Poplar Farm School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 January 2023

Poplar Farm School is welcoming and inclusive. Pupils model the 'Poplar Promise' well. They are curious, positive and resilient learners. Pupils enjoy their learning. They love taking part in extra activities like 'PopFest' and walking Lola, the school dog. Pupils say that they feel valued and safe. They know that adults will help them if they have any worries. Leaders and staff are positive role models. They have high expectations of pupils. Pupils understand routines well and respect staff. They behave well around the school and in lessons. Pupils say that bullying sometimes happens. They are confident that staff deal with this straight away, so it does not happen again. Pupils are proud of their positions of responsibility. They enjoy being librarians, eco- warriors and school councillors. Pupils feel that they make a real difference to the lives of others. They donate food to help the local foodbank and raise money for charities. Pupils celebrate each other's achievements in assemblies. Parents and carers share their children's positive views about the school. Typical comments include 'Poplar Farm is a fantastic school', 'the staff are all lovely' and 'nothing is too much trouble'.

What the school should improve

• In a few subjects, leaders have not broken down the subject content sufficiently into precise components of knowledge. Some pupils are unable to recall previously learned content. In these subjects, leaders should carry out further curriculum thinking to enable all pupils to build cumulative knowledge and develop their long-term memory.
• Assessment of the wider curriculum is not yet fully developed throughout the school. In some foundation subjects, leaders do not always check effectively how well pupils acquire and remember knowledge. Leaders should establish a clear structure for the assessment of pupils' knowledge and understanding of the wider curriculum.

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