Frant Church of England Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 18–19 June 2012 Inspection number 378870 Frant Church of England Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 114505 Local authority East Sussex Inspection number 378870 Inspection dates 18–19 June 2012 Lead inspector John Stewart

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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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 113 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nick Jeal Headteacher Paul Shefford Date of previous school inspection 18 October 2006 School address Church Lane Frant Tunbridge Wells East Sussex TN3 9DX Telephone number 01892 750243 Fax number 01892 750243 Email address office@frantcep.e-sussex.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 ca tegories 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 inspector observed 10 lessons and part lessons taught by four teachers. Discussions were held with senior staff, teachers, members of the governing body, parents and carers and pupils. The inspector observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation including the school’s improvement plan, policies and records of pupils’ progress and attainment. The inspector considered 90 questionnaires completed by parents and carers, as well as those from staff and pupils.

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Information about the school

Frant is a smaller-than-average sized Church of England village primary school. It moved into brand new premises in January 2011. The percentage of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below that found nationally. The school is organised in four mixed-age classes. There are more girls than boys in the school. The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school has Eco school status. 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

 Frant is a good school. It has a strong ethos and almost all pupils are happy in school. An overwhelming majority of parents and carers are very positive about the school and agree that it provides good levels of care for pupils. The school is not yet outstanding because the quality of teaching, is not leading to outstanding achievement in some aspects of learning, most notably in writing.  Pupils’ achievement is good. Attainment is above average by the end of Year 6. Pupils have high-level speaking and listening skills. Progress is good in reading and mathematics but not all boys are making as rapid progress as girls in writing. Boys are beginning to respond well, however, to new initiatives to make writing tasks more interesting. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are provided with effective support and most achieve well.  The quality of teaching is good. It makes a strong contribution to pupils’

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Key findings

academic achievement and very well-developed personal skills. Learning is at its best when teachers provide tasks that are interesting, interactive and which challenge pupils to think independently. However, teachers do not consistently use probing questions which require pupils to express their ideas in depth. Marking is regular but teachers sometimes do not provide sufficient specific guidance about how pupils can improve their work.  The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding. Very warm relationships, based on mutual respect between adults and pupils, underpin pupils’ willingness to engage in their learning. Bullying is rare and almost all pupils feel very safe in school. Almost all parents and carers are very positive about behaviour.  Leadership and management, including the management of performance, are good. Leaders are clear about the school’s strengths and of areas in need of development, including in teaching. They identify areas for improvement when

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Key findings

monitoring lessons. However, these points are not always followed up rigorously enough by leaders and managers in subsequent interventions. 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?

 Improve the quality of teaching, especially in writing, to ensure all pupils make good or better progress by: – providing writing tasks that engage boys – consistently using questions that challenge pupils to express their ideas in depth – providing clear feedback on what pupils need to do to improve their work – monitoring teachers’ actions in relation to the improvement points provided following lesson observations.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils achieve well from their starting points. The vast majority of parents and carers rightly consider that their children make good progress. Attainment by the end of Year 6 has been consistently above average in recent years and current pupils are attaining at similar levels this year. Children start school with skills slightly above age-related expectations in most areas, though social skills are not as well developed. They get off to a good start and make good progress in Reception. Reading and writing skills are developing well because of the letters and sounds programme and the children’s paired reading with older pupils. Practical tasks help children to make good progress in mathematics. They display good fine motor skills and creativity when painting. They are happy in class and are well cared for and supported by adults.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils achieve well in English and mathematics, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Progress is stronger in mathematics than in English, mainly because boys make slower progress in writing. Standards of reading are above average at the end of Year 2 and higher still at the end of Year 6. Lower- attaining pupils in Year 2 read common words confidently and are becoming increasingly able to use their knowledge of letters and sounds to help them segment and blend more difficult words. They enjoy reading and build on their skills in reading at home. Progress in mathematics is good. For example, most Years 3 and 4 pupils have a secure knowledge of place value and higher-attaining pupils can manipulate decimals in mental mathematics activities. They gain a good understanding of the concepts of ratio and proportion and can use their skills to address more difficult problems and explain their methods confidently.

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Quality of teaching

The quality of teaching is good and the vast majority of pupils, parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire agree. Teachers have a secure command of their subjects and take into account pupils’ prior attainment to plan tasks and activities to meet their different needs. Pupils respond extremely well in most lessons 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

saying they ‘like doing different tasks, especially practical tasks’ and that ‘projects keep us interested because we choose the way we work’, and have very positive attitudes to their learning. Teachers’ questions are mostly used well to challenge individuals to provide thoughtful answers but not always. Some teachers do not routinely probe pupils’ thinking sufficiently well to check on their understanding.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers make good use of resources to engage pupils. For example, the reception teacher used flags, metal rings and a globe so children gained a good grasp of different countries and continents involved in the Olympics. In a Year 1 and Year 2 physical education lesson, pupils used foam javelins, bean bags, hoops and cones to practise their throwing skills. They enjoyed these well-organised activities and improved their accuracy and the length of their throws. This is an example of how the teaching promotes pupils’ personal development.

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Quality of teaching

The school selects work that interests boys and this is helping them, especially to improve their writing. There are opportunities for pupils to write for different purposes. For example, Years 5 and 6 pupils were highly engaged in making different types of bread from their own ‘recipes’. In a later lesson, the teacher baked some bread and used the smell, texture and taste to encourage pupils to think creatively to produce associated poems with interesting vocabulary and imagery. Teaching assistants provide good support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs to help them to stay on task and make similar progress to their peers. Marking is regular and often tells pupils what they have done well but does not consistently provide guidance so pupils know the next steps in their learning.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The typical behaviour of the vast majority of pupils in lessons and around school is outstanding. A very small minority of pupils in their questionnaire responses indicate that behaviour in school is not always good but this was not substantiated by inspection evidence and discussion with pupils. Relationships are very warm so that pupils are happy, polite and courteous. Adults and pupils are mutually respectful. Most pupils, staff and parents and carers consider that there is no bullying and there have been no exclusions for many years. A group of pupils in the playground said, ‘Children are very happy in school because adults are kind and stop all bullying. All children make friends very quickly.’ This is also reflected in the rates of attendance, which are above average.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils are very keen to participate in lessons, answer questions and collaborate with partners to share their ideas. They like their teachers and their questionnaire responses indicate that they know that the school is helping them to do as well as they can. During an assembly conducted by a Paralympian gold medallist, pupils were incredibly respectful, ‘hanging on to every word he said’, with complete concentration. There was an outburst of ‘Wow’ as he took Olympic gold medals from his pocket and then showed them a Paralympic torch for the London games.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

All parental responses to the questionnaire agreed that the school looks after 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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Behaviour and safety of pupils

children well. Pupils are especially positive about the new buildings because of the space it provides both indoors and outdoors. The school promotes a very positive ethos in which pupils are aware of the ways that they can keep safe at all times. Pupils can all recite the mantra, ‘Zip it, Block it and Flag it’, to show they know about internet safety. They know that teachers listen to them when they have concerns.

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Leadership and management

Leaders have created a very welcoming and attractive learning environment. All staff agree that the school is well led and managed. Senior leaders have an accurate view of the strengths and weaker areas of the school. All staff and members of the governing body share the vision to improve the school. Performance management and professional development for staff are linked to the school’s targets for pupils’ progress. Areas for improvement from the previous inspection have been successfully addressed so that the curriculum is more interesting and the buildings have improved. The broad and balanced curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. It offers good links between subjects, especially through work on writing. A varied range of clubs, visits and visitors enhances learning. For example, visits to the British Museum, art galleries and the Royal Mint, visitors from different backgrounds during theme days and links with a German

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Leadership and management

school, and local artists make learning exciting and enjoyable. Leaders use self- evaluation processes effectively to determine the areas for future development and monitor the impact of their actions. These improvements and the maintenance of good achievement show that the school has the capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

Lesson observations made by leaders are evaluative and provide teachers with a clear view of their strengths and areas for improvement. However these improvement points are not always followed up rigorously by senior leaders in subsequent observations. As a result, there are inconsistencies in efforts to raise achievement in writing for boys and in the quality of marking.

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Leadership and management

The governing body ensures that the school carries out rigorous checks on all adults working with children. All staff are up to date with training on child protection procedures so that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. Governors are very well informed about the school and this enables them to hold the school to account about its performance. The promotion of equality of opportunity is central to the school’s ethos and there is no discrimination. All pupils have equal chance to participate in sporting activities and to take responsibility and the school tracks the progress of different groups.

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Leadership and management

A small minority of parents and carers expressed concerns about learning in the mixed-age Reception and Year 1 class but inspection evidence shows that learning and progress are good in this class. These concerns are outweighed by the mostly very positive responses from parents and carers, for example: ‘I feel the school has very high expectations of the children both in terms of behaviour and academically and my daughters have risen to these’ and ‘My children bounce into school full of enthusiasm.’

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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 mea ns 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 Frant Primary School, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9DT

Thank you very much for making me feel so welcome when I visited your school recently. I enjoyed meeting everyone and would like to tell you what I found out about the school. Thank you, also, for your responses to the questionnaire.

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Inspection of Frant Primary School, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9DT

You think that Frant is a good school and I agree. These are the main reasons why I judged the school to be good.

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Inspection of Frant Primary School, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9DT

You make good progress and reach standards that are above those expected by the end of Year 6. This is because your teachers provide you with tasks that help you gain new skills, knowledge and understanding. You told me that you were happy in school and I saw this in my time with you. You get on very well with each other and have a very good relationship with adults in the school based on respect for each other. You behave extremely well and are very keen to work hard in lessons. I know that you enjoy the new school buildings and the security that they offer you so that you feel very safe in school.

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Inspection of Frant Primary School, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9DT

All schools can get better and so I have asked the school’s leaders to make sure that you all get a chance to show how well you are learning by giving you more opportunities to explain your thoughts in depth. Your teachers mark your work regularly and set you class targets. I want the school to help you improve your progress in writing by telling you more regularly, exactly what you need to do to improve your work.

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Inspection of Frant Primary School, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9DT

You can help by continuing to try your hardest at all times and asking teachers what you need to do if you are not sure how to improve your work.

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Inspection of Frant Primary School, Tunbridge Wells TN3 9DT

John Stewart 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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