Folksworth CofE Primary School

Overview

Folksworth CofE Primary School is rated ‘Good’ for overall effectiveness and all key judgement areas. The report describes a school where “pupils are happy and feel safe,” benefiting from “high-quality pastoral support” and an “ambitious curriculum.” Leaders have successfully prioritised reading, ensuring children make a “good start to school” and develop a “secure understanding of phonics.”

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy a broad range of subjects and activities, including visits and learning musical instruments, which “add to what pupils learn in lessons.”
• Staff have “high expectations” of behaviour, resulting in pupils who “behave well” and show “tolerance and respect” for one another.
• Reading is effectively taught, with staff well-trained to identify and support pupils struggling with reading, helping them to “read fluently.”
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive “specific and targeted support,” allowing them to “access the full curriculum and achieve well.”
• Early years provision is strong, with children developing language skills and independence through activities like “collecting and describing autumn leaves.”

Areas to improve

• In some subjects, teachers do not consistently teach the planned curriculum, leading to “gaps in pupils’ knowledge” and inconsistent work quality.
• Some subject leaders are new to their posts and have not routinely monitored their subjects, failing to identify inconsistencies in the quality of pupils’ work.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that staff are well trained to identify concerns and report them in a timely manner.