Frizington Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Frizington Community Primary School.

Everyone feels welcome and included in all aspects of school life. Pupils are polite, sensible and respectful. They care for each other and look after one another.

Pupils know that adults in school will help them if they have any worries or concerns. They value the positive relationships that they have with staff.

Pupils, including children in the early years, enjoy their lessons.

They benefit from many opportunities to learn outside the classroom. For example, pupils relish the wide range of trips that they experience locally and further afield. These include visits to cathedrals, mosques, mus...eums and theatres.

These rich experiences help pupils to appreciate a range of different communities.

The school has high expectations of all pupils' learning. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils work hard in their lessons and aim to fulfil the school's ambition for them to become lifelong learners. Most pupils achieve well and are ready for the next stage of their education.

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

The school has designed a carefully thought out and ambitious curriculum.

This curriculum includes many references to the rich history and geography of the local area. As a result, learning is made relevant for pupils and helps them to develop a strong sense of place. The curriculum sets out the important knowledge that pupils should learn.

This is ordered in a logical way from the Reception Year to the end of Year 6.

The school develops staff effectively. This means that they have the knowledge, expertise and confidence to deliver the curriculum well.

In most subjects, pupils build their knowledge successfully. They can remember their previous learning, which gives them a strong foundation to learn new content. However, in a minority of subjects, staff do not address pupils' misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge consistently before they move on to new learning.

This prevents some pupils from learning as well as they should.

The school identifies pupils with SEND quickly. It ensures that staff have the skills to support pupils who may have additional needs effectively.

This means that pupils with SEND can learn the same curriculum as their classmates.

The school has prioritised reading in all year groups. It has close links to the library next door.

This helps pupils to read widely and often from a diverse range of texts, including poetry. The school has ensured that staff have the expertise to deliver the well-established phonics programme successfully. Children learn phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year.

Pupils who are at risk of falling behind in their reading are provided with extra support. Most pupils become confident and fluent readers by the end of Year 6.Pupils behave well in lessons and across school.

There is a calm and sensible atmosphere, which helps pupils to focus on their learning. Children in the early years learn to follow established routines well. Staff help them to develop independence skills.

This prepares them well for the next stage of their education. On rare occasions, some older pupils are less considerate of others during playtimes. The school is taking effective steps to address this, such as by including all pupils in a variety of breaktime activities.

The school supports pupils' personal development well. For example, pupils are proud to be team captains, prefects and members of the school council. Older pupils work alongside local businesses to support other pupils to keep happy and mentally well.

They also work with local enterprises to produce and sell their own pieces of artwork. These experiences enable pupils to develop into responsible citizens who can work well independently and in teams.

The school is well led and managed.

Governors know the school well. They work collectively with other leaders in school to ensure that ongoing school development is focused and purposeful. This has a positive impact on the education that pupils receive.

Governors are effective in holding the school to account and provide appropriate challenge and support. The school has ensured that staff workload is manageable so that staff can prioritise their teaching.

The school engages successfully with parents and carers to ensure that parents have the help and information they need to support pupils' education at home.

For example, the school invites parents to a number of meetings and open afternoons so that they can learn more about the curriculum. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the work of the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a minority of subjects, the school has not ensured that some pupils' gaps or misconceptions are addressed before they move on to new learning. This means that some pupils' learning is not as secure as it should be. The school should ensure that pupils have successfully embedded the prior knowledge that they need before they learn new content.

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