Fletewood is a small school that parents and carers say feels like a family. Pupils enjoy coming to school and behave well. Everyone in the school shows very high levels of respect for each other. The headteacher’s vision is that pupils should learn how to become responsible members of society. Staff and governors share this vision. This means that there are high expectations for personal development and academic learning. The Christian ethos of the school supports this vision. Pupils work hard in lessons and are enthusiastic about their learning. Classes are small. As well as a teacher, there is a teaching assistant in each class to support pupils. This means that pupils who need extra help get the support they need. Leaders provide frequent opportunities for pupils to engage with the local community. There are strong links with local charities. Pupils have also worked to provide resources for adults with special needs in a local park. Pupils get on very well with each other. Strong relationships with staff mean that pupils can share any concerns they have. As a result, bullying is not an issue in this school. As one parent put it, ‘we are lucky to have found this school.’ What does the school do well and what does it need to do better? The school’s motto is ‘dedicated to the discovery of excellence in each child’. This reflects the intention of the proprietor and headteacher that every pupil should achieve their potential. From the age of 3, when a pupil joins the school, until they leave at the age of 11, staff work to bring out the best in each pupil. The curriculum design provides for academic growth and personal development. Leaders place a constant emphasis on personal development. Pupils chose the school’s values of respect, compassion, resilience, cooperation and happiness. These values permeate all aspects of the school and are evident to visitors. The values are also applied beyond the school. For example, pupils are writing a school packedlunch policy. This policy addresses not only the food in the lunch boxes but also the packaging of the food. Pupils want to address the issue of single-use plastic. This reflects their concern for the natural world. The academic curriculum is generally well designed and organised. Based on the national curriculum, it provides a broad and balanced education. In subjects where work is carefully sequenced, pupils achieve well. They can build on what they have already learned to extend their understanding of new concepts. However, in science, the curriculum is not as well organised. Pupils are not always equipped with the knowledge they need to learn about new areas of science. Parents value the school’s support when they have concerns about their child’s Inspection report: Fletewood School at Derry Villas 19–21 November 2019 2 development. Leaders arrange for assessments to identify the support required. Staff then take action to support pupils appropriately. Parents described the positive impact of this support on their children and families. Pupils learn to read as soon as they join the school in the Nursery and Reception class. Highly skilled staff help each child to learn and apply phonics knowledge. These skills are quickly developed into the ability to read and write. A love of books and reading is firmly established at this early stage in the school. The children cooperate to help each other learn. Warm relationships between staff, children and parents provide an environment in which learning can flourish. The classroom provides space for a wide range of activities to take place at the same time. The high ratio of staff to children means that each child has the chance to benefit from adult attention frequently. The proprietor has a clear commitment to preparing pupils to be useful members of society. The school has an outward-looking and inclusive attitude. This supports the headteacher in educating pupils about life in modern Britain. Pupils show respect and understanding for people with different opinions. Pupils learn to respect different faiths and lifestyles. A governing body represents the proprietor locally. This group hold the headteacher to account for the performance of the school. Members of the local governing body visit the school regularly and know the school well. The proprietor’s education director supports the school effectively. For example, she ensures that staff have access to high-quality professional development opportunities. This helps to ensure that teachers remain up to date with developments in education. The education director also ensures that the headteacher has external assessment of the quality of her work. At the time of the last inspection, the school met all the independent school standards. This is still the case. The school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of The Equality Act 2010. The school also meets the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage.