Rose Green Infant School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that staff are more proficient in using the school’s system of assessment so it is used more effectively to monitor pupils’ progress.
• Make sure that work provided for pupils challenges them in their learning and ensures that:
  • children in Reception accelerate their progress so the proportions exceeding the expected standard in literacy and mathematics are similar to the national average
  • the most able pupils in key stage 1 are given tasks that regularly deepen their knowledge and understanding in writing and mathematics.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Under the guidance of the highly experienced headteacher, staff have created a happy, caring and supportive school. Staff morale is high and there is a strong culture of teamwork.
• The vibrant curriculum provides pupils with a broad range of experiences. For example, the topic on the Great Fire of London gave pupils a good insight into that period of history. Pupils re-enacted the start of the fire and wrote about what they would have been able to hear and smell as the fire developed. Staff have helped pupils to investigate the aftermath of a fire. Under well-supervised conditions, pupils watched the effect of fire on everyday objects. They were fascinated to see that glass had completely changed its shape and other objects had disintegrated into dust.
• The school is an exciting learning environment. There are many opportunities to develop creative skills, for example in painting and pottery. Walls are full of colourful displays of pupils’ work. Some work is of an exceptional standard, such as the collage of the undersea world created in art club. Classroom displays support pupils’ learning effectively. They show key facts in English and mathematics and are referred to regularly by pupils during their lessons.
• The school provides many opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills. For example, pupils learn about the celebrations of different world religions. Pupils are given a good understanding of the natural world. Posters help pupils to identify the flowers and trees that grow in the school gardens. Pupils enjoy their pond dipping experiences in the school woodland area.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Nearly all who answered the Ofsted survey, Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent. A typical comment included, ‘All the staff are professional and approachable, we couldn’t be happier.’ Parents feel very welcome at the school. Many come in on a regular basis and help with activities, such as listening to pupils read.
• The school’s own evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses is accurate. Leaders have clear priorities for improvement based on raising the achievement of pupils. There are effective systems in place to manage the performance of teachers. Staff value the training and support they receive.
• Additional funding for primary physical education (PE) and sports funding is used well to increase participation rates and improve teachers’ skills. Pupils enjoy the range of activities on offer. As a result of the funding, pupils are developing expertise in many sports.
• Extra funding provided to the school for disadvantaged pupils is used well. It ensures that pupils attend regularly and are well supported in their learning.

Governance of the school

• Minutes of governing body meetings show that governors are challenging senior leaders and holding them to account. The recently appointed co-chairs are clearly ambitious for the school. They share a vision with school leaders for the school to continue to improve. Governors have put in place an effective system of scrutiny that ensures that all aspects of the school are carefully monitored.
• Governors have a good oversight of how the school is doing. For example, they recognised that, in early years, lower proportions of children exceed the expected standard when compared to the national average.
• Governors take their statutory responsibilities to keep pupils safe very seriously. They check that all policies and procedures are in place. They regularly undertake training.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Pupils say that they feel safe and well cared for when attending the school. They say that teachers help them to realise how important it is to stay safe when out of school as well, for example, when crossing the road. Pupils say that they have learned a lot about staying safe when using the internet.
• Staff have been well trained in spotting the signs and symptoms of abuse. They know the procedures to follow in the event of a safeguarding incident.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Pupils say that, ‘Teaching is good at this school because the lessons are fun and interesting.’ In all classes, staff have positive relationships with pupils.
• Pupils make good strides in improving their reading skills. They read regularly, both at home and school. Pupils are encouraged to write reviews of the stories they have read. A typical comment was, ‘I liked the princess story because she has long hair like my mummy.’
• Writing skills are developed effectively. Staff provide numerous opportunities for pupils to practise their spelling and punctuation skills. Teachers utilise effective methods to help pupils learn that stories have a beginning, a middle and an end.
• In mathematics, pupils learn concepts such as addition and subtraction. They use these skills to develop their understanding of money.
• Pupils conduct many experiments in science. They learn to predict, for example, what will happen to materials in different conditions, such as whether an object will float or sink if put in water.
• Teaching assistants work well with pupils to help to move their learning forward. They provide clear explanations to pupils. Many teaching assistants have been at the school for a while and bring a great deal of expertise to the role.
• The outside play area and gardens provide a stimulating learning environment. Experiences offered to pupils include playing musical instruments, navigating through a maze or playing in the pirate role-play area. Imaginative wood carvings of wizards and dragons in the playground provide useful prompts to stimulate pupils’ early writing skills.
• In some lessons, teachers do not always challenge pupils well enough in their learning. They do not provide tasks that deepen pupils’ knowledge and understanding. This has a negative impact on the progress that pupils make in developing their writing and mathematics skills.
• School leaders have introduced a system of assessment which is relatively new. They recognise that staff are not fully proficient in its use, because they have not been well enough trained. This is about to be addressed by leaders.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils quickly become self-assured learners because staff gently encourage them to try out new experiences and activities. One example of this was seen during the inspection where pupils acted, sang and danced in a concert.
• Pupils know about the different types of bullying. They say that bullying at the school is rare. This is also shown in the school’s records. Pupils are confident that if they ever had any concerns their teachers would quickly sort them out. Parents say that any bullying would be dealt with ‘swiftly and responsibly’.
• Parents consider that the personal development of their children is a key priority for staff. A typical comment was, ‘Staff care and this has helped my child to gain so much more self-confidence.’
• Leaders encourage all pupils to be involved in making decisions about the school. As a result, pupils feel very proud of their school and feel that they play a major part in its success.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils conduct themselves well throughout the school. At lunchtimes, they play happily together and chat quietly to their friends. In lessons, pupils approach their work with enthusiasm. They listen carefully to the teacher and apply themselves well to the tasks that are set.
• All staff who responded to the Ofsted survey consider that the behaviour of pupils in the school is good.
• Attendance for all groups of pupils is similar to the national average.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils enter Year 1 with skills that are overall typical for their age. They make good progress and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Pupils have good phonics skills. In 2017, a larger proportion of pupils reached the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check, when compared to the national average. School data suggests that this trend is set to continue. Current pupils are making strong gains in developing their understanding of letters and the sounds they make. From the early years, many are able to blend sounds together to make words.
• Pupils do well in their key stage 1 tests. Last year, results improved from the previous year. The proportion of pupils who met the expected standard was similar to the national average. Books indicate that current Year 2 pupils are making good progress and are on track to achieve at least as well this year.
• Pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities do well. Work in books indicates that they are making good progress from their starting points.
• In 2017, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard was below the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Checks in current pupils’ books show that disadvantaged pupils are now making stronger progress.
• Pupils make good progress in science. In 2017, similar proportions to the national average met the expected standard. Work in books indicates that pupils make good progress in recording their observations of experiments.
• The achievement of the most able pupils, in 2017, was similar to the national average in reading and writing. However, it was well below average in mathematics. Work in pupils’ books shows that the current most able pupils are not always making the best progress in their writing and mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• From starting points that are usually typical for their age, children make good progress. As a result, children are well prepared for their learning in Year 1.
• By the end of early years, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development has been a little above the national average for the last couple of years. However, the proportion exceeding this level is relatively low.
• Teachers provide many opportunities to develop the different areas of learning, such as children’s creativity. During the inspection, children were seen to be making interesting models and paintings. However, teachers do not always provide work that fully stretches and challenges children. In previous years, this has resulted in a lower percentage of children exceeding the expected standard, when compared to the national average.
• Staff ensure that classrooms provide a colourful and stimulating learning environment. The outside area is well planned to ensure that children learn by exploration. During the inspection, children were fascinated by watching how tadpoles swim.
• Parents are very complimentary about the early years provision. A typical comment was, ‘We couldn’t be happier, we feel that the staff have really given our child the confidence to succeed, staff truly care about our child’s wellbeing.’
• Children behave well. They sit and listen carefully to the teacher and usually work with perseverance. Most children are confident in trying out new activities.
• Leadership in the early years is effective. Leaders make sure that all the arrangements to safeguard children are fully in place.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 125928 West Sussex 10041007 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Infant School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 7 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 268 Appropriate authority The governing body Co-Chairs Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Sarah Francis and Ben Lander Julie Holloway 01243 262318 www.rosegreen-inf.w-sussex.sch.uk office@rosegreeninfant.school Date of previous inspection 12−13 December 2013

Information about this school

• Rose Green Infant School is larger than the average-sized infant school. The school’s early years provision consists of three Reception classes. There are also three classes in both Year 1 and Year 2.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors and senior leaders observed learning in 18 lessons. In addition, a number of shorter visits were made to check on aspects such as the learning and progress of disadvantaged pupils. Inspectors conducted a detailed scrutiny of pupils’ work across all year groups.
• Inspectors talked to pupils about what it was like to be a pupil at this school. Some pupils in Year 2 read to inspectors.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff and governors. There was a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.
• The views of 53 parents who responded to the Ofsted online questionnaire, Parent View, were considered. Inspectors gathered the views of 20 parents who were meeting their children at the school gate.
• Inspectors considered the 19 responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire.
• A range of documentation was examined, including the school’s development plan. Policies and records related to safeguarding, and information about pupils’ behaviour, progress and attendance, were checked.

Inspection team

Liz Bowes, lead inspector Justin Bartlett Hilary Goddard

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector