Fairlawn Primary School in Montpelier is a welcoming school, which lies at the heart of its local community.
That’s the verdict of Ofsted, which has confirmed that the school continues to provide good education and care to its 251 pupils.
Inspector Liz Geller, who visited for two days in October, praised Fairlawn’s ‘culture of reflection and kindness.’
The report also stated –
- ‘Relationships between staff and pupils are strong. The school values, which include respect, responsibility and resilience, underpin these positive relationships.’
- ‘Staff have high expectations. Pupils understand why these are important. They attend well and value opportunities to share their learning with others. Pupils are inquisitive about the world around them. They benefit from opportunities within the classroom and beyond.’
- ‘The inspector reported that the children benefited from a wealth of clubs, such as sewing, coding and drama, and developed confidence and responsibility through taking on leadership roles.
- ‘The school has carefully considered how best to support pupils’ wider development.
- ‘[Pupils] have a mature understanding of diversity and tolerance and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.”
Ms Geller added that the school was ambitious for all children to succeed, with the children in Reception getting off to a strong start thanks to a sharp focus on language and communication. The curriculum was described as broad and well-ordered and the inspector noted that pupils developed a love of reading. She also highlighted the good support for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Some improvements to teaching of foundation subjects and further development of assessment were suggested as next steps for the school.
Fairlawn Primary School is part of Venturers Trust. The Ofsted report commented, ‘The trust and the local governing body know the school well. They understand the context of the school and its priorities. They bring a range of experiences to their roles and provide appropriate challenge and support for school leaders.’
Headteacher, Siobhan Lennox-Brown, said, “We are incredibly pleased with the outcome of our Ofsted inspection. It recognises the special community feel that we have established since our school opened in 2015. Everyone – children, staff, families, governors, local people and the trust – works together to make sure our nurturing and aspirational learning environment is the best it can be.”