Forestdale Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 23 June 2026

Pupils at Forestdale Primary School are polite and happy. They like coming to school because they enjoy learning, feel safe and are well cared for. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities take part fully in school life. Staff know their needs well. Pupils typically behave well in lessons and around the school site. They are respectful of one another and generally work and play well together. Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and caring. When pupils struggle to manage their emotions, staff support them to make positive choices. Bullying is rare, and pupils trust staff to support them with any concerns quickly and effectively. Pupils access a broad and sequenced curriculum. However, the teaching of the curriculum is inconsistent across the school. Pupils' achievement in national tests at the end of key stage 2 over time show that they do not achieve as well as their peers nationally. Leaders have made changes this year to improve how well pupils learn. In the early years, children develop appropriate knowledge across all areas of learning. Most children are well prepared for Year 1. Pupils achieve well in the multiplication tables check at the end of Year 4. Too many pupils do not attend school often enough. Leaders work closely with families to reduce the barriers that some pupils face, and this is helping attendance to improve for some. However, a significant number of pupils continue to miss too much school, which affects their learning. Pupils enjoy the opportunities the school provides beyond the classroom. Educational visits and visitors help broaden their understanding of the wider world. Pupils take part in a range of clubs, such as debating, choir and netball, which help them develop resilience and explore new interests.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that misconceptions and errors in pupils' foundational knowledge, including letter formation, grammar and punctuation, are consistently addressed.
• Leaders should ensure that all pupils experience consistently effective teaching to improve outcomes at the end of key stage 2 so that pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.
• Leaders should continue to tackle absence, including persistent absence, so that the attendance for all groups of pupils is broadly in line with national averages.
• Leaders should widen the opportunities pupils have to develop their character and responsibilities so that they are fully prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders should ensure that all staff consistently engage in high-quality interactions with children to further develop their communication and language so that they are ready for Year 1.
• All leaders should continue to raise the expectations of staff to drive rapid improvement across all areas of the school’s work.

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