Frogwell Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Frogwell Primary School Derriads Lane, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 0DG

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Outcome

Frogwell Primary School continues to be a good school. However, inspectors have some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Frogwell is a safe, harmonious and friendly school where pupils develop strong social skills. Pupils behave well both in lessons and around the school. They are polite and well mannered, and show genuine kindness to each other. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at key stage 2 thrive academically. They enjoy learning and achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the curriculum does not enable pupils to achieve as well at key stage 1 in reading and writing. Pupils at key stage 1 do not have consistently strong opportunities to improve their language skills. Consequently, some pupils do not have the language skills needed to read and write successfully by the end of Year 2.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about the importance of democracy through elections to the school council. Pupils have many opportunities to develop self-confidence through performing music and sport. Pupils sang beautifully and confidently at the Christmas show to a very large audience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils state that bullying is not an issue at the school. They also told inspectors that staff resolved any issues quickly. However, leaders have not ensured that this view has been successfully communicated to all parents and carers.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and staff work collaboratively to improve standards at the school. At key stage 2, this work has been successful in ensuring that pupils develop strong reading, writing and mathematical knowledge and skills. Leaders have designed an effective curriculum in which pupils can read widely and apply this successfully in their writing. For example, Year 6 pupils are engrossed by the novel ‘Wonder’. Pupils have strong emotional understanding of the themes in the novel. Pupils’ writing further illustrates the strength of 17–18 December 2019

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pupils’ emotional responses to texts. However, at key stage 1, the curriculum does not enable pupils to gain an understanding of the language in many of the texts they study. Consequently, pupils do not have the language required to write about their understanding effectively.

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Leaders have revised the mathematics curriculum so that pupils learn more and remember more. Pupils at all key stages gain a secure understanding of mathematical concepts. As a result, pupils have many opportunities to deepen their knowledge before moving onto new topics. Disadvantaged pupils achieve well.

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Children in Reception learn early reading skills well. They have strong attitudes to learning and relish making links between letters and sounds. Staff have structured effective activities that stimulate pupils’ imaginations. Pupils explore imaginary worlds and develop their language skills well. Children are kind, supportive and friendly towards each other. One child’s comment echoed the views of others, ‘I love this school.’

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Staff in key stage 1 and in intervention groups across the school do not make explicit the links between letters and sounds. Consequently, pupils do not continue to learn to read quickly and successfully.

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Pupils with SEND flourish both in the Complex Needs Resource Base and in the rest of the school. Staff provide exceptional care, enabling pupils to develop strong communication and social skills. For example, pupils from the Resource Base participated fully in the Christmas show at the local church. Leaders have established a highly inclusive school.

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Pupils have many opportunities to enrich their learning. They visit places of historic interest and theatres. Leaders have provided pupils with a minimum of twenty culturally and socially rich experiences by the time they leave the school in Year 6.

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Leaders have begun to review the wider curriculum, starting with history. Staff have embraced the opportunity to develop a sequenced, coherent curriculum that enables pupils to deepen and retain historical knowledge. Pupils are very positive about the new history curriculum. The teaching of physical education (PE) is very effective. Pupils learn a breadth of techniques and skills well. However, leaders acknowledge that there is still work to do to ensure that every subject is as well structured.

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Governors pose effective challenge to leaders. They monitor the impact of the school development plan closely. They share the vision of leaders for the academic and social success of all pupils. However, leaders have not communicated this vision and their work effectively to all parents. Overwhelmingly, staff state that leaders care about their well- being and are considerate about their workload. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are tenacious in ensuring the safety of all pupils. There is a strong culture of safeguarding. Pupils say that staff care for them very much. Leaders work closely with 17–18 December 2019

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external agencies and families to ensure that pupils receive the right support.

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Leaders are acutely aware of the safeguarding needs of the most vulnerable pupils. They are vigilant in ensuring that these pupils are safe, happy and confident.

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The school’s checks on adults are effective. Staff receive up-to-date training in safeguarding. They make timely referrals, which leaders follow up painstakingly.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although the curriculum for reading and writing at key stage 2 is effective and pupils achieve well, this is not the case at key stage 1. Leaders need to ensure that pupils in key stage 1 acquire and develop strong language skills to enable them to learn to read and write successfully and confidently.  Although the teaching of phonics is effective in Reception, it is not in Year 1 and in interventions throughout the school. Leaders need to review the phonics curriculum to ensure that pupils are able to make clear links between letters and sounds. Leaders must ensure that a greater proportion of pupils meet the expected standard in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1.  Leaders have reviewed the wider curriculum and have begun to redesign the teaching and learning of specific subjects. However, they now need to continue to review the curriculum for subjects such as science and geography to ensure that pupils learn more

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

and remember more.  Pupils behave well at the school. They have strong attitudes to learning. They are kind, supportive and friendly. However, some parents do not share this view. Leaders must develop stronger communication links with parents so that they can see these strengths.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Frogwell Primary School to be good on 9–10 December 2015.

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find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 17–18 December 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10058411 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 9–10 December 2015

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Information about this school

 Frogwell Primary School has a Complex Needs Resource Base for 25 pupils.  The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of education, health and care (EHC) plans is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support by the pupil premium funding is above the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with the headteacher, senior and curriculum leaders and governors. We also met with the school improvement adviser for Wiltshire local authority.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, physical education and history. This meant that, in each subject, we met with senior and curriculum leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at pupils’ work.  We met with staff to consider their views.  We reviewed safeguarding records, including the single central record of recruitment checks on staff. 17–18 December 2019

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 We considered the views of 27 parents who responded to the confidential Ofsted parental questionnaire including 26 free-text messages. We also spoke to parents. We also considered the views of staff who responded to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Susan Aykin, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Lees Ofsted Inspector 17–18 December 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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, 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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