Rougham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Rougham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Church Road, Rougham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP30 9JJ Inspection dates 18–19 January 2017 Overall effectiveness Inadequate Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement Outcomes for pupils Inadequate Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an inadequate school  Too many weaknesses are holding the school back from providing an adequate standard of education for pupils.  Leaders and governors have been too slow to identify a decline in the quality of education. They have not made accurate assessments of the school’s performance since the previous inspection.  Leaders do not check the quality of teaching and learning rigorously. They do not hold teachers to account for the quality of their teaching and the progress of the pupils. Consequently, there are too many inconsistencies in teaching, learning and assessment and little sign of improvement.  Governors have not challenged leaders sufficiently over pupils’ achievement.  Leaders do not take swift, effective action to make sure that disadvantaged pupils make good progress.  Teachers’ assessments of pupils are not accurate enough. Too often, assessments are not supported by reliable evidence and pupils’

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

progress information goes unchecked by leaders.  Expectations of the achievement of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are too low. The pupils do not receive effective, targeted support to help them to achieve well.  Curriculum subject leaders are in the early stages of monitoring their areas of responsibility. As a result, they do not yet have an accurate picture of the quality of teaching and learning and what progress the pupils are making. The school has the following strengths  Pupils are polite and courteous. They feel safe and trust adults to support and help them.  Parents are positive about the school’s work. 18–19 January 2017

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Full report

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Rapidly improve the quality of school leadership and management by: – accurately assessing the school’s effectiveness and acting swiftly on areas to develop that will impact on pupils’ achievement – ensuring that teachers are held fully to account for the progress that pupils make – strengthening the knowledge and skills of middle leaders so that they can raise the standards of teaching and pupils’ achievement in their areas of responsibility – providing strong leadership and support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities – routinely reviewing the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across subjects and year groups, including regular checks on the quality of pupils’ work in their books – raising the expectations of staff about what pupils can achieve, including disadvantaged pupils, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and the most able – quickly addressing weaker teaching and ensuring that staff receive feedback that

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

helps them to improve their teaching.  Strengthen the use of assessment by: – ensuring that all staff know and understand the pupils’ different starting points – training staff to understand and use the school’s assessment system precisely and accurately so that assessments of pupils’ progress are accurate and inform their next steps in learning – leaders and governors routinely checking the progress of different groups so that suitable support and timely intervention can be targeted.  Improve the quality of teaching and learning so that pupils achieve well by: – providing good-quality teaching of writing, reading and mathematics – providing work that engages pupils’ interest and challenges pupils of all abilities, particularly the most able – ensuring that teachers support and make appropriate use of the skills of teaching assistants within lessons. 18–19 January 2017 An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. An external review of governance should be undertaken to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved. The school may not appoint newly qualified teachers. 18–19 January 2017

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders and governors have not been effective in maintaining a good standard of education since the previous inspection. They have not reviewed the quality of the school’s work well enough to identify and respond rapidly to weaknesses.  Despite the goodwill and ability of many leaders, they do not have sufficient designated time to review the effectiveness of their impact and drive improvement. As a result, leaders have not made sufficient checks on the quality of achievement, teaching, learning and assessment. This has led to an inaccurate and overgenerous view of the quality of provision in the school.  Leaders have not been thorough and meticulous enough about analysing the progress of pupils, or different groups of pupils. As a result, those pupils at risk of falling behind, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, have not been identified or their needs met quickly enough.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 Leaders fail to provide adequate provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The use of the additional funding provided to meet the pupils’ precise needs is weak and pupils do not receive appropriately timed or targeted support. Consequently, pupils do not make the progress they should, from their starting points, in reading, writing and mathematics. Leaders do not routinely review the quality and impact of the support provided.  Leaders have failed to implement appropriate systems to monitor the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. They do not check on the accuracy of assessment, or on the impact that teaching has on pupils’ progress from their starting points.  The procedures for managing staff’s performance are not effective in holding teachers to account for the progress of their pupils, and are not effective in raising the standard of teaching.  Leaders do not give precise enough guidance to teachers to help them to improve. As a

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

result, teachers and leaders do not have an accurate understanding about the quality of teaching, and are not bringing about essential improvements to the standard of education. Too often, leaders rely on informal conversations with staff to assess the quality of teaching, rather than rigorous analysis of teaching and pupils’ work.  Middle leaders have not been supported well enough over time. They do not have the skills needed to assist the headteacher to urgently improve the school. Their work makes too little difference to improve pupils’ learning across different areas.  The evaluation of the pupil premium funding spending is not rigorous enough in key stages 1 and 2. Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as they could because they have not been receiving, consistently, the specific help they require to meet their needs. The support is not planned quickly enough or tailored effectively to meet their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

needs.  The curriculum includes a range of trips and extra-curricular activities in subjects such as science, art, geography and history, and also encourages pupils to apply literacy and 18–19 January 2017 numeracy skills in different subjects. However, leaders do not make accurate checks on pupils’ progress across the curriculum areas or ensure that pupils regularly access subjects in sufficient depth.  The school effectively promotes pupils’ understanding of British values and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. The half-termly themes, focused on social and moral values, underpin the work that the school does. Creative opportunities to celebrate the cultural diversity of Britain, such as developing links with a school in Kenya, working with the local church, and pupils’ participation in the eco council, ensure that pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.  Leaders have made appropriate use of the sports and physical education (PE) funding.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

The additional money has been utilised to provide resources to enhance PE provision. A new climbing frame has improved the breadth of gymnastics pupils can access. A play leader is employed at lunchtime to provide structured physical activities, while the school’s membership of the ‘sports partnership’ secures the school’s inclusion in extra- curricular clubs such as tag rugby, dance, gymnastics and multi-skills. As a result of the funding, pupils’ regular participation in physical activity is increasing.  The local authority has not provided sufficient challenge and support to the leaders, particularly the headteacher when new in post. Although over time some support has been provided, this has not been rigorous enough, or coordinated effectively, to align with and meet the specific needs of the school. The lack of rigour in the advice and support given has contributed towards the decline of the school’s provision.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Inadequate

 The school actively seeks to establish positive working partnerships with parents, including opportunities to talk with their class teacher during monthly ‘drop in’ sessions. All parents spoken to by inspectors had positive views about the school’s work.

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Governance of the school

 Governors have an overgenerous view about the effectiveness of the school’s provision and rely too heavily on the information provided by leaders. Despite regular visits, the governors do not challenge leaders enough about pupils’ achievement.  Governors do not undertake their statutory duties in an effective way. They do not monitor the quality of achievement or the arrangements to safeguard pupils routinely and rigorously enough. They do not use their expertise to ensure that all of the additional funding that the school receives is being used efficiently, including the funding for disadvantaged pupils, or for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.  Governors have received different messages about the school’s effectiveness from external evaluations, some of which have been overgenerous. The local authority’s recent evaluation was more realistic. Such conflicting information has made it difficult

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Governance of the school

for the governing body to establish the true position of the school, particularly as governors lack the appropriate knowledge and experience to evaluate the information accurately. 18–19 January 2017

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Although safeguarding policies and procedures meet statutory requirements, leaders’ expectations of staff are not clear or rigorous enough. The information recorded is not always sufficiently detailed for the leaders to demonstrate that they have actioned concerns in a timely and appropriate way. While inspection evidence confirms that leaders do follow up concerns swiftly, and know the families well, they agree that their record-keeping needs to be more systematic.  Leaders undertake the statutory obligatory checks, but there is a lack of evidence to show that leaders and governors methodically check the safeguarding processes and administration, which results in the continuing lack of rigour in the systems currently in place.  The needs of vulnerable pupils and families are appropriately managed. Staff are suitably trained in safeguarding children and child protection. Staff’s recording of

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Safeguarding

concerns shows they can identify the correct procedures to follow if worries about pupils’ welfare arise. Families are signposted to support agencies where necessary.  The required statutory recruitment checks on all staff are undertaken prior to employment to determine whether staff are suitable to work with children.  Pupils say they feel safe at school. They are confident that if they have any concerns that are worrying them they can talk to any adult at the school, and know action will be taken to help them.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 Assessment is inadequate. Teachers do not use assessment information consistently or confidently to plan learning to meet pupils’ needs. Teachers are not clear on what pupils, including those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, disadvantaged pupils and the most able, already know and can do.  Teachers focus on activities that pupils complete, rather than thinking about learning and focusing on the progress pupils should make on completing the tasks.  Pupils’ current books show that there is too much work that is too easy. This very often results in pupils completing an activity without learning anything new, and therefore not making as much progress as they are capable of.  Much teaching lacks sufficient pace and challenge to sustain pupils’ interest. Teachers do not consistently move learning on as quickly as is needed and, as a result, pupils stop making an effort, sit compliantly or lose focus, and their progress slows.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

 The feedback pupils receive from teachers does not routinely show them how they can improve their work. When advice is given, pupils do not act on it, which slows their progress in taking the next step in their learning.  Pupils’ books for mathematics show increasing opportunities to practise calculation and that pupils are competent when applying their skills to some problem-solving activities. However, it is clear that this is not consistent across the whole school. On many 18–19 January 2017 occasions, books show that pupils receive work that they can already do.  Pupils are given the opportunity to write in their ‘special writing books’ and in other subject areas. However, the assessment of writing is not rigorous. When pupils are not making enough progress it is not dealt with quickly enough. There are many examples in books across the school where pupils were not using the basics of capital letters and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

full stops in their writing. Mistakes are not reflected in the teachers’ feedback, and this consequently leads to repeated errors.  Some teachers demonstrate effective skills in using questions and explanations to help pupils learn. Some strengths, for example in teachers’ subject knowledge within English, and effective modelling of new concepts in mathematics, were also evident, particularly in upper key stage 2. These positive aspects of practice are currently too inconsistent to ensure that pupils make rapid progress from their starting points, in all year groups.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement. Leaders do not ensure that there is a consistently meticulous approach to the administration of safeguarding matters. The school’s safeguarding culture, linked to the organisation of paperwork and rationale behind completing it, is not consistently rigorous.  Staff promote online safety effectively. Pupils are able to talk about the risks of using the internet, and know how to keep themselves safe. There are key stage 2 pupils trained as ‘eCadets’. Pupils explained that their role was to support pupils to be safe online. Pupils said there are clear rules about using information technology in school and said, ‘we know the difference between public and private things on the computer and so we know when it is safe to share information. The “eCadets” help us by explaining how to do the right thing that will make sure we are safe.’

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils feel safe. They know about the different forms of bullying and what they should do if it happens. Pupils linked their discussion with inspectors about bullying to the half-termly values they focus on in assemblies, such as justice, courage, wisdom and respect. Pupils said they learn how to ‘be good people’, and so know the difference between right and wrong.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Throughout the school, pupils are polite, helpful and courteous. In classrooms, even though the quality of teaching is not consistently effective, most pupils show good self- discipline and know to focus their attention on what they are being asked to do.  Pupils conduct themselves well around school. They are generally respectful of each other and the adults that support and take care of them. Year 6 pupils train as peer mentors, to support and help younger children and pupils at breaktimes. Their mission is to make the school a happy place and ‘be a listening ear when pupils fall out’. There 18–19 January 2017 is a ‘friendship stop’ but pupils say it is rare for anyone to go there. Pupils told the inspector the reason for this is ‘because no one is sad’.  The current attendance levels are above the national average. Leaders work closely with parents; they reinforce the importance of attending school regularly and provide

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Behaviour

support to families if there are any concerns about making sure pupils attend school.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 In 2016, the proportion of children in Reception that achieved a good level of development was below the national average. This is a decline from the previous two years’ early years outcomes.  There is a declining trend in phonics attainment over the previous three years. The proportion of Year 1 pupils who achieved the expected standard in the phonics screening test in 2016 was below the national average. In 2015, the proportion achieving the expected standard matched the national average, and in 2014 the proportion was above the national average.  Teachers’ assessment of outcomes in key stage 1 in 2016 shows that pupils attained above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. In mathematics, reading and writing, a greater proportion of pupils achieved greater depth than the national average.  Pupils read fluently and say that they read regularly in school, and at home. The school

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

provides a suitable range of age-appropriate reading books and pupils feel that they are moving on to harder books when they have finished easier ones. Pupils apply their phonics skills to read unfamiliar words when needed. The most able pupils read fluently with expression but do not show sufficient understanding of the text.  The 2016 outcomes in key stage 2 show that while attainment for reading was similar to the national average, and above the national average for writing, the number of pupils attaining the expected standard in mathematics was significantly below the national average. Overall, the proportion of pupils who attained the expected standard in both English and mathematics combined was below the national average.  Pupils’ progress at the end of key stage 2 in 2016 for reading and writing was similar to the national average. Pupils’ progress in mathematics is significantly below that of their

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

peers nationally. The most recent, as yet unconfirmed, results in mathematics show poorer achievement for girls. Although leaders identify the gender gap in their school improvement planning, the current assessment system, and monitoring of it, does not show whether these differences are diminishing.  In 2016 pupils did not achieve well in English grammar, punctuation and spelling, and this is reflected in weaknesses seen in pupils’ writing. Leaders have rightly identified this as an area to focus on in the current academic year.  Leaders are not certain that the school’s assessment system for establishing pupils’ starting points is accurate, and this casts doubt on the validity of published performance information. Although there has been some external checking of pupils’ work focusing on attainment, from the local authority and local schools, it is still not 18–19 January 2017 clear to leaders whether pupils’ progress is measured correctly.

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

 Disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as they could because, in key stages 1 and 2, their needs are not adequately assessed and appropriate support is not applied in a timely and effective way. In 2016 the lower- and middle-attaining disadvantaged pupils across the school did not achieve as well as their non-disadvantaged peers nationally.  Too often, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities participate in support programmes for too long when these are making no difference to their progress. Some pupils spend much of their teaching and learning time away from the class, with a teaching assistant, without a justifiable reason for this. Worryingly, leaders cannot provide evidence that they have considered this issue to ensure that they are providing an inclusive education for all pupils.  Key stage 2 pupils are not adequately prepared for the next stages of their education,

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Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

particularly in mathematics. This is because they do not achieve well enough by the time they leave to attend their secondary school.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Children start in the Reception class generally with skills and abilities that are similar to those that are typical for children of the same age.  Since the previous inspection, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year has been inconsistent. In 2014 and 2015, the proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development was above the national average, and in 2016 there was a decline, and the proportion was below the national average. This does not represent good progress from children’s starting points.  The early years leader can identify feasible reasons why there was a decline in achievement in 2016. However, other leaders in the school have not had an overview of children’s assessment information to act swiftly and effectively to provide support.  Although the effectiveness and accuracy of assessment are inconsistent across the rest

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Early years provision Requires improvement

of the school, the early years leader is meticulous about how the team uses assessment to inform the teaching and learning. The team collects a range of evidence to develop children’s profiles and, as a result, the teacher knows the starting points of the children, and can plan effectively.  Disadvantaged children receive appropriately focused support based on precise assessment from their entry into the early years. Their progress is reviewed regularly to make sure that their needs are met. In 2016, the disadvantaged children achieved well.  Currently, the quality of teaching and learning is improving, but progress slows when children are left to make their own choices. Adults are not deployed flexibly enough to ensure that children are learning well in their chosen activities indoors and outside, and across all areas of the curriculum. In a whole-class session on symmetry, for example, a group of boys made a ‘beeline’ for the construction bricks, which presented a good

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Early years provision Requires improvement

opportunity to explore symmetry in a practical way. A lack of guidance and support 18–19 January 2017 meant that the boys just focused on playing with the bricks, without applying any prior learning, as had been intended.  Behaviour in the Reception class is good. Children learn routines quickly. They move around the classroom safely and confidently, are polite and listen well to each other.  Children’s ‘learning journeys’ contain details about what they achieve throughout the school day, based on quotes from children, photos of what they can do, and what their next steps are. Parents are encouraged by the school to share what their child achieves at home and they feel very involved with their child’s learning.  Parents spoke very positively about their child’s experience in the early years. One parent said, ‘Reception is amazing, it sets the children up well for the rest of their education.’ 18–19 January 2017

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School details

Unique reference number 124756 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 10023442 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 Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 5 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 192 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Terry Jennings Headteacher Diane Grimes Telephone number 01359 270288 Website www.roughamprimary.net Email address school@roughamprimary.net Date of previous inspection 8–9 February 2012

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Information about this school

 Rougham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is smaller than the average primary school.  The majority of pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils whose first language is not, or believed not to be, English, is lower than the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is below average. 18–19 January 2017  The school met the current government floor standards in 2015, which are minimum expectations for attainment and progress.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed lessons across all year groups during the two days. Lessons were jointly observed with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, curriculum subject leaders, the governors, including the chair of governors, and a local authority representative.  Inspectors took into account the 20 staff responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaire.  Inspectors evaluated documents, including the school’s own evaluation of performance, the school improvement plan, minutes of meetings, reports on attendance and behaviour, and records related to pupils’ safety, academic attainment and progress.  Inspectors spoke informally with groups of pupils, looked at pupils’ work in lessons, scrutinised samples of work in different subjects across different ages and abilities, and listened to pupils read. The 81 responses to the confidential pupil questionnaire were also taken into account.

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Information about this inspection

 Pupils’ behaviour was observed in class, and at break and lunchtime and around the school.  Inspectors took account of results of the school’s own recent surveys for parents.  After the inspection team left the school site, the sources of some of the responses on Parent View were found to be unreliable and were removed.

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Inspection team

Tracy Fielding, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Simon Webb Her Majesty’s Inspector Lynn Lowery Ofsted Inspector 18–19 January 2017 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings . 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. 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 children looked after, 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-

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Inspection team

government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy 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

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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