Fairmead School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 13 June 2023

Pupils at Fairmead enjoy coming to their school and attend regularly. Staff know the pupils exceptionally well. This means that from the moment pupils start school, whether in the early years or later, staff care for and nurture them well. As one parent said, 'My child has thrived and is eager to come to school.' Staff support pupils extremely well in managing their emotions and promoting positive behaviours. As a result, there have been significant improvements in pupils' behaviour. Pupils are clear about what leaders expect of them. They know the difference between right and wrong. Pupils understand that leaders do not tolerate bullying of any kind. They know who to talk to if they have any worries or concerns. Pupils are confident that staff will deal quickly with any incidents of unkind behaviour. This means they feel safe during their time in school. Pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and work hard. They are keen to share their future aspirations. However, leaders recognise that, in some subjects, the curriculum is not planned well enough to enable pupils to achieve as well as they could. Plans are in development, but many are in their early stages.

What the school should improve

• In some subjects, leaders are not clear enough about the knowledge and skills they want pupils to know. As a result, pupils do not build a deep understanding of these subjects. Leaders must ensure that they identify the knowledge and skills pupils need to learn as they progress through the school in all subjects.
• Communication strategies for pupils are underdeveloped. This hampers pupils' ability to communicate effectively, which impacts on their learning. Leaders must ensure that staff develop the expertise in wider communication strategies to enable pupils to better access their learning.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)