John Fergus School

Overview

The inspection team found that staff work very well together to create a “positive and welcoming learning environment” built on “nurturing and respectful relationships.” The school is highly effective in supporting learners to develop communication skills and independence, with families appreciating how the headteacher “seeks, values and acts upon their views.”

Strengths

• Staff build “nurturing and respectful relationships” with learners and the wider community.
• The headteacher actively engages with parents, ensuring they feel their views are “sought, valued and acted upon.”
• Learners develop communication skills “very effectively,” enabling almost all to “express their wants and opinions well.”
• Children acquire a “wide range of valuable skills” within the school and community, helping them develop independence for leaving school.

Areas to improve

• The headteacher should support staff to review planning and assessment to “identify better any gaps in learners’ progress.”
• Teachers should continue developing teaching approaches to ensure lessons offer “appropriate levels of challenge” for all learners.

Safeguarding

The report does not contain a specific section or statement dedicated to safeguarding arrangements.