Fig Tree Primary School

Inspection of Fig Tree Primary School 30 Bentinck Road, Hyson Green, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, NG7 4AF

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their small, welcoming school. Staff and pupils have positive relationships. Pupils are respectful and polite. They get on well together and look after each other. Their behaviour is generally good. Bullying is rare. Pupils say that staff deal with any incidents fairly. Pupils appreciate and understand the school’s ‘traffic light’ system. It helps them to manage their behaviour. They enjoy working towards achieving rewards.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that they feel safe. Older pupils are proud of their roles as ‘worry buddies’ to help reassure younger pupils. Pupils say they are confident to talk to staff and ask for their help when needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are aspirational for pupils. They ensure that pupils benefit from a rich variety of learning experiences. Most pupils speak English as an additional language. Staff are skilled at providing the right support to help pupils to learn English. Pupils are enthusiastic about the subjects they learn. They enjoy reading stories in the lunchtime book club and learning Arabic. They highly value their recitations of the Qur’an. The religious ethos of the school is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. Pupils develop a good understanding of spiritual, cultural and moral issues in the wider world.

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better?

The school has experienced significant challenges. It closed soon after the last inspection for most of the academic year due to the pandemic. It closed again for most of the spring term last academic year. Leaders worked hard to get pupils back into school and to reassure parents and carers. Staff took time to remind pupils of the expectations for good behaviour and to re-establish essential routines.

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better?

Leaders are improving the curriculum. It is broad and ambitious. They have revised the curriculum for some subjects. For these, it is clear what pupils must know and remember. For example, in science and personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, it is clear what teachers want pupils to learn and when. Leaders have not begun work on other subjects in as much detail. Training for curriculum leaders is being sourced to help them lead their subjects well. In some subjects such as history and geography, plans for improvement are in the early stages.

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better?

Staff know pupils well. They consider pupils’ prior knowledge when planning and teaching lessons. Staff have good knowledge of the subjects they teach. Topics of learning often link across different subjects. Pupils make connections in their learning. They are enthusiastic learners. Teachers make sure that pupils have opportunities to apply their knowledge. This helps them to consolidate what they have learned. For example, pupils in Year 5 and Year 6 read ‘Goodnight, Mr Tom’ to help them to understand the historical events that took place in the Second World War. They learn Islamic history, which supports their Arabic studies and their learning of the Qur’an. 25–27 January 2022 Most pupils speak other languages as their first language. Appropriate adult support and resources help pupils understand and learn English. Pupils and staff are proud that they can teach each other different languages. Where pupils have special

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better?

educational needs and/or disabilities teachers provide extra support to help them to access the curriculum.

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better?

Leaders promote reading for pleasure. Pupils begin to learn to read as soon as they start school. They enjoy reading. Most pupils read with fluency and confidence. Older pupils talk enthusiastically about authors and texts they enjoy. On occasion, some pupils who are at the early stages of reading read books that do not match the sounds they know. Leaders have plans in place to address this. Pupils who struggle to read receive support to help them catch up quickly. Teachers provide extra phonics sessions when necessary.

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better?

The school develops pupils’ personal development well through the curriculum. The PSHE curriculum includes relationships and sex education (RSE). Pupils develop the necessary knowledge to create positive relationships and live healthy lives. The school’s religious ethos threads through every aspect of school life. Weekly themes and assemblies support aspects of the curriculum that promote personal development. Leaders place high priority on inclusivity and respect. Pupils learn about equality and diversity. They take on positions such as school council representatives. Through these roles, they learn responsibility and leadership skills. They organise fundraising events for local, national and international charities. Pupils learn about possible future career options available to them. Leaders provide pupils with diverse and inspiring role models whose example they can aspire to. These experiences help them prepare for their next steps and for life in modern Britain.

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better?

The proprietor and governors ensure that the school meets the independent school standards. The health, safety and welfare of pupils are a high priority. The school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. Governors monitor the school’s work closely. They work with leaders to identify priorities for school improvement. Some aspects of school improvement planning are not as effective as they could be. It is sometimes difficult for leaders and governors to measure the effectiveness of their actions.

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better?

Parents are highly supportive of the school. A typical comment was, ‘My child is happy. The school pays individual attention to each child.’ Staff are proud to work at the school. They want to do their best for pupils. Most feel appreciated and valued by leaders. However, some members of staff do not feel as well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a good culture of safeguarding. Staff receive relevant training. They know how to identify and report any concerns that arise about the welfare of pupils. Records for safeguarding are detailed. They show how leaders follow up concerns 25–27 January 2022 about pupils to ensure that they are safe. Leaders work in partnership with external agencies when necessary to support pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. They understand how to protect themselves from cyber-bullying. They know what to do to keep themselves safe when at risk in different situations such as when swimming, crossing the road and in the event of a fire.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Since the last inspection, leaders’ actions to improve the school have been slowed by the impact of the pandemic on the school and its community. The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in some subjects. However, it is clear that leaders have already taken action to plan next year’s curriculum and to train staff in how to deliver it. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.  Leaders have begun to work on improving the provision further, including the curriculum. However, in so doing, they have not always thought carefully enough about what needs improving, and how and when they will bring this improvement about, including any training that leaders may need in the process. As a result, leaders, including governors, are not able to measure precisely the effectiveness of their work to bring about improvement. Leaders should ensure that there is

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

clarity in their plans for improvement that provides the necessary focus to further develop the provision, including the curriculum.  Staff enjoy working at the school. Most are proud of the school and feel that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. However, some staff do not feel as well supported or valued by leaders. Leaders should ensure that they consider the welfare of all staff by supporting their continued professional development effectively and helping them to manage their workload.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the provider and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 25–27 January 2022

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School details

Unique reference number 132190 DfE registration number 892/6013

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School details

Inspection number 10210545 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Email address office@figtreeprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10–12 December 2019

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Information about this school

 Fig Tree Primary School is an independent Islamic school.  The school is registered for pupils aged five to 11. There is a separate early years provision on the school site, also run by the proprietor, which is inspected separately.  The school does not use the service of any alternative providers. 25–27 January 2022

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 The Department for Education (DfE) commissioned Ofsted to carry out the standard inspection earlier in the inspection cycle than previously planned. This was due to concerns the DfE had received relating to the presentation of teaching materials at the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, office manager, curriculum leaders and a learning support assistant. They also spoke to members of staff. The lead inspector met with the proprietor and two members of the governing body, including the chair.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into early reading, mathematics, geography and history. Inspectors looked at curriculum plans for these subjects, visited lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors looked at planning for other subjects such as science, art and PSHE. They looked at samples of pupils’ work in these subjects.

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Information about this inspection

The lead inspector listened to pupils read and also considered Islamic studies and the teaching of the Qu’ran.  Inspectors discussed with leaders and staff the school’s approach to safeguarding pupils and checked the single central record. Inspectors reviewed records related to safeguarding. Checks were made on staff training and safeguarding procedures.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation and policies, including those relating to school improvement, curriculum, health and safety and attendance and behaviour. The lead inspector toured the school premises.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Stephanie Innes-Taylor, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Liz Moore Ofsted Inspector 25–27 January 2022 to 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

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