The Roseland Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Embed, review and evaluate the system for assessing and tracking pupils’ skills and knowledge in key stage 3 to ensure continuing rapid progress and high attainment for all groups of pupils.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The current headteacher has provided outstanding leadership and vision for the school. He is very strongly supported by other senior leaders and trustees.
• Senior leaders are determined to improve the school. They have a very clear understanding about what needs to be done to provide the best education possible and so maximise the progress made by all pupils. Although improvements are very evident, there is no complacency; leaders are constantly seeking ways to make things better.
• The headteacher leads by example and is very open and honest in assessing the strengths of the school and identifying where further progress can be made. Leaders are keen to collect evidence about the effectiveness of their actions. Evaluations are sharply designed and leaders use them to make modifications to their improvement plans, ensuring that there is maximum impact.
• Leadership at all levels in the school is strong. Teachers and support staff are clear that the school has improved significantly. Morale is high. The staff survey had an overwhelmingly positive response.
• The senior leaders have high expectations of themselves and others. All staff members are supported and given appropriate training so that they can continue to develop their skills and meet the high standards expected. Teachers value the trust placed in them when they lead new initiatives, such as the development of the school’s assessment systems.
• Teachers’ skills are developed by activities which extend across the trust and include, for example, enhancing the skills of middle leaders. Teachers in the early stages of their careers feel well supported by more senior colleagues.
• The school has developed its performance management processes so that it is ongoing and encourages teachers to review their own work and seek to improve.
• The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum in key stage 3, allowing pupils access to a wide range of subjects, which establishes a strong base for further learning. In key stage 4, pupils continue to study a balanced core curriculum which includes English, mathematics, science, physical education, and philosophy and ethics. Pupils select four further subjects to study and so Year 11 pupils typically gain ten qualifications. The school ensures that all pupils have a relevant curriculum, which can include vocational qualifications.
• The school offers an exceptional range of extra-curricular activities; pupils may attend clubs at lunchtimes and after school. Club activities include fencing, sports and board games. Most pupils participate regularly in at least one activity; inspectors could see how much they value these opportunities.
• Music activities are an important feature of the school. The Roseland Youth Orchestra extends a welcome to primary school pupils from the local area, which enhances their transition to secondary school.
• Leaders carefully plan strategies to support pupils, including those entitled to pupil premium funding, and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Leaders and trustees check the impact of actions to ensure that the funding is used well.
• Staff target specific help to pupils who need support with literacy or numeracy skills. This is effective in equipping pupils with the basic skills needed in all areas of learning.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported to make progress by plans which are specific to their particular needs. This helps individuals to flourish and be well prepared for life beyond school. Parents are closely involved with planning; the school works closely with them to support pupils.
• The school has a pupil and parent support service known to the community as ‘PaSS’. Pupils told inspectors that if they ever need to talk to someone about a problem, they know they can get help.
• Leaders give close attention to the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. One example is the day dedicated for Year 9 pupils to learn about democratic processes and the fundamentals of the British political system. Teachers across the multi-academy trust work together to ensure that as pupils progress through the schools they acquire good knowledge and skills to equip them for their adult lives.

Governance of the school

• Trustees offer high levels of support and challenge to leaders. They share the high ambitions of leaders and do all that they can to help pupils to be successful.
• The board of trustees has undergone considerable reorganisation in the last fifteen months. They have sought advice from a national leader of governance to ensure that they have the skills and knowledge necessary to carry out their responsibilities effectively.
• Trustees bring a wide range of experience and skills to their roles, for example in carrying out their safeguarding duties. They visit the school regularly and ensure that they are well informed about the school’s work and the impact of the actions taken.
• Records of meetings show that trustees have a comprehensive understanding of the performance management of teachers and the actions taken to support teachers.
• Trustees make themselves available for parents to contact in a variety of ways. For example, representatives regularly attend school events and parents are invited to participate in survey activities.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Thorough checks are made to ensure that all members of staff are suitable to work with pupils. Good records are kept and meet all requirements. Samples of the records are crosschecked regularly.
• Records about any safeguarding concerns for pupils are detailed and well organised to allow leaders to keep track of how different agencies, such as social workers, are involved. A new system for recording concerns was introduced across the multi-academy trust this year and it is helping to ensure that work with children from the same family is well coordinated.
• All members of staff are regularly trained to high levels, and they are able to spot signs of pupils who may be at risk. Adults understand what their responsibilities are and take appropriate actions to follow up any concerns.
• The school has a detailed plan of learning activities so that pupils are well informed about how to keep themselves safe. On the first day of the inspection, pupils had a programme of events to learn about things like substance abuse and road safety. Similar days during the school year cover other aspects of safety and well-being. Other learning activities take place in lessons and tutor time. Pupils told inspectors that they are confident that they know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and social media.
• Thorough risk assessments are made when off-site activities are undertaken.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• Throughout the school, pupils benefit from high-quality teaching, enabling them to make excellent progress. Teachers know their pupils exceptionally well and plan learning activities thoroughly so that all pupils are supported to progress in line with their capabilities.
• In the last two years, school leaders have developed their own system of assessing skills and knowledge, known by the school as ‘ASK’. Inspectors saw the system being used effectively, particularly in key stage 4. The school sets aspirational targets for all pupils, and then monitors the progress of individuals against a sequence of developmental stages. Careful and regular checking of progress allows leaders to identify any potential barriers to learning. If necessary, leaders put in place specific plans to overcome problems, keeping pupils on track to make rapid progress.
• Leaders have plans to extend the work with ‘ASK’ with younger pupils, so that pupils in key stage 3 are best supported to achieve highly.
• Teachers ensure that pupils develop good understanding and plan activities which interest and engage pupils. Inspectors saw younger pupils engrossed in their learning as they created their own Fibonacci sequence in mathematics. They were keen to identify the pattern, deepen their knowledge and demonstrate their understanding.
• Homework tasks are set to enhance and extend lesson activities. Pupils are expected to appropriately pace their homework activities. This is part of the learning process for them.
• School leaders use a good range of approaches to monitor effectiveness and keep a close eye on how this can be improved year-on-year. For example, this year, leaders have introduced pupil shadowing so that the experiences of a pupil can be monitored and the impact of the school’s work can be assessed. Leaders see this as an important step in checking that their intentions are actually having the anticipated impact.
• The school has invested in training teaching assistants to a high level. Known as teaching practitioners, their skills are used to give pupils specific support. For example, practitioners ensure that pupils have the literacy skills they need to access the curriculum. In addition to providing direct support to pupils, teaching practitioners use their expertise to train other members of staff.
• In a small number of subjects, the school leaders have identified teaching and learning as less effective. Religious studies has now been improved, with the appointment of a subject specialist in 2016 and accompanying changes to the subject’s curriculum in key stage 4.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school's work to promote pupils' personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Relationships between pupils and their tutors are valued highly, and this helps pupils to feel that they are known as individuals.
• Inspectors visited classrooms and talked to pupils about their learning. Older pupils in particular spoke with confidence about their successes and what they need to do next to make further progress. In general, pupils have an exceptionally good grasp of their strengths as learners.
• Pupils were clear that bullying is not a problem in the school. They confirmed that when rare cases are reported to the leaders, effective actions are taken to resolve the issue. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school and know how to keep themselves safe.
• No instances of derogatory language use were witnessed by inspectors, and the school records show that such behaviour is very rare. Pupils confirmed this. Where instances do occur, they are dealt with swiftly and in accordance with the school’s behaviour policy.
• Teachers help pupils to remain healthy in all respects, including emotional health. The school’s community farm provides a nurturing environment for pupils who choose to spend time there at lunch break.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• In the classrooms visited by inspectors, pupils were exceptionally well focused on their learning tasks in almost all cases. Pupils take huge pride in their work. Written work is carefully presented, and it was unusual to find a piece of work which was not completed. Pupils enjoy their learning.
• The school environment is well looked after by pupils. There was no litter or signs of disrespect. Pupils’ artwork displayed throughout the school is much appreciated.
• Throughout the school, the behaviour of pupils was exceptionally polite, considerate of each other, staff members and visitors. Pupils are confident when talking about their learning and experiences. They articulate their views well.
• Pupils conduct themselves extremely well, for example during breaktimes and when enjoying leisure facilities. The vast majority of pupils showed high levels of self-discipline. For example, on hearing the buzzer at the end of break, pupils moved swiftly on to lessons with no need for further encouragement from teachers.
• Overall attendance levels continue to be above the national average, although in recent years there had been a dip in the attendance of those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged. The school has worked to support these pupils to remove any barriers to learning and, as a result, their attendance is improving.
• When a pupil has a specific need, they may be educated at another centre and will return to the school as soon as they are ready. The school has systems to check attendance and welfare to minimise risks to a pupil’s safety. Regular review meetings take place at the school. This ensures that the pupil and their family are in regular contact with the school and their return is made as easy as possible.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• In 2016, pupils made progress overall which was well above national average. Their progress was above average in all subjects, except in mathematics, where it was broadly in line with the national average.
• In 2017, overall, pupils made consistently outstanding progress in all subjects, including mathematics, English, science and a wide range of other subjects. This exceptional progress has resulted from the drive to ensure that every pupil receives high-quality teaching and develops as a highly successful learner.
• Inspectors looked carefully at the progress being made by pupils currently in all year groups. Evidence from observing in classrooms, looking at samples of pupils’ work and scrutiny of the school’s tracking records shows that pupils throughout the school are achieving well regardless of ability, background or starting point.
• The effectiveness of the school’s work to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make outstanding progress is also clear; the progress made by this group in 2017 examinations was exceptional. The programme of support provided to all year groups ensures that any barriers to learning are being removed.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive support so that they make progress which is at least in line with their peers throughout the school.
• The school prepares pupils for a diverse range of education, training and career pathways. The success is evident in the high proportion of pupils who continue their education with local colleges. Pupils are given broad advice and information about the choices available to them. The school has enhanced this guidance by introducing ‘Love my Job’, a programme of visiting speakers who give pupils information about their careers.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 136572 Cornwall 10034420 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 Secondary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 11 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 631 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Paul Grayston Chris Challis 01872530675 www.theroseland.co.uk enquiries@theroseland.co.uk Date of previous inspection 11–12 February 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• In 2016, the school formed The Roseland Multi-Academy Trust with two local primary schools. The headteacher of this school is also the chief executive officer of the trust.
• There is one board of trustees and it is responsible for all schools in the multi-academy trust.
• The school is smaller than average, and almost all pupils are of White British heritage. There are few pupils from minority ethnic groups and very few who speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils entitled to support by pupil premium funding is below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11.
• The school uses the Acorn Academy in Truro to provide alternative provision when it is in the best interest of an individual pupil.

Information about this inspection

• On the first day of the inspection, the school had a programme of personal, social and health education activities and therefore no pupils were following their normal timetables. Year 11 pupils were off-site for much of the day, attending an event elsewhere. Inspectors visited a selection of the activities taking place at the school.
• On the second day, inspectors observed learning in a broad range of subjects across all year groups. Some of these observations were conducted jointly with the school’s senior leaders.
• Inspectors looked at pupils’ work across a range of subjects, including reviewing work from last academic year. Inspectors sampled the work of pupils of all prior attainment groups, disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Meetings were held with senior leaders, representatives of the board of trustees, middle leaders and other teachers. Inspectors had formal discussions with pupils and also informal conversations throughout the inspection.
• The conduct of pupils was observed in lessons and during lesson changes and breaktimes.
• Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documentation, including records about pupils’ attendance, risk assessments, behaviour incident logs, and safeguarding records. Close attention was given to the school’s systems to track pupils’ progress and the actions taken to follow up any concerns about a pupil falling behind. Records of meetings of the board of trustees were examined.
• The views of parents were considered through 70 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. One hundred and eighty-eight pupils gave their views through the online questionnaire and 62 members of staff responded to the inspection questionnaire.

Inspection team

Ann Cox, lead inspector Daniel Roberts Malcolm Willis Carol Hannaford Julie Nash Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector