Prestwich Preparatory School

Inspection of Prestwich Preparatory School 400 Bury Old Road, Prestwich, Manchester, Lancashire M25 1PZ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Inadequate

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy at this small, caring school. They benefit from positive relationships with the staff and their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has raised its expectations of pupils’ achievement. However, the quality of education that they receive is uneven. Although pupils in key stages 1 and 2 gain the knowledge and skills that they need in English and mathematics, their academic success in other subjects is less secure. This is because the delivery of the new subject curriculums is variable. As a result, pupils do not learn all that they should. Conversely, children in the early years are well prepared for their future learning across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils typically live up to the school’s expectations to behave well. They are proud to be awarded ‘star of the week’ and to earn house points for their behaviour. Pupils’ successes are also celebrated via the school’s ‘achievement tree.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils contribute positively to the life of the school through various leadership roles, such as being playground monitors and members of the eco- and charity committees. House captains gather ideas from other pupils through ‘surgeries’ to improve the school. For example, they recently introduced additional equipment for use at breaktimes.

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better?

Since the last inspection, the school has made some improvements to the curriculums beyond English and mathematics. It has focused on developing curriculum plans and guidance that accommodate the mixed-aged classes within the school. The school has also identified the key knowledge and skills that pupils should be taught from Year 1 through to Year 6.

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better?

These new curriculums are at an early stage of being implemented. The school has not ensured that staff have had the guidance that they need to deliver the curriculums consistently well. As a result, some staff lack the necessary subject- specific knowledge to design appropriate activities that help pupils to learn new subject content. At times, important knowledge is missed in units of learning. Pupils are not supported to secure their understanding of important concepts. Some pupils develop misconceptions and gaps in their learning, which go unchecked. This is because the systems to check pupils’ learning are in the early stages of development. This hampers their achievement.

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better?

The school has strengthened its systems to ensure that the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified swiftly. This begins in the early years, where there is a focus on working with families and engaging with relevant external agencies in a timely manner. However, the school has not ensured that staff receive the support that they need to meet the needs of 28 to 30 January 2025 some pupils with SEND consistently well. This hinders how well some pupils with SEND access the curriculum and build their knowledge over time.

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better?

Children in the early years, including in the two-year-old provision, fare better. Here, the curriculum is well matched to children’s needs. The school meets the statutory requirements of the early years foundation stage. Children in the Nursery class and pre-school join in with rhymes and stories to help develop their early language. They are well supported to develop their communication skills. This helps to prepare them for learning the phonics curriculum in the Reception Year. Children settle quickly, behave well and are keen to learn. They learn the knowledge and skills that they require to be equipped for key stage 1.

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better?

The school prioritises the teaching of reading. Pupils benefit from visits to the school and local library. Appropriate additional support is provided for pupils who struggle to read. The books that pupils read match the sounds that they have been taught. This helps pupils to practise what they have learned and become increasingly fluent readers. Even so, the school has not ensured that all staff have received appropriate training to support pupils’ early reading development.

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better?

Most pupils are polite, friendly, and caring towards each other. They behave well around school. The school knows the reasons for the low attendance rates of some pupils. It works with families to provide support for these pupils.

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better?

Pupils are taught to be respectful of diversity and to understand the importance of treating everyone equally. They learn about festivals and celebrations, for example they were enthusiastic about their recent learning about Chinese New Year. Pupils also enjoy regular ‘well-being walks’ and yoga sessions to help them look after their mental and physical health. The school complies with schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. For example, there is an appropriate accessibility plan in place.

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better?

Pupils benefit from trips and visits that broaden their understanding of their local area and the world around them. For example, they visit museums, the local park, and beaches. They spoke about enjoying a recent pantomime visit and taking part in a bird watch event.

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better?

Parents and carers are supportive of the work of the school. Equally, staff at the school feel supported with regards to their workload and well-being. However, the proprietor has not ensured that the school meets the independent school standards (the standards) for the quality of education that pupils experience. Recent improvements to the curriculum indicate that the school has capacity to improve. However, the lack of external governance means that the support and challenge to aid the school’s swift improvement is limited.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 28 to 30 January 2025

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The proprietor has not ensured that all of the standards are consistently met. This has led to some weaknesses in the quality of education that pupils receive. This hinders pupils from achieving well across different areas of the curriculum. The proprietor must ensure that the standards for pupils’ quality of education are consistently and securely met.  In most subjects beyond English and mathematics, the curriculum is at the early stages of being implemented. Staff have not received the guidance that they need to teach new curriculum content consistently well. This leads to key concepts not being taught which, in turn, results in gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This hampers pupils from achieving as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure that the curriculum is delivered consistently well across all subjects.  The school has not ensured that staff receive the support that they require to

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

meet the needs of some pupils with SEND. This hinders the progress of some pupils with SEND through the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise that they need to design learning that helps all pupils, and especially those with SEND, to achieve well.  Pupils’ misconceptions, and gaps in their learning, are not spotted well enough in subjects other than English and mathematics. This is because the school’s systems for checking pupils’ learning are not sufficiently well developed. The school should ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to check that pupils have learned new curriculum content and to reshape their teaching when gaps in knowledge are identified.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 28 to 30 January 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 105997 DfE registration number 351/6012

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School details

Inspection number 10341992 Type of school Other independent school

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School details

Email address friesner@prestwichprepschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 to 23 February 2023 28 to 30 January 2025

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Information about this school

 The previous standard inspection of this school took place on 21 to 23 February 2023. At this inspection, the school was judged to not comply with the standards.  Following the standard inspection in February 2023, the school received a progress monitoring inspection in February 2024. At this inspection, the school was judged to not comply with the standards.  The school is located at 400 Bury Old Road, Prestwich, Manchester, Lancashire M25 1PZ.  Friesner Education Limited is the proprietor body. The chair of the proprietor body is the headteacher of the school.  The school provides education for two-year-old children.  The school is a preparatory school and is registered to admit up to 113 pupils.  The school operates a breakfast and after-school provision for its pupils.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school has failed to meet the independent school standards. These are the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, who is also the chair of the proprietor body. They also met with the deputy headteacher and other staff at the school.  The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority. She also completed a tour of the premises to check the school’s compliance with the standards.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English including early reading, science, and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to staff, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector observed some pupils reading.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects. 28 to 30 January 2025  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.  Inspectors spoke to pupils about their experience of the school and their views on behaviour and bullying. They also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation. This included documentation and information relating to standards and the school’s improvement plans.  The lead inspector toured the school premises to check the suitability of the premises and accommodation against the relevant standards.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. Inspectors also spoke to parents at the end of the school day and considered emails sent from parents for the inspectors’ attention.  There were no responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for pupils or for staff.

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The school’s progress in meeting previously failed standards

During the inspection we checked whether the school now meets the independent school standards that it was judged to have failed at its previous progress monitoring inspection on 01 February 2024.

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The school’s progress in meeting previously failed standards

 The outcome of this part of the inspection is: the school continues to not meet the previously failed standards.  The new curriculum plans for subjects beyond English and mathematics are at an early stage of implementation. There is variability in the delivery of these new curriculums. The school has not ensured that staff have the subject-specific knowledge required to deliver these curriculums effectively.  Pupils’ gaps in learning and misconceptions in subjects beyond English and mathematics are not identified or addressed. In addition to this, despite improvements in the identification of pupils with SEND, staff’s knowledge, and skills in meeting the needs of pupils with SEND is variable.  The proprietor has failed to ensure that the standards regarding the quality of education that it provides are met consistently.  The proprietor’s checks of the implementation of the new curriculums have not

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The school’s progress in meeting previously failed standards

identified accurately the variation in their implementation and the inconsistencies in staff’s knowledge and skills to deliver them well. 28 to 30 January 2025

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jewitt, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Haroon Asghar Ofsted Inspector 28 to 30 January 2025

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

 2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- – 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and – 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- – 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes, and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan;  3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school- – 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school- – 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; – 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently.

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Part 1. Quality of education provided

2(1) The standard in this paragraph is met if- 2(1)(a) the proprietor ensures that a written policy on the curriculum, supported by appropriate plans and schemes of work, which provides for the matters specified in sub-paragraph (2) is drawn up and implemented effectively; and 2(1)(b) the written policy, plans and schemes of work- 2(1)(b)(i) take into account the ages, aptitudes, and needs of all pupils, including those pupils with an EHC plan; 3 The standard in this paragraph is met if the proprietor ensures that the teaching at the school- 3(e) demonstrates good knowledge and understanding of the subject matter being taught.

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

28 to 30 January 2025 34(1) The standard about the quality of leadership and management is met if the proprietor ensures that persons with leadership and management responsibilities at the school- 34(1)(a) demonstrate good skills and knowledge appropriate to their role so that the independent school standards are met consistently; 34(1)(b) fulfil their responsibilities effectively so that the independent school standards are met consistently. 28 to 30 January 2025 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

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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Part 8. Quality of leadership in and management of schools

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