Frenchwood Community Primary School

Frenchwood Community Primary School Frenchwood Knoll, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 4LE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils' standards in reading, writing and mathematics are not high enough, and too few pupils make good progress by the end of Key Stage 2, especially in writing and mathematics.  There is not enough good quality teaching to ensure that pupils make consistently good progress over time.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough, and work is not always matched well enough to pupils’ needs.  Teachers do not always ask questions that challenge pupils and deepen their understanding.  School leaders and managers do not ensure that school development planning is focused clearly on improving teaching in order to raise standards and achievement.  There are too few opportunities for teachers to observe outstanding teaching in other schools.  Changes introduced by senior leaders have not yet had sufficient time to ensure that teaching is consistently good; as a result, pupils do not

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

achieve as well as they should, especially in writing and mathematics.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Pupils behave well and say they feel safe and well supported in school. They are keen to learn and do well.  Leaders check pupils’ progress carefully and this is beginning to improve teaching and raise achievement.  The school develops pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Parents are very supportive of the school.  Senior leaders, the governing body and the local authority are working closely to improve the school as quickly as possible.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 22 lessons or part lessons, including one observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with school leaders and with five governors, including the Chair and vice- chair of the governing body. Inspectors also met a representative from the local authority.  Discussions were held with two groups of pupils and inspectors spoke informally to other pupils in lessons, break and lunchtime.  Inspectors looked at the work pupils were doing in lessons and in their books over time. They listened to pupils in Year 2 read and talked to them about their enjoyment of reading.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and examined a number of documents. These included data concerning pupils’ current achievement, development plans and performance management information. Inspectors also looked at records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding arrangements. Minutes of governing body meetings and the local authority

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Information about this inspection

reports were also considered.  Inspectors considered 16 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as responses to the school’s own survey of parents’ views. They also took into account 30 responses to the questionnaires completed by staff for the inspection.

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Inspection team

Robert Birtwell, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Nina Heron Additional Inspector Kathleen McArthur Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Pupils are taught in 12 classes from the nursery to Year 6.  A very large majority of pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds, with about half the pupils of Indian heritage.  Almost two thirds of the pupils speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is above average. This is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children looked after by the local authority and children from service families.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported at school action is below average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave the school at other than the usual time is above average.

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Information about this school

 The school does not meet the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better in order to accelerate progress and raise pupils’ achievement, particularly at Key Stage 2 as well as in writing and mathematics by:  making sure that teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are always high enough  ensuring that teachers always provide work that is challenging enough and meets pupils’ needs  making sure that teachers always ask questions that challenge pupils to extend their learning and deepen their understanding  providing more opportunities for teachers to observe outstanding teaching in other schools to enable them to improve their skills.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by:  ensuring that leaders at all levels have a more accurate view of the quality of teaching and learning by improving the checking and evaluation of teaching  making sure that school improvement planning is very firmly focused on improving the quality

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

of teaching in order to raise pupils’ achievement.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because pupils do not make consistently good progress across the school. Standards in writing and mathematics are not high enough by the end of Key Stage 2, and too few pupils achieve well.  At the end of Year 6, pupils’ standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been below average for two of the last three years, and pupils have made less than the expected progress for the last two years. There was a sharp dip in performance in 2013 and the proportion of pupils who made the expected and more than expected progress by the end of Year 6 was well below average in writing, below average in mathematics and average in reading.  At the end of Year 2, pupils’ standards in reading, writing and mathematics have been below average for the last three years. In 2013, they were well below average, although this group was affected by a higher than usual proportion of pupils who joined the school later than usual.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are now beginning to make better progress as the quality of teaching is starting to improve. Lesson observations, the work in pupils’ books and the school’s systems for checking how well pupils are doing, confirm this.  In Key Stage 2, pupils are now making progress that is closer to the expected rate whatever their starting point. Current Year 6 pupils, including Indian pupils, are on track to make better progress and achieve improved standards in 2014. However, the proportion of pupils making better than expected progress remains low, especially in writing and mathematics.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium have not achieved as well as other pupils. In national tests in 2013, the standards reached by pupils known to be eligible for free school meals was around a year behind that of other pupils in reading and mathematics, and about six months behind in writing. The school’s systems for checking pupils’ progress show that

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

this gap is beginning to close.  Children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and understanding that are generally well below those expected for their age, especially in communication and language. They make good progress and join Year 1 with standards that are much closer to average.  Pupils make steady progress in reading during Key Stage 1. They read regularly and have a sound knowledge of phonics (letters and the sounds they make). The proportion of pupils who reached the expected standard in the Year 1 national phonics check improved in 2013 although it remains below average.  The most able pupils generally achieve higher standards and make better progress than other pupils. At the end of Year 6 in 2013, they made more than the expected progress in reading and writing, and just below the expected progress in mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs receive well targeted and effective

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

individual and small group support and make similar progress to other pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because it does not ensure that pupils make consistently good progress over time, particularly Key Stage 2 pupils and especially in writing and mathematics.  Almost half of the teaching seen during the inspection was good, and some lessons were outstanding. No inadequate teaching was observed.  Teachers do not have high enough expectations of the standards pupils can achieve and they do not always give pupils work that is challenging enough for their different needs and abilities. In these lessons, the pace of learning is too slow and pupils do not make as much progress as they should.  Teachers question pupils effectively to check and reinforce their knowledge, but do not always ask challenging enough questions. This means that opportunities to extend pupils’ learning or deepen their understanding are overlooked.  The quality of marking and assessment has improved. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, and

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

provide useful advice and guidance about what pupils need to do to improve the quality of their work. There is evidence that pupils respond to this advice during ‘read and respond’ sessions.  Where teaching is good, work is well matched to pupils’ needs and abilities. There is a good level of pace and challenge for all pupils and they have opportunities to think and work things out for themselves. As a result, they are engaged in their learning and make at least good progress. For example, in a Year 6 art and design lesson where pupils were investigating Tudor costumes, the teacher challenged pupils to apply what they had already learned and use a variety of sources to research and design a Tudor style hat. The teacher had very high expectations and made sure that standards were high by asking pupils probing questions about how they could improve their design. As a result, all pupils greatly enjoyed the lesson and made excellent progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is effective, especially in the Reception classes. There is a strong emphasis on improving children’s communication and speaking and listening skills, and their social and emotional development. Teachers make sure that learning is purposeful and is well matched to children’s different levels of development. As a result, children make good progress.  Teaching assistants work closely with teachers to support the needs of pupils who need extra help. This includes those who are disabled or have special educational needs, those who have English as an additional language and those who are supported by the pupil premium. They provide additional help in the classroom or in individual or small group sessions to make sure that pupils understand their work and make progress.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour is good. Their attitude to learning is very positive and there are good relations between pupils and their teachers. Pupils take pride in their work and how it is presented, and want to do their best, even when the teaching does not enable them to make good progress. As a result, lessons proceed smoothly and without interruption.  Inspectors observed good behaviour around the school. Pupils play sensibly on the playground at breaktimes, and queue in an orderly way for their lunch. They are well mannered and polite to each other, to adults and visitors.  School records show that there are few instances of poor behaviour, and that the school responds appropriately and effectively when this occurs.  The school is an open and welcoming community that has a very calm, well ordered and positive atmosphere. Pupils enjoy coming to school and say that they want to learn and do well. The

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

school has worked hard to improve attendance, and this is now just below average.  Pupils readily take on responsibility in a variety of roles in the school in areas such as the school council and eco council, and older pupils act as buddies for younger pupils.  Pupils have a good understanding of the different forms bullying can take, and understand the difference between bullying and falling out. They say that it is very rare in school, but are confident that the school would sort it out quickly if it happened.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel very safe in school, and have a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe in different situations, including e-safety and road safety. All parents who responded to the Parent View survey thought that their child was safe and well looked after in school, and inspection evidence confirms this.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because achievement and the quality of teaching is not good and has not improved strongly enough. School leaders have taken action to improve standards, and these are beginning to have an impact. However, they are recent and have not yet led to consistently good teaching and good progress over time.  Senior leaders check the quality of teaching through lesson observations, and looking at teachers’ planning and pupils’ work. However, these checks do not focus closely enough on the impact of teaching on pupils’ progress, and school leaders have too optimistic a view of the quality of teaching.  Senior leaders, including governors, are very aware of the areas of achievement that need improving, and there are action plans in place to address the need to improve standards in writing and mathematics. However, school improvement planning is not focused clearly enough

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The leadership and management requires improvement

on improving teaching in order to raise pupils’ achievement.  Middle leaders have a similar awareness that achievement needs raising. However, they are not actively involved in checking the quality of teaching and they too focus on the need to improve standards without identifying the areas of teaching that need improving.  There are effective systems to check on pupils’ progress and achievement. Senior leaders use this information well to identify underachievement and to provide pupils with extra help when they need it. The school employs two learning mentors to meet the needs of more vulnerable pupils. This helps to improve the progress of these pupils and the achievement gap between them and other pupils is starting to close. This shows the school’s commitment to equal opportunities.  Information about the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress is used to identify where further support or training is needed. The school can show examples of where this has improved the

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The leadership and management requires improvement

performance of individual teachers, as well as contributing to improvements in the overall quality of teaching.  Although there is good and some outstanding teaching in the school, it is not consistently good or better. There are too few opportunities for teachers to observe outstanding teaching in other schools in order to raise expectations and influence improvements.  The curriculum is well planned and is enhanced by a range of enrichment activities, including sport, drama and cultural activities. It makes a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  The school is using the additional sports funding successfully to improve the quality of physical education. Specialist coaches are working with pupils to widen the range of sporting activities offered, and also to improve the skills of the school’s staff. This is having a beneficial effect on pupils’ physical wellbeing and healthy lifestyles.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority has provided effective support for the school and is actively involved in beginning the improvement process.  The governance of the school:  Governors are well informed about the quality of teaching and learning, pupils’ achievement and behaviour and safety. They have been trained in the use and analysis of data about school performance. As a result, they know how well the school is doing and where it needs to improve. They know that achievement needs to improve, especially at Key Stage 2 and in writing and mathematics.  Governors are very positive about the school, and actively support it in a variety of ways. They hold the school to account through an effective committee structure and by asking probing questions about whether pupils are doing as well as they should be doing. They set challenging targets for the school as part of the headteacher’s appraisal.  Governors make sure that pupils’ performance is considered when making decisions about

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The leadership and management requires improvement

teachers’ and teaching assistants’ pay. Governors are well aware of how the pupil premium funding is spent, and the impact it is having. They know that pupils eligible for the pupil premium have not achieved as well as other pupils and have asked some penetrating questions about this.  Governors make sure that they meet all statutory requirements, including those regarding safeguarding, and that the school’s finances are well managed.

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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 119231 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 440333

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 324 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Valerie Wise Headteacher Helen Almond Date of previous school inspection 4 July 2011 Telephone number 01772 253244 Fax number 01772 250317 Email address head@frenchwood.lancs.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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