Roscoe Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and children in the early years, receive a warm welcome as they arrive each day at Roscoe Primary School. The majority of pupils feel happy and safe at school. Pupils said that they have a trusted adult who they can speak to if they have any worries.

Pupils are keen to learn the wide range of subjects on offer and they behave well in most of their lessons. However, some pupils do not show the same high levels of respect for new or temporary staff that they show towards their regular teachers. Sometimes, the behaviour of these pupils disrupts the learning of their peers.

The school has raised its expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. Pupils have s...tarted to benefit from the school's recent improvements to the curriculum. For example, pupils were keen to recall and explain their latest learning.

However, due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum, some pupils have not developed sufficient subject-specific knowledge over time. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

Pupils enjoy participating in the increasing number of additional opportunities on offer to enhance their learning of the curriculum.

These experiences include singing in the school choir, taking part in cross-country running and visiting the local church. Pupils are eager to develop their interests and talents in other areas. They told inspectors that they appreciated the opportunity to tell teachers what they would like to do in the future.

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

The school is emerging from a period of instability and changes in leadership. The new leadership arrangements and structure have helped to facilitate many rapid improvements to the quality of education for pupils. For example, the school has acted appropriately to update subject curriculums so that they are suitably ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Across the curriculum, the school has thought carefully about the order in which pupils should learn knowledge from the early years through to Year 6. Staff value the subject-specific training that they have received. This helps them to explain concepts clearly to pupils and make effective use of resources.

In the main, teachers deliver the curriculum increasingly well.

The school is in the process of updating its approaches to assessment, including in the early years. As a result, some staff are not sufficiently equipped to identify and remedy gaps in pupils' knowledge that have developed over time.

This hinders how deeply some pupils learn. Some pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they should be.

Staff support children in the Nursery Year to develop their language and communication skills through rhymes, stories and talk.

This prepares children well for the phonics programme that they begin when they join the Reception Year. Staff are suitably trained to deliver the phonics programme consistently well. In the main, pupils learn to read confidently and fluently by the end of key stage 1.

Pupils' achievement in reading has improved considerably. Skilled staff provide effective support for those pupils who find reading more difficult, including older pupils and those who are new to the school. The school has successfully fostered a love of reading among pupils.

Pupils enjoy reading the wide range of high-quality texts on offer to them. They said that they look forward to visiting the school library.

The school has effective processes in place for identifying the additional needs of pupils with SEND.

The school communicates well with parents and carers to ensure that pupils receive appropriate support from staff. However, the school has not ensured that staff are suitably furnished with the information necessary to fully meet the needs of each pupil. This hinders how well some pupils with SEND learn.

The school's consequences for pupils' misbehaviour are clear and used consistently well by staff. Despite this, from time to time, some pupils' behaviour does not reflect the school's high expectations.

The school has recently refined the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum.

Pupils are better prepared for life in modern Britain than they were in the past. The school ensures that pupils learn how to stay physically and mentally healthy, including how to stay safe online. The school is in the process of broadening the range of activities on offer to enhance pupils' learning of the curriculum.

The school is committed to further improving the quality of education for all pupils. Despite this, trustees and those responsible for governance have not always had an accurate understanding of some of the specific priorities required to achieve this vision. As a result, over time, trustees and local governors have not held the school to account as effectively as they should.

While implementing the many recent changes in the school, leaders have appropriately considered the impact on staff's workload. For example, they have provided support for staff to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. Staff said that leaders are supportive of their well-being, and they appreciate the opportunities provided to work collaboratively.

Parents told inspectors that they value the additional opportunities that the school provides for them to be more involved in the life of the school. These events have included information sessions about supporting their children with reading and open evenings. As a result, parents have a growing understanding of how they can best support their children's learning at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, teachers do not address pupils' misconceptions quickly enough. This means that some pupils have gaps in their learning, including in the early years.

Leaders should ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to use assessment strategies effectively to identify and remedy any gaps in pupils' knowledge swiftly. ? The school has not ensured that staff are furnished with sufficient information to support pupils with SEND well. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not receive the help that they need to learn the curriculum successfully.

The school should ensure that staff receive the guidance that they require to adapt their delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND effectively. ? On some occasions, some pupils do not display the respectful behaviours and positive attitudes towards staff that they should. This behaviour sometimes disrupts the learning of their peers.

The school should ensure that these pupils receive the support that they need to behave consistently well. ? Over time, those responsible for governance have not supported and challenged the school as well as they should. Trustees should continue to strengthen the expertise of governors so that they can fully hold the school to account.