Rood End Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They show respect for one another. Most pupils work and play together well.

Staff manage behaviour in a consistent and positive manner. As a result, the school is calm and orderly. Pupils who struggle to learn well in large groups receive good support in The Hub.

Pupils say that bullying happens in school but staff deal with it promptly. Consequently, they feel safe.

Things are getting better at Rood End.

Standards in reading and mathematics are rising. Leaders are ambitious about what pupils should achieve. However, changes to the curriculum in some subjects, such as geography, are too recent to have had an impact on w...hat pupils have learned.

Although teachers check what pupils know and remember, they do not use this information well enough when they plan the next lessons. Sometimes teachers give pupils work that is too hard or too easy. This slows pupils' progress.

Too many pupils have very low attendance. While the pandemic is a factor, a high number of pupils are still missing too much school. Leaders have recently tightened up how they check on absent pupils but it is too soon for this to have had an impact.

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

Leaders were slow to respond to the concerns raised in the previous inspection report. Until recently, the curriculum was not ambitious enough. This prevented pupils from achieving as well as they could.

Leaders have started work to improve the curriculum. They recognise there is still much to do.

Leaders have developed a suitably broad and balanced curriculum.

It is carefully sequenced so that pupils remember what they have learned. For example, the 'Fluent in Five' mathematics activities help pupils to recall what they know. Teachers do not always use assessment information well enough in foundation subjects.

Consequently, pupils do not make as much progress as they should. Leaders know that the implementation of some subjects is further ahead than others. As leaders revise curriculum subjects, they ensure that staff complete training so they have the subject knowledge they need to teach the full curriculum well.

Leaders place a high priority on ensuring that pupils learn to read fluently. Leaders have provided appropriate training so that adults teach phonics well. Staff check how well pupils know and remember the letter sounds they have learned and provide extra support for pupils who fall behind.

Consequently, children in the Reception classes confidently say the sounds letters make and blend these to make words. They practise reading regularly, from books matched to their growing phonics skills. As a result, they are making good progress.

The reading skills of pupils in key stage 1 have improved since they began the new phonics programme. However, their earlier slow progress means that currently too few pupils can read confidently by the end of key stage 1.

Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly.

Those with the most significant needs are well-supported in The Hub where skilled staff break learning down into small chunks. This does not always happen for other pupils with SEND who remain in their class. While some make good progress, others do not because the work they are given is too hard.

Adults care for pupils well. The family support team go above and beyond to support families who need extra help. Pupils value the chance to talk through any problems with the school counsellor.

They know there is always someone they can trust with any concerns they may have.

Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They help one another and take turns to use the play equipment outside.

In the early years, children learn to listen carefully and follow instructions. They develop confidence and independence because they are well supported by skilled staff. However, too many pupils are absent for too much of the time.

The curriculum includes opportunities for pupils to participate in the arts, for example they learn to play the ukulele. They enjoy working towards the '101 things to do before you leave Rood End'. However, pupils' knowledge and understanding about the greatest artists, composers and thinkers is less well developed.

Older pupils act as sports leaders and members of the junior leadership team. Pupils value different cultures and understand that not all families are like theirs. Although pupils understand the importance of respect for all, until very recently the curriculum did not help them to remember their learning about the wider world.

Consequently, pupils have a limited understanding of important ideas such as democracy.

Governors now use their knowledge and expertise effectively to provide leaders with appropriate challenge and support. Leaders are mindful of staff's well-being.

Staff feel very well supported by leaders. They are proud to work at Rood End.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Safeguarding is a priority. Staff complete regular training so that they know what to do when a pupil may be at risk. They report any concerns promptly.

Leaders ensure that children and families receive the help they need. They are persistent when seeking support from outside agencies. Checks on staff's suitability to work with children are thorough.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, for example when using the internet or when crossing a road. They know how to report their worries if someone behaves in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum in some foundation subjects, such as geography, has not been fully implemented.

As a result, pupils do not know or remember as much they could. Leaders should continue to implement the new curriculum and make sure that staff have the subject and pedagogical knowledge they need to teach it well. ? Staff assess what pupils know, for example by using quizzes at the end of foundation subject units of work.

They do not use the outcomes well enough to inform subsequent teaching. Consequently, work is not always closely matched to what pupils already know and can do. Leaders should ensure that teachers use the outcomes of assessments when they plan lessons so that pupils make good progress and remember their learning in the longer term.

• The attendance of some pupils is not good enough. As a result, they miss too much learning and do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders and staff should continue to work with children and their families to reinforce attendance expectations and to make sure that pupils attend school regularly so they can achieve their full potential.