Fairfield Academy

Inspection of a good school: Fairfield Academy Mendip Avenue, Scartho, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire DN33 3AE

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 October 2022

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Outcome

Fairfield Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a warm and welcoming atmosphere at Fairfield Academy. Pupils have good manners and are genuinely interested in the well-being of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind and considerate. They are socially aware and understand current issues such as the impact of the cost of living on some families. They feel that they have a moral duty to support others. For instance, they would like to see a reduction in the cost of school dinners and an increase in the number of charitable events that take place throughout the school year.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to try to resolve situations themselves if friends fall out. If they cannot, then staff help. If pupils have a worry or concern, they place their name into the ‘talk box’ and an adult quickly supports them. As a result, bullying rarely happens, and pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for behaviour and learning across school. The whole school community understands and follows the behaviour policy. Pupils enjoy rewards and know the consequences if the three school rules, ‘be safe, be responsible, be respectful’, are not followed. This leads to pupils demonstrating positive behaviours in class and during social times.

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

Leaders have high ambitions for all pupils to succeed. They have carefully set out and build on what they want pupils to learn from the early years to Year 6. Pupils enjoy their lessons and feel that they are ‘good at it’, particularly in mathematics and geography. This is because they have regular opportunities to revisit what they have previously learned. If pupils are unsure, or teachers identify gaps in their learning, they receive timely support. As a result, pupils successfully use mathematical vocabulary and can apply what they have learned to mathematical problems. In geography, pupils can explain the four layers of the rainforest, such as emergent, canopy and understory. 12 and 13 October 2022

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Teachers use strategies such as ‘concept cat’ to help children learn new vocabulary and ideas. For example, children understand the concept of ‘more than’ and ‘less than’. Leaders plan resources and ensure that the environment supports children to play and learn together. Teachers regularly check children’s understanding. All staff know children’s next steps. This helps to build children’s confidence and ability to understand and recall key facts. Children get off to a great start.

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Pupils enjoy reading a variety of books. Leaders encourage pupils who do not enjoy reading as much as their peers through ‘bedtime book bags’. This promotes the excitement of reading with their families with a cup of hot chocolate. Leaders plan opportunities for pupils to take part in local events such as literature festivals.

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The teaching of reading starts from the early years. Staff receive training that supports them in effectively teaching pupils how to read. Leaders check the sounds that pupils know. However, some pupils who struggle to read are often moved on to learn new sounds too quickly. They have not had enough time to practise the sounds that they have recently learned. The books that they read do not match the sounds that they know. This hinders their progress.

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Staff receive training to identify and support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They plan appropriate strategies and provide resources so that pupils with SEND can access their work.

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Leaders conduct well-being surveys so that they can plan a variety of experiences to promote pupils’ personal development. For example, some pupils worry and struggle to sleep. Leaders invite experts to talk to pupils about positive strategies to help them. However, pupils do not have an age-appropriate understanding of relationships education. While leaders have identified gaps in pupils’ learning in most subjects due to the COVID- 19 pandemic, they have not completed this for their personal, social and health education (PSHE). As a result, pupils have missed out on essential information to help prepare them for adult life.

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Older pupils enjoy supporting younger children during lunchtimes. This develops their confidence and sense of responsibility. Leaders plan activities such as dodgeball, football and choir to develop pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils understand democracy by debating curriculum issues and engaging with the school council. Although pupils are unsure about some of the key specific vocabulary related to fundamental British values, their actions show respect and tolerance.

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Leaders, including governors, know the school’s strengths and areas for development. Governors effectively challenge leaders and hold them to account. Staff are positive about the support they receive from leaders to manage their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make appropriate checks on staff before they start working at Fairfield Academy. 12 and 13 October 2022

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Once they are employed, all staff receive training that enables them to identify signs of neglect or indicators of harm. Staff know how to raise and record any concerns that they may have about a pupil’s welfare. They understand how to keep pupils safe. Leaders identify the external support that children may need.

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Pupils learn about child exploitation and how to keep themselves safe online or in their local community. They know how to raise concerns with trusted adults in school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils who are not secure with the sounds that they have learned are moving on too quickly to learn new sounds. They do not have sufficient opportunities to practise reading books that contain the sounds that they know. As a result, some pupils do not make as much progress in reading as they should. Leaders need to ensure that pupils secure their phonics knowledge before moving to the next set of sounds. They should have frequent opportunities to read a book that matches the sounds that they are learning aloud to an adult. This will enable pupils to quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers.  Leaders have not reviewed their PSHE plans to take into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pupils’ learning. Pupils have missed out on essential knowledge about relationships education. They are unsure of the different types of relationships that exist. Leaders must review their PSHE curriculum to identify gaps in pupils’

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

learning. They must adapt the curriculum so pupils learn the knowledge that they have missed to ensure they are prepared for adult life.

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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 September 2017.

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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 12 and 13 October 2022

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when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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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. 12 and 13 October 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The acting principal at the previous inspection has been appointed as the substantive principal. A new vice principal has recently been appointed.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.  The school operates a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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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.  During the inspection, the inspector had formal meetings with the principal and other leaders, including subject leaders. The inspector met with representatives from the trust, members of the academy scrutiny committee and a representative from the board of trustees.  Deep dives were carried out in reading, geography and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector met with leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to pupils and looked at 12 and 13 October 2022

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samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. This included examining the record of employment checks on school staff.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at other times during the day.  The inspector took account of responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, the pupil survey and the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Jenny Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 October 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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