Framingham Earl High School

Inspection of a good school: Framingham Earl High School Norwich Road, Framingham Earl, Norwich, Norfolk NR14 7QP

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Outcome

Framingham Earl High School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a very positive experience at school. An ambitious curriculum encourages pupils to be curious about the world. Pupils enjoy the debates they take part in. They learn to weigh up different viewpoints and make considered decisions. This helps to ensure that pupils enjoy and engage in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well. Any minor incidents of low-level disruption are quickly addressed. Staff model the positive behaviours they want to see. Pupils develop strong relationships with adults and classmates. Pupils feel that adults consider their well-being and are consistent and fair. Pupils are safe and staff ensure that they are well cared for. Pupils state that bullying is not an issue. However, they are confident that adults would deal with it if it occurred.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupil voice is championed at the school. Pupils are actively involved in school life. Enrichment trips are planned to enhance the school curriculum, such as a Year 7 history trip to Castle Acre. At lunchtime, many pupils attend one of the numerous clubs on offer. There are lots of options to choose from – football and basketball are particularly popular. A strong community ethos flourishes among all year groups.

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

With the expert support of Sapientia Education Trust, leaders have adopted an ambitious curriculum. Leaders have carefully considered how pupils learn best. They have sequenced topics thoughtfully. This allows pupils to make connections between work they did previously and what they are currently learning. Teachers regularly check what pupils know and remember. This means that pupils are supported to achieve well. In some subjects, leaders have not clearly identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn at different stages. This means that, in these subjects, pupils do not consistently build on what they already know and can do. 18 and 19 October 2022

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Leaders have ensured that teachers have a good knowledge of the subject that they teach. Leaders have identified pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers make appropriate adaptations to support pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve well. Teachers present information clearly to pupils. They frequently check that pupils understand the work. This is a particularly strong feature in mathematics, where teachers skilfully break the questions that pupils work on into smaller stages. Teachers then guide pupils on what steps they need to take. This helps pupils to answer the questions successfully.

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Leaders have ensured that pupils who are struggling to read are quickly identified. Extra help is then put in place to support pupils to catch up. The school library has a range of fiction and non-fiction books that pupils enjoy reading.

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Pupils are supported to manage their behaviour very well. Pupils value the new behaviour system that ensures learning is very rarely disrupted. If a member of staff is absent, some pupils do not maintain their normally very high standards of behaviour.

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Leaders have adopted an extensive extra-curricular programme. Pupils enjoy taking part in a diverse range of activities, such as learning British sign language and ‘Framula E’ racing. This develops pupils’ sense of confidence and enjoyment in school life. Leaders teach important values such as democracy. Pupils talk about how they learned to vote in secret ballots. Pupils appreciate the targeted support they receive around future education and careers. For example, pupils appreciated a visit to Cambridge University. Pupils leave school as responsible citizens.

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Trustees and specialists employed by the trust provide skilful support to school staff. Staff morale is high, and staff say that leaders are considerate of their workload. Parents and carers are complimentary about the care and education that their children receive. Staff are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Trustees have robust practices in place to assure themselves that pupils are safe. Leaders have ensured that there is a strong safeguarding culture in the school. Appropriate vetting checks are completed for adults working with pupils. Adults receive regular training that equips them to identify any risks that pupils may face. All staff are confident in how and when to raise a concern. Leaders liaise appropriately with external agencies when needed. Pupils say that they feel very safe in school. They learn about important topics, such as online safety and healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have ensured that an effective curriculum is in place across the school. In some subjects, the specific details of what pupils need to learn are less clear than in 18 and 19 October 2022

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other subjects. This means some pupils have gaps in their understanding. Leaders must ensure that the most important knowledge pupils need to learn is clearly identified for all subjects.  Pupils’ behaviour is very good around school. However, on the rare occasion that a member of staff is absent, pupils do not always complete work to their usual high standard. Leaders need to support pupils to self-regulate effectively so they maintain high standards of behaviour at all times.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Framingham Earl High School, to be good in October 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

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

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Website www.framinghamearlhighschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined Sapientia Education Trust in May 2018.  A new headteacher was appointed in January 2020.  A new deputy headteacher and two new assistant headteachers were appointed in January 2020.  The school do not currently make use of any external alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with trustees, the trust director of safeguarding, the chief executive officer, the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, history, science and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 18 and 19 October 2022

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 Inspectors also spoke to leaders responsible for behaviour, attendance and pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors met with staff responsible for the administration of the single central record for safer recruitment checks and vetting. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead, safeguarding officer and trust director of safeguarding to discuss the arrangements that are in place to safeguard pupils. The lead inspector scrutinised the school’s safeguarding records.  Inspectors met with pupils to discuss their experience of the school, including behaviour and bullying.  Inspectors reviewed 315 pupil responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey. Inspectors took account of 143 responses to Ofsted’s online parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 137 free-text comments. Inspectors considered 56 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Bessie Owen, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Carol Dallas Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 2022

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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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