Friezland Primary School

Friezland Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 11–12 January 2012 Inspection number 377275 Unique Reference Number 105666 Local authority Oldham Inspection number 377275 Inspection dates 11–12 January 2012 Lead inspector Stephen Wall

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 106 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nick Jones Headteacher Tracey Meadham Date of previous school inspection 13 September 2006 School address Church Road Greenfield Oldham OL3 7LN Telephone number 01457 872601 Fax number 01457 810573 Email address head@friezland.oldham.sch.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice by one additional inspector. The inspector observed teaching and learning in seven lessons taught by five teachers. Pupils’ written work was also inspected. A whole-school assembly was observed as well as pupils’ conduct during playtimes and lunchtimes. The inspector held meetings with staff, groups of pupils and representatives of the governing body. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. He observed the school’s work, and looked at a wide range of documentation including: the school’s evaluation of its effectiveness; the school development plan; attendance and behavioural records; records of monitoring teaching and learning; and minutes of meetings of the governing body. The inspector analysed 45 questionnaires returned by parents and carers as well as questionnaires returned by staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Friezland is smaller than the average sized primary school in which the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. Nearly all pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who are identified as being disabled or having special educational needs, including those with a statement of special educational needs, is above average. The Early Years Foundation Stage provides for children of Reception age. Pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2 are taught in 3 mixed-age classes. The school provides and manages daily before- and after-school supervision for varying numbers of pupils. The headteacher has been in post since September 2010. The school exceeds the current floor standard, whereby the government sets the minimum expectations for attainment and progress. The school has Healthy Schools and Eco Schools status. It has gained the Arts Mark Silver and Activemark awards. The school has also gained Financial

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Information about the school

Management Standards in Schools. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 This is a good school. It is improving securely because leaders and managers evaluate the school’s effectiveness accurately and use the outcomes astutely to tackle any shortcomings.

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Key Findings

 Children get off to an excellent start in the outstanding Early Years Foundation Stage where outstanding teaching and an exciting curriculum enable children to make very rapid progress and achieve exceptionally well.

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Key Findings

 In Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils make good and improving progress as they move up through the school because teaching is consistently good.

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Key Findings

 Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities also make good progress and achieve well because of the effective support they receive from a dedicated team of learning support assistants.

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Key Findings

 Pupils say how very much they enjoy school and how very safe they feel in school because the school provides very effective care, guidance and support.

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Key Findings

 Pupils behave well both in lessons and around school. They are unfailingly polite and courteous to adults, each other and visitors.

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Key Findings

 This is a school in which all pupils are valued equally. Pupils with emotional or behavioural difficulties are supported very effectively to make sure that they make good progress and that their impact on the learning of others is minimised.

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Key Findings

 Teaching is consistently good in Key Stages 1 and 2. Teachers have good subject knowledge which they use to good effect to provide pupils with interesting lessons. Teachers are using assessment data with increasing effectiveness to match tasks to the needs and abilities of different groups of pupils by age and ability. However, there a few shortcomings. For example, the level of challenge is occasionally too low or too high for some groups.

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Key Findings

 Good leadership and management, including that of the governing body, provide a sharp and effective focus on driving improvement. There is strong teamwork in the pursuit of raising achievement further.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that a higher proportion is outstanding and thus raise achievement further by: - making sure that tasks are always matched closely to the needs, abilities and ages of different groups of pupils - making sure that the learning objectives for lessons are consistently clear so that pupils are always clear about what is expected of them and how to tackle the tasks they are set - making sure that teaching uses questioning consistently well to extend and reinforce pupils’ learning and progress.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ achievement is good and improving. In lessons pupils are eager to learn. They are industrious and strive to give of their best. Pupils are always keen to answer questions. They enjoy working independently in pairs and small groups where they willingly contribute their thoughts and ideas. Pupils listen respectfully to the views of others.

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Achievement of pupils

From starting points that are generally in line with age-related expectations, children make outstanding progress and achieve outstandingly well in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Very strong foundations for future, successful learning are laid. Children make exceptional progress in their communication, language and literacy skills because skilled teaching exploits every opportunity to encourage pupils to talk about their experiences and learning at every opportunity.

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Achievement of pupils

In Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils make good and improving progress. Attainment by the end of both Key Stages is consistently above average. School data, confirmed by inspection evidence, show that attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 is set to rise significantly. This is because leadership is setting higher expectations and assessment is being used more effectively to set more demanding targets and track pupils’ progress towards them. Pupils are becoming much more closely involved in assessing their own work. This is giving them a clearer picture of how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve further. Lower-attaining pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities also make good progress because of the effective and well planned support they receive. The teaching of sounds and letters is good. As a result, pupils make good progress in developing their reading skills. By the end of Key Stages 1 and 2 attainment in

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Achievement of pupils

reading is above average. Questionnaires returned by parents and carers show overwhelming satisfaction with the progress their children are making.

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Quality of teaching

In the Early Years Foundation Stage outstanding teaching provides exciting learning opportunities both indoors and outside. For example, on a very rainy afternoon children were outside learning to make a shelter as part of their involvement in the Forest Schools initiative. Children learned to tie knots with great dexterity to make stick men and construct a shelter to keep their puppets dry. Their ability to talk about what they were doing and what they had learned was exceptional. On another occasion, children listened with wide-eyed concentration to the teacher’s lively narration of Little Red Riding Hood. They showed excellent oral skills in re-telling the story using a range of vocabulary that was well beyond normal age-related expectations. The story-telling was followed by group work for the higher-attaining children during which they wrote confidently about the story while another group went outside to dress up as characters in the story and engage in very impressive

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Quality of teaching

In Key Stages 1 and 2 teachers prepare their lessons in detail, although occasionally learning objectives are sometimes not clear enough to guide pupils fully in their learning and their understanding of what they are meant to be doing. Teaching is conducted at a lively pace with good variety so that pupils are kept interested and on their toes. Teaching uses pair work and small group work effectively to give pupils opportunities to learn independently. Lessons are planned to provide a good variety of activities to meet pupils’ needs, abilities and ages. However, occasionally the planned activities are too hard or too easy for some pupils; this acts as a brake on accelerating progress. Teachers have good subject knowledge which they use well to check on pupils’ learning and progress during lessons. Marking is regular and gives clear indications of what pupils need to do to improve their work. However, the

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Quality of teaching

effective use of questioning to encourage pupils to explain their thinking and thus reinforce their learning is inconsistent. Learning support assistants make an effective contribution to supporting the learning and progress of lower-attaining pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Quality of teaching

Good teaching is supported by a good curriculum that provides effective opportunities to stimulate learning and accelerate progress. Pupils are especially enthusiastic about the topic work they study. In lessons, pupils are encouraged to work respectfully together and with the adults working with them. This and the strong relationships between adults and pupils, make a valuable contribution to pupils’ good social, moral, spiritual and cultural development. Parents and carers are almost unanimous in expressing satisfaction with the quality of teaching their children receive.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils say that behaviour is consistently good. This was borne out by inspection observations and analysis of the school’s behaviour records. Pupils are clear about what behaviour is expected of them. Any failure to live up to the high expectations is dealt with fairly and consistently. Pupils say that bullying is very rare and, again, on the few occasions where it occurs, it is dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils who have physical disabilities or who are different in some way are treated with unerring respect. ‘Why should we treat other pupils differently because they are not exactly the same as the rest of us?’ is a telling pupil comment. Pupils say that adults are very approachable and quick to deal with any problems. A few parents and carers express some concern about the poor behaviour of a few pupils and the adverse influence this has had on the learning of others. This was investigated in detail during the

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

inspection. School records show that a few pupils with emotional difficulties have caused disruption on a number of occasions. However, the school has taken appropriate action to support these pupils through, for example, the engagement of outside agencies and the targeted use of learning support assistants. As a result, significant improvement has been accomplished.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school has very comprehensive procedures in place to check on and promote attendance. As a result, and because of pupils’ very positive attitudes towards school, attendance levels are consistently high. Punctuality to school and to lessons is consistently good. Pupils say how safe they feel in school. They talk knowledgeably about the dangers inherent in using the internet. They understand what constitute potentially dangerous situations and how to avoid and/or handle them. Parents and carers are almost unanimous in believing that the school keeps their children safe.

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Leadership and management

Good leadership and management provide the school with a sharp focus on improvement and a clear vision for future development. Accurate self-evaluation informs good-quality strategic planning that provides a step-by-step pathway to successful implementation of its aims and objectives. The governing body provides good support and holds the school rigorously to account. Since the previous inspection, the good overall effectiveness of the school has been maintained. The early signs of rising attainment demonstrate the school’s significant capacity to improve further. Teaching and learning are monitored regularly and rigorously. Professional developments such as staff attendance at outstanding teaching training programmes are driving up the quality of teaching and learning securely. Subject leaders are secure in their roles. They monitor their subjects accurately and use the outcomes to tackle relative shortcomings effectively. Leaders and managers have

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Leadership and management

tightened procedures for tracking pupils’ progress towards demanding targets. As a result, pupils are becoming much clearer about the progress that is expected of them and what they need to do to improve their learning.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum is good. It is led and managed well to maximise its impact on learning. Pupils are becoming increasingly influential in influencing the content of topic work and evaluating its impact on their learning and progress. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. Pupils work and play harmoniously. Their good behaviour shows their strong understanding of right and wrong. They talk knowledgeably about other cultures and understand the importance of respecting difference. Pupils’ understanding of diversity and other cultures is promoted effectively through visits, a range of visitors to school and in the curriculum. Procedures for safeguarding meet statutory requirements. Staff training in child protection is regular and of good quality. The governing body is meticulous in ensuring that policies relating to safeguarding are in place and reviewed regularly. The school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination very

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Leadership and management

The before- and after-school childcare provision is led and managed effectively. It is welcoming and happy. It takes place in a safe and secure environment because there are good levels of adult supervision. It provides a good range of activities for pupils of all ages such as chess, painting and playing with a variety of toys and games. Simple breakfasts such as cereal, buttered toast and drinks are provided with good attention to health and safety.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add up exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Friezland Primary School, Oldham, OL3 7LN

Thank you for your warm welcome when I inspected your school recently.

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Inspection of Friezland Primary School, Oldham, OL3 7LN

You go to a good school in which the Early Years Foundation Stage is outstanding. It was very pleasing to see how regularly you all attend school – well done! I was also impressed with how respectfully you treat each other and the adults who work with you. You behave well in lessons because the teaching you receive is good. The school provides good support for those of you who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, including the few of you who find it difficult to behave as well as others. The school prepares you well for your future success. The questionnaires you returned show that you enjoy school and feel very safe. You think you are making good progress and that the teaching you receive is good.

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Inspection of Friezland Primary School, Oldham, OL3 7LN

In order to make your school even better, I am asking the staff to do the following things.   Improve further the quality of teaching so that a higher proportion is outstanding and so help you all to achieve even more by: - making sure that tasks you are given are always matched closely to your differing needs, abilities and ages - making sure that the learning objectives for lessons are consistently clear so that you are always clear about what is expected of you and how to tackle the tasks you are set - making sure that teachers use questioning consistently well to extend and reinforce your learning and progress.

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Inspection of Friezland Primary School, Oldham, OL3 7LN

I am confident that you will continue to work hard to make sure your school goes from strength to strength in the coming years and I wish you all well for the future.

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Inspection of Friezland Primary School, Oldham, OL3 7LN

Stephen Wall Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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