Froebel House School

Froebel House School 5 Marlborough Avenue, Hull, HU5 3JP

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The proprietor has not ensured that policies are applied effectively, including those for anti- bullying, behaviour and first aid.  The proprietor has not ensured that all of the independent school standards have been consistently met. Therefore, leadership requires improvement.  The proprietor has not ensured that assessment information gives an accurate picture of pupils’ progress.  Teachers do not use assessment information effectively enough to follow pupils’ progress from their starting points.  Teachers in the early years do not plan well for, or follow, children’s progress in all the different areas of learning, and this limits children’s progress in these areas.  Children in the early years, especially the less able, do not have their learning developed through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils enjoy coming to school and their attendance is good.  Pupils behave exceptionally well at all times.  Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning.  Pupils make good progress in most subjects. Progress and attainment in mathematics and English is good and sometimes outstanding.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ presentation and attainment in English and mathematics.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school must take action to meet the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 and associated requirements. The details are listed in the full report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management, and therefore pupil welfare, by ensuring that: – all the independent standards are consistently met – written policies are implemented fully and consistently – end-of-year assessment information is used more effectively to follow and improve pupils’ progress, particularly that of the less able, from their starting points – the informative, standardised assessments undertaken by the school are used to follow pupils’ progress throughout the academic year.  Improve the learning experiences of children in the early years provision, particularly that of the less able, so that they make better progress in all areas of learning, by ensuring that teachers: – plan for children to have opportunities to learn in all the required areas of development – track children’s achievements in all areas of learning so they know what are the next steps in their learning

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

– plan learning through planned purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activities both inside and outside.

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

 Part 3. Welfare, health, and safety of pupils. Paragraphs 9, 9(a), 9(b), 9(c), 10, 13. – The proprietor must ensure that a written behaviour policy, an anti-bullying strategy and a written first aid policy are implemented effectively and an accurate record of sanctions are kept.  Part 5. Premises of and accommodation at schools. Paragraphs 23(1), 23(1)(a), 27, 27(b), 28(1), 28(1)(b) – The proprietor must ensure that suitable toilet and washing facilities are provided for the sole use of pupils, that have an adequate supply of hot water. The proprietor must also ensure that external lighting is provided in order to ensure that people can safely enter and leave the school premises.  Part 6. Provision of information. Paragraphs 32(1), 32(1)(b), 32(1)(c), 32(1)(d), 32(3)(a), 32(3)(b), 32(3)(d), 32(3)(e), 32(3)(g). – The proprietor must ensure that the following information is made available to parents,

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

the school’s policy on and arrangements for admissions, misbehaviours and exclusions, educational and welfare provision for pupils with education, health and care plans and pupils who speak English as an additional language, the school’s behaviour, anti- bullying, health and safety and first aid policies, the school’s academic performance during the preceding school year and the results of any public examinations and a copy of the report of any inspection carried out under sections 108 or 109 of the 2008 Act or section 87(1) of the 1989 Act. – The proprietor must also ensure that the school’s internet website publishes a copy of the school’s up-to-date safeguarding policy and a copy of the inspection report following a section 108 or 109 inspection.  Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools. Paragraphs 34(1), 34(1)(a), 34(1)(b), 34(1)(c), 34(2). – The proprietor must ensure that all the independent school standards are met

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The school must meet the following independent school standards

consistently, that the well-being of pupils is actively promoted and that those with leadership and management responsibilities demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role.  The school does not meet the statutory requirement of the early years foundation stage as children in the early years do not have their learning implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The actions taken by adults in school do not reflect what is written in policies, including the behaviour policy and the anti-bullying policy. For example, the sanctions book does not reflect the sanctions that pupils receive.  The proprietor has accepted too many pupils and some over the age of 12 years old. The Department for Education (DfE) has not been notified. The school does not therefore meet its registration requirements.  Pupils’ attainment is assessed at the end of every school year using a commercial standardised scheme for mathematics and English only. This information is not used effectively to establish if pupils are making appropriate progress from their starting points. Neither is it being used to identify any strengths or weaknesses in teaching.  Teachers use assessments during the academic year to make a judgement on pupils’ progress. However, as these assessments are not based on consistent criteria or are too

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

often a teacher’s personal judgement of pupils’ efforts, an accurate check on pupils’ progress to see if they are fulfilling their potential cannot be made.  Of the parents and carers who expressed opinions about the school, some considered that the information they receive about what is happening in school and information about their child’s progress are limited. Inspection evidence supports these opinions.  The proprietor does not ensure that all the independent school standards are consistently met. For example, independent school standards relating to what information should be made available to parents are not met.  The headteacher regularly reviews pupils’ work in books across the school. This gives her some indication of pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching and learning. However, she rarely observes the quality of teaching or moderates the work in books with other professionals. Therefore, her evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning is not fully

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

accurate.  Of the 12 staff who responded to the questionnaire, the vast majority consider that their professional development is well catered for. The proprietor meets with teachers following reviews of work in books and end of year assessments to support improvements in teaching. Although this gives some indication of the quality of teaching and how it can be improved, the lack of first-hand observation of teaching limits the proprietor’s knowledge and ability to support teachers in improving the quality of teaching.  Pupils spend each morning in English and mathematics lessons. Their learning is enhanced by a wide range of other subjects, for example Latin, French, Spanish and music, which they study in the afternoons. Activity week ensures that all pupils spend time in creative and technology activities. Although this time is somewhat limited, it allows progress to be made.  Pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good. They learn of a range of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

different religions and cultures. Pupils from a wide range of religions and cultures attend the school and the ethos of respect and kindness to all means that difference is welcomed and accepted.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The proprietor is the designated safeguarding lead and is trained appropriately. She also has appropriate safer recruitment training. All staff have had appropriate training and know whom to turn to if they have any concerns.  The proprietor has not ensured that an up-to-date and suitable safeguarding policy is on the school website. However, all staff have read and have available to them all the up-to- date information regarding pupils’ welfare in line with current government guidelines.  Some aspects of the school’s records of safer recruitment were completed during the inspection. However, all staff have the required disclosure and barring services checks and appropriate references are taken before staff start working at the school.  A large number of pupils were spoken to during the inspection. All of them said that they felt safe in school. They told inspectors that if they had a problem they could speak to an

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Safeguarding

adult in school who would help them. All parents who responded to Parent View consider that their child is safe in school.  Although there is no signing-in system at the school for staff or visitors, the proprietor makes a point of ensuring that she is the only person who welcomes visitors in and out of the building. The external doors and fencing are secure to keep pupils safe.  The complaint to the DfE raised concerns about pupils’ welfare, health and safety. Inspection evidence, for example, not meeting DfE registration requirements and policies not being implemented effectively, confirm that there are minor concerns regarding pupil welfare.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers have good relationships with pupils. Pupils comment on how they like their teachers and this means that they are comfortable answering questions and can learn from any mistakes they make.  Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve, particularly in English and mathematics, which supports the pupils’ good progress, particularly for the more able.  Most teachers question pupils well to find out what they understand and what they have retained from previous learning. They then use this information to help pupils move to the next step of learning or support them further if they do not understand.  The proprietor insists that all teachers move around the classroom when pupils are completing their written work. This works well as teachers use this time well to check pupils’ understanding and ensure that there are no misconceptions being developed.  Teachers are not as proficient at meeting the needs of the least able pupils. Some of

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

these pupils complete tasks without a full understanding. Parents support the work of these pupils extremely well. Pupils who have not fully understood frequently have their work sent home so that parents can help them. Occasionally, these pupils are placed in a younger year group. The school does not track these pupils to see if this practice is advantageous to the pupils concerned.  The quality of teaching in other subjects is variable. For example, in French lessons much of the spoken language is in English and limits pupils’ progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are confident and articulate. They confidently perform in front of others, as Year 4 demonstrated in their highly successful assembly, when they retold the story of Jonah and the Whale through drama and music. Their abilities to project their voices and articulate words so that everyone in the audience could clearly hear the story were evident.  Pupils are happy in school and want to learn and be successful in their learning.  Pupils in Years 5 and 6 take part in a minimising injury programme including first aid training to help them understand how to keep themselves and others safe.  Pupils contribute to the wider society when they raise money for various charitable causes or make visits to elderly residents.  Pupils of all ages, cultures and religions mix well together and older pupils talk about how differences are acceptable and that as long as people are kind, then people can live how

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Personal development and welfare

they want to.  Pupils know what bullying is, although only the older pupils have a good knowledge of what constitutes cyber bullying. Pupils say that bullying doesn’t really happen in their school but are confident that teachers would help them if they needed them to.  The proprietor has not established clarity with regard to the anti-bullying and the behaviour policy and actions taken. This hinders pupils’ personal development as they do not always understand the link between their behaviour and the sanction imposed.  A relatively high number of pupils comment that they or their peers have had accidents when they have been unable to get to the toilet in time. This confirms a concern raised in complaints to the DfE.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding as pupils behave exceptionally well at all times.  Pupils have such high expectations of their own and others’ behaviour that any small misdemeanours are frowned upon.  Pupils have excellent learning behaviours. They move quickly to lessons and even the youngest pupils independently organise their own resources so that they have everything ready to start learning.  Pupils move around the school in an orderly manner. In narrow corridors and staircases they are mindful of others and are naturally courteous at all times.  Pupils were extremely welcoming to the inspectors and eager to tell them about how much they enjoy coming to school and being with their friends. Excellent attendance rates are a testament to their love of school and the importance placed on learning.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Most pupils leave the Reception class with standards in English and mathematics that are above that typically expected for pupils of that age. They make good or sometimes outstanding progress so that when they leave the school these high standards have been maintained. The high quality of teaching and emphasis on teaching English and mathematics well enables this strong progress.  Of those pupils who take entrance examinations to other independent schools, the large majority achieve a suitable mark so that they are offered a place.  Pupils’ achievement in mathematics is generally slightly better than that of English, as evidenced by work in books and in end of year test results. Problem-solving questions support pupils in gaining a deeper understanding of the concepts they are learning.  Progress across other subjects is often variable and not as strong as in English and mathematics. Often time spent on some subjects is limited and the quality of teaching is

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Outcomes for pupils Good

not as strong, such as in technology, where pupils have limited opportunity to explore a range of materials and computing.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Children start the Reception class with a range of different pre-school experiences and generally with skills and abilities typical for a child of their age. Children have strong communication and language skills and children start Froebel School with a wide vocabulary  Teachers do not plan for learning in all the areas of development and therefore learning and progress in some areas, for example creative arts and design, is limited.  Teachers do not have a thorough knowledge of children’s progress in some of the areas of learning. Therefore, they do not identify and plan learning so that children can reach their full potential in all areas of learning.  The proprietor has not ensured that the requirements of the early years foundation stage are met. Learning through planned child-initiated purposeful play activities, indoors and outdoors, is limited and restricts the progress that these children make in some areas.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Less-able pupils do not make the same speedy progress as the most able pupils. At times, written evidence in books does not accurately match what they know as these children complete tasks but often cannot tell adults what they have done or learned.  Teachers’ partnerships with parents and other providers are limited. Teachers do not assiduously follow up on information that comes from previous learning providers. Teachers do not actively and regularly ensure that parents share information about children’s achievements.  Most-able children make at least good progress in English and mathematics as they learn letter sounds quickly and apply this knowledge well when they are reading and writing. This prepares them well for the demands of the English and mathematics curriculum in Year 1.  These young children are generally extremely independent and self-confident. They are self-assured and dexterous as they get themselves changed for physical education lessons

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Early years provision Requires improvement

or get coats on at breaktimes.  Children in the early years behave exceptionally well. They are happy and mix extremely well with pupils of all ages. They engage extremely well with visitors and enthusiastically and articulately tell them what they have been doing and about the friends they have in school.

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Email address froebel@froebel.karoo.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1–3 October 2014

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Information about this school

 Froebel House School is registered to accept up to 140 boys and girls between three and 11 years old. There are currently 144 pupils on roll, one of which is 12 years old. The school does not therefore meet its regulation requirements.  No pupils currently on roll have a disability, a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  Froebel House School was last inspected in October 2014, when it was judged to be good.  The school has no governors or senior leaders apart from the headteacher, who is also the proprietor. The headteacher is also a class teacher.  The philosophy of Froebel House is to provide a firm foundation upon which all aspects of education will be built.  Inspectors were aware during this inspection that serious allegations of a child protection nature were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate allegations of this kind, actions taken by the school in

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Information about this school

response to the allegations were considered, alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection, to inform inspectors’ judgements.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection was carried out, without notice, over two and a half days by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and an Ofsted Inspector. The Department for Education also requested the inspectors to consider aspects of Part 3, Part 1 and Part 7 of the independent school standards, regarding pupils’ welfare, health, and safety following a complaint received.  The inspectors held meetings with the proprietor and spent time with the school secretary regarding administration tasks. The inspectors also spoke to a number of teaching and non-teaching staff.  Pupils’ learning and behaviour were observed in all classrooms, and around the school throughout the day, inside and outside.  The inspectors listened to pupils read and spoke to a large number of pupils about their work and their well-being. The work in pupils’ books in a range of year groups was considered.  Twenty-four responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, were received and

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Information about this inspection

25 parents responded via text message. Twelve members of staff completed the staff questionnaire. These opinions were taken into account.  The inspectors toured the building inside and outside to ensure that the relevant independent school standards were met and that pupils’ welfare is taken into account.  The inspectors examined school documentation, including a range of policies required as part of the independent school standards. Documents relating to safeguarding, behaviour and welfare, as well as health and safety documents, were also studied.

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Inspection team

Jo Sharpe, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter McKenzie Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

Parent View 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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted .

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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