Parkroyal Community School

Inspection of a good school: Parkroyal Community School Lyon Street, Macclesfield, Cheshire SK11 6QX

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Outcome

Parkroyal Community School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A warm welcome awaits children and pupils each morning at Parkroyal Primary School. Classrooms quickly become hives of activity as children in the early years and pupils across the rest of the school settle into their learning. They love their school. They feel safe and well looked after. Pupils said they know exactly who to go to if they have concerns of any kind. They told the inspector that bullying is not tolerated at this school. They said that on the rare occasions that it does occur, staff intervene quickly and sort the problem out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have developed a nurturing environment where all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well supported and encouraged to learn and grow. The impact of the school’s motto, ‘Nurture, Inspire, Flourish and Believe’, can be seen in the quality of care and support that staff provide on a daily basis.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do their best each day to meet leaders’ high expectations. This is evident in their behaviour and their attitudes to learning. Pupils enjoy studying the full range of curriculum subjects. They achieve well. They also enjoy the many after-school clubs and inter-school sporting events that they are encouraged to take part in. They are happy at school. Pupils told the inspector that there is something for everybody at their school.

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

Leaders and staff have a clear vision for the school. They are ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND. They want pupils to achieve as well as they can and become the best version of themselves that they can possibly be. Staff at all levels are passionate about what they do. They care for pupils as individuals. Leaders and staff are always looking for ways to improve the school rather than resting on their laurels.

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

Reading is prioritised in the curriculum. Children in the Reception class benefit from daily phonics lessons that are well structured and highly engaging. They develop a strong knowledge of phonics. By the end of key stage 1, the vast majority of pupils are able to 29–30 March 2022

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read fluently. Staff ensure that pupils read books that are well matched to their phonics knowledge. Staff are quick to spot any pupils who need extra support to keep up with their peers. They ensure that support is put in place and carefully checked to make sure that it is making a positive difference. Older pupils read regularly in school and at home. Many develop into avid readers. Those who met with the inspector had a broad knowledge of different authors and illustrators.

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Pupils study a broad curriculum that helps them to develop their knowledge across the full range of national curriculum subjects. In most subjects, leaders have identified the important knowledge that pupils need to acquire and the order in which it needs to be learned. For example, this was evident in pupils’ mathematics books, where pupils’ learning was clearly built on what they had learned previously. However, in a small number of subjects, leaders have not set out the essential knowledge that pupils should learn. In these subjects, leaders have not provided sufficient guidance for teachers about how they should check that pupils are learning the intended curriculum. This means that misconceptions sometimes go unchecked and pupils’ learning becomes less secure.

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Leaders have developed effective systems for identifying pupils who have SEND. Support staff work alongside teachers to make sure that these pupils are able to access the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders also ensure that pupils with SEND enjoy the full range of opportunities that the school offers both within and outside of the school day.

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Leaders have created a positive culture where pupils thrive and are tolerant towards the views and opinions of others. Pupils are taught how to care for themselves and how to maintain healthy relationships with others. Older pupils are given the opportunity to take on a range of responsibilities, from being buddies with the children in the Reception class to acting as safeguarding ambassadors. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. They also learn to value and celebrate diversity.

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Pupils behave well and work hard during lessons. Learning is rarely disrupted by poor behaviour. Pupils love spending playtimes with their friends in the school’s well-resourced outdoor areas.

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There is a strong bond between leaders, teachers and support staff at Parkroyal Primary School. Members of staff are proud to work at the school. Staff feel well supported by senior leaders and governors. They are grateful for the adjustments that leaders have made to help them to manage their workload. They told the inspector that they have benefited from working with other schools in the trust.

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Parents and carers are highly supportive of the staff team. Many made reference, in their written responses to Ofsted Parent View, to staff going ‘over and above’ in their support for pupils both during the COVID-19 pandemic and since returning to school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 29–30 March 2022

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Staff and governors have a good understanding of their safeguarding roles and responsibilities. Staff receive regular safeguarding training and understand what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil’s safety or well-being. Leaders ensure that all concerns are followed up appropriately. They work closely with outside agencies to protect pupils and support families.

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Leaders ensure that pupils know how to keep themselves safe when working or playing online and when playing out in the community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge that pupils are expected to know in each year group. This hinders pupils’ progress in these subjects and prevents them from building new knowledge on what they have learned previously. Leaders should ensure that the essential knowledge that pupils need to acquire is clearly identified in all subjects along with the order in which it should be taught.  The checks that teachers make on the important knowledge that pupils have learned and remembered in a small number of subjects are not systematic. As a result, pupils’ errors and misconceptions sometimes go unchecked and their learning becomes less secure. Leaders should ensure that systems for checking what pupils have learned are effective in all curriculum areas.

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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 first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2017.

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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. 29–30 March 2022

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

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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. 29–30 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10226103 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 February and 1 March 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Parkroyal Primary School joined the Aspire Educational Trust on 1 November 2018.  The governing body manages the breakfast and after-school club.  Leaders do not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the senior leadership team, teachers and support staff. He also spoke with the chair of the local academy committee, the chair of the board of trustees and the trust’s deputy chief executive officer.  The inspector checked the school’s safeguarding procedures and the checks that leaders make on adults who work in the school. The inspector also discussed safeguarding with leaders, staff and pupils. 29–30 March 2022

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, he met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons and scrutinised pupils’ work.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum and looked at examples of pupils’ work in some other subjects.  The inspector observed behaviour during breaktimes and lunchtimes. He met with pupils to discuss their learning and views on the school. He also listened to pupils reading.  The inspector looked at the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. He also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including safeguarding information, the school’s development planning, self-evaluation documents, curriculum plans and minutes from meetings of the local academy committee.

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Inspection team

Paul Tomkow, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 29–30 March 2022

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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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