Foljambe Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 June 2025

Pupils enjoy attending this inclusive and welcoming school. They value the time that they spend with their teachers and how adults help them to develop. Pupils know that staff care for them and want them to achieve well. This helps pupils to feel safe in school. Pupils receive a variable standard of education. The school's ambition for pupils to achieve highly is not realised consistently. Despite some improvements, too few pupils reach the standards that they are capable of, including in national assessments. The school has high expectations of pupils. Through 'the Foljambe way' it teaches them to be respectful, confident and aspirational members of its community. Pupils understand how this helps them to 'become a better person'. They apply this knowledge well in how they behave towards others over their time in the school. The school provides pupils with a rich set of experiences to enhance their education. Many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, enjoy clubs such as street dancing or craft club. Some, such as the school's playground leaders, hold positions of responsibility and support others. The school uses opportunities such as the Year 6 residential visit to broaden pupils' horizons.

What the school should improve

• The school has not secured a consistently effective approach to teaching the curriculum. Pupils' experience in lessons is variable. Some pupils, including those with SEND, do not gain the knowledge that they need and behaviour is affected where pupils find work too challenging. The school should ensure that teachers' implementation of the curriculum supports pupils to learn the curriculum consistently well.
• Teaching does not ensure that gaps in pupils' knowledge, including from earlier stages in the curriculum, are closed consistently. This limits how well pupils are able to access new learning and progress through the curriculum. The school should ensure that teaching addresses pupils' gaps in knowledge and supports pupils to catch up rapidly.
• Over time, the trust has not supported the school's governing board to scrutinise the impact of the school's work fully. This limits its ability to hold leaders to account and to ensure that necessary improvements, such as in the outcomes that pupils achieve, are brought about swiftly. The trust should ensure that the governing board challenges and supports the school consistently well to bring about improvements in the interests of pupils.

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