Roseacre Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Short inspection of Roseacre Primary Academy

Following my visit to the school on 21 March 2018 with John Shutt, Ofsted Inspector, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to report the inspection findings.

The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in July 2014. This school continues to be good. The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

Roseacre Primary is a happy and welcoming school where pupils develop as confident and polite children. This is because staff teach pupils to live the school's values, including respect, courage and determina...tion. You and your senior leaders' strong and ambitious leadership has ensured that the school continues to improve.

You have developed consistent and detailed systems to check on the quality of teaching and learning. Through clear communication, you share your high expectations with all staff. Leaders place a high priority on staff development and have enabled teachers to work collaboratively and learn from other schools and specialists.

Staff are keen to develop their practice further and welcome the training opportunities that you provide. You have taken the right steps to improve the teaching of reading at key stage 2. You have put in place well-planned training and this is having an impact on the progress that pupils make.

Governors have a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. This is because they visit regularly and know the school well. Governors keep their knowledge and skills up to date through regular training.

They use their skills to keep a careful watch on pupils' progress and provide the right level of challenge for leaders. The vast majority of parents and carers are very positive about the school. Those who spoke to us at the start of the school day or who responded to Parent View, Ofsted's online questionnaire, said their children enjoy school.

A small number of parents raised concerns about pupils' behaviour. During the inspection, we found that pupils behave well in class and around the school. This is because you teach pupils to respect and value other people.

Staff are taking the right steps to support the small number of pupils whose behaviour falls below the school's high standards. Pupils share parents' positive view of the school. This is because they find learning interesting and enjoy the trips and visits that you provide.

Pupils told me that the Year 5 residential trip to Lakeside develops pupils' teamwork and resilience, through activities such as raft-making. Pupils relish the many leadership opportunities that you give them, including the school council. During the inspection, older pupils escorted visitors to classrooms for parents' evening appointments.

Through these experiences, pupils develop confidence and a strong sense of responsibility. In response to recommendations from the previous inspection, you have made sure that leaders of subjects and key stages keep a close check on their areas of responsibility. You have put in place very detailed and consistent monitoring arrangements which staff use to identify strengths and areas for development across the curriculum.

Leaders use these checks to identify the correct training for staff. Subject and key stage leaders have good knowledge of the subjects for which they are responsible. They support their colleagues well.

As a result, teaching and learning have improved across the curriculum. At the previous inspection, leaders were also asked to make sure that the work that teachers give to pupils precisely matches their abilities. Leaders have improved assessment and teachers use this information successfully to meet the needs of pupils who have special educational needs (SEN) and/or disabilities.

You have correctly identified that, in a small number of classes, teachers give pupils work that is sometimes too challenging or too easy. This means that learning time is lost and, in some lessons, pupils do not make the progress of which they are capable. You are taking the appropriate actions to improve teaching and learning in these classes.

Safeguarding is effective. Leaders have ensured that safeguarding arrangements are thorough and fit for purpose. They carry out statutory checks on the suitability of staff to work with children.

Staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe both online and in the wider community, including teaching road safety and fire safety. Parents and staff agree that pupils are safe. Through very regular training, staff have up-to-date knowledge of safeguarding.

They are vigilant about the potential risks that pupils may face. Records are very thorough, detailed and effective in linking different pieces of information together. Leaders work closely with parents and other professionals to make sure that pupils are safe.

Inspection findings ? The inspection focused on a number of key lines of enquiry, the first of which related to how well children learn in the Reception Year. The classroom environment is bright and vibrant. Staff plan interesting activities which match children's interests and the children play and learn with concentration and cooperation.

Staff check children's learning in great detail. Teachers carefully plan additional support for disadvantaged children and those children who have SEN and/or disabilities. Leaders involve parents in their children's learning, through initiatives such as parents coming into class to read with their children.

In the Reception Year, children make good progress across different areas of learning, including early reading, writing and number. ? During the inspection, we also looked at how well pupils develop their skills in phonics. This was because, in 2017, the number of pupils reaching the expected standard in Year 1 was below the national average and lower than in previous years.

We found that you have taken appropriate steps to improve the teaching of phonics. You have invested in new resources and books, and staff have attended training to improve their skills. You have taken careful steps to ensure that teaching precisely matches pupils' abilities.

Leaders frequently check pupils' progress to make sure that they are on track to reach the standards expected of them. Pupils' attainment in phonics has risen. ? The third key line of enquiry was how well pupils achieve in reading in key stage 2.

This was because, in 2017, pupils at the end of Year 6 had achieved well in mathematics and writing but their progress was below average in reading. We found that you have taken steps to improve teaching strategies in reading. Teachers have improved how they develop pupils' reading skills, such as predicting and scanning.

You provide pupils with ready access to a good range of books, and teachers read to pupils frequently. As a result of these strategies, pupils extend their reading skills. They read with fluency and understanding and develop a love of reading for pleasure.

Leaders carefully check pupils' learning to make sure that improvements are embedded and that staff are consistent in their approach to teaching reading. This is to ensure that all pupils make the progress of which they are capable. ? During the inspection, we found that leaders have taken very positive steps to support pupils' emotional health and wellbeing.

The recent addition of the school's nurture room provides pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, with a calm and welcoming space. Staff give pupils a range of opportunities such as counselling sessions, therapeutic play and time with Tumble, the school's therapy dog. This carefully planned support is having a positive impact on pupils' resilience and improving their readiness to learn.

Next steps for the school Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that: ? teachers consistently set tasks which match the different abilities of pupils ? teachers embed the actions already taken to improve progress that key stage 2 pupils make in reading. I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Blackpool. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

Yours sincerely Elizabeth Stevens Her Majesty's Inspector Information about the inspection During this inspection, inspectors met with you, senior leaders and middle leaders. An inspector also met with five governors, including the chair of the board of trustees, and spoke to your school improvement partner. Inspectors met with eight pupils from key stage 2 and heard pupils from Years 2 and 6 read.

Inspectors visited classes with senior leaders, where they observed teaching and learning, looked at pupils' work and spoke with pupils. An inspector spoke to parents at the start of the school day and took account of the 91 responses to Parent View. They also considered the 25 staff responses and the six pupil responses to Ofsted's online questionnaires.

Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including the school's self-evaluation, information about pupils' attainment and progress, and teachers' performance management arrangements. They also evaluated safeguarding procedures, including polices to keep pupils safe, safeguarding checks and attendance information. Inspectors undertook a review of the school's website.