Frizington Community Primary School

Frizington Community Primary School Main Street, Frizington, Cumbria, CA26 3PF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  The headteacher provides excellent leadership for the school. Governors and all staff continually and successfully strive for improvement in pupils’ achievement and in teaching. Leadership and management are outstanding and consequently the school is well placed to improve further.  From their starting points, which vary from year to year, pupils make good progress to reach standards which are at least average, and often above, by the end of Year 6.  Teaching is consistently good and in some lessons it is outstanding. Teachers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic, plan lessons thoroughly and have high expectations of their pupils.  Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are outstanding. They are very proud of their school and show real respect for staff and each other. They feel extremely safe in school, attend regularly and greatly enjoy learning.  Pupils who are supported by the pupil premium

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

funding make particularly good progress because they receive excellent individual support which is exactly matched to their needs.  A rich curriculum gives pupils a range of exciting experiences both in and out of school. These help to nurture their talents, build their confidence and promote their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding. Teachers’ marking does not always tell pupils exactly how to improve their work.  In a few lessons progress slows slightly when pupils are not moved on quickly enough to the next task.  Pupils’ progress compares favourably to that found nationally but it is not yet fast enough to be judged outstanding.  Although very successful personal learning programmes are in place for pupils supported by the pupil premium, these have yet to be extended to all pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed 10 lessons and part-lessons which included four shorter visits to classrooms with the headteacher. She also listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of literacy and numeracy to smaller groups of pupils.  Discussions were held with parents, pupils, staff, governors and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector observed the school’s work and looked at pupils’ books, progress data, safeguarding information and other documentation.  Twenty-two responses to the on-line questionnaire ‘Parent View’ were considered as well as those from the school’s own parental survey and from school staff.

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Inspection team

Ann Ashdown, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average. This provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  There are very few pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is average whereas the proportion supported at school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs is well above average.  The school meets and exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve teaching so more is outstanding by ensuring teachers’ marking, particularly in mathematics, consistently gives pupils really precise pointers on how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of pupils who make better than expected progress by:  extending to all pupils the very successful personal learning programmes that are in place for pupils supported by the pupil premium  consistently checking the learning of individual pupils throughout lessons in order to move them on the next task at exactly the right time.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children settle quickly into school routines in the Reception class and soon become confident learners. The indoor and outdoor classrooms provide a vibrant environment where children make good progress and enjoy learning.  This good progress continues as pupils move through the school. Year groups are small so standards vary from year to year. From their starting points, which for some are below average, pupils reach at least average and often above average standards in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  Regular guided reading and good quality teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make) allow pupils to become confident readers. Those who find reading difficult have good strategies to decode the words they find harder to understand.  In mathematics pupils are given increasingly good opportunities to develop their investigative skills. Years 5 and 6 pupils learnt much about measuring angles as they constructed sun dials in

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The achievement of pupils is good

the school yard and were very patient when the sun went in at just the wrong time.  Pupils who are supported by extra funding (the pupil premium) make particularly good progress. Very effective personal learning plans are in place, which are designed to exactly match their individual needs. Test results show that the small number of pupils supported by the pupil premium were often a term ahead of their classmates in English and mathematics in 2012.  Following the success of these personal learning plans for those supported by the pupil premium, the school now, rightly, recognises the need to extend this to all pupils to enable them to make even better than expected progress.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language make the same good progress as their classmates because they receive the right sort of extra help at the right time from teachers and from teaching assistants.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils make good progress because teaching is consistently good across the school. In some lessons teaching is outstanding. Teachers expect the most of their pupils and challenge them to achieve well. Pupils respond by working hard and show excellent attitudes to learning. For example, pupils in Year 2 confidently used adjectives and connectives to construct exciting sentences to describe their mini beasts.  Teachers use a range of strategies and exciting resources to engage pupils fully in learning. They plan lessons carefully and match work closely to the needs of pupils so it is not too easy or too hard. Teachers are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the topics they teach so pupils enjoy learning.  Pupils spoke excitedly about the school’s ‘disaster day’ when each classroom had been transformed by a natural disaster (an earthquake, a flood, a volcanic eruption and an avalanche) which formed a really exciting scenario for their learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers check pupils’ learning regularly and pupils are also encouraged to check their own and each other’s learning which helps them make faster progress. In a few lessons, when they have understood something, pupils are not moved on quickly enough to the next task.  Pupils’ work is marked regularly and good use is made of praise to give pupils confidence and reward them when work is done well. However, particularly in mathematics, teachers’ marking does not give pupils enough guidance on exactly how to improve their work.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is constantly and very effectively promoted in lessons and this makes an important contribution to their excellent personal development.  Teachers and teaching assistants give highly skilled specialist support to those who have been identified as needing extra help so all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special

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The quality of teaching is good

educational needs, make at least good progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils’ behaviour both in lessons and around the school is typically excellent. Records show very few incidents of poor behaviour and any that do occur are dealt with very swiftly and effectively.  Attendance is constantly improving and is now above average. The number of pupils who are persistently absent is very low.  Pupils say how very safe they feel in school. They are knowledgeable about different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying, but say this is very rare in school and always dealt with promptly. Pupils are highly knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe and have an extremely sensible attitude to risk taking.  Pupils and their parents are fulsome in their praise of the personal support that the school gives. Expert help is always available for pupils who need it. Extended conversations with parents about their children’s progress, attendance and participation in clubs and out-of-school activities

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

have helped to involve parents closely in their children’s’ learning.  Pupils welcome the raft of opportunities they have to take responsibility, raise money for charities, and use their enterprise skills. Year 6 pupils spoke enthusiastically about raising money for a camera to monitor the movements of red squirrels which they have been studying as part of their forest school experience.  Pupils are proud to be members of the very active school council. They have recently completed a well-organised survey of pupils’ views about how to improve the school and made a formal presentation of these to governors.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Since the school’s last full inspection in 2006, records show that results at the end of Key Stage 1 have fluctuated slightly but pupils’ progress has remained good. For the last two years, under the excellent leadership of the current headteacher who is very ably supported by governors and leaders at all levels, pupils’ progress is accelerating and standards are rising.  In this small school all staff hold key roles. The high quality of leadership in the Early Years Foundation Stage, of literacy and of assessment all contribute to the school’s outstanding leadership.  Strong leadership of teaching ensures that lessons are monitored regularly, staff receive high quality training and their performance is managed very well. Staff feel valued and morale is high.  School leaders know the school’s strengths and weaknesses extremely well and have clearly identified how it can be improved even further. Although current improvements have not yet had

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The leadership and management are outstanding

time to be fully reflected in pupils’ test results, outstanding leadership means that the school is in an excellent position to improve further.  The progress of all groups of pupils is tracked very carefully. All pupils are given excellent equal opportunities to succeed and their talents are valued and nurtured. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated. For instance, the school is keen to extend to all pupils the successful personal learning programmes developed for pupils eligible for the pupil premium.  The curriculum is a real strength of the school. It is broad and balanced with a very good focus on mathematics and English and continually promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. In addition, it provides a wealth of extra activities which add to pupils’ knowledge, skills and enjoyment of learning. Forest school, project days, clubs of all kinds (from cupcake club to dangerous dads) trips to exciting places, both locally to beautiful rural Ennerdale and

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The leadership and management are outstanding

further afield to the city of York, musical events, sporting challenges and creative opportunities all hugely enrich the curriculum.  The local authority provides good support for the school through the general adviser. He has helped the headteacher with improvement planning, tracking pupils’ progress and in checking that pupil premium money is well spent.  All safeguarding requirements are fully met. Staff are very well trained and fully aware of child protection and risk assessment procedures.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school well and are both supportive and challenging. They are knowledgeable about the school’s performance and monitor its work regularly. They are also well informed about the quality of teaching, how the performance of staff is managed and how good teachers are rewarded. They manage finances carefully and challenge the school as to how extra funding (the pupil premium) is spent.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 112156 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 413210

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 102 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Fred Lightfoot Headteacher Sarah Rose Date of previous school inspection 11 December 2008 Telephone number 01946 810611 Fax number 01946 814768 Email address schooloffice@frizington-pri.cumbria.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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. 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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