Romanby Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Romanby Primary School is a welcoming place where pupils are happy and feel cared for. Building relationships is a priority of this school. Parents, carers and pupils highly value the strong sense of community.

Pupils have confidence in adults, who listen and help whenever needed. Pupils thrive in this nurturing environment.

Kindness and consideration play a key role in everyday life.

Pupils are polite to each other, creating a positive and friendly atmosphere. They treat everyone equally and celebrate differences in beliefs, backgrounds and opinions.

The school sets high expectations for behaviour and learning.

Pupils understand the importa...nce of always doing their best. The school encourages them to be thoughtful and considerate individuals. Pupils support others, helping to build a strong foundation for their future success.

Pupils are confident in lessons. They have learned about staying safe. This includes how to stay safe online and how to build healthy relationships.

Older pupils work with younger children; they take responsibility for making the school a welcoming place for all.

The school has acted decisively to address previous lower outcomes at key stage 2. It has revised the curriculum in English and mathematics.

These changes have led to marked improvements in pupils' achievement.

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

The school provides a broad and balanced curriculum that helps pupils build their learning step by step from early years to Year 6. The school has identified the essential knowledge that pupils need to be successful with their next steps in learning.

Pupils deepen their understanding over time. Older pupils can explain geographical knowledge, such as contour lines and time zones, in detail. The curriculum also connects to the school's local area.

For example, pupils study and work with local artists. The school ensures its pupils can succeed by identifying additional needs effectively. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Adaptations such as pre-teaching and hands-on activities support pupils. These strategies help pupils make good progress from their starting points.The school has recently developed its mathematics curriculum to deepen pupils' thinking.

This curriculum encourages pupils to solve problems and to think logically. Evidence of this deepened thinking can be seen in lessons and pupils' work. Many pupils rise to meet these challenges successfully.

However, some pupils struggle when they are unsure what to do to complete other mathematics tasks independently.The school is developing a culture of reading. For example, pupils' interest in reading is sparked by daily reading for pleasure, class novels and drama.

There is a positive environment where reading is valued and enjoyed. The school prioritises teaching pupils to read. The daily phonics programme begins in early years.

Pupils respond well to the consistent delivery of the programme. Pupils who need extra support receive daily practice to keep up with the sounds they need to learn. The books that pupils read include words that contain the sounds that they know.

This helps pupils to read with success and build their fluency. However, some pupils at an earlier stage of learning to read do not catch up quickly. There are some occasions when the teaching and organisation of groups lead to some pupils with weaker phonics knowledge being expected to learn the same sounds as their classmates.

They struggle, and do not keep up with the school's phonics programme as well as they might.Early years offers a rich, play-filled environment where children thrive. Learning activities such as retelling the story of 'The Three Little Pigs' encourage teamwork and creativity.

Adults model vocabulary and ask questions to extend children's thinking. Children show patience and self-control during tasks to master their understanding of number. Fine motor activities, such as using scissors, support skill development.

Indoor and outdoor spaces are well organised, with children explaining where resources are kept. They access these resources independently. Children explain routines such as 'staying hydrated' and remind each other to wear aprons when painting.

Staff provide tailored support, such as practising balance, to meet individual needs. This prepares children for future learning.The school helps pupils gain the skills and values to become responsible citizens.

Pupils participate in sports such as football and multi-sports. They understand the importance of keeping healthy. Pupils create their own lunchtime clubs, such as yoga and mindfulness.

These clubs build their leadership and initiative skills. Pupils take part in music, drama and creative activities. They join community projects, such as the 'Wombles of Hambleton' litter-picking group.

Leadership activities, such as being ambassadors and taking part in debating competitions, boost confidence. Pupils learn about global issues and different cultures, faiths and traditions. This helps them respect and understand diversity.

The school is developing strong leadership at all levels. Governors have a clear focus on the quality of education provided by the school and carry out their roles effectively. Leaders manage staff's workloads well to reduce unnecessary pressure.

Staff feel well supported.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some pupils take part in phonics lessons that are not matched to their starting points.

As a result, they do not learn new sounds as quickly as they could. The school should ensure that lessons are matched to pupils' starting points and meet the needs of pupils' reading knowledge. The modelling of mathematical processes is not as consistently clear as it could be.

This means that, at times, pupils are unsure how to complete tasks independently. This hinders their progress. The school should ensure that teachers are confident in modelling how tasks should be completed and in how to guide pupils effectively.

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