Fairlop Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Fairlop Primary School Colvin Gardens, Hainault, Ilford, Essex IG6 2LH

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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Outcome

Fairlop Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of the inclusive Fairlop community. They talk passionately about what makes the school special. This includes the strong focus on showing kindness and respect to all. Pupils particularly appreciate the help and support they receive from staff. They know they are safe here.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ learning, including in the early years. They regularly review the curriculum to ensure that all pupils are achieving well. Pupils produce work of high quality in different subjects. They achieve particularly well in national assessments. Pupils are highly focused in lessons. They discuss their learning with passion and enjoy sharing new ideas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils become leaders and help others in their community. They raise money for local charities. Many pupils support their younger peers by becoming prefects and playground buddies. Those on the school council are empowered to seek and represent the views of others. For example, they have recently shared opinions on the new canteen menu and local environmental issues.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A broad range of additional activities enhance pupils’ learning. These include cheerleading, yoga and choir. Pupils enjoy a range of visits each year, for example, to the British Museum, the Imperial War Museum and different places of worship.

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

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have thought carefully about the key knowledge they want pupils to know from the Nursery onwards. This is sequenced to 12 and 13 November 2024

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ensure that pupils build their knowledge over time. In history, for example, pupils in the early years study their own history and create an ‘All About Me’ piece to aid their understanding of their past. Over time, pupils use a range of sources to build a strong picture of the history within different time periods. By Year 6, pupils use their detailed historical knowledge to write highly skilled essays comparing the significance of different past events. Leaders have also planned opportunities to revisit pupils’ learning across different subjects. In art, for example, teachers review pupils’ learning of the Stone Age when supporting pupils to produce cave art.

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Teachers present information clearly and use a variety of rich resources to bring the curriculum to life. They frequently emphasise subject-specific vocabulary, such as ‘chronology’ and ‘classification’. Teachers regularly check pupils’ understanding. At times, however, these checks do not consistently identify and correct misconceptions. As a result, misconceptions are not always addressed quickly enough. Subject leaders receive ongoing training. This supports them to play a key role in reviewing and improving the taught curriculum. The school ensures that pupils with SEND are identified and well supported. This helps pupils with SEND to learn the same broad and ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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Reading is prioritised throughout the school. Staff have high expectations for pupils. Parents are invited to play a key role in supporting their child’s reading. Staff deliver the agreed phonics programme, supported by the phonics team in school. Pupils are given regular opportunities to practise and revisit the sounds they need to read well. Staff focus on checking pupils’ knowledge. They intervene swiftly and effectively when pupils need extra help. Pupils read books that are appropriately matched to the sounds they have learned. Through regular practice, pupils develop their fluency and confidence.

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Staff have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and attendance. The ‘Fairlop charter’ makes these high expectations clear to all. Pupils and staff have a strong understanding of the systems in place that enable pupils to behave well. As a result, interruptions to lessons are rare. Pupils know that staff will address any rare instances of disruptive or unkind behaviour. Staff build close working relationships with families to understand and tackle any barriers to attendance. As a result, attendance is high.

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The school prioritises pupils’ broader development from the Nursery onwards. A focus on being a ‘rights respecting’ school sits at the heart of this work. This includes a weekly assembly based on different areas of human rights. Pupils are taught to respect and celebrate differences within and beyond the school community. Regular ‘citizens awards’ reward pupils who are exemplifying these values. Leaders have given careful thought to the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum. For example, pupils learn how to stay healthy and safe, including when online and when travelling around the local area.

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Staff are overwhelmingly proud to work at this school. They know that leaders look after their well-being and listen to their views. Staff at all levels feel their workload is well considered and managed. A knowledgeable governing body provides highly effective support and challenge. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few instances, pupils’ understanding is not checked in a timely way. As a result, a small number of pupils continue to have misconceptions and are not fully ready to learn new content. The school should continue to ensure that assessment is used consistently to identify and correct pupils’ mistakes before they move on in their learning.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in July 2015.

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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.

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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. 12 and 13 November 2024

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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 special educational needs and/or disabilities (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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not currently use any alternative provision for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspectors met with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: English and mathematics, and history, art and design and science. For each group of subjects, the inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 12 and 13 November 2024

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils, parents and carers and staff through both discussions and responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Hannah Glossop, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Daniel Burton Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 2024

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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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