Fishwick Primary School

Inspection of Fishwick Primary School Downing Street, Preston, Lancashire PR1 4RH

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 3 and 4 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), should achieve. However, these ambitions are not fully realised. In part, this is because some curriculums are not designed or delivered well. This sometimes causes pupils to become disengaged in their learning. It also prevents pupils from achieving consistently well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at school. They value the positive relationships that they have with their teachers. They are cared for and looked after. Pupils get along well with one another. They enjoy using the range of equipment available at breaktimes and lunchtimes, such as the outdoor gym and ball games.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the extra-curricular clubs available to them. These range from sports clubs to science, arts and crafts, and homework club. Pupils also enjoy the school trips that take place each year. These experiences include a trip to a nearby castle and a trip to a nature reserve. Pupils value being part of the school council. However, pupils do not develop a well-rounded understanding of the differences between themselves and others. This is because the curriculum content linked to this aspect of learning is not delivered well.

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

The school has a balanced curriculum in place. It has specified what it broadly expects pupils to learn by the end of each year. However, the school’s curriculum thinking in some subjects, including the curriculum used in the class that some pupils with SEND use, is not precise enough. Furthermore, the school has not considered how curriculum content and delivery should be further adapted for pupils in mixed-aged classes. Consequently, teachers do not have the curriculum guidance that they need to craft appropriate learning activities that help pupils to build a secure body of knowledge over time. Pupils’ knowledge in these subjects is often superficial.

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

Teachers use appropriate strategies to check if pupils need help with their learning in lessons. However, in subjects that are not well designed, teachers are limited in being able to pinpoint pupils’ gaps and misconceptions. In some subjects, the school has a clear insight into how curriculums are designed and delivered, and the impact that these curriculums are having on pupils’ learning. However, this is not true in other subjects. Consequently, the school has not responded to some instances where curriculum content has not been designed or delivered well enough. This has led to pupils developing some gaps in their knowledge.

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

Children in the early years get off to a positive start. They benefit from a curriculum that is more thought through than in other parts of the school. Staff generally design suitable activities that are effective in helping children to acquire the fundamental building blocks of knowledge for future learning.

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

The school has a clearly structured phonics programme in place. Currently, this programme is not delivered consistently well. At times, pupils do not practise new sounds 3 and 4 December 2024

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or develop their fluency skills in an effective manner. Pupils read books that are not consistently well matched to the sounds that they know. Ultimately, pupils do not close the gaps in their phonics knowledge or become confident, fluent readers as quickly as they could.

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The school is effective at identifying SEND early. The school is committed to catering for pupils’ additional needs, regardless of how complex. The school ensures that pupils have appropriate support and adaptations in place to access their learning.

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The school caters well for some aspects of pupils’ personal development. For example, it provides pupils with individualised emotional well-being support that pupils appreciate. Pupils develop a secure knowledge of how to keep safe and how to maintain their physical health. However, other aspects of the school’s personal development offer are not as strong. For example, the school does not effectively support pupils to develop much understanding of fundamental British values. Pupils also have a superficial knowledge of the diverse world around them. In part, this is because the school does not deliver related curriculum content well.

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Pupils conduct themselves sensibly around school and at social times. However, some pupils become distracted in lessons when learning activities are not well suited to their academic needs. Pupils’ attendance rates are slightly below national averages. While the school has appropriate day-to-day attendance procedures in place, it does not do all that it reasonably can to improve attendance further. The school, including governors, do not have a secure insight into absence patterns and trends. It has not set out a clear strategy for raising attendance.

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Overall, governors fulfil their statutory duties. However, in some aspects of the school’s work, governors do not have the knowledge or expertise needed to provide robust oversight, strategic direction and challenge to leaders about the impact of their actions. Staff’s workload and well-being is fully considered by leaders. Staff appreciate that they are given dedicated time to carry out additional tasks.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not designed some subject curriculums well enough, including the curriculum used in the SEND provision class. Also, the school has not thought sufficiently about adapting content for pupils in mixed-age classes. As a result, staff lack the guidance that they need to design suitable lessons that help pupils acquire the intended knowledge and skills. The school should guide staff on delivering curriculums and assessing learning effectively. 3 and 4 December 2024

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 The phonics programme is not delivered consistently well. This means that pupils do not develop fluency in their reading as quickly as they should. The school should ensure that it introduces new sounds to pupils in an effective way and ensure that pupils routinely read books that are suitably matched to the sounds they know and need to learn next.  The school does not do all that it reasonably can to improve attendance. The school, including governors, does not have a secure analysis of the school’s attendance rates. There is no clear strategy for raising the profile of attendance further. Consequently, pupils’ attendance is not as high as it could be. The school should analyse any patterns in punctuality and attendance. It should also have a robust strategy to make attendance a priority for all.  The school does not cater for some aspects of pupils’ personal development well. This means that pupils develop a superficial understanding of the differences and beliefs of

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others. It also means that they have a limited understanding of fundamental British values. The school should improve how it supports pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and how it promotes fundamental British values.  The school does not have sufficient oversight of how well curriculums are designed or delivered. Furthermore, it does not have a robust evaluation of the impact of the curriculum. The school is not alert to the curriculum deficiencies that hamper pupils from developing a rich body of knowledge in several subjects. The school should improve how it evaluates the quality of its curriculums. It should also ensure that curriculums are delivered as intended and have the intended positive impact on pupils’ learning.  Some governors do not have the knowledge or expertise to fulfil their roles effectively. In some cases, they do not provide robust challenge or support. They are not

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sufficiently assured about the impact of the school’s work on pupils’ quality of education. Governors should ensure they gather the necessary information and develop the required knowledge to carry out their strategic work and challenge leaders effectively.

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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 3 and 4 December 2024

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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). 3 and 4 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 June 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates a before-school club that is overseen by those responsible for governance.  There have been several changes to teaching staff since the last inspection.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school set up an informal SEND provision class in February 2024 for a small number of pupils with complex SEND. There are currently seven pupils who access this provision on a regular basis.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth-form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 3 and 4 December 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in these subjects: early reading, geography and science. They met with subject leaders and teachers. They visited lessons, looked at examples of pupils’ work and talked with groups of pupils about their learning. The lead inspector observed pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum, spoke with pupils about their learning and evaluated their work in some other subjects.  Inspectors talked to staff about their workload and well-being.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The lead inspector spoke with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors.

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 Inspectors met with the leaders who are responsible for attendance, behaviour and pupils’ personal development.  Inspectors spoke with pupils about their wider experience of school.  Inspectors looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 took account of the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.  Inspector met with parents at the beginning of the school day and took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Spruce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Zoe Enser Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 December 2024

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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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