Roundwood Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Roundwood Primary School Church Street, Gawcott, Buckingham, Buckinghamshire MK18 4HY

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Outcome

Roundwood Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Caring for each child’s personal development is at the heart of this happy and welcoming school. Leaders are highly ambitious for pupils and what they can achieve. The school’s values inspire creative approaches to teaching, provide challenge for all and contribute towards pupils’ personal growth.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Roundwood School, which they describe as ‘fun and exciting’. They appreciate a wide variety of experiences that extend beyond the classroom. Pupils participate in an interesting range of activities such as sporting competitions, gardening on the village allotments and residential visits. These experiences enable pupils to develop confidence, resilience and strength of character.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well around the school. Their learning is very rarely disrupted. Pupils are polite, friendly and respectful. They know and understand the school rules and say that they feel safe. Pupils speak confidently about how to treat one another with tolerance and respect. They understand different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. Pupils say that bullying incidents are not a problem. When pupils do have disagreements, they are confident that adults are on hand to sort things out and keep them safe.

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

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have ensured that teachers are highly skilled and knowledgeable. They explore and evaluate new research. As one parent said, ‘They never rest on their laurels. They are always looking for ways to make things better for the children.’ Leaders have designed a well-sequenced curriculum. They have planned the essential knowledge pupils need to learn and ensured that this is clearly laid out. They plan what children need to know from early years through to Year 6. This builds pupils’ knowledge as they move through school. In most subjects the quality of curriculum 7 and 8 December 2021

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delivery is strong. In a few subjects, such as French, music and religious education (RE), this is not the case. Leaders are aware of this and are taking action.

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Leaders make reading a priority. This begins as soon as children start school. Children in the Reception Year are immersed in stories, songs and rich discussions. Leaders have clear expectations of the order in which phonics should be taught and learned. Staff use their strong subject knowledge and expertise to model high standards of spoken language for children. They provide extra lessons for pupils who fall behind. This enables pupils to catch up quickly. Pupils’ books are well matched to the sounds they learn in lessons. Staff foster pupils’ enjoyment of reading. For example, families are particularly appreciative of the daily Advent stories that staff have recorded for pupils. Leaders have ensured that pupils in key stage 2 read often and across a range of genres. Pupils say that they love reading and are keen to recommend books to friends.

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Mathematics is taught well. The teaching of key mathematical concepts is consistent throughout the school. This begins in the early years, where children explore numbers as soon as they start school. Pupils regularly re-visit their learning. They practise new knowledge and apply it in a range of ways, including saying number sentences, writing calculations and representing calculations through bar models and diagrams. Teachers check carefully how well pupils have understood what they have learned before moving them on to the next stage. This means that pupils gain the crucial knowledge, skills and concepts to take with them to the next year group.

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Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND get the help that they need. There are clear systems in place to help early identification and leaders make good use of specialist services. Teachers adapt their plans so that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Leaders carefully consider pupils’ wider development. Pupils enjoy opportunities to develop responsibility and independence. For example, they can apply to be elected school councillor or head boy and girl. Pupils know how to eat healthily and look after their physical and mental well-being.

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Governors have an accurate view of the school. They provide support and challenge to leaders. Governors check that the priorities for improvement are met. Staff are appreciative of the regard that leaders have for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The culture of safeguarding is strong and evident throughout the school. Leaders ensure that all staff are well trained. Staff understand the procedures to follow should they have any concerns. Leaders follow up any concerns swiftly. They work well with other agencies to support pupils and their families. Leaders ensure that appropriate checks are undertaken when employing new staff. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe both offline and online. For example, the local fire brigade and police force visit the school to teach the pupils how to keep safe in the local community. 7 and 8 December 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, partly as a result of the pandemic, the school’s curriculum is not being implemented securely and consistently. In some of the foundation subjects, such as French and music, and also in RE, the work given to pupils does not match the aims of the curriculum. As a result, pupils are not building sufficient knowledge over time. Leaders should ensure that the work given to pupils consistently matches the aims of the curriculum.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

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

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How can I feed back my views?

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

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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. 7 and 8 December 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200151 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.roundwood.bucks.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 October 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 In September 2020, the new headteacher took up post at Roundwood Primary School.  The school has two sites located in different villages. Reception and key stage 1 pupils are on the Tingewick site and key stage 2 pupils are on the Gawcott site.  In September 2021, two classrooms on the Tingewick site were destroyed in an arson attack. Pupils in Reception and Year 1 were taught in the school hall and the village hall. Year 1 returned to their new classroom in November 2021. Reception children are still being taught in the school hall.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and groups of staff. The inspector also met with representatives from the governing body and the local authority. The inspector discussed with them the quality of education 7 and 8 December 2021

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provided by the school, the pupils’ wider development, pupils’ behaviour and staff workload.  The inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  The inspector did deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and RE. These involved meeting with senior and curriculum leaders, scrutinising curriculum planning and visiting lessons where pupils were learning these subjects. The inspector talked to pupils in lessons and met with them to look at their work. The inspector also met with teachers to discuss the curriculum they were delivering.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. The inspector also met with groups of pupils to discuss their views on the school.  In order to judge the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector read the relevant school policies, scrutinised the single central record, checked the school’s procedures for the safe recruitment of staff and interviewed the designated safeguarding lead. The

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inspector also met with school staff to check their understanding of safeguarding and the safeguarding training they have received. Additionally, the inspector met with governors to check their understanding of their statutory responsibilities to keep pupils safe.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the 37 free-text responses. There were no responses to the online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Clare Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 December 2021

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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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