Roe Green Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Roe Green Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kept safe here.

They appreciate teachers always being there to help them if they need it. Bullying is rare. It is dealt with effectively if it does occur.

Behaviour is excellent in lessons, at points of transition and in the playground. Staff expectations of behaviour are consistent. Pupils know what is expected of them and they rise to that.

They respect school rules and follow instructions, for example with the lining-up routine at the start of the school day.

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to do well. The curriculum is broad and balanced, and ...all pupils benefit from the same offer.

Subject plans are well organised, which helps pupils to learn more.

Pupils like the range of after-school clubs normally on offer. Wider enrichment opportunities ensure pupils are well prepared for their futures.

The onsite swimming pool provision enables all pupils to receive regular, high-quality swimming lessons. It also enables them to practise their swimming often. As a result, nearly all pupils can swim by the end of their time in the school, and a significant number exceed the requirement to swim 25 metres.

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

Behaviour is a strength, and pupils are enthusiastic learners. There is a calm, focused and respectful atmosphere in the school, where learning is the priority. There is no off-task behaviour in lessons and the attitude to learning is positive.

For example, in mathematics lessons, pupils worked well together using practical resources to solve counting problems.

Leaders have developed clear curriculum thinking in mathematics, history, geography, art, physical education (PE) and computing. Plans in these subjects clearly identify the knowledge pupils need to learn, are well-sequenced, and match the breadth and depth of the national curriculum.

In some wider curriculum subjects, the impact of this thinking is not as advanced due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 restrictions. Pupils can remember facts they have learned but are not consistently making deeper connections or links between learning. For example, in PE and mathematics opportunities are provided to revisit ideas and extend pupils' knowledge.

In history, pupils understand the passage of time within that period they are studying. However, they do not understand how periods of history link together or the connections between them over time.

Leaders want all pupils to be confident, independent readers.

Those who teach reading are well trained. Assistance is given to those at risk of falling behind to ensure they catch up and keep up with their peers. This is provided through more suitable choice of text, teacher support and/or individual help.

Books used to teach reading and phonics are appropriately matched to the sounds pupils know. For those who are more fluent, reading books are at an appropriate level. As a result, pupils are developing the fluency and independence to catch up with their peers.

While a love of reading is promoted through English, limited use is made of staff reading stories to their classes. Pupils say adults do not read to them as often as they would like them to. Leaders accept this is sometimes the case, and that reading to pupils for pleasure must be a protected part of the daily timetable.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the same curriculum as their peers. Adults are carefully deployed to provide help to those who need it. Some pupils are supported within lessons on a one-to-one basis, and others through targeted interventions.

All support is carefully planned to ensure that pupils' individual needs are met.

Pupils' wider development is prioritised. They have regular opportunities to learn about wider society and global issues.

Sustainability is a key learning focus in the school. Staff and pupils are working to becoming a flagship school in this area. Pupils are particularly proud of their achievement to have solar panels fitted.

They know that the school is 'self-sufficient' with energy and are committed to improving the school's environmental footprint further.Staff are overwhelmingly positive about leaders' support with their workload. They say that leaders listen to them; the 'open-door' policy means if they have concerns and anxieties they can, and do, share them.

Staff are appreciative of the time given to meet and plan together.There is an ethos of support and sharing within the school that ensures best practice is shared.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong safeguarding ethos. They know families well. They work effectively with external agencies, and use advice, to ensure pupils and their families get the help they need as quickly as possible.

Staff are well trained and identify those at risk of harm. They know who to go to when concerns arise and report them quickly.The curriculum is planned to provide pupils with knowledge around online safety, consent and bullying.

Pupils know how to stay safe online.Well-being and mental health are high on the agenda. Leaders have prioritised the importance of PE post COVID-19 restrictions to get pupils active, and promote a lifelong, healthy learning mindset.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders have identified the key knowledge that they want pupils to learn. This is well-sequenced to help pupils to learn more. While pupils are remembering key knowledge, they are not always connecting this knowledge over time.

Leaders need to ensure that pupils can make and understand these links, and that these connections are reinforced in teaching. This will maximise the impact of their well-planned curriculum and ensure knowledge sticks and pupils develop a deeper understanding over time.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 a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2011.

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