Nottingham Free School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 November 2022

Pupils are proud of their school and enjoy the sense of community that it provides. Staff know pupils well. Leaders have high expectations of all pupils' achievements and behaviour. The curriculum is ambitious. Pupils know that their teachers want them to do well. Pupils behave well in lessons. They feel safe in school. They are polite and show respect for each other, the staff and visitors. Leaders have encouraged pupils to have respect for those from different races and faiths. Pupils say that the school is a safe environment for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans community to be themselves. Staff take bullying seriously. Most pupils say that bullying is rare. Pupils value the support they receive when bullying does happen. All pupils take part in enrichment activities. These enable pupils to develop new skills and to appreciate art, music and drama. Pupils learn about different careers and the choices they have to continue their education once they finish their GCSE courses.

What the school should improve

• Leaders have only recently identified which pupils are not yet able to read fluently. They have not provided effective support for these pupils to enable them to catch up with their peers. As a result, some pupils are not able to read sufficiently well. This means that they do not always understand what they are given to read by teachers and are not yet able to enjoy reading. This limits their progress in some lessons. Leaders must ensure that these pupils are quickly taught how to read so that they become fluent readers and can learn more rapidly in lessons.

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