feel safe in school at all times. Pupils have a very good understanding of how to keep themselves, and others, safe in a range of situations. They know how to avoid unsafe situations, including in relation to e-safety.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teaching over time in all year groups, including early years, and most subjects is at least good, and some is outstanding. As a result, almost all pupils currently on roll in the school, including disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs, disadvantaged pupils and the most able, are making more than expected progress, which results in outstanding achievement at the end of Year 6.  All teachers and other school staff have very high expectations of all pupils in their behaviour, their attitudes to learning and the presentation of their work. Teachers plan and teach lessons that enable pupils to learn exceptionally well across the curriculum.  The teaching of reading, writing, communication and mathematics is highly effective. It is carefully planned and implemented across a range of subjects. As a result, pupils make sustained progress over time.  Teachers and other adults impart knowledge enthusiastically and confidently motivate pupils and help

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

them develop a thirst for learning. Teachers have very good understanding of individual pupils, which enables them to employ well-judged teaching strategies. These include setting appropriate homework which, together with clearly directed and timely support and intervention, matches pupils’ needs accurately and enables them to make outstanding progress.  All teachers check pupils’ understanding carefully throughout lessons. Teachers’ questioning of pupils is highly effective enabling teachers to anticipate where they may need to intervene to enable the pupils to accelerate their progress. In most lessons, teachers use a range of interventions to enable pupils to make more than expected progress, including peer support, teacher intervention, adult support of individuals or groups and whole class teaching.  Consistently high quality positive feedback, including detailed marking, from teachers and other adults in

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

school ensures that pupils know what they need to do next. This high quality feedback also contributes to pupils developing thirst for learning. Consequently, pupils make significant and sustained gains in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils make excellent and sustained progress from Year 1 to Year 6. On average, pupils currently at the school have made at least one term’s additional progress per year in reading, writing and mathematics in each of the last three years.  Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 is consistently high and was above the national average again in 2014.  Pupils also made excellent progress in Key Stage 1 and attainment at the end of Year 2 improved in reading, writing and mathematics compared to 2013. However, attainment in each subject remained below the national average.  Pupils read widely and often across all subjects to a high standard.  Pupils acquire knowledge and develop and apply a wide range of skills to great effect in reading, writing, communication and mathematics. They are exceptionally well prepared for the next stage in their education, training or employment.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils, including those in the Early Years Foundation Stage, acquire knowledge quickly and develop their understanding rapidly in a wide range of different subjects across the curriculum.  On average, disadvantaged pupils make at least a term’s more progress than expected in every year group in reading, writing and mathematics. Overall they make more progress than other pupils in every year group in reading, writing and mathematics.  By the end of Key Stage 2, the attainment of disadvantaged pupils in reading, writing and mathematics is in line with other pupils at the school and above the national average for other pupils by a term in reading and two terms in mathematics. However, disadvantaged pupils do not attain as well as other pupils at the school or other pupils nationally at the end of Key Stage 1.  On average, the most-able pupils also make more than a term’s additional progress per year in reading,

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

writing and mathematics. However, a very few of the most-able pupils in each year group do not make more than expected progress in reading and writing and, as a result, do not achieve Level 6 by the end of Key Stage 2.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make more than expected progress on average in reading, writing and mathematics in each year group, except in writing in Year 1 where they make expected progress. As a result, by the end of Key Stage 2, the gap between the attainment of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs at Fair Furlong Primary School and all pupils nationally is smaller than the national gap.  Pupils who come from ethnic minority groups are making similar rates of progress to other pupils in the school and are attaining standards that are at least above average.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children enter Nursery with levels of development below those typical for their age. All children in the early years, including disabled children, those who have special educational needs, those for whom the school receives additional funding and the most able, make consistently high rates of progress in relation to their starting points.  Early years leaders and school leaders provide a highly stimulating environment and a very well organised range of educational experiences across all aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage. They ensure every child has rich and imaginative experiences that meet their needs exceptionally well. As a result children are ready to start Year 1.  The quality of teaching over time is outstanding and never less than consistently good. Teachers ensure that their teaching, and the support the children receive from early years staff, are highly responsive to children’s needs. Early years staff also work closely with parents and carers and, as result, children thrive.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Assessments are accurate and regularly moderated. Early years assessment includes contributions from all those adults involved in the child’s learning and development. High quality observations by teachers and early years staff, plus contributions from parents and carers, enable the early years staff to respond promptly to children’s needs, resulting in provision that challenges and sustains the interest and concentration of the children. Early years assessments are regularly monitored.  Children settle quickly into Nursery and are soon highly motivated and very eager to join in. They consistently demonstrate the characteristics of effective learning with high levels of curiosity, imagination and concentration. They listen intently and are highly responsive to adults and each other. They are keen to share their learning with visitors. They demonstrate exceptionally positive behaviour and high levels of

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The early years provision is outstanding

self-control, cooperation and respect for others.  Early years staff are vigilant and highly adept at identifying any child at risk of harm, and then engaging with partners to respond appropriately.  The early years leader and teachers display and model high expectations that staff will quickly address the needs of the children so that they can make rapid progress from their low starting points. Teachers achieve this by working very effectively with all the support staff in order to make significant improvements to the children’s outcomes in all 17 aspects of learning.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing

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Grade Judgement Description

to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 109130 Local authority City of Bristol Inspection number 449565

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 418 Appropriate authority Bristol City Of Chair Mrs Lorraine Maggs Headteacher Miss Emma Drew Date of previous school inspection 30 Jan 2013 Telephone number 0117 3772181 Fax number 0117 3772182 Email address head.fair.furlong.p@bristol.gov.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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