Farnham Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 November 2023

Pupils are proud to be part of this school's diverse community. The school provides many opportunities for collaboration with parents and carers. Parent workshops provide information about how subjects are taught. Many pupils join the school at different times of the year. Most parents who spoke to inspectors expressed how pleased they were with how the school has supported their child to quickly settle into routines. Warm and strong relationships between adults and pupils are seen across the school. Most pupils are polite and respectful of others. In lessons, behaviour is generally positive. Where the learning intention is clear, pupils settle to work quickly. On some occasions, when tasks do not fully meet the needs of pupils, a few pupils lack focus in their work and become distracted. Pupils learn about different types of bullying. Most pupils consider bullying to rarely occur. The school's records confirm this to be the case. Pupils know that they can speak to a trusted adult if they have a concern or worry. The school has established processes to track, monitor and analyse pupils' attendance. This helps staff to support parents to ensure that pupils regularly attend school. Rates of attendance are improving. The school regularly promotes and rewards high rates of attendance. The school council has recently produced a video to share with parents. This illustrates to pupils and their families the consequences on pupils, and their education, of not attending school regularly.

What the school should improve

• In some parts of the curriculum, the school has not sufficiently broken down the important knowledge that pupils need to know. This makes it difficult for teachers to check that pupils have learned what is intended. The school should refine the curriculum so that teachers know precisely what knowledge pupils must learn in all subjects.
• The school does not consistently check that improvements made in school are having the intended impact. Some areas for development are not identified and addressed as quickly as they might. The school should regularly check that the actions to develop the school are having the intended impact.
• Some safeguarding training does not enable staff to fully consider its application in their roles. Some staff do not consistently know how what they have learned applies to the school's context. The school must ensure that staff have regular opportunities to consider what they have learned so that they are confident to identify and manage any concerns that they encounter.

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