a school not in a category of concern of Frogwell Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Dan Crossman Interim Headteacher Frogwell Primary School Derriads Lane Chippenham Wiltshire SN14 0DG

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Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 30 April 2025, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school meets the monitoring threshold as set out in the Monitoring Inspection Handbook .

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Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, but to identify and report on the school's progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Primary School

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders, staff, governors, pupils and a representative from the local authority, the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. In addition, I carried out lesson visits, looked at pupils’ work and scrutinised the school’s plans for improvement. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Main findings

Since the previous inspection in June 2024, the headteacher and some other staff have left the school. The local authority has commissioned your support as interim headteacher, along with the deputy headteacher from your existing school, to provide leadership for Frogwell Primary School until July 2025. A permanent headteacher has been appointed and is due to take up post in September 2025. A leader from a neighbouring school is providing temporary support to the school as a special educational needs coordinator.

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Main findings

Despite being in post for only a very short period of time, you have shared immediately your priorities for the forthcoming term with staff. You are mindful of striking the balance between making necessary improvements to the school while considering the further changes that new leadership may make from the autumn term. You are keen to work alongside the new headteacher to ensure that decisions are made for the long-term success of the school. Staff appreciate the school’s focus on their well-being which has helped to reassure them during this tricky transition period. You have started to empower staff to help improve the school through developing new leadership roles effectively.

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Main findings

Teachers’ implementation of the curriculum has started to improve. The school has trained staff in teaching strategies to help pupils to learn more effectively. Staff have welcomed this. Teachers have started to model new ideas to help pupils to understand their learning. Some teachers now give pupils thinking time when discussing their ideas. This allows pupils to express their ideas clearly.

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Main findings

However, there is still too much variability in teaching. In writing, teachers do not consider pupils’ gaps in knowledge well enough. They give tasks to some pupils who have not secured the basics of punctuation and grammar to complete them well. As a result, pupils do not progress well through the writing curriculum. Furthermore, in the wider curriculum, the school has recognised that it has not narrowed down sufficiently the precise knowledge that pupils should know in some subjects. Some subjects identify an unrealistic amount of knowledge that pupils should learn. There is too much for pupils to learn in sufficient depth.

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Main findings

In lessons, most pupils try their best but some staff are not adept at identifying when pupils lose focus and disengage with learning. Some pupils do not learn well as a result.

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Main findings

The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has strengthened considerably. The school now accurately identifies pupils who require additional and different support from their peers. The school has trained staff to support pupils’ needs more effectively. Consequently, pupils with SEND now benefit from precise learning targets and support which meet their needs well. These pupils are beginning to learn more of the curriculum than in the past.

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Main findings

Governors have better defined the roles and responsibilities of the governing board. However, they are realistic that they have more work to do to hold the school to account for improving the quality of education. Governors have started to make their own checks on the school’s work. This is helping them to have a more accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for further improvement. Nevertheless, this work is at an early stage. Some minor administration errors in safeguarding records were rectified during my visit. However, you have identified correctly that some of the school’s safeguarding systems lack precision and oversight. You have started to address these with the support of the local authority.

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Main findings

The school has used external support well. You are utilising the expertise of staff in your substantive school to help support staff at Frogwell. Staff and governors have visited your school to see examples of best practice. This is helping staff to improve teaching and learning and governors to improve their own effectiveness.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of governors, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Wiltshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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