Rosecroft Primary School

Attleborough Infant School Norwich Road, Attleborough, NR17 2AJ

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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

 Children in Reception and pupils in Key Stage 1 make good progress because they are taught well.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 1 have risen over the last three years, and were well above average in 2014.  Pupils behave well and have good attitudes to learning. Attendance is improving and fewer pupils are absent.  Pupils feel safe in school and their parents agree. Parents value their children’s education and make a strong contribution to it.  Pupils at an early stage of learning English are supported very well.  The headteacher provides good leadership. She is working effectively with senior leaders, staff and governors to keep attainment and progress at a high level, and to ensure that teaching and achievement continue to improve.  Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are both supportive and challenging.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Subject leaders now have more responsibility for monitoring teaching and pupils’ progress, and this is also leading to higher standards.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted carefully. They are prepared well for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The work teachers set is not always at the right level of difficulty to challenge pupils, especially the most able, to make rapid progress.  Marking in books does not always give pupils clear guidance on how to go about improving their work.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors gathered evidence about teaching and learning by observing 22 lessons, looking at pupils’ work and discussing it with them to assess their understanding and attitudes to learning. A scrutiny of pupils’ work and five joint observations were conducted with members of the senior leadership team. Inspectors also observed a variety of activities to support individuals and small groups of pupils. An inspector listened to two groups of pupils reading.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, governors, staff and two groups of pupils. The lead inspector spoke by telephone to a representative of the local authority.  In planning and carrying out the inspection, inspectors took account of the 32 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and questionnaire responses from 34 staff.  The inspectors looked at the school’s improvement plan, data on pupils’ attainment and progress, records

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Information about this inspection

of the monitoring and evaluation of teaching, a wide range of policies and procedures, and the arrangements for the safeguarding of pupils.  Inspectors spoke to parents in the playground and at a reading café for parents of children in the Reception classes.

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Inspection team

Michael Sutherland-Harper, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized infant school. The Early Years provision consists of four full- time Reception classes.  The school is part of a local cluster of four primary schools and the secondary school which share training opportunities and good practice.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action, at about 2%, is below the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, at around 4%, is also below average.  The very large majority of the pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for the pupil premium, at around 15%, is below the national average. This is additional government funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority.  A small but growing number of pupils speak English as an additional language and are often at an early

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Information about this school

stage of learning English. Sometimes, they join the school part-way through their education.  Plans are under way for the school to move to a new site and become a primary school in 2017.  The headteacher has been in post since September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching and raise achievement by ensuring that:  pupils, especially the most able, are provided with a high level of challenge in lessons and work is always matched well to their ability levels  marking always provides pupils with clear guidance about the next steps towards improving their work.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has acted swiftly to develop teaching and raise achievement across the school. She has been supported effectively in this work by senior leaders, staff and governors. As a result, attainment has improved, progress rates are quickening and good teaching is the norm. Allied to good behaviour, this means that the school has a good capacity for sustained improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders now have more responsibility. They monitor the quality of teaching and of pupils’ work to ensure that progress is continuously improved. Links with the local Attleborough schools cluster allow staff and subject leaders to share best practice and benefit from additional training.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is good. The wide range of topics, such as circuses or bonfire night, engage pupils because they relate to their interests and previous experiences and give everybody an equal opportunity to learn. Pupils frequently practise their speaking, writing and mathematical skills. The school is developing a new curriculum to enhance pupils’ practical skills, and plans to have it fully in place by September.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. ‘Wow’ events bring pupils together to celebrate each other’s successes. Pupils serve as playground buddies as part of the school’s drive to foster good relations. To tackle discrimination, they also raise funds for a school in Uganda and learn about how other members of British society celebrate special times like Diwali. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education through careful transition arrangements.

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The leadership and management are good

 Additional primary school sports funding is used to good purpose to increase staff expertise in aspects like dance and gymnastics, offer a wider range of activities to pupils, and promote health and fitness. School councillors were quick to tell the inspector that chips and chocolate are not the secret of good health.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders monitor the performance of staff carefully. No one is automatically promoted because reviews are linked closely to the priorities in the school improvement plan, and to progress in improving teaching and pupils’ achievement over time.

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The leadership and management are good

 Links with the local authority are always available on request. The school has used these links to help with staff development and to improve achievement through support for individuals and small groups of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school works closely with parents and keeps them well informed about their children’s progress. For example, parents spoke very positively about the reading café held during the inspection so they could meet each other and their children’s teachers and work with the children. Home-school links are good.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is good. Governors bring a strong range of skills to their work. They know the school community well because they make regular visits to talk to staff and review achievement. Governors have a good understanding of performance data through suitable training. They have challenged the school about data and results, asking for further detail about rates of progress. They are closely monitoring the preparations for the proposed new school.  Governors make sure that safeguarding arrangements are effective and meet national requirements. The governor linked to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs was in school during the inspection to assess provision for this group.  Governors know about the quality of teaching from pupils’ results and through the visits they make. They ensure that procedures for the management of staff performance are rigorous, are linked to

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The leadership and management are good

pupils’ performance in the classroom, and reward good teaching. Teachers are held accountable for results and subject leaders must report on these to governors.  The impact of pupil premium funding is assessed in the light of progress made by eligible pupils. Governors review the data for this group with senior leaders to ensure that they continue to make good progress, and adjust use of the funding where necessary.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They behave responsibly as they move about the site, holding doors open for visitors and each other and queuing in a quiet, orderly way at lunchtime and as they go out for break. They keep their uniform immaculate and have clear routines for hanging up coats and putting away classroom objects. Pupils are polite and respectful to each other and to adults.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning across all years and with different staff. Pupils respond quickly to staff instructions and requests, allowing lessons to flow smoothly. They arrive promptly to lessons and are well prepared with the right equipment.

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Behaviour

 Pupils have a good understanding of the values of tolerance, respect and care which underpin British society. In a Reception class where children were choosing activities, they demonstrated their understanding of the importance of everyone learning by continually sharing and taking turns. This approach continues throughout pupils’ time in the school.

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Behaviour

 Pupils say that behaviour is good and their parents and carers agree. Learning is rarely disrupted by inappropriate behaviour. Pupils play cooperatively together at breaks and are supervised well. They say that adults help to sort out any misunderstandings that may arise, but such misunderstandings are rare because pupils are keenly aware of the school’s expectations of how they should behave.

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Behaviour

 Attendance is improving. Absence and persistent absence are above national averages, but absence has declined significantly this year and the school is working closely with families to ensure that persistent absence rates drop more quickly. Holidays during term time are not allowed. Fixed-term exclusions have also dropped significantly this year. There have been no permanent exclusions recently. Pupils are punctual to lessons.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils feel safe. One said, ‘There are no booby traps in this school.’ Parents and carers agree that the school keeps their children safe. Visitors are required to sign into the school and all staff wear identification badges. Several members of staff are trained in child protection to ensure that potentially vulnerable pupils are safe. Training for all staff, including in first aid, is regularly updated.

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Safety

 Pupils say that bullying is rare and quickly addressed should it occur. They know the different forms that bullying may take, such as rough play or through inappropriate use of the internet. Pupils support each other very well. The work of the school council and class rules help to keep pupils safe and well-behaved.

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Safety

 Governors and staff are trained regularly in safeguarding and safer recruitment. Risk assessments are conducted in line with local authority guidance.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in all key stages. Teachers present topics and activities in interesting ways. Good subject knowledge, frequent checks of pupils’ understanding by teachers and support staff, careful planning and good use of praise to encourage pupils’ efforts ensure that all groups of pupils, including the more able, make good progress in most lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Leaders carefully monitor the quality of teaching, and provide support and training whenever needed to develop any weaker areas. Teachers and support staff increasingly share what they do best in the classroom to enhance each other’s skills and raise the quality of teaching.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught well. Phonic skills are practised frequently, both discretely and during reading sessions. Topics covered in reading are discussed and written about as part of the good teaching of literacy and communication skills. Mathematics is presented effectively, increasingly through the use of practical resources and transactions which pupils might encounter in their daily life.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, as well as those at an early stage of learning English, are taught well because staff provide support and check on their progress in an encouraging way. However, work is sometimes not matched closely enough to their specific needs to ensure rapid progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 More-able pupils respond well in most lessons and make good, and sometimes better, progress. For example, in a Year 2 English lesson, more-able pupils made rapid progress because they were specifically expected to produce whole sentences and extended paragraphs containing different comparisons like ‘as explosive as fireworks’. However, the work is not always challenging enough to make sure the most-able pupils produce work of the very highest quality.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ work is generally neat. Pupils have opportunities to assess their own work and that of others. Teachers check on spelling and punctuation. They indicate where verbal feedback has been given by the use of symbols in books, but do not always provide pupils with written ‘next step’ guidance to enable pupils to assess their progress against their targets when they look back.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress and achieve well as they move through the school. Overall standards are rising year on year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children enter the Reception classes with skills and understanding in line with those typical for their age, but for a significant minority they are below. Skills in mathematics and physical development are stronger than in communication and language. Children now make much faster progress in Reception, and the majority enter Year 1 with a good level of development across the early learning goals.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils reach above average standards in Years 1 and 2. Test results at the end of Key Stage 1 have risen over the last three years, and in 2014 they were significantly above average. Attainment in reading and mathematics was slightly better than in writing so the school quickly increased opportunities to write in all subjects through work on engaging topics like the seaside. Initiatives like the chance to become a ‘5 star’ reader and small group activities in mathematics are helping to maintain good progress rates, and current data indicate that these standards are being maintained.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Results in the Year 1 phonics screening check in 2014 were just below average but represented a significant improvement on 2013 figures. Results in the Year 2 phonics screening retest also rose. The school has reviewed how pupils are grouped and added phonics resources to its internet-based ‘virtual learning platform’. Pupils’ progress is reviewed every six weeks and groups changed if necessary.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A teaching assistant works closely with pupils who join the school at an early stage of learning English as an additional language, both individually and in small groups. This ensures that they catch up with other pupils rapidly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have regular opportunities to read to adults. Reading records show that pupils also read regularly at home and from a good range of material. Parents are provided with guidance, including through reading cafés, about how to help their children read. Pupils say that they enjoy reading and are enthused by the help provided through the ‘Bug Club’.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have good skills in writing and mathematics. The school has added to the range of practical resources available for the teaching of mathematics and increased the use of information and communication technology to help pupils with writing.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils achieved well in 2014. However, the school recognises that the match of work to ability levels, especially for the most able pupils, is not yet sufficiently refined to raise achievement consistently to the highest level.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in line with other pupils. Their needs are diagnosed accurately and their progress continually reviewed. They are supported effectively in small groups or on a one-to-one basis. Close links are maintained with parents and outside agencies.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of disadvantaged pupils supported by the pupil premium is good. Last year, they were about one term behind others in reading, writing and mathematics, ahead of others nationally in reading but about a term behind in writing and mathematics in Year 2. The school has provided extra help and guidance for eligible pupils to address a slight dip in mathematics in 2014. Initial indications are that these are proving successful, and attainment gaps have closed further for pupil premium pupils.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make good progress in Reception. Children are well prepared for Year 1 because the school has acted swiftly to address previous areas of weakness, for example through mathematics training across the cluster of schools, work on social and emotional development with a ‘Thrive’ specialist, and focused help to boost speech and language skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Teaching is good. Staff know the children well and encourage them to socialise. The school is implementing a free-flow system where each classroom is a base with specific focuses that children move through during the week, getting to know each other and their setting better. Activities engage children with learning, and parents can be involved on visit days and through home-school links. Adults are helpful but also ensure that children can follow their own interests. Routines are well and quickly established.

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The early years provision is good

 Behaviour is good. Adults model thoughtful behaviour and successfully encourage children to demonstrate it. Children usually help to tidy up at the end of lessons. They are kept safe because staff are aware of their needs and the children also look out for one another.

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The early years provision is good

 The Early Years Foundation Stage is led well by an experienced leader who has accurately identified the strengths of her area and what can be further developed. Teachers and support staff plan together to ensure consistent approaches. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted effectively through an emphasis on what has affected our society, such as the story of Guy Fawkes, and the importance of being polite and helpful to each other.

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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 120780 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 448522

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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 Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 304 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Barry Parnell Headteacher Lucy Wayman Date of previous school inspection 28 April 2010 Telephone number 01953 453127 Fax number 01953 457494 Email address office@attleborough-inf.norfolk.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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