Fender Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 June 2026

Pupils at Fender benefit from a warm and personalised welcome from the moment they arrive at school in the morning. They enjoy the positive relationships they have with staff. Pupils are safe and they know they can discuss any worries they may have with staff in school. Skilled staff take the time to get to know pupils and their families. They quickly identify the barriers to learning or wellbeing that many pupils face. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), pupils who speak English as an additional language, pupils known to social care and disadvantaged pupils. These pupils are supported very well. This means that the obstacles they may have to success are reduced. Those who attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND thrive. Pupils behave well. They follow the carefully designed routines and structures in place. This allows them to focus on their learning in lessons. From the Reception Year onwards, children quickly develop positive learning habits. Staff deal with any incidents of unkindness, such as bullying, quickly and effectively. Most pupils attend school regularly. However, some pupils struggle to attend daily. This means that they miss out on the positive learning experiences in school. These pupils receive support from staff to help them to attend more often. Pupils enjoy the renewed carefully crafted curriculum. They learn increasingly well in lessons. This means that many pupils are achieving well across the curriculum. However, due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum, some Year 6 pupils have not attained as well as others nationally in the reading, writing and mathematics tests and assessments. Pupils develop wider knowledge of the world around them through the range of clubs and opportunities on offer. For example, athletics club, eco council, mini police and their dedicated podcast ‘voices from the woodchurch’. Pupils in Year 5 develop their confidence by writing job applications, attending interviews and spending a day working in a local business.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should build on their improvements to the curriculum for teaching essential knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics so that the gaps that exist in older pupils' knowledge are reduced and their attainment improves by the end of Year 6.
• Leaders should ensure that teachers provide the additional support and challenge that some pupils need to deepen their learning further.
• Leaders should review and refine the procedures for tackling pupil absence so that there is sustained improvement in attendance rates for all groups of pupils.

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