Frizinghall Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Eradicate the inconsistencies in teaching in key stages 1 and 2 so that pupils make consistently good progress and outcomes improve by ensuring that:
  • all staff have the highest expectations of what pupils can, and should, achieve
  • all staff use the detailed information the school gathers on pupils to focus their teaching so that all pupils consistently make the progress that they should
  • the good teaching practice that is evident at the school is systematically shared across all year groups
  • pupils, especially the most able and most-able disadvantaged pupils, are provided with greater challenge.
• Improve outcomes for pupils by providing greater challenge for, especially, the most able pupils, including most-able disadvantaged pupils, so that they make stronger progress across all subjects.
• Further improve the attendance of the minority of pupils who are persistently absent by working closely with their families to make sure that they attend school as regularly as other pupils nationally.
• Further develop the skills of teaching assistants so that they take on fuller responsibility for planning and monitoring the effect of their work on the progress of pupils of all abilities.
• An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The acting headteacher leads the school with energy and a clear moral purpose. She knows the community well. She has established and maintains a culture of collaboration and team-working that is improving the school. She knows what needs to be done to improve the school. She is taking increasingly effective action to ensure that the quality of teaching improves.
• The acting headteacher has put in place clear and effective systems to monitor pupils’ progress. These assessments are moderated by officers of the local authority and by local partner schools. Because of this regularly gathered, detailed information, leaders and governors are now able to identify precisely where action needs to be taken to improve the quality of education at the school. Working with her senior and, increasingly, middle leaders, the acting headteacher is using this information to inform actions that are now improving the school.
• A very large majority of the parents who responded to the surveys conducted before, and during, the inspection wrote very positively about the school and the service it offers their children. A significant number are very confident in the school’s leadership, its accessibility and its readiness to engage with, and respond to, parents’ concerns and suggestions.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is developed well through a curriculum that engages them. The curriculum is supported by a range of other activities that give pupils additional opportunities to explore and develop new skills and existing enthusiasms, such as in music and sport. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about their enjoyment of the additional opportunities the school offers. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Middle leadership is a developing strength of the school. This group of staff is well supported by the acting headteacher and other senior leaders. They reported that they relish the opportunities they now have to contribute to the improvements at the school. Middle leaders are increasingly effective in monitoring the effectiveness of their areas of the school.
• The physical education and sport premium is used well to provide professional development for staff and to extend opportunities for pupils. Pupils can, for example, attend additional coaching sessions and enrichment activities. As a result, participation in competitive activity has increased and pupils say that they enjoy the range of sports and other physical activities on offer.
• The deployment of additional funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is effective. The leader of this area of the school’s work monitors the impact of the school’s planned actions to support these pupils with precision and attention to detail. Plans are regularly updated in the light of these pupils’ progress and changing needs. The leader has ensured that staff expertise is developed, through regular training and updates, so that they can better identify and meet the needs of these pupils.
• Staff morale is high. Leaders encourage staff to develop their skills through a range of training and development opportunities. These opportunities are clearly focused on the needs of the school and its pupils. Staff feel valued and engaged. However, the good and better teaching practice, high expectations and understanding of learning that clearly exist in the school are not shared systematically enough to raise the overall quality of teaching to be consistently good and better.
• While the morale of teaching and other assistants is also high, not enough is made of the skills, knowledge and expertise of this group of colleagues. There are no apparent structures in place to monitor formally the effect of their work. As a result, the training and development needs and aspirations of these colleagues are not being routinely catered for.
• The pupil premium funding is being used to support disadvantaged pupils’ learning. It supports their well-being effectively and enables them to participate in enrichment activities, such as clubs and educational visits. However, despite some improvements in the attendance of disadvantaged pupils, the use of this funding has not ensured that this group of pupils makes good enough progress.

Governance of the school

• Governors know the school well. They are detailed and realistic in their understanding of what the school needs to do to ensure consistent improvement. They know the community well. They know the strengths and weaknesses of the school through the information provided by leaders, by their regular, targeted visits to the school and by their, increasingly effective, links with middle leaders. Governors use this information to hold leaders rigorously to account. They know that there is still more to do to ensure that teaching is consistently good so that pupils make the progress that they should.
• Governors use effective performance management procedures to help them secure improvements to teaching and learning.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders maintain a culture in the school within which staff show a clear understanding of their responsibilities and of the processes to keep pupils safe. As a result, staff promptly identify, and appropriately support, potentially vulnerable pupils. They also engage effectively with outside agencies to ensure that pupils get the support they need.
• Procedures for checking the suitability of visitors and staff recruitment are secure. Leaders check staff’s suitability to work with children appropriately.
• Pupils have many opportunities to learn how to stay safe, through the subjects they study, class time and through assemblies. Pupils told inspectors that they regularly learn about how to stay safe online.
• Those pupils whom inspectors spoke with said that they have staff they can go to if they have any concerns. They are confident that adults would listen to their concerns and take prompt, appropriate and effective action.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Leaders’ effective actions are bringing about improvements to the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school. However, in key stages 1 and 2, it remains too variable. Pupils are not making consistently good progress as a result.
• Where teaching is effective, pupils make good progress. Pupils are clear about what they have to do next to improve. Staff set out their high expectations clearly and pupils respond enthusiastically. Where teaching is less effective, pupils make slower progress. Pupils are not sufficiently clear about what they are doing. They do not go into enough depth to make strong, sustained progress in their learning.
• Staff do not use the detailed information that the school now gathers about individual and groups of pupils’ progress and attitudes consistently in their planning. As a result, the work set is not focused sufficiently on what pupils need to do to make good and rapid progress.
• In some classes, pupils’ progress is slowed by work that is not stretching enough and that is over-reliant on worksheets. These sheets can limit, by the spaces they provide for writing, the amount of depth and specific detail that pupils should go into. This is particularly the case for the most able, including the most able disadvantaged, pupils.
• Pupils’ progress is sometimes hampered by work that is over-planned by the teacher as part of a school-wide approach, as it does not give pupils sufficient scope to try out and explore their growing confidence and skills. Expectations of these pupils are not high enough.
• Expectations of what pupils can and should be achieving are not high enough in some classes. In writing, for example, misconceptions, spelling errors and poorer presentation and handwriting are not consistently challenged by all staff. In some classes, pupils, especially the most able, are not given sufficient opportunities to write at length to develop their skills, ideas and stamina as writers.
• Overall, teaching assistants are deployed effectively. They are involved in planning and assessment with their teacher colleagues.
• The emphasis the school puts on reading, talking and writing is having a positive effect on both pupils’ skills in, and love of, reading. Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy reading and the regular and increased opportunities they have to read during the school day and at home. Links between reading and how it can have a positive effect on improving pupils’ skills as writers are also developing. Inspectors saw several examples of staff using carefully focused questioning to help pupils make connections between what they were reading and their own writing. The positive effect of this was borne out in the scrutiny of pupils’ books.
• Homework is set regularly in accordance with the school’s policy. Pupils say that they enjoy the opportunities homework offers for them to extend their learning and widen their reading away from school.
• Phonics is well taught across the school. Pupils quickly gain mastery of the basics of reading. The mastery of higher-order reading skills associated with inference and tone of voice are less assured across the school.
• The school’s classrooms and shared areas are attractive and vibrant places, full of interest and colour. Pupils are very keen to do well. They told inspectors how much they enjoy school and learning. Relationships among pupils and between adults and pupils are marked by openness, kindness and mutual respect.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are generally self-confident and articulate. They are willing to share ideas and work collaboratively. They contribute positively to all aspects of the school because they know that their views are valued.
• Pupils wear their uniform with pride. They take very good care of the school and of each other. There is no litter. There are many attractive and informative displays, both in and out of the classroom, that help pupils understand and celebrate their place in the school, the community and the wider world.
• The school works very effectively to support pupils and families who, from time to time, find aspects of their lives challenging. The school has an on-site provision, called the Lion’s Den, where pupils are given additional support with their learning, well-being and confidence from skilled staff.
• As a result of the carefully planned actions of the school, pupils are very clear about what bullying is and the various forms it can take. Pupils said that bullying is very rare and that, when it does occur, it is dealt with promptly and well by staff.
• Pupils are very aware of the strength and vigour that variety and difference bring to society, both at school and in the wider community. Pupils develop high levels of empathy and understanding of each other because of the detailed and imaginative way the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.
• Pupils have a good understanding and knowledge of how to stay safe, including when on the roads and online. Pupils were very complimentary about the opportunities the school gives them to explore and discuss risk.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils told inspectors that behaviour is good. They reported that the school’s systems to reward positive behaviour are effective and enjoyable. They make a positive difference. As a result, disruption to learning is rare and, when it does occur, it is dealt with swiftly and consistently by staff.
• The school keeps detailed records of behaviour. Leaders regularly analyse these records to help them discern patterns of behaviour so that support can be put in place to tackle it before it occurs.
• As a result of leaders’ efforts, overall attendance is improving and is now close to the national average and improving. The attendance of the minority of pupils who are persistently absent is also improving; however, it is still too high. Records show that the school’s work to improve rates of attendance is effective. Pupils know why it is important to attend school regularly.
• The overwhelming majority of pupils are very interested in what they do at school. They enjoy learning and discovering new things. They have responded very favourably to the school’s recent focus on reading and increasing their vocabulary. Pupils, generally, use their initiative and respond favourably when staff encourage them to use it. More could be done, however, to encourage pupils to be even more active in their own learning and to share with staff how they learn best and what they enjoy.

Outcomes for pupils Require improvement

• Outcomes require improvement because pupils do not make consistently good progress in key stages 1 and 2. This is because teaching is not consistently good. Staff expectations of what pupils can, and should, be achieving are not high enough. Standards by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics are below the national average.
• Since her appointment, the acting headteacher has introduced very rigorous and detailed systems for monitoring pupils’ progress and attainment. These checks have enabled staff to identify more precisely where improvements need to be made to the quality and effectiveness of teaching. The effective actions of the acting headteacher and her leadership team are having a positive impact on improving pupils’ outcomes; however, insufficient time has passed for these improvements to be embedded.
• In 2017, by the end of key stage 1, the percentage of pupils reaching the expected standard was below average, especially in reading and writing. Pupils did not make good progress from their starting points. Currently across key stage 1, the school’s own detailed information, borne out by inspection evidence, shows that although improving, some pupils, particularly boys and those who are disadvantaged, do not make enough progress in reading and writing. Progress in mathematics is stronger.
• In key stage 2, there is similar variability in pupils’ outcomes. However, improvement is more clearly evident, particularly in mathematics and in upper key stage 2.
• The most able pupils are not consistently making the progress that they should across the school, although this is improving. This is because teachers’ expectations of what these pupils could and should be achieving are not consistently high enough. Too often, the tasks that they are set are limiting and do not encourage them to draw on and extend their existing knowledge and skills.
• The review and scrutiny of a wide range and number of pupils’ books and folders during the inspection showed variability in the progress that pupils made across a range of subjects. This variability was linked to the quality of teaching and the expectations of staff. Where the expectations and skill-levels of staff are high, pupils made good and better progress. In a Year 5 English lesson, for example, pupils were deeply engaged, in groups, discussing a piece of creative writing, paying rapt attention to the impact of language. The teacher used deft and searching questioning to ask the class how and why particular language devices influenced the reader. The pupils responded at length and in detail.
• Reading is a developing strength across the school and it is beginning to have a positive effect on the quality of writing. Most staff are helping pupils to make positive connections between their discussions of their reading and the development of their skills as writers. Reading books are readily available for pupils. There are opportunities at school and at home to read each day. There is an attractive library, which is used regularly.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the expected standard in the phonics screening check is improving. Provisional, unvalidated results for Year 1 pupils in 2018 show an improvement. Current Year 1 pupils, building on their Reception experience, are already showing strong progress. They apply their developing phonics skills well. Pupils who took the phonics check again at the end of Year 2 in 2018 all made gains on their previous outcomes.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make generally good progress from their starting points because of the staff’s detailed knowledge of their needs. This knowledge ensures that most staff break down these pupils’ learning tasks into manageable steps. The leader for this area of the school’s work has also identified key areas for next steps in further improving the provision for these pupils.
• The school has strong links with its partner secondary schools. Year 6 Frizinghall pupils visit their chosen secondary school. Frizinghall staff run sessions for Year 6 pupils where they discuss pupils’ hopes and expectations of secondary school. They also address practical issues, such as how to get to school.

Early years provision Good

• The leadership of early years is good. The leader ensures that staff know the children very well and plan activities that stretch and stimulate them. They assess them accurately on entry and continue to monitor their progress carefully and often throughout their time in early years. There are strong links with other local providers.
• Most children enter Nursery and Reception with skills and knowledge well below those typical for their age. Because of high expectations and strong teaching, they make good progress. Developing their speaking and listening skills is a particular focus. Adults model language effectively and question well. They help children to develop their spoken language, widen their vocabulary and grow in confidence.
• Staff have developed a stimulating learning environment, which provides a wide range of interesting activities to support learning, both inside and outside. Children collaborate and take turns. They are kind to each other and know how to behave with consideration for the needs and feelings of others.
• As a result of the improvements at the school, children make good progress in early years. The school’s own information, borne out by inspection evidence, shows that in 2018 the proportion attaining a good level of development has improved, although it is still below that seen nationally. Officers of the local authority help ensure the accuracy of the staff’s judgements about how well children are doing.
• Phonics is taught effectively in early years. This is having a positive impact on children’s attitudes to books and reading and on the quality of writing. Inspectors saw examples of children taking real pleasure in the crafting of simple sentences, neatly presented.
• Relationships between children and adults are strong. Because of this, children develop positive attitudes to learning. They are happy. They gain in confidence and independence. Children are very enthusiastic. They were very keen to tell inspectors all about their learning and the exciting things they had been doing.
• Children feel safe. Staff carefully monitor children and they know what to do if they have any concerns about a child’s safety. As a result of the leader’s actions, staff receive good-quality training in all aspects of keeping children safe, including child protection and paediatric first aid. This work is often done in partnership with other schools.
• The provision for those children who have SEN and/or disabilities is effective. They make good, and often very good, progress from their starting points because of the work of the staff, supported effectively by the school’s SEN coordinator, who is also the acting deputy headteacher.
• Parents reported that they value the service they and their children receive from the early years team. They welcome the emphasis on reading. They commented very positively about the weekly reading time they have with their children at the school. They spoke warmly about how staff always make themselves available to talk about their children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 107204 Bradford 10047638 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 447 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Local authority David Servant Lisa Wetherall (acting headteacher) Telephone number 01274 543 072 Website Email address www.frizinghall.bradford.sch.uk/ office@frizinghall.bradford.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 22–23 October 2014

Information about this school

• Frizinghall Primary School is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The school has a 39-place Nursery provision offering morning sessions.
• The acting headteacher has been in post since September 2017. The acting deputy headteacher has been in post since September 2017. The acting assistant headteacher, with responsibility for the curriculum, has been in post since 2017.
• Most pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. 
• The proportion of pupils new to English, or in the early stages of learning English as an additional language, is above average. This is because there has been an increase in pupils starting school at other than the usual times, often from Eastern European countries.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The school has a breakfast club that offers before-school sessions.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in all classes across the school. Most of these lessons were jointly observed with the acting headteacher and other senior leaders. Inspectors listened to pupils from Years 1, 3 and 5 read and talked with them about their experience of reading, both in and out of school.
• Inspectors held meetings with the acting headteacher and other senior leaders, middle leaders and members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair. The lead inspector met with an officer of Bradford local authority. Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including that related to safeguarding, achievement, the quality of teaching, attendance and behaviour.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and conduct at breaks and lunchtimes. They spoke informally with pupils about their experience and attitudes to school during these times. Inspectors also spoke more formally with pupils from Years 3 and 5 about school and the range of opportunities it offered them to keep safe and to explore and enjoy learning.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide sample of pupils’ work from all year groups and a range of subjects.
• Inspectors considered the 33 responses to an Ofsted survey of staff and the 10 responses to an Ofsted survey of pupils’ views. Inspectors also spoke with parents at the start and end of the school day to seek their opinions of the school’s work and care for their children. The lead inspector also reviewed responses from 13 parents via the free-text facility.
• Throughout the two days of the inspection, inspectors spoke with pupils, both formally and informally, about their learning, safety and well-being.

Inspection team

Mark Evans, lead inspector Mike Smit Gill McCleave Lynne Selkirk

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector