Fernwood Primary School

Fernwood Primary School Arleston Drive, Wollaton, Nottingham NG8 2FZ

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The executive headteacher and the head of school have worked very effectively with other leaders, governors and staff to ensure that the school has significantly improved and addressed the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection.  The vast majority of parents and carers hold the school in very high regard.  Determined action by leaders has resulted in rising standards in most year groups. Attainment at the end of Reception, by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 is considerably above standards expected in reading, writing and mathematics.  Attainment and progress are particularly good in mathematics and writing. Although pupils do well in reading overall, in Years 3 and 4, some pupils do not find reading sufficiently engaging. Some pupils’ limited vocabulary occasionally restricts their reading comprehension and the quality of their writing.  Monitoring and evaluation are accurate and leaders have a clear understanding of where

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

they need to focus to make the school even better. The school has the capacity to continue to improve.  The quality of teaching has improved. Teaching and the use of assessment are now securely good. Leaders provide effective guidance and training to staff. Staff learn from one another.  Teachers show strong subject knowledge and use this to ensure that teaching meets the full range of abilities in classes.  Leaders not only think carefully about how they teach but also what they teach. The school’s curriculum is broad and interesting. For example, apart from English and mathematics, there are strengths in subjects such as history, music, physical education and religious education.  Behaviour around school and in the great majority of lessons is good. Pupils progressively develop very positive attitudes to learning so that by Year 6 pupils show excellent attitudes to learning and to school.  Attendance is a little above average overall.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

However, some disadvantaged pupils do not attend sufficiently regularly.  Arrangements for safeguarding meet requirements. Pupils are well looked after and feel safe in school.  Children in the early years benefit from good quality provision, make good progress and are well prepared for Year 1.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the attendance of some pupils who do not attend sufficiently regularly.  Further improve attainment and progress in reading through the enrichment of the reading curriculum, especially by concentrating on boys’ reading in Years 3 and 4.  Further improve outcomes in English by working to extend pupils’ vocabulary and comprehension so that they better understand what they are reading and use a wider vocabulary in their writing.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 The executive headteacher and head of school provide clear and ambitious leadership and management. They have effectively developed the leadership and management skills of other leaders including middle leaders. The school has been united in its work to improve since the previous inspection. This work has had a positive effect on many areas of provision and on pupils’ outcomes.  Leaders’ plans for improvement are tightly focused and specific. The impact of actions is carefully monitored. Monitoring and evaluation are accurate and the school has established a track record of improvement. The school has good capacity for further improvement.  Following an external review, a complete overhaul of the way that additional resources for disadvantaged pupils are used has taken place. This provision is effective and the standards attained by these pupils and the progress they make has improved. Additional funding for these pupils is spent wisely. The most significant remaining

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

barrier to learning for some disadvantaged pupils relates to their irregular attendance.  Leaders know pupils’ academic and personal needs well. The progress of each individual is monitored carefully by teachers and leaders. Additional support is provided for any pupil who is at risk of not doing as well as they might.  Staff training is effective. Where weaknesses in teaching emerge, special support programmes are provided. In almost all cases these have proved to be successful in improving the quality of teaching and learning in the class.  The curricula for reading, writing and mathematics are good throughout the school and lead to pupils making good progress from their various starting points in all three subjects. The curriculum for reading is not quite as strong as that for mathematics and writing, particularly in the aspect of reading comprehension and vocabulary development.  There is an interesting and engaging curriculum for other subjects such as French,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

history, music and religious education. The personal development curriculum and the school’s ethos support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  The curriculum for sports and physical education (PE) is of good quality and additional funding for PE and sports is used wisely and to good effect.  This is an inclusive school which is culturally rich and diverse. Staff respect differences and ensure that pupils treat others with respect. There is a clear emphasis on equality and British values are effectively promoted. Relationships throughout the school are good.  The leadership and management of the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. Many parents of pupils with SEND indicated their respect for the way that their children are supported by the school. Although some pupils do not attain as highly as their peers in the school, they make

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

good progress from their starting points.  The school has worked closely with the Nottinghamshire Schools Trust to bring about improvements. Extensive work has been undertaken to ensure that assessments of pupils’ learning are accurate. The accuracy of teachers’ assessments is well supported and validated by external moderation.

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Governance of the school

 Governance has improved since the previous inspection. The chair of the governing body described the improvements well when he said, ‘The school and the governors have moved up a gear.’  Monitoring and evaluation by governors are thorough and comprehensive. There are links between individual governors and staff which enable governors to develop specialisms and to keep other governors informed about particular aspects.  The governors’ data group keeps a very close eye on national data. This group also carefully analyses and interrogates the extensive information which leaders provide based on how well pupils are progressing and attaining in each year group. This group of governors places the governing body in a position to be clear about the performance of the school and to challenge and support leaders to continually refine provision.  Governors effectively monitor the impact of the use of external funds such as those for

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Governance of the school

disadvantaged pupils and for pupils with SEND. They recognise that these groups of pupils are progressing well.  Governors regularly check that arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Safeguarding, child protection and pupils’ welfare are given appropriate priority throughout the school. The school is committed to ensuring that pupils are kept safe. School policies are clear and effective. Regular staff training, good quality induction for new staff and senior leaders’ strong commitment to keeping pupils safe results in staff knowing their responsibilities and using the school’s procedures well.  Parents, staff and pupils agree that pupils are kept safe and feel safe in school.  Good links with external agencies enable effective support for pupils and families most in need. External agencies are appropriately involved. Leaders are relentless in following up with social care, especially when they judge that cases may have been closed too soon.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 In the great majority of classes, teachers manage behaviour well and ensure that pupils progressively develop positive attitudes to learning as they move through the school. Relationships are good and pupils take pride in their work. By Year 6 pupils are mature and conscientious learners.  Teachers use their secure subject knowledge to provide good quality guidance for learning to help pupils see how they can improve their work. Teachers’ questioning is typically of good quality and helps pupils remember facts and deepen their understanding.  Teachers mostly hold high expectations of pupils and are not prepared to accept second best. Pupils respond well to these high expectations and try hard.  Teachers plan effectively to meet the needs of all learners, including the most able and pupils with SEND. Pupils who join the school with little spoken English soon become confident in their written and spoken English and make good progress in their learning

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

across a wide range of subjects.  Teachers plan together in year groups and teach consistent content so that learning can progressively develop year on year.  The teaching of mathematics is a strength. Staff use mathematical vocabulary with great care and accuracy, expecting pupils to do similarly. Reasoning and problem- solving are progressively developed and pupils are confident with their calculations and their knowledge of number, including multiplication tables.  In most classes, reading, mathematical and writing skills are effectively developed, not only in English and mathematics lessons but also in other subjects such as history, science and religious education.  Well-trained teaching assistants are effectively deployed and have a positive effect on pupils’ learning, especially that of those who find learning more difficult and of disadvantaged pupils.  Reading is well taught. Phonics is taught effectively throughout the school and pupils

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

have regular practice in reading. Many pupils enjoy reading and many parents make an important contribution to their children’s good progress in reading. A lack of resources and motivating books limits some pupils’ enthusiasm for reading, especially some boys in Years 3 and 4.  Lessons are often interesting and engaging and staff work hard to motivate pupils with quality experiences and starting points for their learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  There are well-established, very effective routines and procedures to ensure that pupils’ personal development and skills are developed with strong attention to their welfare.  As a result, pupils progressively develop positive attitudes to learning and to school. They treat each other with respect and say they feel safe and are happy at school.  The school is very inclusive. Ethnic and religious differences are celebrated and there is a strong emphasis on good relationships, kindness and friendship throughout the school. Staff and pupils get on very well with each other and show each other appropriate respect. Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective.  Individual talents are nurtured, recognised and celebrated and this inspires others to succeed. For example, a gifted pupil pianist played a personal composition to a very

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Personal development and welfare

high standard in assembly and around a third of the pupils are having individual instrument tuition.  Pupils benefit from the effective arrangements and provision in the curriculum to keep them safe. They have a clear understanding about good relationships and the various types of bullying. They are well versed in how to keep themselves safe on the internet.  Pupils are sensitive to each other and relationships are good. Pupils, especially the older pupils, are keen to take on additional responsibilities such as applying to become play buddies.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  In the Parent View survey, the vast majority of more than 300 parents indicated that the school ensures that its pupils are well behaved. Behaviour in the playground and around school is good. In class, behaviour is predominantly, especially in older classes, of a very high standard. The only exception to this is that on a few occasions, where teaching is not quite as strong and expectations not high enough, pupils become restless during lessons. Leaders are aware of these issues and are addressing them.  Procedures to assure regular attendance are good and overall rates of attendance are a little above average. However, some disadvantaged pupils do not attend well enough and therefore their progress and development are put at risk.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 This year, pupils’ work and the school’s accurate records indicate that pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 this year is considerably above standards typically found nationally in reading, writing and mathematics.  Standards and rates of progress are slightly higher in mathematics than in writing and reading. This year, the school’s latest assessments and the work in pupils’ books indicate that a greater proportion of pupils are attaining greater depth in key stage 1 and a higher standard in key stage 2. This is a consequence of the greater focus currently placed throughout the school on the progress and attainment of the most able pupils.  Disadvantaged pupils are doing better than last year and, although in some year groups they are attaining a little below their peers in their classes, they are making good progress and are attaining in line with standards expected nationally for their ages. The school is currently and appropriately focusing on improving the proportion of

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Outcomes for pupils Good

pupils who attain at greater depth by the end of Year 2 and who achieve a higher standard by the end of Year 6.  Some pupils show a limited understanding of words and sometimes use vocabulary inappropriately in writing. This slows their progress in reading and writing.  Standards at the end of Reception, in phonics in Year 1, and in reading, writing and mathematics by Year 2 are above those found nationally and pupils in all year groups make good progress throughout the school.  Pupils with SEND do well and make good progress from their varied starting points.  Standards of presentation and the pride pupils take in their books and work has improved this year and this has had a very positive effect on pupils’ attitudes to learning.

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Early years provision Good

 Many children enter the early years with knowledge and skills above those typically found for their ages. The school has established a track record across all areas of learning of above-average standards by the end of Reception. Children currently in the early years are making good progress and achieving well. The great majority of children are very well prepared for Year 1.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good. Staff quickly identify children who are at risk of not doing their best and support plans are put in place for these children.  Leaders and staff recognise the importance of early reading and the curriculum is strongly focused on reading. Staff are confident in the teaching of phonics and children make good progress in their skills and enjoyment of reading. The proportion of children who go on to be successful in the national phonics screening check in Year 1 is above

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Early years provision Good

average.  Children work and play happily and calmly together and demonstrate high levels of independence and resilience. They are well looked after and cared for and feel safe in school.  Arrangements for safeguarding are equally as good in the early years as the robust arrangements evident in key stages 1 and 2.  Staff know the children well and respond effectively to their academic and personal needs. Children with SEND are sensitively provided for and their curriculum is modified to fully meet their needs.  The great majority of children follow instructions, sit well, answer questions politely and behave well. On a very few occasions, when the teacher doesn’t expect enough, behaviour is not quite as good.  Classrooms and outdoor areas are bright and interesting. Children often find them exciting. Staff are kind and welcoming to the children and their parents. This helps children settle into learning quickly and adopt school routines.

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Early years provision Good

 Effective leadership and management are provided across the early years. Leaders continually check on the quality of teaching and learning and have effective plans to ensure that provision continually improves.  The great majority of parents hold the early years provision in high regard and are fulsome in their praise of staff. They are actively involved in their children’s learning at school and are happy with the progress that they make.

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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

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,054

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address admin@fernwoodprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27–28 June 2018

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils attending the school is lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above average.  The school is part of the Nottingham Schools Trust.  The number of pupils is growing so that there are five classes in most year groups.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all year groups, sometimes jointly with the executive headteacher or the head of school.  Inspectors looked at work in a wide range of pupils’ books. They considered the school’s achievement information on the progress and standards attained by current pupils.  Inspectors listened to pupils reading and held discussions with them about their reading.  An inspector met with a group of pupils from key stage 2 and inspectors spoke with pupils informally in lessons and around school.  Assemblies were observed.  Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, the head of school and other leaders with specific responsibilities in the school. Inspectors also spoke with teachers and support staff.  A meeting was held with three governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The lead inspector spoke by telephone with representatives of the local authority and the Nottingham Schools Trust.

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Information about this inspection

 Brief individual discussions were held with 89 parents of 135 pupils, mainly at the start of the second day of the inspection. Inspectors also considered 376 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. One hundred and seventy more-detailed, individual text responses were also considered.  The inspectors considered a wide range of documentation, including the school’s improvement plan and self-evaluation summary, minutes of meetings of the governing body, attendance information, external reports on the work of the school, monitoring and evaluation records, and a range of documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Roger Sadler, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Joanne Sanchez-Thompson 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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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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