Town Farm Primary School & Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Town Farm is a good school where every pupil is known well and is treated as a valued individual. It is a harmonious community in which pupils from different backgrounds relate very well to one another.

The school provides a safe, stimulating and supportive environment, which enables pupils to achieve and behave well, to develop in maturity and self-confidence. One parent, whose comments were typical, said, 'I am very happy I sent my son to this particular school. With the ongoing support and understanding of his teachers, he has really come out of his shell in a positive way.'

Pupils' attainment by the time they leave the school has improved substantially, so that it is now consistently in ...line with national averages. Pupils, including those who are learning English as an additional language, make good progress because of the effective teaching and the well-targeted support they receive. Pupils are helpful and considerate to one another.

They are increasingly articulate as they move up the school, and are keen to learn. Many pupils in the upper part of the school take on positions of responsibility, but opportunities for younger pupils to do so are more limited. Pupils' attendance, although low in terms of that found nationally, is improving rapidly because the school has substantially reduced the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent.

It has not yet, however, succeeded in persuading all parents and carers of the importance of ensuring that their children attend as regularly as they should...

.. Teaching is effective and an increasing proportion is outstanding.

Teachers have high expectations of pupils in terms of work and behaviour. They work well together to plan interesting activities which provide a good match to pupils' different levels of ability and interests. In a few lessons, teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities for hands-on, independent learning.

Teachers, as well as senior leaders, monitor pupils' progress very carefully in order to ensure that pupils receive additional support when they need it. The school is developing its curriculum in imaginative ways, which have not yet had time to have their full impact on pupils' achievement. Their learning and development are enhanced by teachers' extensive and imaginative use of up-to-date ICT facilities, as well as by a good range of enrichment activities.

Pupils, including those who join at other than the normal time for transfer, settle in quickly when they start school. Potentially vulnerable pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, receive outstanding support. This helps many of them to overcome significant barriers to their learning and to make progress on a par with their peers.

The headteacher, ably supported by her senior colleagues, has continued to focus relentlessly on improving outcomes for pupils, particularly by setting challenging targets for attainment and progress. She has made good use of available resources in improving the quality of the school environment, especially the outdoor area. Middle leaders play a positive role in monitoring the quality of teaching and in ensuring that it is consistently effective.

The governing body knows the school well and is prepared to challenge as well as to support school leaders. Self-evaluation is accurate, and is now being used well to inform development planning. These factors, together with the way the school has successfully addressed weaknesses identified by its last inspection, indicate its good capacity for further improvement.

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Information about the school

Town Farm is larger than the average-sized primary school and includes a Nursery currently attended, on a part-time basis, by 74 children. The proportion of pupils in the school from minority ethnic groups is just above the national average.

The main groups represented are White British, and Asian and Asian British - Indian. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is lower than that found nationally. An above-average proportion of pupils, including those who have a statement, have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

These cover a wide range of additional needs. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well-above average. The proportion of pupils who join the school at other than the normal time for transfer is above average.

Before- and after-school clubs, run by outside organisations, operate on the school premises. A children's centre, managed by the local authority, opened on an adjacent site in 2010. These facilities are subject to separate inspection arrangements.

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