Froxfield Church of England Primary and Pre-School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Froxfield Church of England Primary and Pre-School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and are happy.

They embrace the school's values of 'love, courage and respect'. They have positive relationships with staff. Pupils know that staff are there to help and support them, and they know who to turn to if they have any worries.

As one parent summed up to inspectors, 'the school is nurturing, kind and supportive'.

The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils work hard to live up to these expectations and achieve well acro...ss the curriculum.

Pupils' behaviour is impressive. They are friendly and courteous to visitors and get on well with each other. The school's rules, 'be ready, be safe and be respectful', are consistently applied and understood.

As a result, the school is a calm and purposeful environment where pupils can learn well.

Pupils relish opportunities to contribute to the school community, such as being librarians or house captains. Older pupils enjoy reading to younger children.

These opportunities help develop pupils' leadership skills. Pupils of all ages enjoy raising money for charity. This develops their understanding of social responsibility.

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

Pupils follow a broad and ambitious curriculum, which is carefully sequenced. There is clarity about what pupils are expected to learn in each subject, from the pre-school right through to Year 6. This helps pupils to build knowledge in a logical order as they progress through the school.

Pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils achieve well.

Teachers have a clear understanding of what they need to teach and when.

They have secure subject knowledge and receive the training they need to implement the intended curriculum successfully. Teachers make effective use of resources to help pupils learn. The frequent use of 'memory joggers' helps pupils recap previous learning.

Assessment in core subjects enables teachers to pinpoint gaps in knowledge accurately and is used to ensure that teaching builds on what pupils already know. This helps them to remember more over time and achieve well. However, in some foundation subjects, processes for assessing pupils' knowledge are less well developed.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Staff training ensures that there is a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know.

Staff have the expertise to provide the support pupils need to build their phonics knowledge and reading fluency. Throughout their time at school, pupils become confident and fluent readers. Reading is enriched through poetry recitals, theatre visits and trips the local library and a local bookshop.

As a result, pupils throughout the school develop a love of reading and talk enthusiastically about a range of high-quality texts across different genres.

Pupils' wider development is a strength. The personal, social, health and economic education curriculum is very well structured.

It is closely linked to pupils' needs. Pupils learn about other cultures and about different relationships. They learn how to stay safe, including when they are online.

The school offers an impressive range of visits, activities and clubs. Pupils take part enthusiastically in concerts and sporting activities. The school ensures that there are no barriers to pupils gaining wider experiences through what the school offers.

This ensures that all pupils can develop their talents and understanding of the world.

Pupils' behaviour is consistently positive. Learning is seldom disrupted.

Children in the pre-school settle in quickly, helped by staff to swiftly become accustomed to the school's routines. They engage well in both adult-led activities and in their own independent play. Older pupils have positive attitudes towards their education.

Teachers help them to be 'growing learners' by learning from their mistakes. Careful monitoring of attendance and punctuality helps to identify pupils who might need extra help to come to school. The school works well with external agencies to secure the extra support that is needed.

As a result, pupils attend frequently.

Governors provide effective support and challenge to the school. They, and the school's leaders, are mindful of staff workload and well-being.

As a result, staff feel appreciated and are united behind the school's vision.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Assessment in some foundation subjects is not as effective as it could be.

This means teachers are not routinely identifying gaps in pupils' knowledge or checking their understanding of the intended curriculum. The school should ensure that its current work to develop and embed assessment enables teachers to plan future learning that builds precisely on what pupils already know.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2018.