Rushmere Hall Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The new headteacher's resolve to improve the school is impressive. He is clear about what the school needs to do in order to develop further and is setting a strong course of rapid improvement. Governance is a strength of the school.

Skilled governors know the school well and make frequent monitoring visits to check progress against the school's development plan. The governing body holds school leaders at all levels to account for the actions they take. The quality of teaching is good.

Teachers are conscientious and keen to improve through taking part in the wide range of training offered by the school. Additional adults are efficiently d...eployed across the school and effectively support pupils with their learning. They work closely with teachers in the classroom to ensure that all pupils can take part in lessons.

This includes those from the Hearing Impaired Unit and Speech and Language Unit. Pupils' behaviour and attitudes to learning are good across the school. Pupils say that they feel safe and the overwhelming majority of parents agree.

There are effective safeguarding procedures at the school. Pupils' overall attendance has risen in 2017. Staff are taking effective, appropriate action for the small proportion of pupils for whom attendance is below the national average.

The early years provision is well led. Children enjoy coming to school and are well prepared for the transition to key stage 1. Outcomes for pupils have improved since the previous inspection.

Overall standards have risen in key stage 1 and pupils' outcomes by the end of key stage 2 were in line with national standards or above in 2016. The teaching of phonics is now a strength of the school. There has been a big improvement in the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in 2017.

However, the numbers of disadvantaged pupils who reach the expected standard in phonics is still lower than other groups. Pupils make significant progress in reading and writing by the end of Year 6. However, teachers do not always give pupils sufficient opportunities to practise writing at length across the curriculum in key stage 2.

Similarly, there is scope to improve the effectiveness of guided reading sessions in key stage 2 so that pupils deepen their reading skills.

Information about this school

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. Rushmere Hall is much larger than the average-sized primary school.

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan or statement of special education needs is above the national average. The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals is in line with the national average. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.

The school has a specialist Speech and Language Unit attached to it for 15 pupils and a specialist Hearing Impaired Unit for 10 pupils. The headteacher and chair of governors have changed since the last section 5 inspection. They both took up their current positions in September 2016.