Rose Street Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Rose Street Primary is a friendly place where everyone cares about each other. Pupils and staff have a strong sense of belonging to their school community.

Pupils feel proud of their school and are clear about what the values of 'respect, kindness, honesty, responsibility, happiness, courage' mean in practice.

Pupils behave well. Classrooms are calm places where pupils focus on their learning.

During social times, pupils take part in a range of different activities on the playground. At lunchtimes, older pupils enjoy mixing with younger pupils.

Pupils understand well the expectations that leaders have for how they should behave.

Disruptive o...r unkind behaviour is not commonplace. When it does happen, leaders and staff deal with it quickly. Consequently, pupils feel safe and trust staff will help them with any worries they may have.

Leaders and staff want the very best for all pupils. Children get off to a good start in the early years, where they listen to stories and explore their interests. However, leaders do not have clear systems in place to ensure that pupils are able to learn well across all subjects in the school's curriculum.

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

Pupils study a broad and interesting range of subjects. Leaders have responded swiftly to last year's low outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics by prioritising the improvements needed in these subjects.

Pupils get off to a good start with their reading.

This starts in early years. Staff are well trained, so they are able to help pupils effectively. Pupils confidently apply their phonics knowledge when reading.

They practise their reading using books that match the sounds they are learning at school. Leaders closely monitor any pupil who may be falling behind and put in place additional support to help these pupils catch up.

Leaders have carefully considered books that teachers can read to pupils as they move up the school, and they have implemented a clear approach to helping pupils develop their reading skills.

There is an attractive and well-stocked library that pupils use regularly. Leaders recognise that further work is needed to strengthen and embed the culture of reading and further support pupils in their writing.

Pupils enjoy their mathematics lessons.

There is a systematic approach to the teaching of mathematics, including in early years. This ensures that pupils are becoming increasingly secure in their knowledge and understanding of number and calculation.

However, pupils do not learn as well as they should in many of the other subjects.

This is for a number of reasons. These subjects are not structured well. This means that pupils do not acquire the knowledge and skills they need over time to achieve the best possible outcomes.

There are many new teachers working at the school who require further support to develop their subject knowledge and expertise. The documents leaders provide teachers about the curriculum are difficult to follow or implement. Assessment processes are not secure or well embedded.

Finally, subject leaders, many of whom are also new to their roles, do not have the necessary leadership skills or understanding to develop their subject effectively. This means that leaders' monitoring of the quality of education is not as effective as it should be.

The pastoral support for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), is effective.

Leaders quickly identify pupils' needs and provide a range of appropriate support. Nonetheless, leaders need to adapt the curriculum in some subjects to make sure these pupils are helped to make the best possible progress from their starting points.

Leaders are determined that pupils are given opportunities to develop into well-rounded individuals.

For instance, some pupils visit a local farm each week where they can work with animals and learn about farming. Through assemblies and the school's 'taught' curriculum, pupils learn about different cultures and religions. Pupils show high levels of respect for each other and a mature understanding of their differences.

Leaders are beginning to reintroduce some of the clubs that were paused during the COVID pandemic. Currently, these are mainly sports based.

Staff morale is high and all staff spoken to on inspection want to do their best for the pupils in their care.

Staff feel valued and listened to. They enjoy their work and want to improve.

Despite a leadership restructure in recent years, the roles and responsibilities of senior leaders who work across the federation are not clearly defined or fairly balanced.

Consequently, governors are not holding leaders to account well enough to ensure that there is improvement to the significant areas of weaknesses.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders mantra that 'keeping pupils safe in school is the responsibility of everyone, everyday' is resolutely put into practice.

Leaders make sure that all staff have the appropriate training. When staff report concerns, they know that leaders will deal with them promptly. Leaders work closely with external agencies.

This means that pupils and their families get the help and support they need. Leaders complete all the appropriate checks on adults who work at, or visit, the school. These records are meticulously maintained.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum, assemblies and visitors coming into school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The quality of the curriculum across many subjects is too variable. This means that pupils, including those with SEND, do not acquire knowledge or develop skills cumulatively across these subjects.

Leaders must ensure that the curriculum is well designed in every subject and ensure that staff have the right expertise and subject knowledge to deliver it effectively. ? Leaders' approach to monitoring and evaluating the quality of education is not fully effective. Their work does not have as much impact as it should.

Leaders should ensure that their approach to monitoring and evaluating the curriculum is well defined and robust. ? Although pupils get off to a strong start when learning to read, leaders recognise that further work is needed to develop pupils' vocabulary, comprehension and writing skills. Leaders should continue their work to strengthen the culture of reading as pupils move up the school.

• The roles and responsibilities of senior leaders who work across the federation are not clearly defined or appropriately distributed. As a result, governors do not hold leaders to account well enough for the necessary actions to drive school improvement. Governors must ensure that leaders' roles and responsibilities are well understood by all so that rapid improvements are made where needed.

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