Roe Lee Park Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Roe Lee Park Primary School Emerald Avenue, Blackburn, Lancashire BB1 9RP

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 February 2023

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Outcome

Roe Lee Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this school. They treat each other with kindness and respect. Pupils told inspectors that it does not matter if you are different at this school. They explained that pupils learn and play together well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers have high expectations of pupils’ learning and achievement. They support all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to try their very best. This helps pupils to achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff develop warm and trusting relationships with pupils. They expect pupils to behave consistently well. Leaders deal swiftly with any instances of poor behaviour or bullying. As a result, pupils feel safe and happy at this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities that enrich their learning. For example, they spoke enthusiastically about the introduction of forest school sessions for all year groups. During the inspection, visiting actors brought pupils’ learning about Shakespearean plays to life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils develop their leadership skills through taking on roles such as librarians, team point leaders and members of the school council. They enjoy many opportunities to develop their talents through, for instance, choir, sports clubs and Lancashire clog dancing.

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

Leaders have recently redesigned the curriculum to ensure that it is broad and ambitious for all pupils. They have carefully identified the knowledge they want pupils to know and remember at each stage. This helps teachers to design learning that builds on pupils’ prior knowledge. 22 and 23 February 2023

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Teachers are skilled at presenting their knowledge clearly. They successfully adapt their delivery of the curriculum to help pupils learn well. Teachers carefully check that pupils remember the information they are taught. They design opportunities for pupils to connect new learning to what they know already. Pupils build a deep body of subject knowledge. They learn effectively across the curriculum.

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Leaders ensure that teachers have sufficient expertise to support children in the earliest stages of learning to read. Leaders quickly identify and support pupils who are behind in their phonics knowledge to catch up with their peers. This enables most pupils to become confident, fluent readers.

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Leaders promote a love of reading, which permeates throughout the school. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about the diverse range of novels they have read. More recently, leaders have improved the quality of non-fiction texts that pupils across the school study. Despite this, some older pupils have not fully benefited from these changes. In previous years, these pupils have not read a sufficiently broad range of quality texts. As a result, some of these pupils are less familiar with the vocabulary and language features of non-fiction texts. This hinders how well these pupils are able to write for different purposes and audiences.

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In the early years, leaders have created a rich and stimulating environment that supports children’s learning. For example, leaders have developed a story-led curriculum with a sharp focus on developing children’s language and communication skills. This helps pupils who join the school with weaker language skills to catch up with their peers.

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Leaders carefully identify the specific needs of pupils with SEND. They work closely with staff to provide appropriate support for those pupils. Staff have high expectations of what pupils with SEND can achieve. Pupils with SEND learn well alongside their peers.

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Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Pupils are enthusiastic to learn. As a result, they rarely disrupt the learning of others. Teachers use clear systems to manage any instances of poor behaviour. Leaders provide effective support to a few pupils who find it more difficult to regulate their own behaviour.

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Leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared to be responsible citizens. For instance, pupils organise fundraising events for the charities that are important to them. They learn about tolerance and empathy, and they celebrate the diversity in their school community. Pupils develop pride in their local area by, for example, learning about the local textile industry or learning how to make Lancashire hotpot.

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Staff are happy and proud to work at this school. They feel that leaders are considerate of their well-being. Teachers value the support that leaders give to their ongoing professional development. Governors provide effective support and challenge to school leaders. Governors and leaders share a strong and ambitious vision for the school’s future.

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The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Leaders have ensured that staff are trained well in how to keep pupils safe. Staff are vigilant to the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm.

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Leaders have strong relationships with external agencies. They make sure that pupils and their families receive timely and appropriate support. Leaders closely monitor pupils who are more vulnerable. This means they can act quickly to offer additional support where necessary.

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe in the modern world, including when they are online. They have a trusted adult in school who they can approach to discuss any concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In previous years, older pupils have not been exposed to a sufficiently broad range of non-fiction texts. As a result, some of these pupils are less familiar with the vocabulary and language features of these texts. This hampers how confidently they write for different purposes and audiences. Leaders should embed recent changes to ensure that all pupils are exposed to a wide range of high-quality non-fiction texts.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 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. 22 and 23 February 2023

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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. 22 and 23 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256181 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 and 22 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed.  Leaders make use of one registered alternative provider.

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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 leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other leaders and a range of staff. She also spoke with members of the local governing body, a representative of the local authority and the school improvement partner.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. She also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes. 22 and 23 February 2023

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 The inspector reviewed a wide range of evidence, including leaders’ self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings, and records of pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation about safeguarding. She met with leaders, staff and pupils to understand how pupils are kept safe.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and design and technology. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and some pupils about their learning, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She listened to a selection of pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View, including the free-text responses. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Charlotte Oles, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 22 and 23 February 2023

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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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