Roger Ascham Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

There has been no change to this school's overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection.

However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might be outstanding if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

The headteacher of this school is Matthew Hanks.

This school is part of RAY Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Matthew Hanks, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Caroline Edwards.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pu...pils flourish in this kind and welcoming school.

They are happy, enjoy their learning and are kept safe. Staff are proud to be part of the school community and have very high expectations for what pupils can achieve. The school and trust provide an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

They learn a broad range of subjects in line with what is expected nationally. Pupils work hard and achieve highly, including in national assessments. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the education their children receive.

Teachers build strong relationships with pupils, which allows them to thrive. Bullying is rare and pupils know whom to speak with if they have any concerns. The school has established clear behaviour expectations which are consistently applied and understood by all.

Consequently, behaviour in lessons and around the school site is exemplary.

Pupils develop their talents and interests through a wide range of enrichment activities, including baseball, coding and kickboxing. They are keen to take on responsibilities around the school and act as role models for younger pupils, for example by acting as sports leaders.

All pupils attend regular educational visits linked to the curriculum.

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

The expectations for what pupils can learn are very high. The school's curriculum routinely exceeds what might be expected nationally for the age of the pupils.

Leaders have designed a curriculum that clearly sets out the knowledge pupils will learn. This has been carefully broken down into small steps and sequenced in a logical order. Pupils revisit important concepts over time to deepen their understanding.

As a result, pupils are well supported to make deep links with previously learned content. For example, children in Nursery practise counting days on a calendar, looking at how many days there are before a key event. This knowledge prepares them well for learning the language relating to days, weeks and months in Reception.

Throughout the school, staff are experts in the delivery of the curriculum. Pupils receive effective support to learn subject-specific vocabulary and they use it with confidence. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils use the terms technique, control and balance with accuracy.

Lessons are carefully designed and adapted so that pupils recall and use important knowledge. Teachers check pupils' understanding continuously and effectively. For example, skilful questioning helps to identify any misconceptions so that these are addressed quickly.

Across the curriculum, pupils learn exceptionally well. The standards pupils achieve in reading, writing and mathematics far exceed those found nationally.

From the beginning of Nursery onwards, there is a sharp focus on developing children's communication and language.

Expert staff provide a language-rich environment that supports children to learn new vocabulary and to express their needs with confidence. From the start of the Reception year, staff deliver the school's chosen phonics programme with expertise. Pupils gain confidence as they read books that contain the sounds they know.

Staff make regular checks on pupils' reading. This helps pupils to become confident and fluent readers. Any pupils who fall behind benefit from effective support to catch up quickly.

The school identifies pupils with SEND with precision and communicates information with staff. This helps to ensure that activities are meaningfully adapted to help pupils access the same ambitious curriculum, wherever this is appropriate. As a result, pupils with SEND achieve highly from their different starting points.

Pupils behave exceptionally well in and out of lessons. This starts in early years, where children learn how to play safely, take turns and share. Pupils are polite and show respect to staff and each other.

The school works very closely with individual families to ensure that pupils attend regularly.

The school has designed a comprehensive programme to promote pupils' broader development. Pupils benefit from a wide range of educational visits which underpin the ambitious curriculum.

This includes residential trips and visit to theatres, galleries and museums. The personal, social and health education curriculum gives pupils a thorough understanding of healthy relationships and what it means to stay safe online. Pupils in Year 6 take part in a series of workshops to support them with their transition to secondary school.

Trust and school leaders are determined to provide the best possible experiences for pupils. The school provides high-quality training to ensure that staff can develop their professional expertise. Staff workload and well-being have been carefully considered by leaders.

Consequently, morale is high and there is a strong team spirit.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 November 2014.