Fryern Infant School

Age group 4–7 Inspection date(s) 14–15 May 2012 Inspection number 379178 Fryern Infant School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 115968 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 379178 Inspection dates 14–15 May 2012 Lead inspector Diane Wilkinson

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 171 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Fudge Headteacher Angela Morrow Date of previous school inspection 9–10 December 2008 School address Oakmount Road Chandler's Ford Eastleigh SO53 2LN Telephone number 02380 265931 Fax number 02380 273624 Email address adminoffice@fryern-inf.hants.sch.uk 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

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.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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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspectors visited 18 lessons and observed six teachers, held meetings with members of the governing body, staff and pupils, and a few parents and carers bringing their children to school were also spoken to. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection. Evidence was gathered from observation of the school’s work, hearing a sample of pupils read, and from an analysis of pupils’ progress, records of governing body meetings, development planning and monitoring, local authority reports, a range of policies and procedures, curriculum planning documents, and a sample of pupils’ work. Questionnaires returned by 68 parents and carers were also scrutinised.

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Information about the school

Fryern is an average-sized infant school, which is part of a federation with Fryern Junior School, sharing the same headteacher and governing body. Together, the two schools run a breakfast club, which was inspected. The Little Gems Pre-School and Fryern After-School Club are also on-site. They are privately run and were not inspected by this team. The very large majority of pupils are of White British heritage and only a very small minority speak English as an additional language. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average, as is the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals. The school holds a number of awards, including the Enhanced Healthy Schools, Activemark, and Rights Respecting School Level 1 awards. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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Information about the school

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 Fryern Infants is a good school. It is not outstanding because, although teaching is good, some lessons lack rigour and pace. Staff miss opportunities during lessons sometimes to readjust activities for pupils who have worked very well, to help them do even better. Achievement is good and attainment above average, although progress has not been as good in reading and, especially, writing over previous years. In those subjects, it has accelerated well this year, but the presentation of pupils’ work remains a weakness because of careless handwriting and inaccurate spelling. Reception-Year children make excellent progress and pupils do notably well in mathematics.

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Key findings

 Effective arrangements for professional development have ensured that pupils are taught well. A small minority of teaching is outstanding, most notably in Reception Year. Pupils exhibit a strong commitment to learning because of the enthusiasm of staff, the interesting and practical activities provided, and very effective discussions during lessons.

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Key findings

 Pupils behave well in lessons, although, on occasions, when having to sit listening for too long, a small minority lose concentration, which limits their learning. During the inspection, behaviour around the school was exemplary. Pupils are especially well looked after and feel very safe in school. Bullying is very rare and always dealt with speedily and successfully.

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Key findings

 Leadership and management by both staff and the governing body are good. The whole school community is involved in self-evaluation. The right strategies are being used to bring about improvement and the school is aware that further work needs to be done to improve reading and writing.

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Key findings

 Federation with the junior school has had a very positive impact on staff development and pupils’ achievement. Parents and carers play a very effective role in helping their children to make progress because they are supported exceptionally well to do so. 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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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement, especially in writing, by:  adopting a consistent approach to the teaching of handwriting and helping more pupils to write cursively  ensuring that all teachers model handwriting well and encourage pupils to use their best handwriting in all their written work, including that in other subjects  improving spelling, especially through ensuring that pupils have a good awareness of which letters should be used, for example for the long vowel sound, in different words.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching through:  maintaining a rigorous pace in all activities, especially by making sure that pupils do not have to sit and listen to an adult for too long  providing more opportunities for pupils to extend their learning and setting new tasks or challenges when pupils have reached their lesson target.

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Achievement of pupils

Children enter Reception Year with skills slightly below the levels expected for this age, most notably in literacy and personal and social development. They make excellent progress; attainment at the end of the Reception Year has risen consistently since the last inspection and is now above average. Children’s very good understanding of number helps them calculate simple addition or subtraction problems. Virtually all children write accurately in sentences. Parents and carers are very happy with the start their children have and how successfully their skills are built on, a typical comment being, ‘Staff have gone above and beyond in helping my child progress through the years.’

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Achievement of pupils

By the end of Year 2, attainment is above average, including in reading. Attainment in mathematics is securely high and has been so in most years since the last inspection. Excellent professional development, resulting in very good teacher expertise, ensures pupils consistently make outstanding progress in that subject. By the end of Year 2, the majority attain levels above those expected for their age, most working confidently with hundreds, tens and units. They apply those skills especially well in problem-solving activities, such as working out the ingredients needed to make different quantities of cakes.

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Achievement of pupils

In both reading and writing, progress has accelerated well this year, although it has been slower in the past, especially for some disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and for average-attaining pupils. That has now been rectified fully by the very regular check kept on their progress and by matching work well to the 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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Achievement of pupils

levels at which individual pupils are working. The teaching of the sounds made by different letters in words is good and pupils use this skill well to read new words. They are less confident in applying the knowledge to spelling, where they are often unsure which letter pattern to use. Parents’ and carers’ and other volunteers’ willingness to hear pupils read helps most to read fluently and expressively.

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Achievement of pupils

Excellent opportunities for discussion in lessons mean that pupils’ oral language is very good, which is capitalised on to help pupils tell and then write stories with an effective beginning, middle and end. The pupils’ writing is enhanced further by excellent ‘stimulus days’ run in partnership with the junior school, for example on the theme ‘When aliens landed on the school field and kidnapped the deputy headteachers’. Working in cooperation with junior pupils, infant pupils produced some very effective writing, as a result. Activities such as those promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development well. Despite the content of writing being good, presentation is often untidy and spoils pupils’ work. Too few write cursively, limiting the flow and the amount they write.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils at all ability levels do equally well. Disabled pupils with and those with special educational needs or those at risk of underachieving progress well, in line with their peers.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching has improved well since federation with the junior school, partly through the excellent peer support and coaching it has provided. All issues identified at the last inspection have been tackled fully. Reading is taught well. The very large majority of teaching is at least good and, occasionally, outstanding. In Reception Year, staff have an excellent understanding of how children learn, so that activities are matched exceptionally well to their needs and interests. During the inspection, they enjoyed greatly measuring the height of one of the inspectors. Throughout the school, staff teach mathematical skills very well and help pupils to use them in problem solving. Parents and carers are very pleased with the quality of teaching, one commenting accurately, ‘Teachers are enthusiastic and dedicated.’

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Quality of teaching

Senior staff work hard to ensure that there is consistency throughout the school. In most aspects of teaching, that has been achieved, although, in a few lessons, the pace is still too slow. Based on very good assessment of what pupils have learnt previously, lessons are well planned, with different and appropriately challenging activities to help both boys and girls and pupils of all abilities learn well. Assessment information is also used well to set up groups for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, or gifted and talented pupils. On those occasions and in lessons, very well-trained and briefed learning support assistants promote learning very effectively.

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Quality of teaching

Lesson activities are very practical and relevant to pupils’ lives, so that the pupils are very committed to learning. Opportunities for discussion are exceptionally well managed. That has a positive impact on the pupils’ social development and helps 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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Quality of teaching

pupils to think in more depth about their learning. Most teachers are skilled at drawing the whole class or groups of pupils together during lessons to explain things further, or correct misconceptions when this is needed. However, on a small minority of occasions, they neglect to do the same for pupils who are ready for a new challenge. Teachers expect pupils to present their work well when completing an assessment task, although this is not always the case in other written work.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Moral and social development, underpinned very successfully by the school’s work towards Rights Respecting Status, is promoted well. Consistent expectations of behaviour and the very good relationships between pupils and with adults encourage positive behaviour and ensure it is typically good. Reception-Year children make excellent progress in their personal and social development. A few older pupils find concentration in lessons difficult, especially when not actively engaged in learning. Around the school and at breaktimes, behaviour is consistently good.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are thoughtful and very kind to each other. They and their parents and carers are adamant that bullying in any form is not an issue. Many parents and carers wrote or spoke to inspectors of the high level of care that keeps their children safe. ‘My child feels very safe and happy at Fryern’ is a typical comment. Pupils concur strongly with this view. Strengths such as those and opportunities for pupils to work with others from the junior school help them become confident and independent. That supports their learning well as pupils seek help eagerly when activities are difficult and work hard needing little supervision. Paired or group work and discussions encourage reflection and help pupils come to a consensus. The strong promotion of tolerance supports pupils’ social and cultural development well. Diversity is valued, so that pupils from different backgrounds get on very well together. Pupils’ enjoyment of school and very effective procedures and awards to

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

promote regular attendance have raised levels to above average.

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Leadership and management

Since federation, the very strong headteacher has promoted teamwork amongst staff especially well, with all committed to driving improvement. The deputy headteacher and subject leaders support improvement well, with staff expertise from both schools contributing to improved teaching at Fryern. The governing body’s excellent strategic overview ensures good staff appointments and wise allocation of resources. Working well with staff, its monitoring work is good, especially that gained from pupil discussions, and it provides good support and challenge to staff as a result.

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Leadership and management

There is a strong commitment to improvement through the effective management of performance, including teaching. Accurate self-evaluation helps target improvement planning effectively at weaker aspects of the school’s work, leading to improvement in reading and writing this year, with plans already in place to tackle remaining weaknesses in teaching and in the presentation of pupils’ work. That demonstrates clearly the school’s capacity for improvement. 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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Leadership and management

The good curriculum provides memorable experiences for pupils and supports those of different abilities well. Effective activities for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs ensure they achieve better than their peers nationally. That, together with the school’s strong commitment to preventing discrimination, promotes pupils’ equality of opportunity well. Spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development is a strength. Pupils form excellent relationships, a strong respect for others, and develop an extensive understanding of cultural diversity. Very strong safeguarding procedures, such as those related to the vetting of staff, child protection, and preventing bullying, ensure that pupils are very safe in school, including in the excellent breakfast club.

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Leadership and management

Parents and carers benefit from the excellent opportunities provided to help their children, for example in sessions to gain skills in supporting reading or mathematics homework and through activities they can use on the school website. It is clear that parents and carers recognise that strength, as their comments about the school’s excellent response to their concerns and praise for their children’s progress make clear.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 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). 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. 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 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

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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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

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Fryern Infant School, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh SO53 2LN

Thank you for welcoming us to your school. We enjoyed our time talking to you very much and seeing all the things you do. We want to thank particularly the pupils who read to us or gave up their time to talk to us. We judge your school to be good and are pleased that you and your parents and carers think so too. Here are some of the things we found that were good about the school.  You achieve well and attainment is above average by the time you leave. You do very well in mathematics and are improving in reading and writing as well.  Reception-Year children make excellent progress because of outstanding teaching.  Behaviour is good and you get on very well with each other. We saw none of you behaving badly, but a few of you do not concentrate well in lessons.  Teachers plan lots of interesting activities and teach you well. They provide many opportunities for discussion, so your oral language is very good and you

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Inspection of Fryern Infant School, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh SO53 2LN

are very good at respecting other pupils’ views.  Your headteacher, staff and governing body are constantly looking for ways to help your school improve and they work very well with your parents and carers to support your learning at home.  The federation (special link) with the junior school has been especially good at helping the teaching and curriculum to improve, particularly in giving you lots of exciting activities to do.

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Inspection of Fryern Infant School, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh SO53 2LN

Here are some of the things we have asked the school to improve.  Make sure you always write neatly and spell accurately. You can help by trying to do this in all your written work.  Improve teaching by making sure that you do not spend too long sitting listening to adults, and look for more opportunities in lessons when they can help you make even more progress, especially when you are ready to move ahead.

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Inspection of Fryern Infant School, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh SO53 2LN

Diane Wilkinson Lead inspector (on behalf of the inspection team) 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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