Farington Primary School

Inspection of Farington Primary School Rose Street, Farington, Leyland, Lancashire PR25 4GH

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Allan Williams. This school is part of Rowan Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Philip Rimmer, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andy Wilson. 30 and 31 January 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, thrive as they ‘aim high’ at Farington Primary School. They come to school eager to learn and are excited to see their friends and their teachers. Pupils are greeted warmly by staff as they arrive each day. Pupils flourish in the safe, welcoming and friendly environment that is provided across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well and are polite and well mannered. They are taught how to recognise and manage their own emotions, which helps them to behave sensibly. Pupils play together happily at breaktimes. Older pupils regularly act as role models and help children in the early years.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils try their best in lessons and listen carefully to their teachers. They talked confidently about their learning and understand why education is important for their future lives. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get many opportunities to be problem-solvers through the curriculum and school life. They use these skills to take on various responsibilities in the school. These roles allow pupils to contribute to the whole-school community, where they suggest fundraising ideas or changes to make the school even better.

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better?

This school plays an important role within the community. It knows the needs of the pupils and their families well. The positive relationships with families and local organisations mean that the school is successful in guiding parents and carers to suitable support when it is needed.

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better?

In the main, the curriculum for pupils in key stages 1 and 2 has been carefully thought through. The school has mapped out the key knowledge and subject- specific vocabulary that pupils need to learn. The order in which subject content should be taught is also clear. This helps most pupils to achieve well across different subjects. However, the school’s curriculum thinking is not as well developed in some areas of learning in the early years. This means that, at times, teachers are not as sure about what children should learn in order to readily access the key stage 1 curriculum.

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better?

Teachers are experts in the subjects that they deliver. They use skilful questioning to check what pupils know and can remember from previous lessons. New vocabulary is introduced with care. Teachers ensure that pupils have fully learned each new concept before moving on to new topics. This means that pupils can remember accurately what they have learned. 30 and 31 January 2024

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The school has introduced a systematic reading curriculum. This curriculum is taught from the start of the Reception Year. In whole-class reading sessions, adults model sounds with accuracy. Typically, pupils read books that are matched well to the sounds they have learned. Staff have received training so that they deliver the curriculum effectively. As a result, most pupils read confidently and fluently. However, a small number of pupils are not supported well enough to catch up in their phonics knowledge. This hinders these pupils from becoming fluent readers.

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Staff take the time to get to know pupils and their families well when they join the school. This helps the school to work with families to identify and support pupils with SEND quickly. The school ensures that pupils with SEND receive the adaptations to teaching that they need to achieve well. Teachers are well supported in understanding the best ways to help pupils with SEND thrive in all aspects of their development.

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Pupils enjoy coming to school and attendance is high. The school offers effective support to the families of pupils who struggle to attend school regularly. Teachers set clear expectations for pupils’ behaviour, and pupils adhere to these expectations well. Across the school, there is a calm atmosphere.

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The school ensures that pupils have access to a variety of memorable experiences that promote their personal development. For example, pupils visit museums and have the opportunity to attend residential visits. Pupils learn about the differences between people, for example different families, cultures and religions. They understand the importance of treating everyone with respect. Some pupils take on roles as school eco-leaders. They help to keep the school environment free from litter and encourage recycling.

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Leaders at all levels have played their part in ensuring that pupils enjoy a good quality of education. Change has been managed very well because the school and governors have considered the impact on staff’s workload and well-being.

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Those responsible for governance have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They provide effective challenge and support so that the quality of education continues to improve.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A few pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read do not receive effective enough support to help them catch up. This hinders how well some of these pupils develop reading fluency. The school should ensure that pupils who 30 and 31 January 2024

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have gaps in their reading knowledge are supported to catch up with the phonics programme.  In a few areas of learning in the early years, the school has not defined the knowledge that children should learn. This means that, in these areas of learning, children are not as well prepared as they could be for their learning in Year 1. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking in the early years so that children are even better prepared for their learning in Year 1.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with SEND; pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Website www.faringtonprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Farington Primary School converted to become an academy in February 2021. When its predecessor school, Farington Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be inadequate overall.  The school is part of the Rowan Learning Trust.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school runs childcare provision before and after school.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s educational provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 30 and 31 January 2024

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pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and staff. Inspectors also held discussions with the CEO of the trust, the chair of the trust board and members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors. An inspector also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons and spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests firsts.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in corridors, at breaktimes, at lunchtimes and in lessons. Inspectors also spoke to pupils about behaviour and bullying.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation document, leaders’ improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and records of pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their programme of wider personal development.  Inspectors considered the responses from parents to Ofsted Parent View. These included the comments submitted via the free-text facility. Inspectors also spoke to parents.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys. Inspectors also spoke with staff about the support for their workload and well-being.

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Inspection team

James Blackwell, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachael Alarcon Ofsted Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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