Farmilo Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Farmilo Primary School and Nursery Woburn Lane, Pleasley, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire NG19 7RT

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Inspection dates: 27 and 28 September 2022

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Outcome

Farmilo Primary School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of the ‘Farmilo family’. They respond positively and maturely to the high expectations that staff have of their behaviour. Pupils are polite and courteous. They understand they should treat others with kindness and respect. Everyone is made to feel welcome.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created a supportive environment where pupils embrace the school motto of ‘Imagine and Believe, Inspire and Achieve’. Pupils enjoy learning. They appreciate opportunities to practise what they have learned. If they do not understand something, pupils know how to help themselves. Pupils work hard and appreciate the recognition they receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say bullying rarely happens. They trust adults to sort out any issues quickly and fairly. Leaders plan a variety of activities, trips and experiences. Pupils take part in residential trips. They enjoy a range of extra-curricular clubs, including brick construction, choir and science. They learn leadership skills through the school parliament or the eco council. Pupils say they feel safe at Farmilo.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are highly positive about the school. Typically, they make comments such as: ‘Farmilo teachers and all staff aways go above and beyond. My children love coming to school. It feels like one big family here.’

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have established an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum for all pupils. This begins in the early years. Leaders have decided the subject knowledge and vocabulary that they want pupils to learn. In geography, for example, leaders focus on securing pupils’ knowledge of maps and locations. Children in the Reception Year take a virtual journey from their school to the local supermarket. Pupils in Year 6 study contour maps of Mansfield, using six-figure grid references to locate key features. In some subjects, such as history and computing, the curriculum is very new. Pupils have gaps in their knowledge 27 to 28 September 2022

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of these subjects. Leaders have not yet checked whether the recent curriculum changes in these subjects are helping pupils to know more over time.

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Reading is prioritised. Leaders provide pupils with a wide range of high-quality books. Pupils love reading and talk enthusiastically about books. Leaders make sure that the recently introduced phonics programme is taught well from the start. Books are matched to the letters and sounds that pupils are learning. This means they can practise these sounds at home as well as at school. Staff regularly check how successfully pupils learn new sounds. If pupils fall behind, staff provide additional support.

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Leaders have set out the precise order in which pupils learn new knowledge in mathematics. Pupils build on concepts that they have learned before. For example, pupils in Year 4 use number lines to help them learn about rounding. In Year 6, pupils use them to learn about negative numbers. Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use this to explain new learning clearly. Pupils’ knowledge and confidence are supported by regular opportunities to revisit their learning.

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Leaders have high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are fully included in all aspects of school life. Teachers adapt their teaching strategies well in most subjects to support pupils, including those with SEND. They generally provide pupils with suitable resources to make learning accessible. However, learning in some subjects is sometimes not planned carefully enough to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

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Children get off to a flying start in the early years. Teachers help them to build strong reading and number skills from when they start in nursery. Leaders provide engaging learning opportunities for children, including in the outdoor area. The curriculum is well sequenced so that children develop a broad range of knowledge. Adults and children build warm and positive relationships. Children cooperate well with each other, sharing and taking turns. They are well prepared for key stage 1.

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Leaders carefully consider how to promote pupils’ personal development. It is a strength of the school’s work. Leaders focus on a different value each month. During the inspection, this value was democracy. Pupils were thoughtful and reflective. They could talk about how this relates to their experiences in school. The school recently received recognition for its work to support the well-being of pupils and staff.

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Leaders have created a highly positive culture among the whole staff team. Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders provide regular and effective training. They consider staff’s well-being and workload. Governors know the school well. They fulfil their statutory responsibilities and provide effective challenge and support to leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Governors regularly check the school’s safeguarding procedures. Leaders provide regular training for staff and governors. Staff 27 to 28 September 2022

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know how to spot pupils who may be at risk of harm. They report any concerns promptly. Leaders work well with external agencies to provide extra help when needed. Record keeping is detailed and thorough.

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The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to learn how to stay safe, including when online. Pupils know who to go to if they have a concern. They know that staff will take their concerns seriously.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have outlined the key knowledge and essential vocabulary that pupils should learn, and when. These are well sequenced. However, in some subjects, the curriculum is not yet fully embedded. Some pupils cannot reliably recall what they have been taught in these subjects. Subject leaders of these subjects have not yet checked the impact of the curriculum on what pupils remember over time. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is fully embedded in all subjects and enables pupils to know and remember more as they progress through the school.  In a few subjects, teachers are not adapting the planned curriculum sufficiently well to enable some pupils, including those with SEND, to build on what they have learned before. As a result, some pupils do not know and remember the intended curriculum well enough. Leaders should ensure that teaching strategies allow pupils to build on what they already know, and remember what they have learned in the long term.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 27 to 28 September 2022

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

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 27 to 28 September 2022

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

19 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school has a nursery which caters for three-year-old children.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The governors manage a before- and after-school club for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader, curriculum leaders and groups of staff.  The inspector spoke with seven members of the governing body, including the chair.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector visited lessons, discussed the curriculum with leaders, reviewed pupils’ work and spoke with pupils and 27 to 28 September 2022

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teachers about their lessons. The inspector also looked at curriculum documentation for personal, social and health education, history and computing.  The inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  The inspector met with a group of pupils and spoke to other pupils during social times.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including those relating to safeguarding, attendance and behaviour. The inspector scrutinised the school’s single central record.  The inspector reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. The inspector also considered responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Joanne Sanchez-Thompson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 27 to 28 September 2022

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regulates and inspects 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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