Forest View Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Forest View Primary School Latimer Road, Cinderford, Gloucestershire GL14 2QA

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Ben Lyons. This school is part of Forest of Dean 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), Steve Brady, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Matt Reid.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming, inclusive and happy school at the heart of the community. The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. This is reflected in pupils’ achievements. The school’s ethos of ‘putting children first’ is threaded through all that the school does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pastoral provision is strong. The school forges highly effective partnerships with families. This enables the school to give them the support they need. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. They typically comment that the school goes above and beyond and helps their children to thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are a credit to the school. They are friendly, polite and caring. Pupils enjoy school and understand what the school expects of them. They follow the rules well and have consistently positive attitudes toward their learning. Pupils feel safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides interesting experiences to enhance the curriculum. For example, pupils enjoy visiting a museum to find out about life in the Anglo-Saxon period. They enjoy learning about and celebrating Black History Month. Pupils appreciate visits from members of the local community and enjoy taking part in ‘Romanian day’. The school teaches pupils to appreciate cultures different from their own so they are prepared well for life outside of school. 5 and 6 November 2024

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

The school is dedicated to enabling all pupils to succeed. It has developed an ambitious curriculum in the core subjects of English and mathematics. Staff have strong subject knowledge in these areas and routinely check how well pupils are learning. The school tailors the curriculum in these subjects to meet pupils’ specific learning needs. As a result, pupils benefit from consistently effective delivery of the curriculum. Pupils’ academic outcomes are strong.

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

Children learn to read as soon as they start school. Early reading and mathematics are taught well. Staff explain carefully and help pupils understand new content. Pupils benefit from regular opportunities to practise and consolidate their skills. The school provides additional teaching for pupils who find reading difficult. This helps them to become more confident and accurate readers.

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

The school delivers a broad range of subjects in the wider curriculum. However, in some subjects, the school does not identify the key knowledge and skills pupils must learn each year. Some pupils do not develop a secure knowledge and, consequently, have gaps in their learning. The school recognises pupils need more opportunities to revisit learning so they can consolidate their understanding in the wider curriculum. It has begun to adapt this part of the curriculum so that teaching checks pupils’ learning more effectively.

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

Pupils become absorbed in their learning. They are keen to practise and to improve their skills. For example, children in the early years use paintbrushes and glitter creatively to help them to write. They draw around their hands and do ‘high fives’ to help them to count to five. Older children learn to use ordnance survey maps. They skilfully locate features to build their geographical knowledge.

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

The school swiftly identifies when pupils require extra help. It provides sharply focused and highly effective pastoral and academic support. This enables all pupils, including pupils who speak English as an additional language and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to learn the same curriculum as others.

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

The school analyses the reasons for pupils’ absence so it can work effectively to improve attendance. It works well with parents and pupils, so most pupils attend school regularly.

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

Staff form supportive and trusting relationships with pupils. Pupils feel valued and cared for. They are confident that there is always someone to talk to if they have any worries. They say that adults are good at sorting out any problems that might occur.

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

Pupils are respectful and behave consistently well, in and out of lessons. The school provides sharply focused support for pupils who need help to manage their mental health. This is highly effective in reducing pupils’ anxieties and helping them focus on their learning.

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

The school contributes well to pupils’ broader development. For example, pupils are encouraged to develop their talents and interests when they join clubs such as arts and 5 and 6 November 2024

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crafts and singing, play multi-sports or learn to play a musical instrument. Pupils reflect on those less fortunate than themselves when they donate items to the food bank. Pupils are keen to support those in need. For example, pupils make up shoeboxes of essential items to send to people in need in Ukraine and Romania.

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The school has recently joined the trust, and trust leaders are beginning to review the school’s work. The trust understands the school’s main priorities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects in the wider curriculum, the school does not precisely break down the key components of knowledge and skills pupils must learn each year. Where this is the case, pupils are not routinely challenged to build the depth of knowledge they could. As a result, pupils have gaps in their learning. The trust should strengthen the foundation subject curriculum, and sharpen assessment, to ensure pupils are well supported to gain the knowledge, skills and vocabulary they need for future 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 June 2015. 5 and 6 November 2024

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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.

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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). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 February 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a high proportion of pupils with SEND.  Many pupils join the school at different times of the year. Several of these pupils are pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The school joined the Forest of Dean Trust in April 2024.  The school provides before-school care for pupils. The school uses an outside provider for after-school care.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has 5 and 6 November 2024

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taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held several meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector held a meeting with the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO. The inspector also held a separate meeting with the recently appointed chair of the local governing board and another trustee.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also spoke to a group of teachers.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector 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.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour at various times during the day, including

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breaktime and lunchtime.  The inspector reviewed 60 responses to the online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. along with free-text comments. She also took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Catherine Beeks, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 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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