Roman Road Primary School

School report Roman Road Primary School Leam Lane Estate, Felling, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE10 8SA Inspection dates 29  30 June 2016

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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This is an outstanding school

 The inspirational headteacher has fostered a culture of high expectations, where barriers to learning are not accepted and a ‘can do’ approach informs every action.  Leadership is the responsibility of all staff. Everyone shares a sense of collective responsibility for pupils’ learning and the outcomes.  Pupils make outstanding progress from their various starting points. In key stage 2, pupils make exceptional progress, and most go on to achieve beyond expectations in reading, writing and mathematics.  Disadvantaged pupils make progress at least in line with, and sometimes exceeding, that of their classmates and other pupils nationally.  Children in the early years get off to an increasingly good start to their education. By the end of Reception, they are making good progress and are well prepared for the challenges of Year 1.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding. Teachers routinely establish high

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This is an outstanding school

expectations, accept no excuses for failure and work collaboratively to remedy issues that arise.  Pupils respond well to the high expectations of staff and this is seen in their exemplary attitudes to learning, the impressive quality of work they produce and their excellent behaviour.  The comprehensive and exciting curriculum ensures that there are numerous opportunities for pupils to apply basic skills across all subjects. The work they produce in other subjects is of a high standard and presented with care and attention to detail.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development particularly well. Pupils develop a thirst for learning and a respect for the rights and responsibilities they have as members of the school community and beyond.  Pupils have a keen sense of right and wrong and a highly developed understanding of fairness and acceptance towards those from backgrounds and

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This is an outstanding school

lifestyles different from their own. They are thoroughly prepared for life in modern Britain.  The governing body shares the vision and passion of the headteacher. Governors know the school extremely well, pay regular visits and review information to help keep senior leaders on track. They recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the school, while maintaining a focus on improving further.  Parents hold the school in very high regard stating that by sending your child to this school you know ‘they are set for life’.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the rate of progress children make in the early years so that it matches that seen in the rest of the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 School leaders, staff and governors, led by the headteacher, share an absolute conviction and passion for ensuring that all pupils achieve well, regardless of their background or ability. Working together, leaders and governors aspire to ensure that staff and pupils succeed.  Staff and leaders at all levels work tirelessly in teams to solve problems and to make continuous improvements. Where concerns arise, they focus on implementing and sustaining improvements – for example, in the early years, the impact of actions can be seen in the rapidly improved outcomes for pupils.  Leaders ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of the challenges they may face to achieving well. They ensure that pupils’ progress is tracked systematically and any emerging concerns are acted on quickly. Frequent discussions about the progress pupils make ensure that their needs are being met. Consequently, all pupils and groups of pupils make excellent progress and those

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

who need to catch up take significant steps to do so.  Leaders challenge and support staff to do their best and help all staff fulfil their potential. Working in a collaborative and trusting environment, teachers share responsibility for all pupils in school, sharing best practice and supporting each other. Staff have targets closely linked to the school’s improvement priorities and the progress made by pupils in each class. Targets are rigorously monitored and ensure that pupils make speedy progress from their various starting points  The school’s ‘creative curriculum’ provides an exciting, stimulating and relevant context in which pupils can develop their basic skills and become increasingly responsible citizens. The school’s work as a Rights Respecting School is woven through the curriculum and drives planning. The creative curriculum committee empowers pupils by establishing what themes they would like to work on and then evaluating

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

the outcomes with pupils and parents. The themes are brought together as an impressive showcase for parents. Subjects are tracked separately through the themed work and sometimes taught separately to ensure that pupils achieve high standards. For example, inspectors saw conversational French being taught, and art linked to the 100th anniversary of the Somme and British values.  Pupils have an increasingly mature and sophisticated understanding of right and wrong and the rule of law. They show great respect and acceptance of individual differences and lifestyles. This is because spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is central to fostering a ‘can do’ ethos, in which everyone is accepted and expected to thrive. Pupils talk knowledgeably about different religions, cultures and countries including the schools links with Gambia and an Indian orphanage. Consequently, they are well prepared with the skills and values to contribute to life in modern Britain.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 Pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils is effectively targeted and supports pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, to fulfil their potential. Teachers and teaching assistants support pupils’ learning and give them individual attention to enhance their skills. Gaps are rapidly closing and by the end of Year 6 these pupils match and sometimes exceed the high standards achieved by their classmates.  Funding to improve pupils’ participation in sports and physical activity is used effectively. It is used to enhance adults’ skills in teaching physical education and to enable pupils to take part in a range of sports activities that do much to promote pupils’ knowledge and understanding of healthy lifestyles.  The local authority provides light-touch support to the school. The impact of the work of the local authority can be seen in the rapidly improving provision in the early years.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

 Parents who spoke to inspectors said they are very happy with the school and that their children are enthusiastic, confident and very keen to attend, a view that was supported on Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Many parents expressed confidence in the headteacher and greatly value the individual support the school provides to their children.  The governance of the school Governors make it their business to know about the work of the school. They use this information proportionately to celebrate the successes of the school and to hold school leaders to account. On occasions, this information is not well organised and does not make for efficient use of governors’ time. They share the passion and commitment of the headteacher and senior leaders. They, too, accept no excuses and are determined that no barrier to learning should deflect them from ensuring the best possible outcomes for pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

The governing body ensures that school finances are secure and spending decisions are based on ensuring the best outcomes for pupils. They fulfil their statutory duties, taking them very seriously.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All appropriate checks are carried out to ensure the suitability of staff to work with children. The policies and procedures in place to keep pupils safe drive a culture in the school where pupils say they feel safe, and staff are mindful and acutely aware of their responsibilities regarding pupils’ welfare. Training for staff and governors including work on preventing radicalisation and child sexual exploitation is up to date. Work with other agencies to help pupils understand the impact of gang culture informs the curriculum provision. The school has established effective partnerships with parents, carers and other agencies to ensure that plans for vulnerable

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is outstanding

individuals are implemented and tracked in a timely manner.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 The school’s assessment information, teaching observed on this inspection and pupils’ work demonstrate that teaching over time is outstanding. Teachers have consistently high expectations of the work and behaviours expected of pupils. They believe all pupils should aspire to achieve their best. Consequently, the majority of pupils go on to achieve well above the levels expected for their age in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2.  Teachers and teaching assistants have strong subject knowledge, supported by the expertise of others in the school. This helps them to implement interventions in a consistent and imaginative manner, so that pupils develop a deeper understanding of their subject or topic. Staff are generally skilled at asking probing questions to ensure that pupils think even more deeply.  Assessment is used skilfully in lessons to ensure that there is continuous progression in learning for

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

pupils. Misconceptions and gaps in learning are anticipated and addressed quickly. Teachers then help pupils secure and apply their learning in a variety of situations and other subjects. As a result, pupils quickly grasp new ideas and concepts and make rapid progress. Advice and feedback on what pupils need to do next are clear, proportionate and highly effective in moving pupils’ learning on to the next steps.  Teachers know pupils well and are sensitive to their needs. Where issues are emerging, teachers and skilled teaching assistants help make a substantial contribution to pupils’ learning. Consequently, disadvantaged pupils or those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make similarly strong progress to others in the school.  The most able pupils thrive in the school. No limits are placed on what they can achieve. Teachers ensure that in lessons new learning is accessed quickly. Tasks offer a balance of building on previous learning

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

and applying this in a variety of new ways to solve problems and make pupils think harder. Pupils welcome the challenges their work provides, and the proportion of pupils working beyond expectations in reading, writing and mathematics has improved over time.  A key strength of the school is the application of basic skills across all subjects. Teachers ensure that the teaching of all subjects is based on the same rigour applied to the basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. Examples seen during the inspection included science and French. The curriculum energises pupils while providing ample opportunities to develop key skills, attitudes and behaviours that support learning.  Pupils enjoy learning. They understand that their attitudes to learning have a positive impact on their own progress and that of others. Pupils are self-disciplined and opportunities to cut corners are rejected because ‘that would not be good learning’.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is outstanding

 Pupils engage well with homework and understand how this adds to their learning. Recent innovations in key stage 1 include a ‘menu’ of creative activities to select from. This has led to some impressive work on the solar system.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  The school works tirelessly to ensure that all pupils are safe and well cared for. Adults work closely with pupils to address any issues they may have in a supportive and sensitive manner. Pupils say they feel extremely safe in school.  Teachers work with other agencies to ensure that key personal development and welfare messages are understood. The curriculum has a strong focus on personal safety in and outside the school, including personal survival, playground safety, firework awareness and the impact of gang culture. This results in the pupils talking maturely and with confidence about how to keep themselves safe, including when accessing the internet or using social media.  Bullying and racist or hate-inspired incidents are rare. When they do occur, they are promptly challenged, recorded and tracked to ensure that underlying causes are understood and resolved. Pupils know that the

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Personal development and welfare

use of degrading and offensive language is not acceptable and what to do should concerns arise.  Pupils grow in confidence during their time in school. They acquire an assured and resilient approach to developing their own learning. They take their roles of responsibility within the school community very seriously. Representation on the school council, creative curriculum committee or as a playground buddy is seen as an honour and an achievement to aspire to. Pupils value the voice they have in shaping and evaluating the decisions about how learning can be improved further.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils are extremely well behaved in classrooms and around the school. They are considerate, polite and caring towards each other and adults. They take great care of the plentiful equipment provided at lunch and playtimes, putting it away quickly to ensure that they start lessons promptly.  Pupils have a very clear understanding of which aspects of behaviour help them to learn and which behaviours get in the way. In classrooms, they listen to teachers attentively, take turns, collaborate with other pupils when needed, and drive themselves to complete tasks and challenges on time. Consequently, lessons proceed in a calm and studious atmosphere that is highly conducive to learning.  Pupils’ work shows high standards of presentation. Pupils enjoy taking pride in their work and understand why this is important. They take time and care to ensure accuracy and neatness in their books. They are

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Behaviour

rightly proud of their achievements.  The positive relationships between adults and pupils is a major strength of the school. Pupils are respectful towards adults and trust them with their concerns and worries.  Attendance has risen this year and is now broadly average and improving for all pupils including disadvantaged pupils. This is because recent systems have been established to report each pupil’s attendance to parents on a weekly basis. Staff promptly follow up absence and make sure that pupils are safe. The number of pupils who are frequently absent has also declined to below that seen nationally.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 As a result of consistently high expectations, high-quality teaching and the pupils’ positive and motivated learning behaviour, they achieve outstanding outcomes.  In the early years, pupils are making increasingly rapid progress so that, by the end of Reception, the majority of children are starting to work beyond expected early learning goals.  In 2015, a higher proportion of pupils reached the required level in the Year 1 phonics (the sounds letters make) check than seen nationally. By the end of Year 2, every pupil who needed to catch up had done so. This trend is set to continue.  Attainment by the end of key stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics has improved markedly. From below average starting points, the vast majority of pupils now meet age-related expectations and increasing proportions are working beyond them.  In key stage 2, pupils make outstanding progress in reading, writing and mathematics. The school has

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

been in the top 7% of schools nationally for pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics for three consecutive years. As a consequence, the proportion of pupils who go on to achieve at higher levels in these subjects is significantly higher than seen nationally.  The most able pupils are given support which fully challenges them to achieve the levels of which they are capable and make sustained progress. The proportions achieving at higher levels increase at each key stage. Those who attain highly go on to maintain and further improve their achievements.  Disadvantaged pupils and those vulnerable to underachievement make similar excellent progress to their classmates. This is because accurate and highly responsive assessments are used carefully by all staff to identify any gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ understanding. These shortfalls in learning are quickly addressed, so that all groups of pupils make rapid progress from their various starting points.

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

 Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make equally strong progress. They have their needs accurately identified and their learning carefully planned and monitored to ensure that they keep pace with their classmates.  Pupils use phonics well to help them read fluently from an early age. Pupils read with expression and understand the storylines, humour and moral messages contained within their books. They enjoy a variety of books and talk confidently about different authors and genres.  Pupils’ writing is impressive. Handwriting is neat, fluid and well formed. Pupils use exciting and interesting vocabulary to engage the reader. Their work is accurate with a good and improving understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling. As a result, pupils are able to write at length across a range of subjects, and convey a range of ideas and styles in an absorbing fashion.  Pupils ably apply their mathematical knowledge and reasoning in a variety of situations and across a

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Outcomes for pupils are outstanding

range of subjects to solve complex problems. Whatever their ability, they have resilience and persevere with tasks which enables them to achieve as well as they can.

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Early years provision is good

 The early years provision is good and improving rapidly. As a result, children make good progress in the early years whatever their starting points and their rate of progress is improving.  Many children start the Nursery with skills, attitudes and abilities below those typical for their age but most go on to achieve a good level of development, matching that seen nationally. The proportion of children exceeding expectations is increasing year on year with the majority of children now beginning to work beyond the early learning goals.  Disadvantaged children make expected and sometimes rapid progress. Additional funding is well targeted and those who need to catch up are beginning to do so. The majority achieve a good level of development.  By the end of Reception, most children are well prepared for their move into Year 1. This is because staff plan activities carefully to ensure that children access all areas of learning and to take account of their

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Early years provision is good

needs and interests. All adults are skilled at ensuring that children develop effective communication and language skills, and have their emotional needs met. Occasionally adults miss opportunities to get children to explain their thinking and develop their speaking skills.  Opportunities for children to develop their basic skills and abilities in reading, writing and mathematics are well supported by effective and precise teaching. Phonics are systematically taught and care is usually taken to ensure that children hear and say sounds correctly.  Adults support children’s learning with well-directed questions and instructions. They successfully encourage children to work together to solve problems and provide a stimulating and exciting range of activities both inside and outside the classroom to help them to do so.  Behaviour of children in the early years is good. Children operate in a climate of high expectations that

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Early years provision is good

inform the routines and behaviours that promote effective learning. They understand the importance of taking turns and working together. Some opportunities to promote positive behaviours that support learning are sometimes missed.  The early years provision is well led. Ongoing actions to improve the early years have been effective in improving outcomes for children. Working with other providers, sharing best practice and keeping their own practice under constant review have helped improve teaching and learning. New staff are expertly mentored and quickly adopt the high expectations and ‘can do’ ethos of the school. However, some practice is inconsistent and opportunities to promote stronger learning behaviour and communication skills are missed. Consequently, children do not make the exceptional progress seen in the rest of the school.  All welfare requirements are met. Arrangements ensuring that children are safe and remain safe are

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Early years provision is good

securely in place. Staff know the children very well and individual needs are catered for. Work with pre- school providers, external agencies and parents ensures a safe and smooth transition into Nursery.  Partnership with parents is strong. Assessments about how well children are doing are shared with parents and parental contributions are taken into account. Nursery staff strive to provide daily feedback to parents at home-time. As a result, parents are very happy with the early years provision and the progress their children are making.

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School details

Unique reference number 108376 Local authority Gateshead Inspection number 10011024 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 188 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mr J G Carr Headteacher Mrs Christine McKeown Telephone number 0191 438 0510 Website www.romanroadprimary.org Email address romanroadprimaryschool@gateshead.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 19 January 2011

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The school has recently relocated into a new building.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receiving support is above the national average with a few pupils with an education, health and care plan or statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the pupil premium provides support is well above average. Pupil premium funding is provided to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  Children in the Nursery attend part time and those in the Reception class attend full time.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the requirements on the publication of information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held discussions with governors, the headteacher, senior leaders and some subject leaders.  Discussions were also held with other school leaders and staff to establish how well the school was operating, meeting the needs of all pupils and ensuring that safeguarding is secure.  Inspectors observed learning in all classrooms and watched how well pupils behave and learn.  Joint observations were held with the headteacher.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work, had discussions with pupils and listened to some read.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and relationships around the school, in lessons and at playtimes.  Inspectors met with some parents at the start of the school day and scrutinised the responses to Parent View.  The inspection team examined a wide range of school documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation, information on the performance of teachers and pupils, information shared with the

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Information about this inspection

governing body, information on the curriculum and safeguarding, and other key policy documents.

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Inspection team

Jonathan Brown, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Claire Brown Ofsted Inspector Suzette Garland-Grimes Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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