Fryern Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Fryern Infant School Oakmount Road, Chandler’s Ford, Eastleigh, Hampshire SO53 2LN

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Outcome

Fryern Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind and respectful at Fryern Infant School. They enjoy coming to school and feel safe. Pupils are confident learners. They talk enthusiastically about the school’s values which include ambition, curiosity and reflection. They know that together they will learn these important life skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children settle well into the school’s routines when they start in Reception. They listen well in class and play cooperatively. This helps children to build friendships as they explore the environment. The school ensures there are clear expectations for how well pupils should behave. Pupils are kind and considerate to all others. Occasionally, pupils have disagreements, but pupils know that staff will help if needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents have high levels of confidence in the school. They can see the benefits that recent curriculum changes have made to pupils’ learning and engagement. They welcome the increased communication the school has with them. This enables them to play a fuller part in their children’s learning. For example, the school has introduced workshops so that parents can have a better understanding of their child’s education. This includes specific support for parents of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

The school has a strong ambition to provide high-quality teaching for its pupils. As a result, they have reviewed and redesigned the curriculum. All subjects have a clear sequence of knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn at each stage. Pupils with SEND follow this same sequence of learning. Staff ensure that pupils who need adaptations to the curriculum, including pupils with SEND, get the support that they need.

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

The school has implemented a new phonics programme successfully. Most pupils learn to read well. Staff check how well pupils are learning phonics effectively. Pupils have the right books to help them learn to read well, as they are well matched to the sounds they have learned. Pupils love listening to their teachers read stories. Staff receive appropriate 5 March 2024

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training. However, some staff need further support to ensure they have the expert skills to teach early reading precisely. This means not all pupils learn to read as quickly and fluently as they could.

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Teachers are clear on what to teach and when because of the purposeful changes the school has made to the curriculum. They usually deliver the new curriculum effectively. However, teachers sometimes set activities that do not allow pupils to learn as well as they could. While teachers’ professional knowledge is strong in many subjects, in some it is less so. The school is aware there are gaps in pupils’ learning in a few subject areas. As a result, it is rightly developing its systems for checking on how well pupils have learned the curriculum over time. Pupils are not always having any gaps in their learning addressed as quickly as they could be.

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Pupils’ behaviour is strong. Staff use consistent strategies that focus on praising pupils’ positive actions. This helps to maintain the calm and orderly atmosphere in the school. A few pupils need extra support to improve their social skills. Trained staff provide this with patience and care to help these pupils to interact positively with others.

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Pupils receive an excellent choice of wider opportunities. The school is particularly proud of its commitment to performing arts. Every year, all pupils take part in a performance, either on stage or as part of the wider production team. Pupils have access to a good range of sports, as well as musical and creative opportunities. A variety of pupils get the chance to represent the school in different events. Pupils are very proud to play sports such as hockey and football for their school.

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Governors have a clear understanding of their role. They ensure that the school’s vision and values are effective. Staff are very happy at the school and can see the impact that changes are having. Parents see this too, with one commenting, ‘We’ve been really impressed with Fryern and how much it has to offer our daughter. She is thriving.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There is some variability in the subject and pedagogical content knowledge of staff. This means that the delivery of the curriculum is not as consistent as it could be, including in early reading. As a result, pupils do not always learn the intended curriculum as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that all staff are trained and supported appropriately.  In some subjects, the school’s processes for checking what pupils have learned are not as effective as others. As a result, gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding are not addressed as quickly as they could be. The school should ensure that checks on pupils’ learning mean that the curriculum is adapted subsequently to meet pupils’ needs. 5 March 2024

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with 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). 5 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher started in post in January 2024.  The school is federated with the on-site junior school.  The federation runs its own before- and after-school provision for pupils of both the infant and junior schools.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with 5 March 2024

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subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also looked at additional curriculum plans and pupils’ work for science, history and design and technology.  The inspectors met with the executive headteacher, the head of school and other leaders within the school and federation. An inspector also met with six governors, including the chair of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  The inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including minutes of governing body meetings and behaviour incident logs.

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 The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View.  The views of staff were gathered through interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection, as well as the survey.  The inspectors gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including through discussions, during classroom visits and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Chris Parker, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Clare Vallence Ofsted Inspector 5 March 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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