Roding Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Roding Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Although split across two sites, the school is a friendly, close-knit and welcoming community.

Relationships between staff and pupils are built on mutual respect. Pupils try to live out the school's values of being responsible, respectful, resilient, optimistic, caring and creative.

Pupils learn happily in the calm and vibrant environment.

They behave well in lessons and when moving around the school. Pupils feel happy and safe. They know who to turn to for support if they have any worries.

Staff listen to pupils and help them to overcome difficulties. Leaders deal... swiftly and well with any rare incidents of bullying.

Leaders are ambitious for pupils, including children in the early years and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Pupils work hard to try to meet leaders' and staff's high aspirations. They achieve well.

Pupils appreciate the many opportunities that leaders provide for them to contribute to school life.

They diligently carry out their roles as digital leaders, playground squad members and school council representatives. At lunchtime, older pupils help out with and take good care of their younger friends. Pupils enjoy taking part in the many sporting and cultural activities that staff organise for them, such as sports competitions, outings to museums and visits to local places of worship.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have created a curriculum that interests and engages all pupils. They have made sure that the curriculum is organised well and ambitious. Teachers are clear about the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils must learn.

This is because leaders have set out with precision the most important knowledge that needs to be taught in each subject. Leaders have also organised the curriculum logically, paying close attention to how pupils will build on what they already know.

Teachers have thought carefully about how to deliver the curriculum to meet the needs of all pupils.

Staff have strong subject knowledge and teach the curriculum confidently. Well- planned activities inspire and motivate pupils and help them to understand and remember subject content. Pupils are highly focused on their learning.

This means that lessons flow without interruption.

Teachers check whether pupils have learned what they need to know. They use this information to adapt their teaching, for example to give pupils extra practice in things that they are finding hard.

However, occasionally, teaching does not focus fully on helping pupils to recall prior knowledge accurately. Consequently, from time to time, some pupils struggle to remember aspects of learning. This makes it harder for them to make links between new knowledge and previous learning.

Leaders make reading a top priority. They ensure that staff are trained well to teach pupils to read. Staff systematically build pupils' knowledge of letters and the sounds that they make.

They make sure that pupils practise their reading using books that are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. Pupils who find reading difficult receive extra support to help them keep up. As a result, pupils read with increasing fluency as they progress through the school.

Older pupils are supported well if they need additional help with their reading. Teachers instil a love of reading by bringing books to life when reading aloud.

The well-planned curriculum provides children in early years with a strong start.

The curriculum excites children and ensures that they develop the knowledge and skills they will need for later years. For example, in mathematics, children are supported to be confident in recognising numbers and counting accurately. Children's achievements are recognised and celebrated.

Well-selected activities and resources help children to deepen their interests and understanding. Leaders and staff make sure that children are well prepared for their learning in Year 1.

Leaders have ensured that there are effective systems in place to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

Leaders are responsive to pupils' needs. Staff work effectively with external organisations to secure additional support in a timely manner. Teachers adapt how they deliver the curriculum for pupils with SEND effectively.

Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well and follow the same curriculum as their classmates.

Pupils celebrate diversity and inclusion by learning about how everyone should be valued. They mark different religious festivals as part of leaders' work to help them understand the views and beliefs of other faiths.

Staff ensure that pupils are taught about what it is to be a good citizen. Pupils talk clearly about equality. They learn about respect and the importance of treating everyone fairly.

Leaders make sure that these messages are delivered in a way that pupils can relate to and connect to their everyday experiences, both in and out of school.

Governors bring a wide range of skills and expertise and high levels of commitment to their role. They challenge and support leaders in equal measure.

Staff feel valued by leaders. They appreciate that governors and leaders do all that they can to make their workload manageable.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders, including governors, take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. They have established a culture where staff report any concerns about a pupil, no matter how small. Leaders have provided staff with appropriate, up-to-date training.

Staff know how to spot signs that may indicate harm or neglect. They report any concerns promptly.

Leaders responsible for safeguarding work effectively with other professionals to ensure that pupils and families receive the help that they need.

Leaders and governors ensure that all the required pre-employment checks for adults working at the school are carried out.

The curriculum teaches pupils how to stay safe, both in and out of school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• While leaders have set clear expectations for what knowledge pupils need to know, there are instances when teaching does not fully support pupils to recall this knowledge securely and accurately.

This reduces how well pupils are able to remember knowledge in the long term and make connections between subject content. Leaders need to continue to work on strengthening the implementation of the curriculum so that pupils are consistently well supported to remember knowledge securely and in depth.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2012.

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