Forge Wood Primary School

Forge Wood Primary School Somerley Drive, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 3SW

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide inspirational leadership for this happy, inclusive and hard-working school.  Highly effective teaching ensures that pupils learn exceptionally well. As a result, pupils are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education, both personally and academically.  Leaders and teachers have the same high expectations of all pupils. They consider each pupil’s individual needs carefully, making adjustments to teaching according to how well pupils are learning.  Pupils are curious about the world around them and are respectful of the views and beliefs of others.  Pupils’ excellent behaviour makes a strong contribution to their enjoyment of school and to the quality of their learning.  The multi-academy trust (MAT) provides exceptional support and challenge for the school and its staff.  Parents and carers who completed Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and those who

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

spoke with the inspector were highly appreciative of the school’s work.  The school’s exciting curriculum takes pupils on a journey of discovery and learning. As a result, they are highly engaged and motivated to learn.  The early years team provides children with an excellent start to school life. Children are happy, settled and excited about learning. They make very strong progress during early years and are well prepared for Year 1.  The school strategy board provides very effective governance. Members of the board work closely with staff and trustees to consider and review the school’s work.  Middle leaders are clear about their roles and responsibilities. They provide effective support for teachers. As a result, high-quality teaching has been sustained over time.  Middle leaders are currently refining and strengthening their roles in readiness for the school’s forthcoming expansion into key stage 2. They are determined to make an even

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

stronger contribution to the school’s development.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Refine subject leaders’ roles so that they make an even stronger contribution to the school’s development as it continues to grow.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

 Senior leaders have been instrumental in making sure that this relatively new school has provided high-quality education for all of its pupils from the start. Leaders are ensuring that pupils continue to benefit from highly effective teaching as the school grows and develops into an all-through primary school.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher lead with honesty and determination. They have the highest aspirations for pupils and staff, and have developed a clear shared vision for the school’s future.  High staff morale illustrates leaders’ success in developing a cohesive and hard-working team of skilful professionals. One member of staff commented, ‘It’s a privilege to work here.’ This view was reflected in the very positive responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The MAT’s strong professional development programme ensures that staff benefit from high-quality training and coaching, including opportunities for teachers to work

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

alongside colleagues in other schools within the MAT.  The MAT’s outward-looking approach is shared by senior leaders. The school has developed effective links with schools in the local area, and with agencies such as children’s services and the police. As a result, school leaders are able to draw on expertise more widely, as well as sharing strong practice within the school.  Leaders make sure that additional funds, including special educational needs funding and pupil premium, are used fully to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and the small number of disadvantaged pupils in the school.  The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is used effectively to develop teachers’ subject knowledge in PE. All teachers and learning support assistants have recently completed training in the teaching of gymnastics and dance.  Specialist sports coaches make a valuable contribution to pupils’ enjoyment of sport

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

during lunchtimes. The proportion of pupils participating in clubs and competitions has increased as a result.  The school is very well prepared for its future development into an all-through primary school. Leaders have drawn up a sensible seven-year plan for the school’s development and mapped out a whole-school curriculum from Reception Year through to Year 6.  High aspirations for every pupil underpin the school’s well-planned curriculum. It ensures that pupils develop strong knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects.  The school’s aims, ‘Aspire, Explore, Achieve’, are woven throughout the school’s work. The curriculum provides pupils with plenty of opportunities to develop their leadership skills through roles such as classroom monitors, playtime buddies, sports leaders, house captains and school council representatives.  Topics and activities, including ‘The floating egg experiment’, ‘How to make a lava

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

lamp’ and ‘Why can fish breathe underwater when we can’t?’, bring learning to life and provide pupils with meaningful ways of learning about a range of topics.  The curriculum supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. Pupils learn about a number of world religions, including Christianity. Teaching focuses on drawing out the similarities between religions and, in so doing, develops pupils’ understanding of common values, such as love, peace and forgiveness.  Pupils regularly discuss the current affairs which will influence their future. For example, pupils in key stage 1 recently discussed climate change and voted on the different options considered during the debate.  British values are woven through the curriculum and everyday life in school. Pupils learn about democracy and the British voting system when electing their school council members.  Leaders are determined to ensure that the school lies at the heart of the local

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

community. Since the school opened, leaders have worked effectively with parents, pupils, local businesses and organisations to develop and share the school’s values and ethos.  Senior leaders and other members of staff greet parents and pupils at the start of the school day. They welcome pupils, chat informally with parents and make sure that pupils are happy, settled and secure.  Middle leaders work closely with senior leaders and teachers to analyse pupils’ progress. They make good use of all information about teaching and learning to identify the school’s development priorities. Middle leaders are keenly aware of the need to extend the high quality of teaching and learning into key stage 2 in the coming months and years. They are completing further training to ensure that they are well prepared to lead on the necessary developments.

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Governance of the school

 School strategy board members routinely ask leaders searching questions about how well pupils are learning, the quality of teaching, pupils’ behaviour and safeguarding arrangements. As a result, they are confident that they have an accurate view of the school’s performance and are clear about the priorities for future development. They are currently working with leaders and trustees to ensure that the school is fully prepared to extend into Year 3 in September 2019.  The headteacher and deputy headteacher provide the school strategy board with comprehensive information about all aspects of the school’s performance. In addition, members of the school strategy board complete a range of activities in school to ensure that they have accurate first-hand knowledge of the school’s work. For example, they regularly spend time in lessons with senior leaders, visit assemblies and look at pupils’ work.  The MAT and the school strategy board have developed a very effective two-way

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Governance of the school

process for evaluating the school’s performance. A continuous stream of information and analyses between the board and the MAT ensures that everyone is well informed about the school’s progress.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders provide regular and effective training for staff and governors. As a result, all members of the school’s community are knowledgeable about safeguarding matters and consistently follow the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures.  Adults pay close attention to pupils’ safety and welfare and take prompt action if they have any concerns. Comprehensive recruitment and background checks on all adults who work in school are completed in full.  Leaders maintain strong links with parents and external agencies. Clear communication and good relationships ensure that parents have confidence in the school’s work to keep their children safe.  The school’s curriculum includes regular work on safety issues so that pupils are clear about what to do if they are worried or identify a problem. For example, pupils know what to do if they hear the fire alarm and understand how emergency drills help them

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

 Teachers have consistently high expectations of pupils’ learning across the curriculum. They set challenging, thought-provoking and highly engaging activities which ensure that pupils of all abilities are interested and keen to learn. As a result, pupils of all abilities learn well, including those with SEND and the most able.  Consistently strong English teaching ensures that pupils develop an appropriately broad understanding of how to write for different purposes and audiences. For example, Year 2 pupils learn how to write acrostic poems, sequence events in a story and describe characters effectively. Skilful phonics teaching equips pupils very well with secure early reading and writing skills.  Mathematical skills are taught and rehearsed regularly throughout the curriculum. For instance, pupils use different techniques to present science results, such as bar charts and pictograms. As a result, pupils become adept at using mathematics in a range of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

contexts.  Science teaching provides pupils with opportunities to use scientific equipment safely, such as the recent work to make a lava lamp using conical flasks and syringes. This approach ensures that pupils become familiar with experimental vocabulary and techniques.  Teaching ensures that pupils are clear about what they need to do to be successful in their learning. During the inspection, Year 2 pupils listened carefully as their teacher explained how the work they were completing during the lesson would lead eventually to a piece of writing about Captain Cook.  Teaching is very responsive to pupils’ needs. Teachers and learning support assistants use a wide range of strategies to support pupils effectively, including disadvantaged pupils and those pupils with SEND. Adults were observed working skilfully and sensitively with individual pupils to help them to overcome any difficulties, enabling

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

them to make just as much progress as their classmates.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils love school and become confident, resilient and ambitious learners. Many skip and run into school in the morning in their excitement to get into the classroom. Pupils’ comments illustrate their enjoyment of school. One pupil said, ‘I love school!’, while a second commented, ‘I want to be here all the time!’ and a third added, ‘Our topics are really cool!’  Pupils tackle a wide range of activities with great enthusiasm. They take great care to make sure that they work to the best of their abilities because they respect their teachers and want to do well.  The school’s work in developing pupils’ language skills is particularly successful. Pupils learn how to express their thoughts and ideas clearly and confidently, knowing that their views will be valued and appreciated by their teachers and classmates alike.

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Personal development and welfare

 Strong and caring relationships throughout the school ensure that pupils feel valued and secure. Pupils say that they trust adults to take good care of them and that any problems are quickly sorted out. One pupil said, ‘Being with a teacher and having all my friends around me help me to feel safe.’  Well-established rules and routines ensure that pupils are very knowledgeable about internet safety. For example, they know what they should do if they see anything that worries them when using the school’s electronic tablets.  Pupils have a very good understanding of how to stay healthy. Pupils explained to the inspector how activities such as football, the ‘mile run’ and athletics help them to keep fit while having fun.  Pupils of different ages get on very well together. They thoroughly enjoy catching up with their friends during breaktimes and use the school’s play equipment sensibly and safely.  Adults make a strong contribution to pupils’ enjoyment of breaktimes. They chat with

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Personal development and welfare

pupils, help them to play traditional games and check that they are comfortable and secure. As a result, pupils are active, engaged and happy.  Pupils learn about British values and are able to talk about them clearly. This was illustrated by one pupil explaining that ‘British values are like our school values but for everyone in the United Kingdom to follow.’

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils develop a sense of personal responsibility which enables them to make mature choices and prepares them very well for the next stage of their education. For example, pupils explain how their work on the school council ‘helps the school to get better’.  Pupils attend regularly and behave exceptionally well. They are polite, welcoming and interested in visitors.  Pupils behave very well during lessons, at breaktimes and in the dining hall. They eat lunch sensibly while chatting to friends about their day. Pupils respect adults and speak kindly to each other.  Any concerns about bullying are very rare. Leaders take prompt and appropriate action if there are any worries about pupils’ welfare.

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

 Pupils make exceptional progress from their starting points in English, mathematics and across the curriculum. As a result, they develop strong knowledge and skills in a wide range of subjects. The proportions of pupils on track to achieve well at the end of key stage 1 are high, including at greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics.  Skilful teaching ensures that all groups of pupils make equally strong progress, including pupils with SEND, the most able and those who are disadvantaged.  Pupils develop strong language and vocabulary skills as they move up through the school. They learn how to select and use their knowledge to express their thoughts and ideas clearly. Many can explain their views very articulately. During the inspection, Year 2 pupils discussed whether facts about Captain Cook were true of false, with one commenting, ‘Captain Cook discovered Australia, not South Africa.’ Another pupil

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

observed, ‘He couldn’t have been rich because he lived in a two-bedroomed cottage.’  Pupils make excellent progress in learning a range of scientific knowledge and skills. This was illustrated by pupils in Year 1, who developed a better understanding of materials, friction and different animal groups during a recent animal-handling session with an animal specialist.  Pupils develop very secure mathematical knowledge and understanding. They learn how to tackle increasingly challenging mathematical problems with confidence, equipped with a strong set of mathematical skills. The meaningful application of mathematics to solve problems in other subjects contributes well to pupils’ growing understanding.  Pupils rapidly develop their reading skills and achieve well in reading. They enjoy books and develop their preferences for different authors.  Consistently well-taught phonics skills ensure that pupils have reliable strategies for

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Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

tackling more difficult words and texts. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was higher than the national average in 2018.  The school’s highly effective focus on pupils’ personal and social development means that pupils develop skills such as determination and perseverance. These enable them to tackle increasingly challenging work. The school’s approach to highlighting specific values through its work ensures that pupils become increasingly aware of the values and attributes which will help them to learn. For example, one pupil, commenting on the experience of holding a chick said, ‘I was a risk taker because it was my first time holding a chick.’

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Early years provision Outstanding

 Children make exceptional progress from their starting points across the early years curriculum. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development was above the national average in both 2017 and 2018.  Children are friendly, welcoming and extremely well behaved. They play confidently and comfortably, safe in the knowledge that adults will take good care of them.  The positive ways in which children welcome visitors, answer questions and instigate conversations demonstrate adults’ success in building children’s confidence and self- esteem.  Adults use questioning and one-to-one discussions very well to explore children’s understanding and develop their learning. This was observed during the inspection when an adult chatted with a group of children who were filling containers with coloured wallpaper paste. Her questions focused on the development of the children’s mathematical vocabulary, asking, ‘Is your container full now?’ and ‘Whose container is

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Early years provision Outstanding

the fullest?’ She then went on to promote further investigation by asking: ‘I’m going to estimate that your container holds 40 handfuls of gloop. What do you think?’  Teaching equips children with proficient writing skills. For example, children learn how to hold a pencil correctly and make impressive progress in learning how to form letters. As a result, they go on to develop an even and legible handwriting style which contributes well to their progress in writing.  Children develop secure phonics skills which they use very well to enable them to complete reading and writing tasks successfully. During the inspection, one child was observed concentrating hard as he quietly sounded out each word he was writing. He went on to show other children his finished animal leaflets with understandable pride.  The early years classroom areas are safe, well organised and equipped with a wide range of good-quality resources. Strong relationships and highly effective teaching

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Early years provision Outstanding

ensure that children are happy and engaged.  Children develop the ability to persevere when activities are tricky. For example, during the inspection, two children concentrated hard while using scissors to cut paper plates.  The deputy headteacher provides strong leadership for the early years team. She is highly knowledgeable about early years education and very clear about the priorities for development. The deputy headteacher and the early years team share the same high expectations of all children.

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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

Email address enquiries@forgewoodschool.org

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.  The school is a two-form entry school. It opened in 2016 to serve the needs of a new housing development in Crawley, West Sussex. The school has occupied the current purpose-built school since autumn 2017.  The school currently has pupils from Reception Year up to Year 2. It will be a two-form entry primary school by 2023.  The school has two Reception classes, a Year 1 class and a Year 2 class. It will admit pupils into Year 3 in September 2019.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club. Both clubs are operated by private providers and were not included in this inspection.

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Information about this school

 The school is a member of the GLF Schools multi-academy trust. The school has a school strategy board which provides its governance.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector visited all classes with a senior leader. She held discussions with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and subject leaders.  The inspector met with GLF Schools leaders, including the school’s education partner, the trust’s education director and its chief executive officer.  The inspector took account of 31 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 26 free-text comments. She also considered the views expressed by parents during the inspection. In addition, the inspector took account of 11 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and four responses to the pupil survey.  The inspector observed the school’s work and considered a range of documents, including: safeguarding policies; the school’s self-evaluation document; and information about pupils’ progress and attendance. She also scrutinised a sample of pupils’ work provided by the school, as well as looking at pupils’ work in lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector heard a number of pupils from Years 1 and 2 read.

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Inspection team

Julie Sackett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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