Brighton primary school rated good by Ofsted

A Brighton primary school has been rated good by inspectors from Ofsted.

Fairlight Primary School, in St Leonard’s Road, Brighton, was inspected just before the Christmas holidays.

The schools watchdog published its report at the end of last week. It said: “This is a good school.

“School leaders are highly ambitious for the school and for its pupils. They make sure that teaching is consistently good and that the curriculum meets the needs of all groups of pupils.

“Governors hold the school’s leaders firmly to account for raising pupils’ achievement and improving the quality of teaching. They know how well pupils are doing in different subjects and year groups, and what leaders have done, and continue to do, to improve teaching across the school.

“Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They say they feel safe and that the staff look after them well. Their parents strongly agree that this is the case.

“The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. As a result, pupils from different backgrounds appreciate each other’s cultures and traditions and show that they have a good understanding of British values.

“Teachers have high expectations of pupils. They understand pupils’ needs and give them activities which are well suited to their different abilities. Teachers make sure that pupils know how well they are doing and give advice about how they should improve their work.

“Pupils achieve well because they make good progress from their starting points. By the time they leave the school, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

“The school has succeeded in narrowing gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and that of other pupils in the school and pupils nationally.

“Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress in developing their knowledge and skills in a wide range of areas. This is because staff work well together and with parents and give children stimulating and enjoyable things to do.

“Parents are highly supportive of the school and are pleased with the standard of education it provides.

“It is not yet an outstanding school because teaching is not yet resulting in pupils making outstanding progress.

“Teachers do not consistently adapt activities during lessons when pupils are learning more quickly or slower than they had anticipated.

“Teachers do not always make sure that pupils have sufficient opportunities to respond to the advice they are given about how to improve their work.

“Leaders at all levels are not being fully effective in helping to improve the quality of teaching and learning.”