Rosehill Infant and Nursery School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Increase the impact of leaders’ work to improve pupils’ attainment and progress by ensuring that:
  • leaders make better use of the information they receive from regular checks on the quality of teaching, and from accurate pupil assessment information, to improve rapidly the quality of teaching and learning
  • middle leaders use assessment information incisively to improve outcomes in their area of responsibility
  • leaders and governors use performance management robustly to hold teachers to account for the progress that pupils make
  • leaders use their checks on the quality of teaching and learning to provide staff with accurate feedback so that they are able to rapidly make the necessary improvements to the quality of their teaching
  • governors receive accurate information about the progress that pupils make so that they can hold leaders to account.
• Improve the quality of teaching and learning by ensuring that:
  • teachers consistently provide pupils with learning tasks that are sufficiently challenging so that pupils, particularly the most able, make accelerated progress
  • teachers consistently develop pupils’ vocabulary and comprehension skills across the school
  • teachers improve pupils’ phonic knowledge so that they can consistently apply their phonic skills when they read.
• Improve pupils’ attendance and behaviour by:
  • working more extensively with parents to improve their understanding of the importance of their children attending school regularly
  • ensuring that teachers consistently tackle low-level disruption in lessons so that pupils make faster progress.
• Improve the quality of provision in the early years by:
  • establishing a rigorous system for reviewing children’s attainment and progress, so that all staff have an accurate view of children’s starting points and the progress they make
  • adults providing children with learning activities that are sufficiently challenging
  • developing the indoor and outdoor space in the Reception classes to provide a stimulating and inspiring place to learn.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders and the governing body have not checked some aspects of the school’s work rigorously enough. This means that their view of the school is not as accurate as it should be. The school has experienced frequent changes in staffing, which has not secured consistently good teaching. Pupils’ progress is not as rapid as it could be.
• Middle leaders do not always use assessment information incisively enough to improve pupils’ achievements in their subjects and across all age groups. Not all leaders have a comprehensive overview of pupils’ starting points or the achievement of different groups of pupils.
• Leaders do not use their checks on the quality of learning well enough. They give feedback to staff but do not check whether the improvements in the quality of teaching and learning are made. This means that they do not do enough to ensure that pupils’ achievement improves.
• The governing body and leaders do not robustly hold teachers to account for the progress that pupils make through the school’s performance management process. Teachers’ targets are not succinct enough and actions for success are not as clear as they could be.
• The headteacher and deputy headteacher know that greater consistency and high expectations are needed to improve the quality of teaching and learning rapidly. They are developing an effective leadership team who are sharpening the skills they need to drive improvements rapidly. Recently, leaders have begun to use professional development opportunities to ensure greater consistency in the quality of teaching and learning.
• The school is part of a phonics network group led by Derby City Council. This has resulted in the school achieving improved outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Leaders recognise that they still have more work to do so that they reach national expectations.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. It is complemented well by a range of extra-curricular activities and school visits. The curriculum is particularly effective in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. For example, pupils described in great detail different places of worship they have recently visited. Leaders provide them with opportunities to reflect deeply about different cultures and religions.
• The additional funding for the primary physical education (PE) and sport funding is used effectively. Pupils enjoy high-quality PE lessons because teachers are well trained by sports coaches. In addition, teachers have received training in dance and gymnastics to improve the quality of PE lessons.
• The school provides well for disadvantaged pupils by allocating the pupil premium funding effectively. Leaders have established a successful ‘stay and play’ group so that vulnerable pupils have opportunities to receive extra support. The school has also implemented a nurture group to meet the specific needs of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders place a high priority on meeting the needs of this specific group of pupils. Disadvantaged pupils make good progress.
• The leader for SEN and/or disabilities tracks pupils’ progress carefully to ensure that they make sufficient progress and have their specific needs met. She has established positive links with a range of external agencies to ensure that pupils receive effective support. Parents are well informed by the school about their child’s progress. One parent who spoke to inspectors said that she appreciated the school’s care and consideration for her child who has specific learning difficulties. Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress because they receive effective support from teachers and teaching assistants. Leaders make effective use of additional funding to support this group of pupils.
• Pupils understand fundamental British values well. Pupils elect a school council, who regularly meet with the headteacher to suggest improvements for the school. The school council take their responsibilities seriously and understand the importance of helping each other. ‘Playground pals’ provide support for pupils at breaktimes. Pupils are caring towards each other and show good manners at all times. Leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Governance of the school

• The chair of the governing body leads it well. She has ensured that governors receive appropriate training. Governors are supportive of whole-school development. They are passionate about improving standards. However, the governing body does not challenge leaders sufficiently to ensure that pupils’ outcomes improve rapidly.
• The governing body is knowledgeable about how the pupil premium funding is spent. They make regular visits to the school to ensure that funding is supporting disadvantaged pupils appropriately.
• Governors ensure that arrangements for safeguarding are fit for purpose. The governing body has received training on safeguarding children, including in the safe recruitment of staff. The governor responsible for safeguarding regularly checks the single central record.

Safeguarding

• Senior leaders and governors have created a vigilant culture of safeguarding in the school. The school’s systems to ensure the safety and well-being of pupils are fit for purpose and are effective.
• Staff closely supervise pupils during breaktimes and at the beginning of the school day to make sure that they are safe. The school site is secure and visitors are checked when they enter the premises.
• All parents who completed the Ofsted survey Parent View felt that their child feels safe at school. Staff are well trained and deal sensitively with pupils who require medical support or personal attention if accidents occur during the school day.
• Senior leaders have clear procedures for checking the suitability of adults when recruiting new members of staff. Systems and procedures for undertaking ongoing checks on members of staff are well established.
• Staff receive regular training on a range of safeguarding matters including the risks posed to pupils by radicalisation and extremism. Staff understand their roles in protecting children and are well aware of the school’s procedures if they have concerns about a pupil. Senior leaders liaise closely with other agencies, such as the local authority and the health service, to provide support for families to make sure that pupils are kept safe when they are not in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Often, the most able pupils are completing work that is too easy for them. This means that the most able pupils, in particular, do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Teachers do not consistently develop pupils’ vocabulary and comprehension skills in lessons. Resources are not always used effectively to support the learning of new vocabulary, particularly for pupils who speak English as an additional language. This means that pupils’ comprehension skills and fluency are not as well developed as they could be.
• The teaching of reading across the school is inconsistent. Teachers do not always provide tasks that build closely on pupils’ phonic knowledge. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and struggle to apply their skills when they read. Pupils, particularly lower-attaining pupils, do not have well-developed comprehension skills. The higher-attaining pupils, however, use their phonic skills well. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in the phonics check in Year 1 is below average.
• Pupils’ workbooks show that they are using their knowledge of grammar and punctuation effectively when they write independently.
• The teaching of mathematics is a strength of the school. The mathematics leader has provided useful training for teachers. For example, teachers have recently improved their skills in using questions effectively and using mathematics equipment to support pupils’ learning more effectively. The leader checks that teachers use these skills to support and challenge pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are well supported in their learning. Teaching assistants work well with teachers to support pupils’ learning, particularly those who need to catch up. Additional learning groups are in place to support those pupils who need to catch up. The leaders with responsibility for SEN and/or disabilities and the pupil premium check the use of extra funding regularly to ensure that pupils receive appropriate support and make good progress.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school has worked effectively with vulnerable pupils and their families to ensure that their specific needs are met. Teachers have regular discussions with parents to ensure that pupils’ health and welfare needs are being met. The leader for SEN and/or disabilities has ensured that the school provides useful information, advice and assistance to families. As a result, the school has achieved the ‘Families First Quality Award’.
• Parents who spoke to inspectors said that they value the help and support they receive for their children.
• Pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they enjoyed their ‘playground pals’ role. They know that it is important that everyone is happy in the school, especially at breaktimes. Pupils particularly enjoy breaktimes because they can play with a range of outdoor toys and equipment. Staff supervise activities well.
• Pupils told inspectors that bullying and name-calling is rare. They feel confident that adults are there to help them with any worries and concerns they may have.
• Elected members of the school council who spoke to inspectors said they have opportunities to make decisions to help improve the school with help from their teachers.
• The school provides a range of enrichment activities such as dodgeball and archery sessions. The school’s nurture group supports pupils who may need extra help to manage their emotions. Staff have received training to help those pupils who have specific emotional needs.
• Pupils are taught how to keep safe online. They know that they must not share personal information about themselves with someone they do not know on the internet.

Behaviour

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• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. In some lessons, teachers do not provide work that is sufficiently engaging for pupils. When this happens, pupils’ attention wanders and some cause minor low-level disruption that is not always checked by teachers. This means that learning is slowed for disengaged pupils and they do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Attendance is below the national average for the third consecutive year. Leaders acknowledge this is an area they must urgently address for all pupil groups. Although leaders have put a range of actions in place to improve pupils’ rates of attendance, these actions have not been rigorous enough. Over the past three years, there has been a slight improvement in pupil attendance but it has not yet reached the national average.
• Leaders meet regularly with parents when their child’s attendance falls below the national average. The school responds quickly to pupil absence on the first day. An educational welfare officer works with families who struggle to bring their children to school regularly.
• The school follows procedures for children missing in education robustly. Leaders have recently begun to use the support of a new ‘community link worker’ to liaise with families when pupils do not attend school regularly. It is too early to judge the impact of her work on improving attendance.
• Pupils’ conduct around the school is good. Pupils open doors for visitors and are polite to each other and adults alike.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• The proportion of pupils attaining the expected level at the end of the phonics screening check in Year 1 has been below the national average for the past two years. In 2017, the school’s information shows a further dip in the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard. Teachers do not teach phonics consistently well enough to ensure that pupils make the progress of which they are capable.
• Attainment at the end of key stage 1 has been below the national average for the past three years in each of reading, writing and mathematics. Provisional information for 2017 shows that pupils’ attainment at the end of key stage 1 was slightly below the 2016 national average for reading, writing and mathematics at the expected and higher standards. The proportion of pupils achieving the higher standard in 2017 has increased in reading and mathematics. Despite results remaining below those seen nationally, the results at the end of key stage 1 have seen a steady increase over time.
• Teachers do not provide pupils in key stage 1 with opportunities to develop their reading skills and apply them to their class work. From their low starting points in the early years, teachers do not ensure that pupils have enough opportunities to develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills throughout the school. This means that pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable.
• Teachers do not consistently give the most able pupils opportunities to reach their full potential because work set is not challenging enough. This means that this group of pupils is not making the progress of which it is capable.
• For the past two years, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard at the end of Year 2 phonics screening check has been below the national average. However, in 2017, school information shows that all pupils achieved this milestone.
• Mathematics is taught well in Year 1 and Year 2. Pupils’ workbooks show that they make steady progress from their different starting points because teachers make effective use of assessment to match work to pupils’ abilities.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are supported well and make good progress from lower starting points. Staff quickly identify their particular needs and provide well-targeted additional help. Skilled teaching assistants support pupils well, and promote their independence by taking care not to give them more help than they need. As a result, these pupils gain confidence in their ability to learn and succeed at school.
• Disadvantaged pupils’ workbooks show that they make the progress of which they are capable, including the most able disadvantaged pupils. Teachers tailor tasks well enough to meet pupils’ specific needs. Leaders and teachers check on the progress of this group of pupils regularly, providing appropriate interventions, to ensure that they make progress.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• There have been several changes to staffing over recent years in the early years. The headteacher is currently acting as the leader for the early years provision. The quality of teaching, learning and assessment in the early years is inconsistent. Adults’ expectations of children’s learning are not high enough.
• While there has been a steady increase in the proportion of children achieving a good level of development, the proportion of children achieving this standard has been below the national average for the past two years. Despite this, in 2017, over half the children achieved a good level of development, indicating that they were well prepared for Year 1.
• Leaders do not make sure that teachers use assessment information to gauge accurately children’s starting points. This means that teachers do not consistently plan activities that build on children’s skills and meet the specific next steps in children’s learning. This hampers the progress that some children make.
• The indoor and outdoor learning spaces in the Reception classes do not provide children with a stimulating and interesting place to learn. Few displays celebrate children’s work or enrich their experience of language. The outdoor space has limited writing, reading and number activities.
• Teachers do not consistently provide activities that are well resourced and offer sufficient opportunities for children to deepen their learning. Activities do not always capture children’s interests. This means that pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable, particularly the most able children.
• Children play and learn well together. They are able to talk about their learning and enjoy learning with their classmates. Adults have established clear routines that have ensured that children feel safe at school.
• The classroom and outdoor spaces are safe. Adults have received appropriate safeguarding and first-aid training.
• Parents receive information to help their child settle well in the early years. This includes pre-visits to the school where children have opportunities to play and meet their new teacher.
• Disadvantaged pupils make good progress in the early years because they are supported well by adults.

School details

Unique reference number 112733 Local authority Derby Inspection number 10023151 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Infant and Nursery school School category Community Age range of pupils 3 to 7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 196 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Debbie Haynes Headteacher Helen Kelk Telephone number 01332 229229 Website www.rosehillinfants.co.uk Email address admin@rosehill.derby.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15–16 May 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The school left a federation with two neighbouring schools in 2016. The school is led by its own governing body.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is much higher than the national average for primary schools.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is broadly in line with the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The school is affiliated to Derby Teaching Schools Alliance.

Information about this inspection

• The inspectors observed learning in seven lessons. These covered all classes in the school. One of the observations took place accompanied by the headteacher. The inspectors also scrutinised many examples of pupils’ work.
• The inspection team held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, middle leaders, parents, governors and pupils.
• The inspectors looked at a wide range of documentation, including the school’s development plan and self-evaluation, policies and records related to safeguarding, records of pupils’ behaviour, the school’s information about pupils’ outcomes and attendance, and records of meetings of the governing body.
• Inspectors considered the views of 45 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent View, and the 5 responses to the free-text service for parents. They considered the 13 responses to the staff questionnaire. There were no pupil responses to the questionnaire.

Inspection team

Emma Nuttall, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Fiona Riley Ofsted Inspector Liz Moore Ofsted Inspector