Rollesby Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Rollesby Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like how teachers make learning enjoyable. Children in early years enjoy exploring all the interesting areas and activities that are set up for them.

This includes the bug hotel. Older pupils talk with passion about what they read. They enjoy a wide variety of interesting and challenging books.

The school has raised expectations about what pupils should learn. Pupils develop their knowledge and understanding in different subjects effectively. They achieve well in national tests and assessments.

However, sometimes, they do not get enough opportunities to take their ...learning further.

Everyone is supported to make friends, which makes pupils happy. Pupils behave well and listen attentively to their teachers.

They form friendly relationships and treat each other respectfully.

Teachers listen to pupils. Pupils get kind support with any worries.

Staff will speak to families, where needed, and offer support.

Pupils get lots of high-quality personal development opportunities. They build a strong sense of community through joint activities, such as the recent ice skating trip.

Pupils also get lots of wider opportunities to pursue interests. They recently won the school games pentathlon competition. Pupils with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) participated fully in this.

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

Recently, the school has redesigned the curriculum. Leaders have thought carefully about how to teach different subjects, and associated subject knowledge, to pupils in mixed-age classes. They have ensured that through the topics they study, pupils can build on and make connections with what they already know.

For example, through their space topic, pupils learned about important historical knowledge, such as the significance of Neil Armstrong. Pupils retain knowledge well and usually produce high-quality work.

Teachers carefully make adaptations to learning, so that pupils with SEND achieve well.

Teachers break down learning. This enables pupils who need this, to achieve success. Pupils with social and emotional needs get the support they need to manage their feelings.

This helps them to access learning successfully and stay included in lessons.

Occasionally, teachers do not move pupils on to new learning or enable them to use their knowledge in a new context when they are ready to do so. When this happens pupils do not deepen their knowledge and understanding and their progress is slowed.

This particularly impacts pupils' mathematical fluency and the depth and quality of their writing.

Right from Nursery, pupils are introduced to books. Children in early years have lots of high-quality discussions as part of story time.

They develop the early communication skills that are vital for learning to read. Staff teach phonics consistently well. They regularly check how well pupils are learning to read.

They ensure pupils get support that is precisely matched so they close any gaps in their knowledge. This helps everyone to learn to read well. Older pupils read an increasingly challenging range of books.

Teachers skilfully support pupils to develop their comprehension. As a result, pupils are passionate about books and reading in general.

Pupils learn about tolerance, respect and being accepting of differences.

They recently learned about neurodiversity. They understand and respect why people think and act differently.

Pupils attend well.

The school ensures that families are challenged and supported effectively where any dips in attendance occur.

Right from Nursery, pupils learn the foundations for positive behaviour, such as sharing and taking turns. Staff sensitively challenge and support where any behaviour issues do occur.

They make sure pupils have the guidance they need to address what has caused the behaviour. This means that classrooms are environments where pupils want to learn and playgrounds are pleasant places.

The school has ensured that trips enhance the curriculum and develop pupils' cultural understanding.

For example, pupils recently visited a museum to learn more about World War Two. Pupils get a wealth of inclusive sporting opportunities. The school have recently won an award for this.

Pupils benefit from a programme of residential visits that build social and teamwork skills. Pupils develop their leadership skills and pursue their interests through opportunities such as eco-leaders and school council.

Staff are positive about the school's consideration for their workload and well-being.

A workload charter has been jointly developed. This has led to positive actions, such as time for reporting on pupils' progress and achievement. The federation is increasingly providing more opportunities for challenge, support and collaboration.

This is impacting positively on staff well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not always extend or develop pupils' learning.

As a result, some pupils do not always develop the depth of knowledge they might or fluency in applying this knowledge. The school needs to ensure that teachers routinely plan opportunities to extend pupils' learning so that they deepen pupils' knowledge, and develop their fluency consistently well.

Background

When we have judged 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 June 2014.