Friskney All Saints Church of England (Aided) Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Raymond Borrell Friskney All Saints Church of England (Aided) Primary School Church End Friskney Boston Lincolnshire PE22 8RD

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of England (Aided) Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 3 May 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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of England (Aided) Primary School

This monitoring inspection was conducted under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 and in accordance with Ofsted’s published procedures for inspecting schools with no formal designation. The inspection was carried out because Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector was concerned about the effectiveness of safeguarding arrangements at the school.

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Evidence

During the inspection, I met with you, a group of pupils, teaching and support staff, parents and the chair of the governing body.

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Evidence

I scrutinised the single central record of checks carried out on staff and other documents relating to safeguarding. Child protection arrangements and attendance records were reviewed. I examined records and documents relating to pupil behaviour and well-being. I reviewed the school’s policies on child protection and safeguarding, pupil behaviour, inclusion, special educational needs and disabilities. I also reviewed the staff handbook which contains policies relating to the safeguarding of children and took note of the minutes from staff and governors’ meetings.

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Evidence

Having considered the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time: Safeguarding is effective.

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Context

The school is smaller than the average primary school with 155 pupils on roll. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language are below the national averages. The proportion of pupils entitled to the pupil premium has risen over recent years and is now above the national average. The percentage of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average. The levels of pupil mobility, the proportion who leave or join the school part-way through their education, are above those seen nationally and there has been a considerably higher proportion of boys than girls at the school for a number of years.

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Context

At the time of the inspection, you had announced your intention to retire at the end of the summer term and the governing body was seeking a successor for the headteacher position.

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Main Findings

You and your team have been successful in creating a climate of safety and security at the school. The school’s strong Christian values are well supported by the actions of the staff and pupils who are vigilant, thoughtful and caring towards each other. Regular staff meetings, directed solely at safeguarding matters, ensure that there is no doubt that each pupil’s well-being is every adult’s responsibility. The school’s leaders and staff display no sense of complacency when it comes to protecting pupils from harm.

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Main Findings

Leaders target training that is effective in ensuring that teachers and support staff understand and implement the school’s safeguarding and child protection policies and procedures. Members of staff, including those who work in the before- and after-school clubs, know the signs displayed by a pupil who may be at risk of harm, and what to do if this situation arises. They understand the risks posed to pupils by extreme views and when using the internet, as well as the signs of abuse. Parents believe their children are very safe at school, telling me of the good communication between school and home, and how this enables any issues to be addressed quickly and proportionately.

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Main Findings

Leaders constantly review safeguarding procedures and practices and are quick to learn from their experiences. This is reflected in the improvements seen in the quality of child protection record-keeping over recent years.

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Main Findings

Leaders understand the importance of carefully and accurately documenting events to ensure that records are detailed and convincing. Although these records are kept securely, the collation and retention of safeguarding and child protection documents are not as well organised as they could be. This places an over-reliance on the existing knowledge of individuals rather than ensuring effective, evidence-based analysis of documents to identify any trends or patterns relating to pupils’ welfare.

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Main Findings

Leaders ensure that statutory administrative duties, and other tasks that constitute good safeguarding practice, are in place. The single central record of staff, governors and volunteers is accurate and well supported by the school’s safer recruitment practices. Risk assessments are in place for school trips and teachers know the expectations placed upon them, such as pre-visits to venues, to ensure that any potential risks to pupils are minimised. Local authority approval is gained before residential visits commence.

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Main Findings

The governing body is effective in holding the school’s leaders to account for the safety and protection of pupils. The chair of governors uses his professional and personal experience to good effect when challenging and assessing the impact of the school’s safeguarding procedures. Minutes of the full governing body and its committees illustrate the amount and detail of the information expected from the headteacher and other leaders. The minutes also show that governors invite school leaders to meetings to lead reviews of school policies and to allow governors to test the information provided by the headteacher.

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Main Findings

The school’s curriculum is very effective in equipping pupils to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. By the time they reach Year 6, pupils are well versed in road, water, drugs and internet safety. They trust the adults in school to deal with any concerns promptly and effectively. Pupils have a strong grounding in cultural and religious knowledge and understanding, and this equips them well for life beyond the school gates. They are compassionate and caring individuals who relish the roles of responsibility that involve caring for younger pupils and promoting their safety. Leaders ensure that pupils who are looked after by the local authority or who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported and cared for through specific education plans and judicial use of the pupil premium.

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Main Findings

The school’s procedures for checking on pupils who are missing from school are well established and appropriate. Leaders challenge parents about their children’s absences and excellent attendance is promoted through awards and mentions in the school’s weekly newsletters. Rates of persistent absence are decreasing and support plans are in place where this is still a problem for a small amount of pupils and their families. Nevertheless, rates of attendance are below the national averages and have been so for an extended period.

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External support

The leaders and governors are working increasingly closely with local authority services to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils. Leaders have used the experience and guidance of local authority expertise, responding positively to amend and improve the school’s safeguarding practices. Effective links to external agencies are ensuring that pupils in need of additional provision, as a result of particular circumstances or background, are well supported by the school.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Leaders should take action to: – further improve the organisation of child protection and safeguarding records, ensuring that these are easily accessible and analysed regularly for information that will ensure the safety of pupils, in and out of school hours – improve the attendance of pupils so that it is at least in line with the national average.

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Priorities for further improvement

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the director of education for the Diocese of Lincoln, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Lincolnshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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