Frettenham Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Frettenham Primary School School Road, Frettenham, Norwich, Norfolk NR12 7LL

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Outcome

Frettenham Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Frettenham is a friendly, inclusive school. Pupils are happy and attend well. They demonstrate the school values of creativity, courage and friendship in the way they conduct themselves and interact with each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour in and around school is excellent. A clear policy ensures pupils know the expectations and they live up to these keenly. Both in the playground and classroom, pupils get along well. Learning expectations are clear. One class has experienced recent disruption, but where routines are well established pupils work hard and progress well in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ well-being is at the heart of this school. Pastoral support ensures pupils are ready and able to learn successfully. Trained professionals from across the federation offer a range of precise support for pupils and their families. This helps pupils to be more resilient and engage fully in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excited by the range of trips and opportunities offered to them. Leaders have ensured pupils experience new opportunities beyond the local community. Coming together with other schools in the federation, pupils compete in sporting events and recently sang at a national arena in London. These opportunities broaden pupils’ horizons and develop their confidence and independence.

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

The school, with the support of the federation, have designed an ambitious and inclusive curriculum. They have carefully considered their mixed-aged structure. The key knowledge and vocabulary pupils learn from Reception through to Year 6 has been identified. Pupils typically achieve well across the curriculum. 17 April 2024

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The school has made reading a priority. This starts from the moment children start in Reception. The school has designed a clear early reading programme which identifies what pupils learn each week. All staff have been trained to deliver this in a consistent way. Despite some staffing changes for pupils in the early stages of learning to read, the strong curriculum has ensured most pupils learn to read fluently. Where pupils have some gaps in learning, these have been identified. Support is in place to allow these pupils to catch up.

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Teachers demonstrate strong subject knowledge which enables them to deliver the curriculum effectively. For example, in physical education, pupils are clearly taught the precise body positions and movements required to become effective runners. They practise these as part of planned lessons. In mathematics, teachers expect pupils to think carefully about their learning and give reasoned responses to complex problems. This means pupils typically achieve well through the planned curriculum.

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On occasion, the curriculum is not as effectively delivered. Where there has been some disruption to the teaching arrangements, pupils do not achieve as well. While leaders have intervened and supported staff to ensure pupils have continued to learn, some staff have not received the necessary training and help to teach the curriculum as leaders intend. This means curriculum content is not always clearly explained to pupils. As a result, pupils’ learning is not as effective on these occasions.

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The school’s work to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. (SEND) is effective. Any potential needs are expertly assessed. Pupil plans provide clear guidance that staff follow to best meet the needs of these pupils. Staff are well trained to offer this support. This clarity and guidance means that pupils with SEND benefit from a highly inclusive learning experience and achieve well.

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Behaviour around the school is typically calm, polite and respectful. In lessons, pupils are keen to learn and are attentive. They work well collaboratively and help their friends if they find things difficult. Where there have been some changes in staffing, leaders are working hard to firmly reestablish the learning behaviours they would expect.

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The school carefully considers how they prepare pupils for their next stage in learning and life in modern Britain. All pupils have the chance to attend ‘Charlie, Charlie 1’ club where they learn important life skills such as first aid. Pupils understand how to stay safe, including online, and know the importance of living active lives. Residential trips with other schools in the federation give pupils the chance to become more independent. They build relationships with their peers before moving on to secondary school.

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Governors know the school well. They provide an equal balance of both support and challenge to ensure the school is held to account. Staff feel valued and appreciate the way that leaders are mindful of their workload. They appreciate the supportive network of support they receive from the federation of schools.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 17 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Due to a number of staff changes, leaders have not been able to ensure all staff, including support staff, have the subject knowledge and expertise required to deliver their ambitious curriculum. This means pupils’ learning does not always move on as effectively as it could in all curriculum areas. Now staffing arrangements are more settled, the school needs to think carefully about its training and support programme, so all staff develop their confidence and expertise in delivering the school curriculum as effectively as possible. This will ensure pupils achieve equally as well throughout the curriculum.

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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 school to be good in July 2018.

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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 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). 17 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Ashley Best-White (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Website http://www.harnserfed.co.uk/frettenham- primary-school Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 July 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Nebula Federation of schools. This is a local federation of six schools, which share a single governing body and executive leadership team.  The school uses one registered provider of alternative 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.  Inspectors met with the chair of governors, other governors, a representative from the local authority, the executive headteacher, executive deputies from the Nebula Federation, head of school, subject leaders, teachers and support staff.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, meetings with staff and pupils, scrutiny of pupils’ work and a review of any curriculum documentation. 17 April 2024

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 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.  The inspector reviewed a range of documents, including behaviour logs, attendance records, pupil records, records of governing body meetings, school development plans and school self-evaluation documents.  The inspector gathered parents’ views by speaking to some of them at the beginning of the school day and by reviewing the free-text responses submitted to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspection team considered the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for school staff. Inspectors also met with staff throughout the inspection to gather their views.  Inspectors spoke with pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Jonny Wallace, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Garrett Ofsted Inspector 17 April 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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