Fryern Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Fryern Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind and respectful at Fryern Infant School. They enjoy coming to school and feel safe.

Pupils are confident learners. They talk enthusiastically about the school's values which include ambition, curiosity and reflection. They know that together they will learn these important life skills.

Children settle well into the school's routines when they start in Reception. They listen well in class and play cooperatively. This helps children to build friendships as they explore the environment.

The school ensures there are clear expectations for how well pupils should be...have. Pupils are kind and considerate to all others. Occasionally, pupils have disagreements, but pupils know that staff will help if needed.

Parents have high levels of confidence in the school. They can see the benefits that recent curriculum changes have made to pupils' learning and engagement. They welcome the increased communication the school has with them.

This enables them to play a fuller part in their children's learning. For example, the school has introduced workshops so that parents can have a better understanding of their child's education. This includes specific support for parents of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

The school has a strong ambition to provide high-quality teaching for its pupils. As a result, they have reviewed and redesigned the curriculum. All subjects have a clear sequence of knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn at each stage.

Pupils with SEND follow this same sequence of learning. Staff ensure that pupils who need adaptations to the curriculum, including pupils with SEND, get the support that they need.

The school has implemented a new phonics programme successfully.

Most pupils learn to read well. Staff check how well pupils are learning phonics effectively. Pupils have the right books to help them learn to read well, as they are well matched to the sounds they have learned.

Pupils love listening to their teachers read stories. Staff receive appropriate training. However, some staff need further support to ensure they have the expert skills to teach early reading precisely.

This means not all pupils learn to read as quickly and fluently as they could.

Teachers are clear on what to teach and when because of the purposeful changes the school has made to the curriculum. They usually deliver the new curriculum effectively.

However, teachers sometimes set activities that do not allow pupils to learn as well as they could. While teachers' professional knowledge is strong in many subjects, in some it is less so. The school is aware there are gaps in pupils' learning in a few subject areas.

As a result, it is rightly developing its systems for checking on how well pupils have learned the curriculum over time. Pupils are not always having any gaps in their learning addressed as quickly as they could be.

Pupils' behaviour is strong.

Staff use consistent strategies that focus on praising pupils' positive actions. This helps to maintain the calm and orderly atmosphere in the school. A few pupils need extra support to improve their social skills.

Trained staff provide this with patience and care to help these pupils to interact positively with others.

Pupils receive an excellent choice of wider opportunities. The school is particularly proud of its commitment to performing arts.

Every year, all pupils take part in a performance, either on stage or as part of the wider production team. Pupils have access to a good range of sports, as well as musical and creative opportunities. A variety of pupils get the chance to represent the school in different events.

Pupils are very proud to play sports such as hockey and football for their school.

Governors have a clear understanding of their role. They ensure that the school's vision and values are effective.

Staff are very happy at the school and can see the impact that changes are having. Parents see this too, with one commenting, 'We've been really impressed with Fryern and how much it has to offer our daughter. She is thriving.'



Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is some variability in the subject and pedagogical content knowledge of staff. This means that the delivery of the curriculum is not as consistent as it could be, including in early reading.

As a result, pupils do not always learn the intended curriculum as well as they could. The school needs to ensure that all staff are trained and supported appropriately. ? In some subjects, the school's processes for checking what pupils have learned are not as effective as others.

As a result, gaps in pupils' knowledge and understanding are not addressed as quickly as they could be. The school should ensure that checks on pupils' learning mean that the curriculum is adapted subsequently to meet pupils' needs.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 May 2012.

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