The Forest View Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 January 2023

Pupils love attending this school. They arrive on time each morning and are keen to learn. They get on very well together, helping and looking after each other. Their relationships with adults are warm and respectful. Pupils typically describe the school as being calm, safe and comforting. They agree that 'new pupils are always welcome'. Staff help pupils do their best. Pupils know how staff expect them to behave and most pupils conduct themselves very well. They follow classroom routines closely and move between activities without fuss. Pupils enjoy sharing games and reading together during playtimes. They agree that bullying and the use of inappropriate words are rare. When these things happen, pupils say staff 'definitely' resolve them straight away. Pupils understand that some of their peers need extra help managing their emotions and feelings. A comprehensive programme of activities enriches the curriculum. Pupils benefit from visiting the National Holocaust Centre or taking a trip to the Yorkshire wildlife park. Some pupils enjoy playing in the Sinfonia Viva Orchestra. Sports leaders organise lunchtime activities to encourage pupils to be healthy. Pupil representatives on the junior town council make decisions that make a positive difference in the local community.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not made sure that the curriculum is sufficiently ambitious or logically sequenced. They do not check closely enough that teachers implement the planned curriculum as intended. There are sometimes long periods of time before pupils revisit what they have learned previously. Pupils cannot reliably recall what they have learned about these subjects in sufficient detail or accuracy. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is planned carefully and implemented effectively so that pupils remember what they learn.
• The personal development programme does not focus well enough on teaching pupils what it means to live in modern Britain. Pupils cannot easily recall significant values such as tolerance, freedom of speech or individual liberty, or say why they matter. Leaders should make sure that pupils understand the different British values and why they are important.
• Trust and school leaders do not always use their checks on the quality of provision at the school carefully enough to inform their plans for improvement. Leaders do not always know that their actions to improve the school have had the necessary impact. Trustees cannot hold leaders to account well enough. Leaders need to ensure that their actions to improve the school focus precisely on what needs to get better. They should identify precise measures against which they will know if their actions have been successful.

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