Fritwell Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 November 2024

Pupils are happy here. They are kept safe. They appreciate that teachers are always there to help them and respond to any worries they may have quickly. High expectations from staff and robust systems for dealing with any incidents ensure that pupils understand the importance of good behaviour. They are responsible, respectful and demonstrate high levels of self-control. Recent learning about 'consent,' and respecting each other's 'body boundaries' contributes to the highly respectful and caring behaviour seen. Leaders are ambitious that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), will do well. They have identified the knowledge that they want pupils to learn across all subjects. This has been carefully considered to meet the needs of the school and its context, with mixed-age classes. Pupils are typically well prepared for next stages of their learning. Pupils know they are listened to and appreciate the opportunities to contribute to decisions made on the school's journey of improvement. They demonstrate maturity, and commitment to school life. Pupils readily take on the range of leadership responsibilities available, for example, with school grounds and events. Elections for these roles provide pupils with an understanding of democracy and help to prepare them well for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• The full implementation of the school's curriculum is not yet firmly embedded, due to changes from academisation. At this point, only the first year of the two-year cycle has been fully implemented. Further refinement is needed to ensure that the expectations for each year group within the mixed-age classes is clear. This includes in the early years. The school should continue its work to ensure that the well-planned curriculum is fully embedded to enable pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding over time.
• Oversight at a strategic level is still developing. This means that leaders, at all levels, are not always seeing 'the big picture' and work to address weaknesses is, therefore, not as sharply focused as it could be. The trust should provide a more coordinated and systematic approach to supporting the school, and the school should ensure that it tracks and monitors behaviour, attendance and the curriculum more strategically, to ensure greater impact.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)