Frizington Community Primary School

Inspection of Frizington Community Primary School Main Street, Frizington, Cumbria CA26 3PF

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 20 and 21 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Frizington Community Primary School. Everyone feels welcome and included in all aspects of school life. Pupils are polite, sensible and respectful. They care for each other and look after one another. Pupils know that adults in school will help them if they have any worries or concerns. They value the positive relationships that they have with staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy their lessons. They benefit from many opportunities to learn outside the classroom. For example, pupils relish the wide range of trips that they experience locally and further afield. These include visits to cathedrals, mosques, museums and theatres. These rich experiences help pupils to appreciate a range of different communities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of all pupils’ learning. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils work hard in their lessons and aim to fulfil the school’s ambition for them to become lifelong learners. Most pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage of their education.

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better?

The school has designed a carefully thought out and ambitious curriculum. This curriculum includes many references to the rich history and geography of the local area. As a result, learning is made relevant for pupils and helps them to develop a strong sense of place. The curriculum sets out the important knowledge that pupils should learn. This is ordered in a logical way from the Reception Year to the end of Year 6.

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better?

The school develops staff effectively. This means that they have the knowledge, expertise and confidence to deliver the curriculum well. In most subjects, pupils build their knowledge successfully. They can remember their previous learning, which gives them a strong foundation to learn new content. However, in a minority of subjects, staff do not address pupils’ misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge consistently before they move on to new learning. This prevents some pupils from learning as well as they should.

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better?

The school identifies pupils with SEND quickly. It ensures that staff have the skills to support pupils who may have additional needs effectively. This means that pupils with SEND can learn the same curriculum as their classmates.

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better?

The school has prioritised reading in all year groups. It has close links to the library next door. This helps pupils to read widely and often from a diverse range of texts, including poetry. The school has ensured that staff have the expertise to deliver the well-established phonics programme successfully. Children learn phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind in their reading are provided with extra support. Most pupils become confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 6. 20 and 21 September 2023

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Pupils behave well in lessons and across school. There is a calm and sensible atmosphere, which helps pupils to focus on their learning. Children in the early years learn to follow established routines well. Staff help them to develop independence skills. This prepares them well for the next stage of their education. On rare occasions, some older pupils are less considerate of others during playtimes. The school is taking effective steps to address this, such as by including all pupils in a variety of breaktime activities.

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The school supports pupils’ personal development well. For example, pupils are proud to be team captains, prefects and members of the school council. Older pupils work alongside local businesses to support other pupils to keep happy and mentally well. They also work with local enterprises to produce and sell their own pieces of artwork. These experiences enable pupils to develop into responsible citizens who can work well independently and in teams.

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The school is well led and managed. Governors know the school well. They work collectively with other leaders in school to ensure that ongoing school development is focused and purposeful. This has a positive impact on the education that pupils receive. Governors are effective in holding the school to account and provide appropriate challenge and support. The school has ensured that staff workload is manageable so that staff can prioritise their teaching.

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The school engages successfully with parents and carers to ensure that parents have the help and information they need to support pupils’ education at home. For example, the school invites parents to a number of meetings and open afternoons so that they can learn more about the curriculum. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the work of the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a minority of subjects, the school has not ensured that some pupils’ gaps or misconceptions are addressed before they move on to new learning. This means that some pupils’ learning is not as secure as it should be. The school should ensure that pupils have successfully embedded the prior knowledge that they need before they learn new content. 20 and 21 September 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 20 and 21 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.frizington-pri.cumbria.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During this inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders in school. They also spoke with a range of staff.  The lead inspector spoke with three governors, including the chair of the governing body. She also spoke with a representative of the local authority. 20 and 21 September 2023

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 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. They also considered the responses from the Ofsted surveys for staff and pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes, in lessons and around school. They also spoke to pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. They met with subject leaders and teachers and visited a sample of lessons. Inspectors spoke with pupils about their learning in these subjects. They looked at examples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also considered the curriculum

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across some other subject areas.  The lead inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.

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Inspection team

Sally Timmons, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Cleo Cunningham Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 September 2023

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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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