Lower Farm Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 27 February 2024

This is a caring school where pupils feel happy and safe. Staff know the needs of their pupils well and make sure every pupil feels included and successful. Pupils enjoy their lessons. They show enthusiasm and interest in their work. Staff have high expectations for the achievement of all of their pupils. This is evident in pupils' outcomes across subjects. The school values are shared by everyone. These values lie at the heart of the school's work and support everyone to promote pupils' achievement and wider development. Pupils know these values well and use them to guide their behaviour. Teachers mostly support and guide pupils to behave well in lessons. Pupils report that there is little bullying or other forms of unkind behaviour. When incidents do happen, pupils are confident that staff will quickly sort things out. Pupils play well together at lunchtimes and playtimes. Pupils benefit from attending a wide range of clubs. They enjoy these clubs, which develop their interests and talents. Pupils aspire to become a member of the 'Pupil Parliament', which develops their understanding of democracy and helps them contribute widely to life at the academy.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, the school's choice of learning activities, or the explanations given, means that pupils' knowledge is not fully developed across the curriculum. The school should extend teachers' subject knowledge and skills in order to enhance the teaching of the curriculum.
• Some leaders do not always have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas they need to improve in their subjects. This means that the most immediate steps for improvement are not always tackled well enough. The school should support subject leaders to develop a sharper view of performance in their subjects to help them tackle the most important steps first.

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