Redscope Primary School

Redscope Primary School Inspection report

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106844 Unique Reference Number Rotherham Local Authority 309244 Inspection number 17 °18 March 2008 Inspection dates Fiona Gowers Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 384 School The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Trevor Sherburn Chair Mrs C Sneath Headteacher 12 January 2004 Date of previous school inspection Kimberworth Park Road School address Rotherham South Yorkshire S61 3JT 01709 740350 Telephone number 01709 550516 Fax number

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3-11 Age group 17 °18 March 2008 Inspection dates 309244 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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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.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

This larger than average primary school serves an area with significant levels of social and economic disadvantage. Most children are White British. A few pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and a small number are at an early stage of learning English. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is above average. The proportion of pupils eligible to receive a free school meal is above average. The school was formed from the amalgamation of separate infant and junior schools in April 2005. It has achieved the Quality Mark 2006, the Active Mark, Healthy Schools accreditation and a Leading Aspect Award for raising aspirations in writing.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Redscope Primary is a good school, which amply lives up to its aim to 'foster an ethos which promotes respect and self-esteem and ensure everyone feels valued'. The care, guidance and support that it offers its pupils are outstanding. The school provides a very nurturing environment, which enables pupils to feel very happy and settled and to develop outstanding personal and social skills. Excellent relationships help pupils grow in confidence and learn to listen to the ideas and opinions of others. As a consequence, they work very well in teams. The school council actively canvasses the views of others to improve their community. Having successfully brightened up the school toilet blocks with pop art and worked hard to improve play times, council members are now working closely with the governors to improve the dining hall. Pupils have very positive attitudes to learning and thoroughly enjoy working towards their

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Grade: 2

targets for improvement. Teachers' clear academic guidance has been a major factor in helping pupils to accelerate their rates of progress. Individual targets are consistently used throughout school to show pupils how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve further. Consequently, all groups of pupils, including those who find learning difficult and those learning English as an additional language, make good progress as they move up the school. In recognition of its very effective academic guidance the school received a 'Leading Aspect Award' for raising aspirations in writing. Standards at the end of Year 6 in English, mathematics and science are broadly average. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall and helps pupils to achieve well. Initiatives that have been put in place to improve writing and make sure every child can read are working very well. Most lessons are well planned and learning activities are usually well matched to

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Grade: 2

pupils' abilities. There are examples of outstanding teaching. This excellent level of expertise has yet to be shared throughout the school to help all provide a learning environment which will excite and inspire pupils to even higher achievement. The curriculum is good and meets the needs of most pupils effectively. Currently, the headteacher is involved in a national project to link their personal development with different subjects, to ensure even greater relevance for the pupils. Leadership and management are good overall. The headteacher's leadership during the amalgamation has been excellent. She has been the key factor in creating a strong team spirit where everyone's contribution is valued and people genuinely care for each other. All this has been achieved during a period of enormous change. She is well supported by her deputy and leadership team and makes certain that the needs of pupils remain at the heart of everything

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Grade: 2

the school does. This is very much appreciated by parents, who typically comment: 'My child loves attending school. However busy the headteacher is, she always takes the time to ask how my child is.' The school is highly supportive of parents and carers, providing courses to help them support children's learning at home. Following the amalgamation, many new systems and initiatives have been put in place by the leadership team. Staff are very committed and are aware of school priorities but, as yet, few are involved in their active development. The school provides a good quality of education for its learners and gives good value for money. Strengths in school leadership, shown in the successful amalgamation of the infant and junior schools, alongside good levels of achievement by pupils and the well-established, supportive and caring ethos of the school indicate that Redscope Primary has good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

4 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008

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Grade: 2

Foundation Stage provision is good. Children in both Nursery and Reception are beginning to develop independent learning through a good range of activities and experiences. The opportunities to mix play activities alongside focused teaching tasks are supporting children's learning in a meaningful way, although occasionally some children are kept a little too long at focused teaching activities. Children arrive in Nursery with skills that are very much lower than expected for their age in all areas of learning. This is particularly evident in the way they struggle to handle upsets and the difficulties demonstrated by many Nursery children when speaking and understanding the speech of others. They engage readily in activities but still need considerable support in using them creatively. Achievement is good. Children make big strides as learners in both Nursery and Reception, because careful assessments ensure that learning

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Grade: 2

activities are generally well matched to children's needs. Opportunities are seized to extend the children's limited speech, or sign language where speech is beyond them, into longer and more varied sentences, and staff ensure that vulnerable children are supported carefully. Lessons are fun and children are involved in lively activities but by the time they move into Year 1 standards are still below the expected goals.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Ensure that the outstanding teaching strategies are used in all classes to excite, inspire and motivate all pupils to achieve their best. ■ Develop the leadership and management roles of all staff so they play a greater part in leading whole-school initiatives.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Since the last inspection pupils have reached broadly average standards by the end of Year 6, from well below average starting points. An exception was in 2007 when standards fell to below average. This is because both the Year 2 and Year 6 classes had a particularly large proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Rates of progress also slowed in some classes because of temporary staffing arrangements at the time. School leadership's swift action to address this has resulted in accelerated rates of progress, and standards at the end of Year 6 are again broadly average. Pupils consistently make particularly good progress in reading and writing. Following whole-school initiatives to raise standards in mathematics and science pupils are now making more rapid progress than before in these areas. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress because

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Grade: 2

they are given extra help to meet their targets.

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Grade: 1

The school puts very strong emphasis on pupils' personal development because many start school with very low personal and social skills, and low self-confidence. Pupils enjoy their time at Redscope immensely, relishing the learning activities and the very strong pastoral support. 'We have a very smiley school. The teachers are very kind and make the lessons fun!' agreed a group of pupils. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. Pupils are very thoughtful and reflective and exemplary behaviour is a feature of most lessons. The many roles 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008 of responsibility carried out by pupils and their very positive attitudes to learning are a very good preparation for adult life. For example, team leaders help to organise and care for younger pupils at playtimes. Older pupils act as budding entrepreneurs as they work hard to raise money

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Grade: 1

for a school trip, by making and selling cards and bookmarks. Pupils clearly know how to stay fit and healthy; numerous high quality sporting activities and healthy snacks at break times help establish good habits. Although attendance rates remain broadly average, staff do all they can to maintain a positive trend. A significant number of parents continue to take their children on holidays during term time, which remains a cause for concern.

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Grade: 2

Pupils' good progress is the result of effective teaching. Teachers enjoy extremely good relationships with pupils and, as a result, pupils behave very well and try hard. Classroom assistants provide very effective support to small groups of pupils who may need extra help with their work or to individuals who may benefit from some one-to-one attention. Good quality marking shows pupils what they have done well and how they can improve their work further. All teaching observed was at least satisfactory and some was outstanding. However, the best practice is not sufficiently shared between teachers in order to improve teaching further. In the best lessons, learning gets off to a brisk pace as the pupils are stretched and challenged by exciting learning activities and probing questions to reach their targets quickly. Opportunities to work in groups and with a partner are used very effectively to stretch pupils in their thinking.

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Grade: 2

In other instances, however, activities are not so well matched to the needs and interests of learners and so their pace of learning slows. Teachers' rapidly developing skills in information and communication technology (ICT) support learning well in ICT lessons and in other areas of the curriculum.

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Grade: 2

The good quality curriculum provides particularly strong support to pupils' personal and social development. For the most part it challenges pupils well. A strong drive to improve provision for literacy and science has had a significant impact on pupils' achievement. The school is now working hard to improve provision in numeracy. There is appropriate coverage of the National Curriculum and the school links subjects to make learning more meaningful for pupils. Many topics are supported through practical learning, for example, currently, aspects of art and music support learning about the Caribbean. The school concentrates on developing pupils' speaking skills through a range of strategies. For example, older pupils learned to present a balanced argument by using drama techniques to question 'Father Bear' and 'Goldilocks'. Good provision enables pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities to make the most of their learning

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Grade: 2

so that they progress at a similar rate to their classmates. The curriculum is extended through a good range of clubs and visits to places of interest. These activities help build up pupils' skills and confidence. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008

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Grade: 1

Pupils flourish in the secure and supportive environment, as they are encouraged 'to be the best that they can be' in the school motto. They respond very well to the praise and encouragement given by all adults and thoroughly enjoy celebrating their successes by visiting the 'Praise Pod'. Systems for safeguarding pupils' health, safety and well-being are in place and meet current requirements. Relationships are excellent. Pupils feel valued and know there is always someone with whom to talk over any worries they may have. Skilled learning mentors provide invaluable support and advice to the more vulnerable pupils as well as many parents and carers. This, together with the very strong support given to pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities by committed teaching assistants, ensures that these pupils are fully included in all that the school has to offer. The school does very well in getting pupils ready to learn.

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Grade: 1

Targets for improvement clearly show pupils what they have to do to improve their work further. Many parents praise the high level of both academic and personal care. Such highly effective strategies in school mean that pupils are well placed in terms of their academic and personal development.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher, well supported by the school leadership team, drives school improvement well. School leaders have a good understanding of the school and areas for development. They are constantly seeking to improve the school further. Whole-school initiatives to raise standards in reading, writing and science have been particularly effective. The proportion of pupils gaining the higher levels has increased. However, staff beyond the senior leadership team do not have sufficient impact on school improvement initiatives to ensure consistency in teaching and learning. The school makes very good use of its partnership with other organisations and is currently seeking specialist support to raise standards in mathematics. Pupils' progress is carefully monitored and any pupil not doing as well as expected is given extra support. Governors have a good understanding of the school's strengths and areas for development. They are very

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Grade: 2

committed and fulfil their role as 'critical friend' effectively. The school benefits both from their professional expertise and community links. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The effectiveness of the Foundation Stage 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for the very friendly welcome you gave to me and the other inspectors when we visited your school. You were thoughtful, polite and helpful. We enjoyed talking to you about your work, speaking to your staff and joining you in lessons, in the dining hall and in assembly. Your behaviour is excellent and you try hard to do what teachers ask of you. Adults look after you very well so you feel safe and confident about asking them for help or talking to them about any worries. The school is extremely good at giving special help to those of you who need it. Your headteacher and deputy headteacher lead your school well and make sure you are happy and you learn well. Your school provides you with a good education that we know you enjoy. You make good progress to reach the standards that are expected of you when you leave at the end of Year 6. This is because the work you do and the teaching you receive are of good

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

quality. Your teachers work very hard to help you. We have asked them to share ideas about how they can make some of your lessons even more exciting and interesting so that you can all achieve as well as possible. We have also asked staff to be more involved in some of the work done by the headteacher so everyone is helping the school to improve. You can help your teachers in their efforts to improve your school by coming to school regularly, working hard and remembering to 'be the best that you can be.' We wish you well in the future. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Redscope Primary School, 17 °18 March 2008

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