Farringdon Community Academy

Overview

The report describes a school where leaders have driven "rapid and sustained improvement," resulting in a "caring, inclusive place" where pupils feel safe and supported. While curriculum and teaching are rated at a "Strong standard," other areas such as achievement and leadership meet the "Expected standard," with specific focus required on attendance and personal development outcomes.

Strengths

• The curriculum is "ambitious" and "consistently builds the important knowledge and skills pupils need for future success," with "highly effective classroom practice" embedded across the school.
• Inclusion is rated at a "Strong standard," with "precise and impactful" adaptations for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, ensuring they "engage seamlessly" in mainstream lessons.
• Staff demonstrate "secure subject knowledge" and use detailed insights into pupil understanding to "adapt teaching to precisely meet each pupil's needs."
• Behaviour is "calm and purposeful," with "positive relationships" permeating the school and bullying being "rare."
• Governors and Trust support are "very effective," with leaders showing a "clear understanding of the school’s progress and priorities."

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure pupils "consistently achieve highly across all curriculum subjects," as high outcomes are not yet consistent in every area.
• Attendance needs to improve rapidly to align with national averages, as current rates "negatively impact pupils' education" and leave some with knowledge gaps.
• Pupils require a "secure and detailed knowledge" of personal, social, health and economic topics, including fundamental British values, as their current understanding is not deep or secure.

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an "open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility" and concerns are "actively identified, acted upon and managed."