Rosegrove Infant School

Rosegrove Infant School Owen Street, Burnley, Lancashire, BB12 6HW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leadership and management of the school are good. Leaders, including governors, provide strong and clear direction for the school. Robust checking of teaching quality and effective management have brought good improvement since the previous inspection.  Pupils’ behaviour and safety are well managed. Pupils behave well. They are keen to learn and they enjoy their lessons. Their attendance has improved and is now above average. Pupils feel very safe in school.  The quality of teaching and learning is consistently good and some teaching is outstanding. Activities are planned well to match pupils’ varying abilities, and help them to enjoy what they do and to achieve well.  Pupils make good progress and achieve well from below typically expected starting points. They reach broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment in mathematics has improved since the previous inspection.  Children get off to a good start in the Reception

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

class where their learning is managed well. Early years leadership is strong. By the end of Reception, most children reach a good level of development in readiness for Year 1.  Parents are highly supportive of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium do not yet do as well as others in the school.  Not enough pupils, particularly boys, reach the higher standards in writing.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons and part lessons, one of which was observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with members of staff, pupils, members of the governing body, a representative from the local authority and parents.  Also taken into account were responses from 27 parents who completed Ofsted’s online survey Parent View, as well as questionnaires completed by members of staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and examined a wide range of documentation that included: national assessment data and the school’s own assessments of pupils’ performance; samples of pupils’ work; minutes of governing body meetings; safeguarding documents and the school’s own view of its work.

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Inspection team

Kevin Johnson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a smaller-than-average primary school in which virtually all pupils are White British.  The school is federated with Rosegrove Nursery School, shares the same governing body but has separate senior leadership.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is well above average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  An above-average proportion of pupils is supported by school action only.  The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  There is provision for before- and after-school care on site. This provision is not managed by the governing body and receives a separate report which is published on the Ofsted website.  Pupils attend early years provision (Reception class) full time.

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Information about this school

 The early years leader provides support in other early years settings within the local authority.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that the impact of revised measures taken to support disadvantaged pupils is checked regularly so that the gaps between their achievement and that of others continue to close.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise overall standards in writing, but especially for boys, by making sure that pupils are always challenged to the full and that more of them reach the expected and higher levels.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders, including governors, are very strongly committed to driving the school forward and have brought improvement in key areas of the school’s work since the previous inspection.  Their determination, and that of the whole staff, to provide the best for pupils generates a positive culture and real ambition for the future. As a result, pupils’ learning, personal development and well-being thrive. A successful drive to raise attendance, for example, and promote positive attitudes has resulted in a rapid improvement and attendance is now above average.  Other previous issues have also been dealt with successfully. For example, middle leaders, responsible for standards in subjects, have improved their skills and are now an effective team. Standards in mathematics have improved. The support that the school receives from parents is impressive.  Leaders work productively with the local authority, which recognises their capability for managing

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The leadership and management are good

improvement and as such provides light-touch support. The skills and strengths of the early years leader are also recognised by the local authority and are used to provide help in other early years settings.  These improvements are underpinned by senior leaders’ strong management of teaching and learning. Teachers’ performance in the classroom is checked frequently, as are the quality and pace of pupils’ learning. Perceived weaknesses are dealt with swiftly. Training and support are well focused on pupils’ learning as well as teachers’ professional needs. Consequently, teaching quality and its impact on pupils’ progress are good.  Middle leaders manage development in their subjects well. They have successfully planned for the recently revised national curriculum and have introduced exciting new topics and opportunities for pupils to learn in different ways. The curriculum promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and

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The leadership and management are good

prepares them appropriately for life in modern Britain. Leaders are making good headway in developing new ways of measuring pupils’ progress in the different subjects. They think about the impact of what they do and change plans when necessary. Recently, changes in the way that mathematics and phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) are taught, have brought good improvement to pupils’ learning in these areas.  Pupils’ well-being and physical development benefit from leaders’ effective management of the primary school sport funding. The increased range of activities and coaching available means that more pupils participate regularly and there are more opportunities for competitive sport with other schools. Teachers’ subject knowledge and skills are enhanced by the work they do alongside specialist teachers and instructors.  The governance of the school:  Governors know the school well and the barriers that sometimes have to be overcome to ensure that

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The leadership and management are good

every pupil achieves well. They check the school’s work and challenge school leaders effectively, particularly over the use and impact of the pupil premium spending in order to fulfil their strong commitment to providing equality of opportunity for all pupils and to tackle all discrimination. Governors are fully aware that although differences between the achievement of groups of pupils are narrowing, some further work is needed. Governors are familiar with national assessment data and check Rosegrove’s performance against similar schools. They have a good overview of teachers’ performance management and the implications this has with regard to salary increases. Other finances are managed efficiently, including the use of the primary school sport funding. Safeguarding arrangements are securely in place and meet all government requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils’ behaviour in lessons is sometimes exemplary because of the way that they listen to their teachers and settle to their activities. They are very keen to do well and take care with the presentation of their work.  They describe their school as ‘exciting’ and ‘surprising’ because, they say, ‘You never know what you will learn next.’  Pupils contribute well to the school’s ethos. They dress smartly in school uniform, keep the school tidy and have raised their attendance to above average.  Around the school, pupils are polite and well mannered. They behave very well in the dining hall and enjoy the social time with their friends. They know how to behave respectfully during assemblies and are mindful of each other in the playground, where they try to follow the rules of their own ‘Playground Charter’.  Pupils are tolerant of others’ differences because of their experiences of various cultural festivals and

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Behaviour

lifestyles, and because of the way that their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is rooted in the school’s everyday expectations. They learn the importance of respecting different points of view and of fairness when taking on extra responsibilities, for example as school council members.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils say that the grown-ups take very good care of them in school. That view is fully supported by parents who are also highly positive about all other aspects of the school.  Incidents of bullying are extremely rare but pupils say that name calling, which upsets them, does sometimes occur in the playground.  Pupils understand the different forms that bullying can take and know how important it is to report anything unusual when using the internet.  They know how to keep themselves safe outside school and have a good understanding of the benefits of eating sensibly and taking enough exercise.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants respond well to the training they undertake and the support and feedback they receive from senior leaders. They observe each other’s work and share the best practice. Consequently, good and sometimes outstanding teaching is consistent across the school.  There is a good sense of urgency about starting lessons and generally no time is lost in getting pupils down to work.  Instructions for pupils are always clear and straightforward so they know precisely what is expected of them and how to finish work successfully.  Pupils are encouraged to work together and sometimes assess their own work or comment on the work of others. This gives them a good sense of the importance of cooperation and of the value to be gained from helping each other.  Teaching assistants provide crucial and often skilful support when working with their various groups.  Good use is made of technology. Electronic whiteboards, hand-held computers and laptops always feature

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The quality of teaching is good

well in lessons to help pupils learn. Imaginative approaches are taken to start lessons off and ensure that pupils are interested and enthusiastic. There are always simple, but effective pieces of equipment on hand to make learning clearer, for example, in mathematics or geography.  New approaches to teaching mathematics are proving to be successful. There is a strong focus on number skills and oral and mental work so that pupils confidently apply what they have learned to understand graphs or when tackling real-life problems later in shape, measure and time.  Pupils develop a clear style of handwriting which helps them to present their writing tidily. Phonics and spelling are taught well and they learn to speak clearly because it is expected of them. The range of writing pupils do is good. Much of it is based on their first-hand experiences so it is meaningful to them. A good example of writing came from Year 2 pupils who wrote at considerable length about their visit to

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The quality of teaching is good

Blackpool Zoo. More recently, pupils wrote step-by-step instructions in relation to ’How to put your coat on’ and ‘How to clean your teeth’. Nevertheless, there is scope for more challenge and higher expectations in writing, for example in the range and choices of vocabulary that pupils draw from when writing about their experiences.  Pupils learn reading skills well. By the time they reach Year 2, they can sound out unfamiliar words to make sense of them. They understand the difference between fiction and non-fiction and most pupils practise their reading skills regularly at home. Pupils enjoy books and like to talk about their favourites. As a result, they learn to read confidently and with good understanding.  All adults contribute well to pupils’ progress by continually checking their work during lessons and maintaining high expectations. During writing, for example, adults question pupils about spellings they

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The quality of teaching is good

have learned so that mistakes are quickly spotted and put right.  Teachers’ marking is good and there are clear comments about how work can be improved; pupils have time to do corrections so that there is always good progress in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ overall skills vary from year to year on their entry to Reception, but, generally, about half the pupils are below what is typical for their age while the rest are at broadly typical levels across all areas of learning.  Pupils make good progress from their varying starting points; overall, they achieve well by the end of Year 2 and standards are broadly average. Progress in reading and mathematics, however, has been better than it has been in writing.  Leaders responded well to the changing needs of the pupils by introducing different approaches to teaching. This had a good impact in phonics and mathematics in 2014. The national phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 showed a much higher proportion reaching the expected standards in phonics. All of those who did not reach this standard previously have now caught up.  Pupils’ better knowledge of phonics now leaves them well placed to tackle reading and writing with

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The achievement of pupils is good

growing confidence. The school’s predictions, and pupils’ current work, indicate that they are on track to achieve better results at the end of the current year.  The picture is similar in mathematics, where focused work on number and mental problems is increasing pupils’ confidence and understanding at a good pace. Here also, the school’s expectations are high, and pupils’ work indicates that standards are on track to improve further.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress. There are clear learning plans in place for them as well as first-class information and help for parents to support their children at home. Individual teaching is well planned and the school draws well on all the outside support to meet pupils’ particular needs and help them to achieve well.  Relatively few pupils reached Level 3 attainment in 2013 but the proportions who reached Level 3 in

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The achievement of pupils is good

reading, writing and mathematics, although still below the local authority figure, were better in 2014. Mathematics shows the most significant improvement, where the most able pupils did relatively well. School leaders and governors recognise that writing standards, particularly at the higher levels, and especially for boys, need to improve further. The school’s assessments show that more of the most able pupils are on track to achieve Level 3 in this subject at the end of the current year.  Disadvantaged pupils who are supported by the pupil premium make steady progress from generally below typical starting points. Their attainment at the end of year 2 is close to that of similar pupils nationally but not as good as that of others in the school. In terms of progress made, they are generally between one and two terms behind. This feature of pupils’ achievement is recognised by school leaders and additional measures, such as special reading groups, are beginning to show some impact. Leaders are

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The achievement of pupils is good

keeping a close watch on this and have identified the group’s progress in all subjects as a key priority for the school.

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The early years provision is good

 From generally below typical starting points on entering Reception, children make good progress in all that they do. The proportion of children who reach a good level of development has increased. In 2014, it was higher than the previous national average.  Children’s good progress is the result of good leadership and management. This ensures that activities planned are based on careful observation of children’s progress and provide the right challenges to their independence and curiosity. The quality of teaching is good and through the good range of activities that children have, either choosing for themselves or working with adults, they gain good levels of confidence and achieve well. They are well prepared to face new challenges when they enter Year 1.  Children’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is successfully nurtured through all that the early years provision provides. As a result, children learn to listen well, share with others and keep themselves

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The early years provision is good

safe. They are polite and respectful towards those around them.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is failing

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Grade Judgement Description

to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 119258 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 449104

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 5–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 158 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair E Lingard Headteacher Jacqueline Stewart Date of previous school inspection 18 April 2012 Telephone number 01282 424919 Fax number 01282 424919 Email address head@rosegrove.lancs.sch.uk guidance ‘Raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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