Rowledge Church of England Controlled Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Rowledge Church of England Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to learn at Rowledge Primary School. They know that their teachers will encourage them and help them to make progress. Pupils thrive in this community that concentrates on providing them with the best care and attention.

They rise to the high expectations that their teachers set. Pupils take pride in the efforts they make and in what they achieve. This is indeed a school that lives out its mission to strive for 'achievement for all'.

Pupils feel very safe at the school. Staff make sure that they support and nurture each pupil. In tur...n, pupils show each other great care and consideration.

They do not fear bullying because they say it does not happen.

The excellent relationships in the school also help support high standards of behaviour. Pupils behave very well at all times, both in class and at play.

Parents hold the school in high regard. They praise the close community and the support their children experience. One parent's comment conveys what many expressed: 'The teaching staff could not be more supportive and the whole ethos and feel of the school makes my daughter eager to go to school.

I can't give them enough thanks.'

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

Leaders have comprehensively overhauled their curriculum planning across the full range of subjects. They are now much clearer about what specific knowledge they want their pupils to learn.

They have also thought carefully about how to sequence this content over time. However, not all these plans have been fully implemented yet. Some foundation subjects, for example art and geography, are at the early stages of introduction.

Teachers show confidence and skill in their delivery of the curriculum. They work together to build their subject knowledge and increase their expertise. This is true from Reception through to Year 6.

Leaders ensure that teachers have the right training to develop their skills. Staff are passionate about their pupils' learning. They want to make sure the experience pupils have is stimulating and challenging at all times.

Leaders rightly ensure that, as well as the 'Wow' events to launch learning, teachers deliver exactly the right subject content.

Teachers check on pupils' learning regularly and helpfully. They are mostly clear about what progress pupils make.

However, leaders know that they need to improve how teachers assess learning in some of the foundation subjects.

Pupils remember well what they have learned. They are eager to share their knowledge, showing that they have fully absorbed the curriculum.

The work in their books reveals considerable sustained and coherent learning. Reception children also remember and apply what they learn. For instance, recently they devised their own maps of the local area and then used them to find their way around the village.

Reading is at the heart of the school's curriculum. The library is large and well stocked. Pupils love choosing their books from here and have a real reading habit.

Almost all pupils at key stage 1 learn to read quickly. Teachers support intensively those who do not. As a result, these pupils quickly catch up with their peers.

The headteacher leads on the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). She is determined to ensure that pupils' needs are identified early, with the right intervention quickly put in place. All staff know to focus first on those pupils who find learning difficult.

Pupils with SEND make strong progress as a result.

Pupils concentrate hard in their lessons. They work well with each other and show respect to their peers and adults alike.

At playtimes, pupils enjoy letting off steam, but always in a way that is kind towards others.

Leaders see pupils' personal development as a cornerstone of what the school offers. Pupils have a wide array of clubs, that many attend.

Throughout their time at the school, they take part in visits to places of interest, as well as enjoying residential stays. Theatre groups regularly perform for pupils. Leaders are keen that pupils learn about the wider world.

For example, they have forged a strong link with a school in Tanzania to aid pupils' understanding of differing experiences.

Leaders have looked after the well-being of their staff. The headteacher makes sure the school continues to improve, but without increasing teachers' workload.

She and her deputy work tirelessly so that pupils learn and develop well. Governors, too, play their part in helping the school to improve, through offering a balance of challenge and support.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The headteacher and her staff place a strong and unequivocal emphasis on keeping children at the school safe. They are on high alert for any sign that a child might be at risk. Staff are well trained.

This helps them to know what to look out for. Leaders act on any concerns that staff raise quickly and decisively. They are reflective of their practice, always thinking about how they can improve.

Governors carry out their monitoring duties conscientiously. They make sure that leaders carry out all the necessary recruitment checks for anyone who comes to work at the school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The delivery of the revised curriculum content in some subjects has yet to be implemented fully.

This means that pupils have yet to benefit from the improvements to content and sequencing in these subjects. Leaders need to introduce these changes as quickly as they can so that pupils' learning is widened and deepened further.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.

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