Fremington Primary School

Inspection of Fremington Primary School Beechfield Road, Fremington, Barnstaple, Devon EX31 3DD

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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

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Caroline Gilbert. This school is part of Tarka Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Richard Light, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Graham Cockell. 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Fremington Primary School is a friendly and welcoming school. A recent change in leadership has led to raised expectations of what pupils can achieve. Several positive changes to help pupils prepare for their next stage of education have been introduced. However, the impact of the school’s ambitious vision is not yet realised and some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils have warm relationships with each other. Pupils know that if they are worried there is a member of staff they can speak to. Pupils know what it means to be a good friend. Behaviour across the school is improving and most pupils behave well. However, on occasions, pupils are upset when their peers say unkind things.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to develop their interests through a wide range of clubs, such as craft club, basketball and cricket club. Pupils also develop their confidence and resilience with visits to outdoor centres to learn to rock climb. Pupils in the school choir are proud to be able to sing for members of the community at the local residential care home. Older pupils take their roles as sports leaders seriously.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced turbulence in staffing, including a change in headteacher. However, since September, new leadership, with the support of the trust, has brought stability to the school. There is a clear and ambitious vision for what the school wants to achieve for the pupils in this community. The changes to the curriculum and raising expectations of what pupils can achieve are showing green shoots.

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

The school’s approach to teaching phonics and early reading is rigorous. Children learn phonics as soon as they join the school. Staff deliver the phonics programme exceptionally well. Those pupils who struggle to learn their sounds are supported to quickly catch up with their peers. The early years curriculum is rich in language, with a focus on developing children’s vocabulary. Staff are skilled in modelling subject specific language which children then use in their play. As a result, pupils have a strong start. They learn to read quickly and achieve well in the phonics screening check.

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

The school has taken a systematic approach to developing the curriculum. In most subjects, the curriculum is coherently designed and builds pupils’ skills progressively from the early years to Year 6. For example, in mathematics, pupils are able to talk about how their knowledge of multiplication facts helps them with what they are currently learning.

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

Staff regularly check pupils’ understanding and adapt the learning to reflect what they already know. Pupils produce high-quality work in these subjects. However, in other subjects, teachers’ checks on pupils’ understanding are not specific enough. Misconceptions in learning are sometimes unaddressed. This means that pupils continue in their learning with gaps in their knowledge. Furthermore, in some subjects, staff’s expectations of what pupils can achieve is too low with work often left unfinished. This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. 4 and 5 February 2025

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The school has reviewed its provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Those pupils with the greatest level of need are able to access the ‘Cocoon’ and the ‘Ark’ where staff provide bespoke support. However, support for other pupils with SEND across the school sometimes lacks the same level of precision. This means that some pupils with SEND do not receive sufficient support to build their knowledge well enough across the curriculum.

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Historically, expectations of pupils’ behaviour have not been high enough. Recently, the school has implemented a new behaviour policy which has led to an improvement in pupils’ conduct. However, the school’s new approach is not fully understood by staff and pupils. This means that inconsistencies persist in how staff address poor behaviour. As a result, at times some pupils’ conduct stops others from learning.

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Pupils’ attendance remains below the national average. However, the school is diligently focused on building close bonds with families to provide personalised support to help pupils attend more often. This has led to an improvement in rates of attendance.

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Pupils’ personal development is supported through trips to Bristol where they visit the planetarium and science museum. Pupils also watch theatre performances in London’s West End and stay away overnight. These experiences help pupils to build a sense of independence and develop their understanding of culture and the arts.

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Staff are supportive of the leadership of the school and are proud to be part 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)

 The school’s new approach to managing poor behaviour is not fully understood by staff and pupils. This means that there are inconsistencies in expectations around behaviour and how pupils’ behaviour is managed. The school should ensure that the new behaviour policy is consistently understood and implemented.  Support for some pupils with SEND lacks sufficient precision to ensure pupils receive the help they need to learn a broad and balanced curriculum. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not build their knowledge well enough across the curriculum. The trust should improve the quality and effectiveness of support for pupils with SEND and ensure that staff are appropriately skilled to implement it.  In some subjects, teachers’ checks on pupils’ understanding are not specific enough. This hinders staff from readily addressing misconceptions and learning activities are not 4 and 5 February 2025

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always adapted well enough to meet the needs of pupils. As a result, pupils develop gaps in their learning and do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers’ checks on pupils’ knowledge are well matched to the knowledge in the curriculum so that misconceptions can be identified and promptly rectified.

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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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Website www.fremington-primary.devon.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 October 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is part of Tarka Learning Partnership.  The school does not currently make use of alternative provision.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2024.

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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. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, art and design and music. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with teachers, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, CEO, other leaders and staff. The lead inspector also met with the chair of the board of trustees.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted Parent View and by talking with some parents in person. The inspectors also reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

James Gentile, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Fox Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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