Rosemellin Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Rosemellin Community Primary School Cliff View Road, Camborne, Cornwall TR14 8PG

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Outcome

Rosemellin Community Primary School continues to be a good school. However, the inspector had some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff place pupils’ well-being at the heart of all they do. As a result, Rosemellin Primary is a happy, safe and nurturing school. Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. These help pupils to be kind and respectful towards each other. For example, the ‘stay safe’ mentors look out for other pupils. Pupils take prompt action if they feel anyone is lonely. The school’s ‘golden rules’ are well understood. Pupils follow school rules well, including at breaktimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff agree that bullying is rare. If this happens, leaders act swiftly to resolve it. Bullying is not tolerated. Staff are well trained, including learning mentors, to work closely with pupils, parents and carers. This support is effective in helping pupils to overcome personal challenges and helps them to feel safe and ready to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Nevertheless, since the previous inspection, there has been much change, leading to a decline in the quality of education. The appointment of the headteacher in 2018 has brought renewed energy. Her focus is on getting the school back to where it should be. Leaders are taking the right steps to improve the school. However, there are still weaknesses that have yet to be put right.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and teachers have set about improving reading. Pupils are now enjoying books. They take pleasure in sharing their thoughts and feelings about books. For example, Year 6 pupils talk passionately about books. They describe their current class book, ‘Oranges in no-man’s land’, as ‘intriguing’.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have also introduced a phonics programme that helps the younger pupils learn their letters and sounds. However, teachers do not check what pupils know and can do well enough. This means that too many pupils, including those who have fallen behind 30–31 October 2019

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and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), do not catch up quickly. In addition, pupils do not have phonics books matched to the sounds that they are learning. As a result, pupils stumble over words that are too difficult. This limits their speed and confidence.

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In mathematics, leaders have clearly set out what pupils should know in each year group. This helps teachers to check what pupils know, and to plan when to teach different mathematical concepts. However, teachers do not make sure that work is matched closely enough to pupils’ needs. At times, teachers’ expectations are not high enough, which holds pupils back. At other times, teachers move pupils on to new ideas without securing the building blocks of knowledge needed for success. Teachers do not make the necessary adjustments to what they are teaching to meet pupils’ different needs, including pupils with SEND. This is particularly the case in key stage 1.

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Leaders have started to take the right steps to improve the curriculum. However, different subjects are not organised and sequenced well enough to help pupils to be fully prepared for the next stage in their education. Pupils use their knowledge of historical facts and reasoning to produce some high-quality writing. For example, letters based on the Second World War are powerful and capture the reader’s attention. However, weaknesses in the planning of other subjects, such as science and geography, reduce the quality of work that pupils produce. The school does not have clear enough plans setting out the small steps that they expect pupils to take as they build up their knowledge. As a result, teachers try to teach big concepts in single lessons, which pupils struggle to understand.

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The quality of education in the Reception Year is too variable. Leaders and teachers do not have consistently high expectations of the children. However, staff do ensure that the children are valued and well looked after. Leaders’ aim to boost children socially and emotionally is well founded. This is because many start Reception with development that is below what is expected for their age. This helps children to settle quickly. Nevertheless, staff do not devote enough attention to getting children going with their early phonics or number work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to safeguard pupils. Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. Indeed, not only staff, but pupils also know what to do to keep themselves safe. Pupils told me about fire evacuation procedures and what to do in the event of an emergency. Furthermore, pupils have a deep understanding of online safety, including cyber bullying. They are keen to take responsibility for themselves.

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Safeguarding

Staff place a high priority on emotional and mental well-being, which helps pupils to cope with the stresses or challenges that some face in their lives. 30–31 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not have a sufficiently robust phonics programme in place. In particular, teachers do not assess pupils’ knowledge to find out what pupils know quickly enough. Furthermore, pupils are not given books that match their phonics knowledge. These shortcomings act as a barrier for pupils in learning to read, including those with SEND. Leaders need to ensure that there is a reliable phonics programme in place so that all pupils get off to a flying start.  Leaders’ approach to mathematics is having variable success, particularly in key stage 1. At times, teachers do not match work closely enough to what pupils already know. Leaders need to make sure that teachers check what pupils know and understand so they can plan the right next steps for pupils’ learning.  The curriculum is underdeveloped in some subjects, for example science and geography. Leaders and teachers have not considered closely enough the small steps

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

that pupils need to take to accumulate knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that subjects are coherently planned and well sequenced to deepen pupils’ knowledge across the curriculum.  Children in the early years do not get off to a quick enough start in phonics and early number work. Teachers’ assessments of the children are not sufficiently robust. This means that the children are not getting off to a quick enough start to close gaps. Leaders need to ensure that all children make a swift start in their reading and mathematical development.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Rosemellin Community Primary School, to be good on 6 March 2013.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 30–31 October 2019

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 30–31 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111577 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, the school has joined Crofty Multi Academy Trust (MAT). The Rosemellin Primary academy opened in October 2016.  The headteacher took up her post in February 2018.  The school serves an area of deprivation. Around 30% of pupils are from disadvantaged backgrounds.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 I worked with many leaders during the course of the inspection. These included: the headteacher; the deputy headteacher (and designated safeguarding lead); curriculum leaders; and the recently appointed special educational needs coordinator (SENCo).  I also met with the learning mentors, attendance officer and governors of the school. I held face-to-face discussions with trustees, the chief executive officer (CEO) and the MAT school improvement officer.  I scrutinised the school’s safeguarding records, including the single central record, and evaluated the effectiveness of the safeguarding procedures. This involved talking to 30–31 October 2019

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staff and pupils about their understanding of safeguarding, bullying and health and safety policies and procedures in the school.  I did deep dives in reading, writing and mathematics. This involved visiting lessons, talking to pupils, looking at their work and talking to teachers.  I took account of the pupil, staff and parental views expressed through the inspection surveys, including the 21 responses to Parent View.

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Inspection team

Stewart Gale, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 30–31 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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.

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