Roskear School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty's Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement. Roskear School is a good school. In particular, the effective leadership of the headteacher, the governing body and the commitment of all staff is ensuring the care, guidance and support for pupils is of the highest quality.

Leaders and managers at all levels have effectively addressed the areas of weakness identified at the time of the previous inspection in order to improve learning outcomes for pupils. Throughout the school, pupils are now making good, and sometimes accelerated, progress in their learning. For example, great care is... taken to support pupils' transition into the school and on to their secondary education.

Despite the challenge of high pupil mobility, a strengthening learning culture and a strong inclusive ethos ensure that the learning needs of pupils are carefully provided for and closely monitored. Children get off to a securely good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage because : of the good provision that has been carefully planned to engage children's interests and support them to make good progress in their learning. By the time children enter Year 1, they are effectively prepared to continue with their learning.

Most pupils continue to develop good attitudes to learning, although their progress has recently been more typically satisfactory at Key Stage 1. This is because sometimes activities in lessons do not focus closely enough on the learning needs of pupils. However, leaders have put in place appropriate actions to strengthen provision and the current progress of pupils overall is good.

By the time pupils leave school at the end of Key Stage 2, their attainment is broadly average in English and above average for mathematics. Leaders are aware of the need to accelerate the rates of progress of pupils throughout the school in order to further lift standards in core skills and writing in particular. Teaching overall throughout the school is more often good.

There is some that is satisfactory in Key Stage 1 and some that is outstanding in Key Stage 2. This is because teachers' subject knowledge is secure. It ensures that all pupils and identifiable groups, such as those with specific learning needs and pupils learning to speak English as an additional language, are appropriately provided for and challenged to do their best.

The work of the school is rigorously monitored by senior leaders and outcomes are communicated regularly to the governing body, which helps it to shape the strategic direction of the school. Assessment information is used effectively by teachers to identify pupils' next steps in learning as well as to measure how much progress they are making towards their challenging targets. Teachers' marking and feedback make a significant contribution to the overall good progress pupils make in their work.

Support staff are highly valued by the school and well trained. They also work closely with teachers to provide support that is carefully tailored to meet the needs of individual pupils and groups. The professional development of all staff is carefully managed to ensure provision for pupils continues to strengthen.

As a result, morale within the school is high. Systems to hold teachers accountable and to track the progress of individual pupils are embedded throughout the school. There is, however, some overlap in the organisation and monitoring of this work which leaders acknowledge reduces efficiency.

Pupils appreciate the way teachers have worked hard to make the curriculum more exciting. One pupil summed up the views of many by saying, 'I like my teacher and learning. I like maths because it is challenging, but I get good help.'

The school, indeed, provides an engaging curriculum as well as a wide range of extra-curricular clubs for which the take-up by pupils is high. Self-evaluation is accurate, regularly carried out and appropriately focused on improving outcomes for pupils. The governing body holds the school effectively to account because it is kept well informed by the school and ensures that school improvement plans are regularly reviewed and accurately focused on improving learning outcomes for pupils.

The school's capacity for further improvement is good.

Information about the school

The school is of average size and includes a 52-place maintained Nursery. Classes are mainly organised into single age, two-form entry with the exception of Year 4 where there is only one class.

Most pupils are of White British heritage and a small number of pupils are from a range of minority ethnic groups. A few of these are in the early stages of learning to speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.

The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is also above the national average. The proportion of pupils who join at unusual times is higher than average. The substantive headteacher has been in post since September 2010 and was acting headteacher from November 2009, through the June 2010 Ofsted inspection.

The school receives additional resources to educate pupils with hearing impairment, although the current number of such pupils is small. At the time of the previous inspection, the school was given a notice to improve because significant improvement was required in attainment and progress, especially in English and mathematics, the curriculum and the Early Years Foundation Stage. A monitoring visit in January 2011 found the school to be making good progress in addressing these areas for improvement and in raising pupils' achievement.