Friezland Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Friezland Primary School Church Road, Greenfield, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL3 7LN

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at school with a smile on their face. They are happy, polite and welcoming. Pupils feel safe in school. They develop positive relationships with each other and with staff. They enjoy being part of the school community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to live up to the school’s motto of ‘a family committed to making a difference’. Mostly, pupils focus on their learning well and respond positively to their teacher. However, some older pupils find it difficult to remain on task and their peers feel that this disrupts their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s expectations of what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve are sometimes too low. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. They are not ready for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with opportunities to broaden their experiences beyond the local community, for example competing in local Olympic games with pupils from different communities. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online and in the community. Older pupils take their role as buddies to younger pupils seriously and they develop positive relationships with each other.

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

The school has experienced some turbulence in staffing and leadership over the last couple of years. The school, including governors, recognises the impact of recent staffing issues. They are beginning to bring about improvements to pupils’ education. For 14 January 2025

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example, recent changes to how pupils’ additional needs are spotted mean that those with SEND are identified more accurately than in the past.

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Pupils enjoy their learning. They talk enthusiastically about cooking in design and technology and about learning notation through playing the glockenspiel. The school has designed an ambitious curriculum. It has thought carefully about what pupils learn and when curriculum content will be taught from the early years to Year 6. For example, in the computing curriculum, children begin to use basic programming instructions in early years. They build on this knowledge as they move through school. By Year 6, pupils can set and follow complex instructions and detect errors in algorithms.

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Teachers have benefited from guidance and support to help them to deliver the curriculum well. However, too many pupils have gaps in their understanding of some important aspects of writing. Teachers do not routinely provide the feedback that pupils need to address basic errors and gaps in their knowledge. This means that some pupils develop misconceptions over time that go unnoticed. This prevents pupils achieving as well as they should and does not ensure that they are well prepared for their next steps.

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The school has recently introduced a new reading programme for children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1. Staff have received the training that they need to implement this programme well. The school makes sure that pupils read books that match the sounds they know. As a result, pupils gain the phonics knowledge that they need to become accurate and fluent readers. Staff provide additional support for those pupils who are struggling to learn to read.

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In the early years, children develop positive relationships with adults. They learn happily alongside their peers. Interactions with adults support high-quality learning indoors and outdoors. Elsewhere in school, there is a calm learning environment during lessons, and pupils are respectful to each other and listen to adults. Pupils’ attendance rates are positive. The school has implemented diligent systems to support and sustain pupils attending school as often as they should.

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The school provides a range of opportunities to promote pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn how to keep physically and mentally healthy. They also benefit from a range of visitors who teach them how to keep themselves safe. This includes online safety, rail and water safety.

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Governors know the school well. They are realistic about the journey that the school is on. They have supported the school to implement changes to reduce unnecessary work for teachers. Staff said that they feel well supported and they feel proud to work at the school. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly supportive and appreciate the work that the school does to support their children.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 January 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not routinely check pupils’ learning in important aspects of writing. This means that basic errors and gaps in pupils’ learning are not addressed, and pupils’ misconceptions continue over time. The school should ensure that pupils receive timely feedback so that errors are corrected quickly and gaps in learning are identified.  At times, a small number of older pupils cause low-level disruption in class. This means that sometimes learning is inhibited. The school should ensure that staff consistently apply the behaviour policy so that incidents of disruption are prevented.  On occasion, the school does not have high enough expectation of what pupils can achieve. This means that some pupils underachieve by the time they leave key stage 2 and are not ready for the next steps of their education. The school should ensure that it raises its ambition for pupils’ academic success so that pupils know and can do all

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in April 2019.

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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. 14 January 2025

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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). 14 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 April 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has undergone a change in leadership and staffing since the last inspection.  The governing body is responsible for the school’s wraparound care provision.  The school makes use of two registered alternative provisions for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other leaders in the school.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing board, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority. 14 January 2025

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 Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils from the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 reading to a familiar adult.  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.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Clare Baron, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Morris Ofsted Inspector 14 January 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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