Fryern Infant School

Oakmount Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire, SO53 2LN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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This is a good school

 Pupils achieve well. By the time they leave, the standards they have reached in reading, writing and mathematics are above average.  Children in the Reception class thrive because the adults have high expectations of them. Teachers know just what children need to learn well.  Standards in reading are high.  The most able pupils do well, particularly in reading and mathematics.  Teachers and teaching assistants make learning interesting. Pupils make consistently good progress because the questions adults ask deepen their understanding.  Pupils behave well. They are polite and respectful to each other and to all adults in school.  The school keeps pupils safe. All members of the school community say that the school is a safe place in which to learn.  The subjects pupils learn are brought alive through engaging activities and special events.  Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptionally good. The

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This is a good school

school does everything it can to help pupils to grow into sensitive and caring young people.  Leaders and managers have an accurate understanding of what is going well in the school and what could be improved. They take effective measures to raise standards and improve the quality of teaching.  Governors are ambitious for the school. They are knowledgeable and they provide a good balance of challenge and support.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The comments teachers write when they mark pupils’ work do not always help pupils to understand what they need to do to improve.  Teachers do not always make sure that pupils apply what they have learned about punctuation and spelling in all subjects.  Pupils do not write at length often enough to develop their stamina and fluency.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 15 lessons and parts of lessons, some of them jointly with the head of school.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, other leaders in school, members of the governing body, two representatives from the local authority, parents and pupils.  Inspectors took account of the 38 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, as well as the views of parents gleaned from informal discussions in school and one letter from a parent received during the inspection.  Inspectors considered school leaders’ views on the quality of the school’s work and their plans for school improvement, as well as information about pupils’ progress. They also looked at teachers’ planning, pupils’ work, documentation about safeguarding procedures and examples of the targets teachers are given as part of the management of their performance.  The inspection team analysed the 18 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Inspection team

Jeanne Simpson, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Fryern Infant School is smaller than the average-sized infant school and is federated with Fryern Junior School. The executive headteacher has overall leadership responsibility for both schools and she is supported by two separate heads of school. There is one governing body.  Inspectors evaluated the quality of provision in the breakfast club which is managed by the governing body. The after-school club is managed by another provider and was not included in this inspection.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium (extra funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those in local authority care) is lower than average, although it has doubled over the last two years.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is lower than at most schools.  One pupil receives specialist support for three mornings a week at Kepple Centre, which is located on the

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Information about this school

site of Stoke Park Infant and Junior Schools.  The pupils in the Reception class all attend full time.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Help pupils to make more rapid progress by ensuring teachers:  mark pupils’ work in a way which makes it clear what pupils need to do to improve  find ways for pupils to apply what they have learned about punctuation and spelling in all subjects  encourage pupils to write at length more often.

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The leadership and management are good

 The executive headteacher, the two heads of school and leaders from both schools in the federation work closely together to make sure that the pupils receive a seamless education. The schools share the same policies and leaders regularly work across both schools to ensure consistency.  The good teaching and achievement recognised at the time of the previous inspection of Fryern Infant School have been consolidated. The school knows that some weaknesses remain in teachers’ marking and pupils’ writing which are preventing an outstanding grade. The executive headteacher and head of school make regular and accurate checks on all aspects of the school’s work and take appropriate action when necessary.  No groups of pupils are underachieving, which is evidence that the school’s work to promote equality of opportunity and tackle discrimination is effective. The wide variety of support received by disadvantaged

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The leadership and management are good

pupils is helping them to catch up with their classmates.  Teachers who lead subjects regularly monitor how well pupils are doing in their subject areas, check on the quality of work in pupils’ books and share their expertise with their colleagues. Class teachers value this support and the opportunities they have to share ideas with their colleagues in the junior school.  The school works well with parents who welcome the opportunities they have to come into school to learn how to help their children at home. The recent efforts made by the school to improve how regularly pupils read with their parents at home have been successful. This is helping the high standards in reading to be maintained. Nearly all those who responded on Parent View would recommend the school to others.  Provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptionally good. Pupils know they are valued through the care that is taken with displays of their work. The photographs of each child

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The leadership and management are good

on the display entitled ‘We all shine at something’ help them to take pride in their achievements and to recognise their individual talents. They learn to appreciate art and music and their recorder playing is impressive for such young pupils.  The subjects pupils learn are organised to emphasise pupils’ rights as young people, as well as their responsibilities. They know that other people’s lives can be different from their own and they are helped to develop tolerance and respect for the cultures and beliefs of others. The topics they learn are organised to show the links between subjects and pupils are enthusiastic about the ‘wow’ days which often start off their learning.  The primary sport funding has had a significant impact. During the inspection, pupils demonstrated excellent control of their bodies in gymnastics and reached standards well above those expected for their age. This success has been achieved by developing teachers’ confidence and subject knowledge, enabling

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The leadership and management are good

teachers to challenge the pupils at a higher level. New sports have been introduced so that the breadth of pupils’ experiences has increased.  The school’s systems for the safeguarding of pupils meet statutory requirements. All adults in school know what to do if they are worried about any child’s welfare and leaders make sure that any concerns are addressed at an early stage.  The local authority knows the school well and gives appropriate light touch support.  The governance of the school:  Governors understand the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They know how well the school is doing compared with others from information about pupils’ achievement. They are ambitious for the school’s future success and ask detailed questions about any perceived weaknesses. The reports they receive from leaders give them a clear picture of how the school is improving and they check for themselves that the reports are accurate from their visits. They make sure that the targets teachers are set to

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The leadership and management are good

improve their performance are suitably challenging. They also check that effective teachers are rewarded by progression through the pay scales and that underperformance is tackled. The school’s budget is well managed to ensure value for money.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite to each other and to all the adults who work with them.  The school is a harmonious community. Pupils and adults get on very well together. As a result, most pupils try hard because they like their teachers and they want to please them. Occasionally, a few pupils lose focus. When teachers notice, they only need to give the pupils a gentle reminder to get on with their work, so very little time is lost.  Pupils, parents and teachers all think that pupils’ behaviour is good. Pupils understand why rules are needed and they know what will happen if they misbehave.  The needs of pupils with particularly challenging behaviour are met very well, using a range of outside help where appropriate. Although the proportion of pupils excluded from school has been above the national average, it is falling.  Leaders ensure that any pupil educated off site for part of the week is safe and is helped to return to

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Behaviour

school ready to learn.  Pupils who attend the breakfast club have a positive start to the day. They enjoy the time they spend playing together and talking with the adults, and happily help to clear up.  Pupils enjoy playing in the extensive grounds. They cooperate well, taking turns sensibly on the low-level climbing apparatus, and at the end of playtime they return to their classrooms calmly.  Pupils know the difference between rough play and bullying. There are very few incidents of bullying recorded by the school. Pupils are confident that if they were worried about bullying they could tell an adult, who would listen to them and help them.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils and all adults agree that the school is a safe place in which to learn.  Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. They learn about road safety and ‘stranger danger’. They know that they need to check with an adult that they are safe when they use the internet.  Attendance has improved and is now above average. The school is vigilant in checking that pupils are safe when they are not in school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching is consistently good. Pupils say that they enjoy school because teachers make the learning interesting. This helps them to make good progress.  Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning well to help to move pupils’ learning on. They ask pupils to explain the reasons for the answers they give, helping them to use the technical language they have learned. They check that pupils understand new ideas and give extra help if pupils are not sure. The tasks set by teachers are well matched to pupils’ abilities.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs learn well because teachers make sure that the work they are set acknowledges the levels at which they are working. These pupils receive extra support from teaching assistants and also learn through special programmes of work which are well matched to their needs. All these strategies help them to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 When they mark pupils’ work, most teachers write helpful comments that tell pupils what they have done well and how they can improve. However, this good practice is not evident in every class.  Pupils read well. They use their knowledge about phonics (the sounds that letters make) to build new words. They often read to adults, both in school and at home. They usually correct their own mistakes and they use the clues from the pictures in the books to make sure that their reading makes sense. The many displays about books around the school encourage them to develop a love of reading.  Pupils learn the skills they need to write for different purposes and in different contexts. However, teachers do not always make sure that pupils remember to use the basic skills of punctuation, including full stops and capital letters, in all subjects. This can adversely affect the quality of their work.  Pupils’ progress in writing is sometimes held back because pupils do not have enough opportunities to

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The quality of teaching is good

develop stamina and improve the fluency of their writing by attempting longer pieces of work.  Teachers use practical ways of making sure that pupils understand new skills in mathematics and help them to record their work systematically.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils generally reach standards in the national tests in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 which are above average. As a result, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education.  There was a slight dip in standards at the end of Year 2 in 2014. However, records kept by the school show that pupils in this cohort had made good progress from their starting points. The standards of work in the books of pupils currently in Year 2 suggest that the present cohort is working at above average levels.  The proportion of pupils who reach the expected standard in the national reading check at the end of Year 1 has risen steadily and is now slightly above average. Most of the pupils who do not reach the standard catch up by the end of Year 2.  Pupils read well. During the last three years, they have been at least a term ahead of other pupils nationally by the time they leave.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most able pupils do well. The proportion who reaches the higher levels in the national tests is well above average in reading and mathematics. While still above average, the proportion is not quite so high in writing.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs achieve well from their starting points because they are quickly identified if they start to fall behind, and good support is provided. As a result, the standards they reach are broadly in line with similar pupils nationally.  The progress of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium speeds up during their time in the school and is often better than that of their classmates. As a result, the attainment gap between this group and others is narrowing. In 2014, the gap was about two terms, but the school’s records suggest that the attainment of eligible pupils currently in Year 2 is now in line with other pupils in the school, and

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The achievement of pupils is good

better than that of similar pupils nationally.

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The early years provision is good

 Parents are delighted with the way their children have settled into school life. They are clear that this is because of the work the school does to familiarise children before they start. Visits to the pre-school settings help staff to get to know the children, so that they can make sure their needs are being met as soon as they start school. Parents say that their children are making good progress. They are not mistaken.  The good partnership with parents continues. Children’s achievements are shared and the school organises a wide range of family learning events where teachers explain to parents how they can help their children at home. The positive relationships that have been established and the trust parents have in the school contribute strongly to the progress the children make.  When children start school their skills are broadly in line with those typically found for their age. The only

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The early years provision is good

exceptions are in reading and writing, where their skills are not quite so good. Children then make at least the expected progress so that the proportion reaching a good level of development by the time they enter Year 1 is above average. However, pupils’ progress in writing is slower.  The early years leader knows the strengths and weaknesses of the provision and is working hard to find ways of improving pupils’ writing. In the outside learning area, the ‘writing shack’ encourages children to write letters to Father Christmas, to make party invitations and to write shopping lists of party food. Inside, the wide variety of writing materials invites children to record their thinking and what they have learned.  Children get excited about their learning because adults set up activities, both indoors and outdoors, that draw them in. Children behave well and sustain their concentration because the activities are set at the

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The early years provision is good

right level and they enjoy themselves while they are learning. They know what to do because the adults explain the choices they have. Adults play alongside children, helping them to deepen their understanding through the comments they make and the questions they ask.  The needs of individual children are well met and pupils who are below the typical levels when they start school catch up rapidly. For example, during the inspection, a group of children who needed help to develop their coordination and muscle control were completely engaged in an activity where they had to join up clothes pegs in specific ways. The activity was appropriate for their age and ability and helped them to improve their skills effectively.  Children are kept safe because adults keep a watchful eye the whole time. They encourage children to take responsibility for their own safety and the safety of others by reminding them to be careful and

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The early years provision is good

considerate at all times. They make sure that children are aware of the need for rules so that everyone can thrive and enjoy learning together.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 115968 Local authority Hampshire Inspection number 449269

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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 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 183 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Richard Fudge Headteacher Angela Morrow Date of previous school inspection 14–15 May 2012 Telephone number 02380 265931 Email address adminoffice@fryern.hants.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 and 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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