One of Bradford Council’s inner city schools – Farnham Primary – where most pupils speak English as a second language is celebrating an outstanding judgement following its recent Ofsted inspection.
Inspectors gave the school Ofsted’s highest accolade saying "Farnham Primary School is a special place to be.”
This is an excellent example of the journey the school has travelled in terms of progress. In 2011 the school was judged to be good, satisfactory in 2007 and had a Notice to Improve in 2006.
The school, which is in a heavily populated area of the district, adjacent to another outstanding school, Horton Grange Primary, has 544 pupils and most are of Pakistani heritage.
In the glowing report, inspectors found: "Almost all pupils make strong and sustained progress throughout the age range so, by the time they leave school, most pupils are working at age-related standards or above and are well prepared for secondary school.”
The report also says: "Strong leadership has resulted in consistently improving outcomes in all phases and key stages since the last inspection. These improved outcomes have come about through a relentless focus on checking the progress of each pupil and ensuring that effective provision is in place to meet their needs, along with a commitment to the professional development of each adult and regular checks on the quality of teaching.”
Farnham Primary was awarded with a national Pupil Premium Award for 2015 for being one of the most improved schools in the country in terms of attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils since 2011. Disadvantaged pupils make as much and sometimes more progress than other pupils over time. This means there are no significant gaps in attainment between these groups of pupils by the time they leave the school.
Some of the other comments in the report are:
- School leaders have the highest expectations of adults and pupils. They demand the best, and staff deliver.
- Pupils make strong and sustained progress in their learning in all subjects and across the whole age range.
- The high-quality provision for two-year-olds gives children a flying start and prepares them well for nursery.
- The governing body provides strong direction. Governors challenge and support leaders to continually improve the school's performance.
Michael Jameson, Bradford Council’s Director of Children’s Services, said: "This is great news for Farnham Primary School and the district. Pupils, staff, parents, Governors, the wider community and all those who have worked extremely hard to bring about this positive outcome should be very proud. A special mention should be noted of the outstanding leadership both at headship and by the Governing Body."
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