Roseberry Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Address the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and the impact on pupils’ progress by ensuring that: teachers use assessment information to inform the next steps for pupils, ensuring that the tasks provided meet their individual needs, particularly for the least able pupils the most able pupils are sufficiently challenged in all lessons to ensure they reach even higher standards the high-quality teaching and effective practice in the school is shared widely to further improve the practice of other staff.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The principal leads the school effectively with a determined approach. Leaders at all levels share her clear vision and have an accurate view of strengths and areas to develop further.
• The principal and vice principal have had a resolute focus on improving the quality of teaching and tackling weaknesses, following the disappointing dip in pupils’ outcomes in summer 2016. They were very clear that outcomes were ‘just not good enough’ and they have made consistent, rigorous and successful efforts to raise standards over the past 18 months. The principal’s ‘no excuses’ approach led to a significant improvement in outcomes and pupils’ progress in 2017 and to the good progress pupils are currently making in their learning across the school.
• The principal has improved the way that all leaders check the quality of teaching and learning. Senior leaders have an accurate view of the quality of teaching and are not afraid to take swift action where necessary. Teachers willingly take on board the clear guidance from leaders on how to improve their effectiveness and skills, including accessing further training. Leaders know that best practice is shared in school to improve the quality of teaching of others but not as widely as it could be.
• Leaders use the funding to provide support for disadvantaged pupils and for those who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities well. Pupils’ progress information and reviews of work in books for these pupils show they make good progress in their learning, particularly in writing, which has improved significantly since 2016. Differences between the progress these pupils make and the progress of their peers have diminished successfully in most classes and year groups.
• The school provides a rich and varied curriculum. It is enticing and encourages pupils to take an active part in their learning. Teachers usually set challenging tasks, which enable pupils to apply their writing skills in their topic work.
• Pupils’ progress in English and mathematics is not at the expense of the wider curriculum. Pupils develop qualities essential for them to be thoughtful, active citizens in modern Britain today through the wide range of activities and opportunities provided.
• Parents’ views are highly positive about all aspects of the school’s work. Parents say that they are involved in their children’s education because of the excellent communication between home and school and the approachability of staff. A small number of parents commented that they were not happy with the amount of homework their children receive. Leaders were already aware of a very few concerns and are considering different approaches to take.
• Leaders promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development strongly through day-to-day lessons, assemblies and an effective personal, social and health education. Pupils develop cooperative and constructive relationships with each other and the atmosphere across school is harmonious and purposeful.
• Leaders ensure that they use the primary school sports funding well. As a result, pupils’ participation in, and enjoyment of, sports activities has increased successfully.
• Leaders at all levels appreciate the support and challenge that they receive from the academy trust’s achievement improvement officer. He has an accurate view of the school performance and provides a clear steer on the strengths and areas for improvement.

Governance of the school

• The local governing board used the findings of a skills audit in 2016 to identify any required improvements in their effectiveness. Since then, they have undertaken further training in order to make sure that they have the knowledge to carry out their roles of challenge and support to leaders well.
• Governors manage the performance of the principal effectively and are aware of staff’s salary progression. They are not afraid to be challenging in the objectives that they set leaders and then monitoring them for impact.
• Leaders of the trust are clear about the school’s strengths and areas for further development. Through regular checks on leaders’ actions, and challenge where aspects are not as strong as they should be, they are supporting the school’s journey to improvement successfully, particularly so following the dip in standards in 2016.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The principal and vice principal have established a strong culture of safeguarding and care across the school. All staff follow the school’s rigorous recording systems. Leaders work well with other agencies and they take appropriate and timely action to keep vulnerable pupils safe.
• All staff are vigilant and promote pupils’ welfare and safety on a daily basis and through their learning. As a result, pupils say they feel very safe and they learn how to stay safe in a variety of situations, including when they are online.
• Virtually all parents who responded to Parent View, the inspection questionnaire, agreed that their children felt safe and were well looked after. Parents who spoke to inspectors were also overwhelmingly positive about their children’s safety, care, and the way that staff go out of their way to support children and families in times of need.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Strengths in teaching are evident across the school. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and they plan purposeful and creative activities that entice their pupils into learning well. Teachers have responded positively to leaders’ actions introduced following the disappointing 2016 results. This has secured strong improvements in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in 2017.
• All teaching staff have established a successful learning culture, underpinned by mutual respect and highly positive relationships. Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary and they say they enjoy their learning. This is evident in the enthusiastic and diligent way they apply themselves to their activities.
• Teachers assess pupils’ progress regularly and rigorously. They moderate assessments of pupils’ work internally as well as externally with colleagues from other schools within the trust. This allows them to validate their monitoring of pupils’ progress and to provide accurate progress data to leaders.
• Teachers usually use their detailed assessments of pupils’ work to inform pupils’ next steps well. However, on occasions teachers do not pitch work precisely enough. When this happens, work is too hard for the least able pupils and too easy for the most able, slowing the pace of learning. Leaders are aware of this and they have started to ensure that staff refine learning activities to meet the needs of all pupils consistently.
• Teachers’ and teaching assistants’ use of questioning is good. They pitch the questions accurately to suit the different abilities of pupils so that all pupils have to think about what they understand and describe it. This is developing the language skills of pupils as well as deepening their thinking in lessons successfully.
• Teaching assistants contribute well in lessons and this is particularly the case in small group intervention activities. The pupils thrive in the small group work because they take part in activities that do match their abilities and needs. They gain in confidence from the nurturing and strong relationships they develop with staff.
• All staff have received training in the teaching of phonics to ensure that pupils learn how to link letters and sounds correctly. Teachers teach phonics, reading and comprehension skills well. As a result, a high proportion of pupils across the school have the skills to read a wide range of books, suitable for their age and abilities. In 2017, all Year 1 pupils reached the required standard in the Year 1 phonic screening check. Pupils can use and apply their reading skills in many different subjects across the curriculum and speak enthusiastically about the increasing opportunities they have to read for pleasure and for information.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• This is a nurturing and inclusive school where all pupils are welcomed, valued and supported. The pastoral care provided to pupils, including the work of the family mentor, is exceptional. Parents and pupils are overwhelmingly positive about the school and speak convincingly of the tangible ‘family atmosphere’ that welcomes all who enter. Parents cite the principal, who leads by example, as the contributing factor to the school’s success. One parent reflected the views of many when they reported, ‘The school family is at the heart of Roseberry and children are cared for well.’
• Pupils are very strong ambassadors for the school. Pupils are confident and display mature and thoughtful attitudes to adults and each other. They speak of their pride in the school, their charity work and the importance of their friendship groups.
• Parents and pupils value highly the ‘wrap-around’ education, care and curriculum provided: from the breakfast club early in the morning to the many interesting activities that pupils can take part in at the end of the school day. Parents particularly appreciate the school ‘blog’ which allows them to discover what their children have been learning about at school.
• Pupils, especially those in Years 5 and 6, are very nurturing of younger pupils, those whose circumstances may make them vulnerable or pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. Older pupils speak eloquently about how their help supports pupils and they thrive on the responsibilities that they are given.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of the main world religions and celebrate the diversity of cultures and faiths throughout the school year. Pupils’ charity work, ‘thought of the week’ and assemblies enable pupils to reflect on world events, ethical, spiritual or moral issues. Such work helps to prepare them to be thoughtful and active citizens in modern Britain today. The high-quality learning from this work is evident in books and on the vibrant displays that adorn the corridors and walls. The school has forged links with schools in Jamaica and Ghana, which contributes further to pupils’ understanding of, and value for, communities beyond their own.
• Pupils who attend breakfast club enjoy a safe, healthy start to the day. Pupils talk enthusiastically about the healthy breakfast choice and the opportunity to socialise with their friends before school starts each day.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils are polite, friendly and courteous to each other and adults. Their behaviour as they move around the school, in lessons and at breaktime is impeccable. Their willingness and actions to help each other in lessons and on the playground are commonplace.

• Leaders’ actions over time, including those of the family mentor, have improved the attendance of pupils from below average in 2016 to above average currently. Leaders’ work to reduce persistent absence has also been successful. It has resulted in more pupils attending school regularly, including those who are disadvantaged or who have SEN and/or disabilities. Attendance rates of these pupils are at least in line with that found nationally for all pupils.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary, therefore low-level disruption in classes is very rare. Pupils assist one another sensitively in lessons because of the strong relationships developed and the systems set up by leaders to allow pupils to know when others need help.
• Pupils say that they feel very safe because everyone in school looks after them and supports them. Those spoken to by inspectors said there is no bullying and they are very confident that if they had any concerns an adult would deal with them quickly. Pupils have a very good understanding of how to stay safe through the teaching of safety in the curriculum including road, fire, river and personal safety. They also have a very good understanding of staying safe online at school and at home because of the strong online safety curriculum and messages in assemblies.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders took decisive action to tackle the dip in standards and pupils’ progress in 2016. Pupils have made substantial improvement in their attainment and progress in English and mathematics over the past 18 months. Consequently, at the end of key stage 1 and key stage 2 in 2017 standards were above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Pupils’ progress from the time they enter key stage 2 to the end has also improved over the same period. In 2017, greater proportions of pupils made the progress expected for their age than that found nationally in writing. The previous significant differences between Year 6 pupils’ progress in reading and mathematics and the progress of other pupils nationally reduced significantly.
• Leaders’ greater focus on the outcomes of the small proportion of disadvantaged pupils has ensured that they are making good progress. The previous differences in progress rates between these pupils and other pupils nationally are diminishing successfully for pupils currently in school.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make good progress from their individual starting points. Leaders track the progress of these pupils closely and they take additional actions where necessary.
• The proportion of pupils achieving age-related expectations in the Year 1 phonics assessments has increased over time due to the systematic way that teachers and teaching assistants teach phonics. In 2017, all pupils achieved national expectations.
• The proportion of pupils meeting age-related expectations in reading in key stage 1 has moved from below average in 2016 to well above average in 2017. This is a result of leadership actions to improve to consistency in the teaching of reading, writing and phonics and by improving library resources. Pupils now access reading books that entice them into reading for a purpose or for pleasure.
• Observations of learning, reviews of pupils’ books and the school’s assessment information shows that pupils across the school are making generally good progress in their learning across the curriculum.
• Leaders now work with teachers to identify any pupil at risk of underachieving so that they can introduce additional timely intervention activities. This high-quality, small-group or individual support helps pupils to catch up to where they should be and this is contributing to the notable improvements made across the school.
• On occasions, where pupils’ progress is not as rapid, leaders are aware that teachers do not set activities that are matched closely enough to the differing abilities of pupils, particularly the least and most able. Leaders are taking action to address this.
• Pupils are ready for the next stage of their education because they have secure skills, are achieving well and display highly positive attitudes to learning.

Early years provision

Good

• Leaders have made improvements to the provision in Reception, which have ensured that children get off to a good start. They enter Reception with skills that are broadly typical for their age, although some start with skills below this, particularly in their speech and language development. Improvements in all areas of provision have resulted in a four-year trend of improvement in the proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year. This is a move from the proportion being below that found nationally in 2014 to the proportion being slightly above that found nationally in 2017.
• Leaders have ensured that strong transition arrangements are in place before children start school, with effective links between home and school as well as with the range of pre-school providers. Parents appreciate the productive relationships which the Reception staff establish between home and school. Parents also value the way in which they are involved in extending their children’s learning once they start school.
• Children settle into Reception quickly. They now make strong progress from individual starting points across the range of areas of learning. Children’s progress has hastened because of improvements in the quality of teaching and the highly engaging experiences now provided.
• The early years leader has tackled the previous significant differences in the achievements between groups of children, including disadvantaged children. As a result, outcomes for children leaving Reception in 2017 were more consistent across the early years developmental bands and for all groups.
• Adults provide children with a wide range of enticing activities within a safe environment that supports their intellectual, creative, physical and social development successfully. Children enjoy the exciting indoor and outside areas while well-deployed adults check and probe pupils’ learning. As a result, children make good progress and are well prepared to move on to their challenges in Year 1.
• Adults follow children’s interests and plan to meet their individual needs. In addition, they keep a strong focus on developing pupils’ language, mathematical and phonic development. The teacher and teaching assistants are skilled in using perceptive, probing questioning to help children think about what they are doing and then extend their thinking and understanding further.
• Teachers and teaching assistants check children’s learning regularly to help plan their next steps. Occasionally, some recording of assessments, activities or homework tasks set are not matched specifically enough to children’s different skills and abilities. Leaders are taking action to tackle this in order to hasten the progress children make even further.
• Children are safe and all staff receive relevant training to help them understand the importance of meeting the welfare and safeguarding requirements. Children say that they feel safe and parents confirm that their children are safe and looked after well.
• Children develop the qualities to be thoughtful and caring children who cooperate and make decisions together. In one session, it was delightful for inspectors to see children working together excitedly to make their own spaceship models, gathering a range of tools, boxes and accessories to make sure it was ‘going to work’.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 141463 North Yorkshire 10037698 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 Academy 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 223 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Principal Telephone number Website Email address Dr Lucy Roth Helen Channing 01642 722883

www.roseberryacademy.org office@roseberryacademy.org

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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.
• The school is an average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through the pupil premium is below the national average.
• The vast majority of pupils are White British and speak English as their first language.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities and require additional school support is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below average.
• The school organises a breakfast club and after-school club.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school converted to an academy as part of the Enquire Learning Trust in September 2014. The school retains a local governing board that works within the scheme of delegation approved by trustees.
• A private nursery, called Little Bears, occupies a space in the school building. It is subject to a separate inspection process.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed a range of teaching and learning in parts of lessons in every class. The principal carried out several lesson observations jointly with the inspectors.
• Inspectors spoke with pupils about their learning and their view of the school, both individually and in groups.
• Inspectors listened to some pupils read. They reviewed pupils’ work in lessons and analysed samples of work in pupils’ books.
• The inspectors held discussions with representatives of the Enquire Learning Trust and members of the local governing board, school leaders and the school’s achievement improvement officer.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, pupils’ progress data, the school’s checks and records relating to safeguarding, child protection and attendance, minutes of the local governing board meetings and information relating to the management of teachers’ performance.
• Inspectors held informal and formal discussions with parents. Their views and the 32 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents (Parent View) were taken into account by inspectors. Inspectors also considered the 132 responses to the pupil survey and the 12 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Alison Aitchison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Margaret Farrow Her Majesty’s Inspector