Ford Primary School

Inspection of Ford Primary School Cambridge Road, Ford, Plymouth, Devon PL2 1PU

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The head of school is Sarah Sandey. This school is part of Learning Academies 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), Simon Spry, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Butcher. There is also an executive headteacher, David Sammels, who is responsible for this school and one other. 11 and 12 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Ford Primary is a safe and nurturing school. Pupils, and their parents and carers, value this amidst the recent challenges that the community have faced. Pupils are happy. They form warm, respectful relationships with staff. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning, and they focus well on their work in lessons. Children in the early years concentrate intensely when engaging in different activities. The school has established a positive climate for learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievements. Although published outcomes at key stage 2 are below national average, current pupils successfully build their knowledge over time. They produce high quality work and talk confidently about their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils can attend clubs that include running, choir, chess, and Gamelan. Pupils appreciate these and make good use of them. At lunch times, pupils access a range of well-planned activities. For example, arts and gardening. Pupil ‘buddies’ organise equipment for pupils to play with.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils contribute positively to the school environment. An ethos of shared responsibility is demonstrated through a variety of ‘pupil councils’ such as safeguarding, play, maths, and reading. Some older pupils are training to be ‘learning coaches’. Pupils understand that teaching and supporting their peers is an important life skill.

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

School leaders, with the support of the trust, share a relentless ambition for the pupils at this school. Staff benefit from a comprehensive professional development programme. They feel valued by leaders. Staff work alongside colleagues from another trust school to enhance the curriculum. This helps to reduce their workload. At this time of considerable change, staff support leaders’ actions. They recognise the significant improvements that have taken place at the school.

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

Pupils learn a broad range of subjects with reading placed at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils have regular opportunities to read and be read to. Across each year, pupils read a ‘Super 6’ range of rich and diverse texts with their teachers. From the early years, children are introduced to rhymes, poems and stories. They vote for the story that they will enjoy together each day. Some pupils attend the morning ‘rock up and read sessions’ where they enjoy reading with a member of staff.

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

As well as encouraging a love of reading, the school supports pupils to become fluent and confident readers themselves. Children in the Reception Year start learning phonics in their first week of school. Staff carefully monitor that pupils are learning and remembering the taught sounds. If any pupils struggle, they receive additional support so that they catch up quickly. 11 and 12 February 2025

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Staff consider what they want pupils to learn and why it is important. For example, children in the early years engage in mark making, painting, drawing, printing, and sculpture. They use this knowledge to create constructions such as castles. This helps to develop children’s fine motor skills so that they can use a range of tools safely and confidently. They also learn new words such as ‘turret’ and ‘drawbridge’.

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The school and trust prioritise the early identification of pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff make purposeful adaptations to classroom resources for pupils with SEND. They thoughtfully plan the level of adult support that these pupils may need. This enables pupils with SEND to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers and to be successful in their learning.

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Staff recognise that pupils join the school at different starting points and with varied experiences. They skilfully check pupils’ understanding of what they have learned and identify any gaps in their knowledge. Future teaching focuses on what pupils have forgotten or misunderstood. This means that pupils make good progress through the curriculum. They are well prepared for their next steps.

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Pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning. If any low-level disruption does occur, staff act quickly so that it stops and does not disturb others. At lunch times, pupils enjoy eating their meal alongside their teachers. They play sensibly in the outdoor space and are well supervised by staff.

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The school prepares pupils for life in modern Britain effectively. Pupils develop a good understanding of the fundamental British values. They understand, appreciate and respect difference in the world. Through religious education they discuss and debate different points of view about important topics. Pupils enjoy going on trips and visits. However, the school does not have a carefully planned programme of enrichment to support pupils’ wider development. Some pupils do not benefit from a range of experiences beyond the academic curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have a carefully planned programme of enrichment. Therefore, opportunities for pupils to pursue their interests and increase their range of experiences are limited. The trust should ensure that opportunities for pupils to develop and stretch their talents and interests are carefully planned across, and beyond, the curriculum. 11 and 12 February 2025

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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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 June 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Learning Academies Trust.  A new head of school, and executive headteacher, joined the school in September 2024.  The school uses one unregistered provider of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 11 and 12 February 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school's education provision.  This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with the executive headteacher, the head of school, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, the chair of the governing body, other members of the governing body, the chair of the trust, the director of education for the trust and the CEO of the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to subject leaders

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and reviewed pupils’ work in English, history and religious education.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. They also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at social times.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 considered parents’ responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspectors also considered responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Kelly Olive, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Kevin Martin Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 February 2025

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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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