Roe Lee Park Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Raise the overall quality of teaching in order to further accelerate pupils’ progress, by:
  • making sure that all groups of pupils, including the most able, are challenged to do their best.
• Strengthen the impact of leadership by:
  • ensuring that leaders make effective use of information to monitor trends in behaviour, attendance and bullying so that correlations can be made with assessment data, ensuring that no pupils fail to make progress.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher provides strong leadership. He is committed to ensuring that all pupils achieve their very best. As a result of improvements made to teaching, outcomes across the school are improving.
• The senior leadership team is secure; this school is in safe hands. The school’s self-evaluation is accurate. Senior leaders have a good awareness of the school’s strengths and priorities for development. The school development plan is detailed and sets out clearly the priorities for the year ahead. Teachers’ targets are closely linked to school priorities and monitored by senior leaders
• Staff morale in the school is high. Staff are proud to work at the school and share the same vision for all pupils as the headteacher and senior leaders. Those new to the school or the profession receive good levels of support.
• Leaders and managers keep records about attendance, behaviour and bullying. However, they do not analyse this information to identify trends over time and the impact on different groups of pupils. The headteacher keeps a bullying log, which details individual incidents. It does not detail the types of bullying that take place in school. Equally, the headteacher has up-to-date attendance information. This information is not used to inform leaders of the links between punctuality and attendance. The impact that extended leave has on individual pupils is not checked.
• The quality of teaching is monitored closely by the headteacher and senior leaders. Teachers share best practice in the school and work closely with the local authority cluster groups. Underperformance in teaching is addressed swiftly. Specific support is tailored to individual teachers’ needs to ensure that the quality of teaching and pupils’ outcomes are never less than good.
• Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities continue to make good progress. Funding is used effectively to provide additional specialist support to ensure that provision is matched to pupils’ needs.
• The pupil premium funding is used effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils are given the support they need. For example, additional support has been provided to improve outcomes in phonics for disadvantaged pupils. Such effective practice demonstrates the school’s commitment to equality of opportunity.
• Additional funding for sports in primary schools is used effectively to provide training and development opportunities for staff and increase pupils’ participation in various sports. Clear plans are in place to increase the uptake of sport participation both in school and outside of school.
• There is strong leadership of mathematics and English. Leaders monitor their subjects closely and are knowledgeable about their areas of responsibility. Roles of the middle leadership team in school are developing. Middle leaders are supported well by the deputy headteacher. All subject leaders work with other schools in the local authority and attend cluster meetings. This is a good opportunity for teachers to learn from other schools and share good practice.
• Pupils benefit from a broad and balanced curriculum enhanced by a range of visitors and visits. Year 6 pupils spoke enthusiastically about their experiences, in particular their residential visit when they had the opportunity to develop their teamwork and problem-solving skills. The curriculum provides pupils with the knowledge, and understanding of fundamental British values needed for life in modern British society.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Displays around the school show the richness of the curriculum at Roe Lee Park. In music, pupils have opportunities to play percussion instruments; they sing enthusiastically in assemblies. Pupils learn about art from different cultures. For example, Year 4 pupils have been learning about French artists. Pupils have opportunities to pray and reflect together. Recently, pupils completed work in preparation for Remembrance Sunday.
• The school website is informative and provides parents with clear links to additional information. The ethos and values of the school are clear and accessible for parents. During the inspection, parents expressed their opinions via Parent View. The majority are happy with the amount of information they receive about their child’s progress.
• Partnership working with others is strong. Senior leaders work closely with the local teaching school alliance to support trainee teachers. The school also supports other schools in the local authority with guided reading.
• Since the previous inspection, the local authority has helped leaders to strengthen school development planning and sharpen self-evaluation. Consequently, leaders are better placed to identify and act on priorities. .

Governance of the school

• Governors are dedicated to the school, supportive of the headteacher and passionate about ensuring that all children achieve to the best of their ability. They are knowledgeable about the school and have a secure understanding of what it does well and the further improvements that are needed.
• Governors hold the headteacher to account through robust performance management. They offer good levels of support and challenge, in a professional manner. They keep a close eye on the budget to ensure that the school remains sustainable. Governors have a good understanding of how pupil premium money is spent and the progress that different groups of pupils are making.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders, governors and staff are committed to keeping pupils safe. All staff have completed safeguarding training. Staff and governors have received ‘Prevent’ duty training.
• Staff know what to look for to keep children safe. They have a good awareness of procedures to follow should they be concerned about a pupil’s welfare. They also talk with some confidence about the signs of radicalisation, extremism, sexual exploitation, forced marriage and female genital mutilation.
• Appropriate checks are carried out on all staff prior to their starting work at the school.
• The single central record is compliant.
• Pupils, parents and staff all agree that pupils are safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• From observing teaching and looking at the work in pupils’ books, inspectors agree with the school’s self-evaluation that the quality of teaching, over time, is good. However, the most able learners are not always given opportunities to extend their learning to achieve higher standards in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Relationships between staff and pupils are good. There is a sense of enjoyment and fun in lessons. Pupils love learning about new things. Established learning routines ensure that little time is wasted at the beginning of lessons; pupils are quick to get to work.
• Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ learning but do not always stretch the most able pupils rigorously enough. Teachers’ good subject knowledge forms a firm basis for questioning that is varied and effective. This was exemplified in a Year 6 English lesson, in which effective questioning was used to help pupils think more deeply about poetic devices.
• Pupils’ progress is monitored well during lessons. Teachers and teaching assistants are quick to step in and address misconceptions. This is most evident in the effective use of adults in the delivery of phonics in key stage 1.
• The teaching of phonics is a strength of the school. Lessons are closely tailored to match the needs of pupils. Highly structured sessions provide pupils with a range of exciting activities to develop their understanding of sounds.
• The school has recently made helpful changes to the way it teaches guided reading. Reading is taught in a highly structured manner to help the high proportion of pupils whose first language is not English. Pupils are introduced to new vocabulary before they see the text. This helps them to understand the words in context when they read the text for the first time. There is a consistent approach to the way that reading is taught and, as a result, reading is improving across the school.
• Pupils show a love of reading; they read with fluency. They talk confidently about their reading books and their library books. Reading records show that pupils read at home regularly and that they frequently change their books. Pupils have access to a wide range of fiction and non-fiction books which are age appropriate.
• Mathematics is taught well. Teachers set clear expectations and challenge the pupils well through questioning. This was observed in a Year 5 class in which pupils worked in pairs and in groups to discuss their reasoning. Pupils were well equipped with a range of strategies to find the perimeter of compound shapes. Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils feel safe, enjoy school and are keen to learn.
• Pupils are clear about different forms of bullying. They said that name-calling and bullying are rare and that, if they do occur, teachers deal with them effectively. Pupils from the school council were able to talk with confidence about what they had learned during ‘anti-bullying’ week.
• Through the curriculum, pupils learn about healthy relationships and keeping safe. Pupils know what they have to do to keep themselves safe online. Year 6 pupils spoke of the dangers of using their real names while online. An effective filtering system is used in school to keep children safe.
• Pupils have an awareness of various family types and recognise that everyone is different. During a key stage 2 assembly, pupils learned and talked about diversity and difference. During the assembly, one pupil said, ‘We are not all the same,’ while another said, ‘We all have different opinions.’
• Democracy is promoted well across the curriculum. Pupils have the opportunity to vote for their favourite acts during school performances. Pupils have a sense of belonging to the local area. They have opportunities to explore local history, for example, taking part in traditional Lancashire clog dancing.
• Pupils regularly raise money for a wide variety of charitable causes to support others who are facing difficult situations. Recently, pupils came to school wearing something spotty to raise money for ‘Children in need’.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The school has a warm and friendly atmosphere. Pupils go out of their way to make visitors feel welcome.
• Standards of behaviour of pupils moving around school, in the dining hall and on the playground are good. Pupils have a strong understanding of the rewards and sanctions for types of behaviour.
• Behaviour in classrooms is good. However, on occasions, when learning does not grab pupils’ interest they become disengaged.
• Attendance figures fell in the previous academic year. Leaders and managers are tackling effectively the growing problem of families taking extended periods of leave in term time. As a result, attendance is improving. However, school leaders do not use the information effectively to build a profile of the overall school attendance and the impact on progress and attainment of different groups.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Children enter school in Nursery with knowledge and skills that are below those typical for their age. The vast majority speak English as an additional language. Through good provision in the early years, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development has grown year on year. It is now broadly in line with the national average. Children are well prepared for their transition to Year 1.
• Published data for 2016 and provisional data for 2017 show that at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 the outcomes in mathematics were strong. A high percentage of pupils achieved the higher standards in mathematics at key stage 2 in 2017. Their progress was above the national average: a continuing trend.
• In 2016, the number of pupils achieving the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check was in line the national average. Results have improved in 2017, and the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard is now above the national average.
• Outcomes in reading have been variable across key stage 1 and key stage 2 in 2016 and 2017. To address this, the teaching of guided reading has been a major focus for the school leaders. Efforts to improve reading are beginning to bear fruit. The school’s own assessment information shows that current pupils are making better progress in reading.
• School assessment information and work on display and in pupils’ books show that all groups of pupils are making good progress in a wide range of subjects, including science, history, geography and art.
• School leaders and managers carefully track the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have an accurate view of how to address barriers to learning to ensure that these pupils make progress in line with other pupils in the school and nationally.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their staring points. This is because of good teaching, timely interventions and good working relationships with outside agencies. School leaders provide support where it is most needed.
• The work in current pupils’ books shows clear evidence of teachers building on previous learning. Routines encourage pupils to support each other. There is a constant drive to move pupils on in their learning. However, at times, the most able pupils are not challenged sufficiently to make better progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• Teaching and learning in the early years are good. The learning environment, both indoors and outside, is vibrant, well-resourced and interactive. Clear routines allow the children to make the best of their learning experiences.
• Behaviour in the early years is good. Staff make sure that children are safe and their well-being is a high priority.
• Although limited in size, the outdoor area provides the children with a good range of opportunities to develop the skills that they cannot practise inside. For example, they are able to climb, and a newly developed mud kitchen allows them to explore through imaginative play.
• Pupils have many opportunities to practise their writing and mathematical skills. During one observation in the Reception class, children were working with and naming a wide range of two-dimensional shapes. Children were able to recognise the shapes, name them and discuss the number of sides.
• The work of the children is celebrated well in the early years. Mark-making and examples of writing are displayed. The views of the children are captured and displayed alongside their work.
• The provision in the early years is well led and managed. The recently appointed early years leader has a good understanding of the strengths and areas for development.
• Effective interactions between children and adults ensure that the early years is a vibrant learning space. Teachers and teaching assistants display good knowledge of children’s individual learning needs. They make regular, detailed observations and ensure that children are making good progress. All staff are skilled at knowing when to intervene and when to stand back and allow learning to progress with independence and creativity.
• Parents are informed about how well their children are doing in the early years. At the time of this inspection, the staff were investigating ways of sharing learning journeys electronically with parents.
• During this inspection, there were no breaches of statutory welfare requirements.

School details

Unique reference number 119127 Local authority Blackburn with Darwen Inspection number 10036765 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 418 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Ms Amina Diwan Mr Mark Geldard 01254 56297 www.roelee.com mark.geldard@roeleepark.blackburn.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12 July 2016

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets current government floor standards.
• The school is larger than the averaged-sized primary school.
• Children attend the Nursery class on a part-time basis and full time in Reception.
• The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan or a statement of SEN is below the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning across all year groups in the school. The headteacher took part in two joint observations.
• Meetings and discussions were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, middle leaders and members of staff, a representative from the local authority, the school’s improvement partner, parents and pupils.
• Inspectors met with four members of the governing body.
• Observations were made of pupils’ behaviour at the beginning of the day, at lunchtimes, breaktimes and in the classrooms.
• Inspectors examined a wide range of documentation including that relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding, the school’s information on pupils’ outcomes and reports on the quality of teaching.
• Inspectors listened to pupils read and looked at examples of their work in books.
• Account was taken of the 35 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire and 15 responses via free text completed by parents. Consideration was also given to the online questionnaires completed by pupils and staff.

Inspection team

John Donald, lead inspector Julie Peach Adrian Francis Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector