Falconhurst School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 November 2021

Pupils enjoy coming to school. It is a safe and enjoyable place in which to learn. Leaders, and staff want the best for pupils and form caring and supportive relationships with them. Pupils are proud to talk about how diverse their school is and how much they enjoy learning about the different lives of their friends and classmates. Falconhurst serves its community well. Parents have particularly appreciated the online support given to them during the pandemic. Leaders clearly care for pupils and their families. Staff go out of their way to support pupils and keep them from harm. Parents are welcomed into the school. This strong sense of community helps children joining Nursery and Reception classes get off to a good start. They settle quickly and gain the skills needed for the next stage. Caring adults provide effective support for the minority of pupils who have difficulty managing their emotions. Staff deal with issues calmly and sensitively in order to cause the least disruption to learning possible. Pupils confirm that bullying is rare and say that adults sort any problems quickly.

What the school should improve

• There are some inconsistencies in teachers' implementation of the planned curriculum across the school. As a result, a few pupils do not build on what they have already learned over time. Leaders should ensure that across all subjects, pupils deepen their knowledge and build their learning by making links with what has gone before.
• While assessment is used effectively in mathematics, there is no consistent approach to assessment in other subjects. As a result, teachers do not securely build on what pupils have learned in the past and remember from prior learning. Leaders need to ensure that teachers make better use of assessment and retrieval to more appropriately challenge pupils across the foundation subjects.

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