Redscope Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Paula Dobbin Headteacher Redscope Primary School Kimberworth Park Road Rotherham South Yorkshire S61 3JT

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 13 March 2019, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in January 2015.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

Together with your staff, you have created a very inclusive school where pupils feel happy and safe, and they thrive in all that they do. You are an ambitious headteacher who is uncompromising in ensuring that every pupil flourishes, no matter what their starting point. The school motto of ‘to be the best that you can be’ permeates every area of the school and inspires everyone to strive for more and to achieve highly. You provide strong leadership by setting high expectations of yourself and others. As a result, teamwork is strong and all staff and governors work together to drive improvements forward. All staff enjoy working at the school and morale is high. You are due to retire at the end of the academic year and governors have solid plans to ensure that the school continues to grow and develop.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

Since the previous inspection, standards at the end of each key stage have improved considerably. In 2018, results show that more pupils are achieving more highly. At key stage 2, the proportion of pupils who are now attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics is above the national average. You and your teachers have implemented strategies to challenge more pupils, especially the most able, to achieve the higher standards. There are promising signs that these are having a positive effect, although there is still more to do to ensure that these strategies are fully embedded across the school.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

At the last inspection, leaders were asked to improve the behaviour of a minority of boys in key stage 1. You have involved pupils in developing a behaviour policy that sets clear expectations of what develops pupils’ sense of right and wrong. Pupils fully understand the school rules and play their part in making sure they behave very well during lessons and other times of the school day. As a result, classrooms are busy and productive learning environments, enabling pupils of all abilities to learn well together. Pupils are polite, courteous and get along with each other well.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

At the time of the previous inspection, the number of exclusions and repeat exclusions was above average. Your work in improving behaviour since the previous inspection has clearly paid dividends because the number of exclusions has reduced dramatically. Parents and pupils agree that behaviour is good.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

Inspectors also asked the school to raise pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 1. At the time of the previous inspection, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was below average. You have also had success in this area. The proportion of pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieving the expected standard in phonics at the end of Year 1 has improved considerably. As a result, an above-average proportion of pupils met the expected standard in 2018. In 2018, pupils’ attainment at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was in line with the national average. The proportion of pupils achieving the greater depth standard in mathematics is also now in line with the national average. By the end of key stage 2, pupils achieved above other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. Although standards are improving, some pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

needs and/or disabilities (SEND) at key stage 1, are not challenged well enough in lessons to enable them to achieve as well as they could. By the end of key stage 2, the gap between the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils compared to others closes and so they achieve as well as other pupils nationally.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

You have created a broad and balanced curriculum that meets the needs of pupils very well. The curriculum is enlivened through visits out of school and a wide range of after-school clubs, such as choir, yoga and football. Leaders and teachers have helped to broaden pupils’ experiences through, for example, visits to London and singing collaboratively with other schools at a regional concert.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

Governors know the school well. They have a good understanding of what the most pressing issues are at the school and what the school needs to do to develop further. Governors have worked well with the local authority to set challenging targets and ensure that standards improve. Governors keep their fingers on the pulse through their visits into school and are not afraid to challenge senior leaders. They have strengthened their impact by working with subject leaders to challenge them about the standards pupils reach.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

Parents are very supportive of the school and hold it in high regard. Leaders have very positive relationships with parents. One parent summed up the views of many, saying: ‘The school is led by a dedicated headteacher who does all she can to make sure the children are safe, happy and taught well.’ Parents have the opportunity to attend workshops to help support their children’s learning at home. Safeguarding is effective.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

You ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Leaders ensure that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. You ensure that staff are well trained and are vigilant in keeping pupils safe and happy. Staff understand how to report concerns about a pupil’s safety and welfare should they arise. You know your families and pupils very well. The school inclusion team and external agencies work closely together, giving support to families who need it.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

The pupils at the school know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations. Pupils are taught how to be safe when working online and how to be safe in the community. You have built strong and trusting relationships with parents, especially those who are new to the school. Parents have every confidence that adults do all they can to keep pupils safe and well cared for.

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Short inspection of Redscope Primary School

Pupils say that they feel safe and that there is very little bullying at the school. Pupils understand the different forms of bullying and have a mature understanding of why people bully others. Pupils know that there is always a listening ear if such an incident occurs.

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Inspection findings

 During the inspection, I was keen to establish what actions leaders have taken to improve outcomes across each key stage, especially at key stage 1. Since the previous inspection, you have been very analytical and taken effective action to raise expectations for what pupils can achieve. You have been relentless in your efforts to improve standards further. All staff share in your high expectations and are committed to ensuring that more pupils achieve the standards they are capable of. Visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ work in books show that teachers’ expectations are now much higher, especially at key stage 1. Pupils take pride in their work and relish the opportunity to produce work to a high standard. As a result, outcomes have improved significantly at key stage 1. In 2018, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics matched that of other pupils nationally at the expected standard. At key stage 2, pupils, including

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Inspection findings

those who are disadvantaged, achieved above other pupils nationally at the expected standard. However, more needs to be done to ensure more pupils reach and exceed the expected standards at the end of each key stage.  I also considered the provision made for pupils who have SEND. You have accurately identified that over time the attainment of these pupils has not been as strong as for other pupils in the school. The work in these pupils’ books shows that they are making stronger progress now than in the past. However, during lessons there are occasions when teaching assistants do too much for these pupils, limiting their independence. Pupils say they generally get the help they need and the vast majority of parents are pleased with their children’s progress.  At the end of key stage 1 in 2018, disadvantaged pupils did not quite achieve as well as other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. In contrast,

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Inspection findings

by the end of key stage 2 disadvantaged pupils achieved at least in line with other pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. You have been quick to turn your attention to improving the progress of disadvantaged pupils across the early years and key stage 1. Some of the disadvantaged pupils are also pupils who have SEND. You use the additional government funding wisely to support these pupils in overcoming their individual barriers to learning. You regularly review and revise the extra support for these pupils. Leaders were able to demonstrate through pupils’ work and assessment information that, mostly, this group of pupils are making stronger progress and catching up with other pupils in the school. Even so, you recognise that more needs to be done to help more disadvantaged pupils not only reach expected standards but to also exceed them by the end of each key stage.  Pupils’ attendance has been in line with the national average since the previous

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Inspection findings

inspection. Most pupils attend school regularly and understand the importance of regular attendance. The proportion of pupils, particularly boys and disadvantaged pupils, who are persistently absent from school was above average in 2018. Leaders regularly communicate the importance of regular attendance through newsletters and they reward the highest-attending pupils. This has resulted in some improvements. Leaders’ actions have improved pupils’ overall punctuality and improved their readiness for learning. Staff are friendly and welcome pupils to school at the start of each day. However, the attendance of a minority of pupils is not good enough because their parents take them on holiday during term time, resulting in unauthorised absences and lost learning time.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 leaders’ actions continue to increase the proportion of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, who reach and exceed expected standards at the end of each key stage in reading, writing and mathematics  teaching assistants support pupils, especially those who have SEND, to develop independence in their learning in lessons  strategies continue to be put in place to improve the attendance of pupils who miss school through unauthorised absence.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Rotherham. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection, I held meetings with you, the deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders for English and mathematics, and your inclusion team. I held a telephone call with the chair of the governing body. I also met with a local authority representative. Together, you and I made short visits to a range of classes and discussed our findings from these observations. I spoke to many pupils, listened to some pupils read and scrutinised much of pupils’ work in their books. I evaluated documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school improvement plan, safeguarding documents, information on pupils’ attainment and progress, and documents relating to attendance. I considered the 78 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey, the 42 responses to the staff survey, the 37 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View, and the 35 free-text responses to Parent View. In

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Information about the inspection

addition, I met with members of teaching and non-teaching staff to discuss their views about the school.

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