Rocklands Community Primary School

Inspection of Rocklands Community Primary School 74 The Street, Rockland All Saints, Attleborough, Norfolk NR17 1TP

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 13 and 14 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Rocklands is a safe and happy community. Older pupils look after the younger ones, such as organising their snacks at breaktimes. Pupils are respectful and tolerant of each other. If any pupils find school difficult, their peers show understanding of why this might be. Pupils enjoy nominating each other for praise and rewards at assemblies. They enjoy positive relationships with caring staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from high expectations. They learn a well-planned curriculum. Children in the early years quickly build their language and movement skills. Pupils enjoy and value their learning. For instance, they take pleasure in explaining their science experiments. Pupils develop a rich understanding of their subjects. This means they are well prepared for their next stage.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is positive. Pupils respond well to clear routines. The calm atmosphere helps them learn. Breaktimes are fun and orderly. Incidents of misbehaviour are rare. Any that occur are resolved thoroughly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a range of well-considered opportunities. These extend pupils’ learning, for example pupils visit the beach for geography. Children in Reception walk in the village to learn about the place they live in. Year 6 pupils take their leadership roles seriously. This develops their character, such as their sense of responsibility.

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better?

The school has put in place an ambitious curriculum. Leaders review this regularly to ensure it continues to meet the needs of pupils. For example, the school identified that writing was an area to improve. Leaders planned in detail how pupils should build up their knowledge and skills over time, such as their understanding of grammar. This has led to pupils becoming confident and accurate writers. That said, the curriculum does not always provide enough opportunities for pupils to recap prior learning. Most pupils remember their learning well. While this is the case, sometimes pupils struggle to recall what they have learned in the longer term.

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better?

The curriculum is delivered effectively. Staff are well trained and have appropriate subject knowledge. Teachers model new learning helpfully, such as vocabulary in mathematics. Mostly, pupils retain detailed knowledge. For example, in religious education (RE), pupils discuss maturely how different religions view climate change. However, teachers do not always plan learning activities that build precisely on prior learning. This means that pupils sometimes struggle to understand and remember difficult new content. This hinders how well they learn.

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better?

Reading has a high priority. Phonics is taught well. If pupils need extra help, they get it regularly. As a result, they quickly learn to read fluently. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Older pupils learn to understand and love books, such as through the ‘World Cup of Books’. Some of them are enthusiastic readers. 13 and 14 September 2023

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Pupils with SEND get strong support. This includes with their behaviour and personal development. The school identifies their needs accurately. Parents are closely involved in planning and reviewing the help their children receive. Where appropriate, staff successfully adapt the learning. Consequently, pupils with SEND access the full curriculum and do well.

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There is a strong curriculum for early years. Staff are knowledgeable. They skilfully break down learning into small steps, such as in relation to physical development. Staff use well-crafted questions to help children develop their language skills. This means children are ready for the more formally structured learning in key stage 1.

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There are high expectations for behaviour. Leaders deal with the underlying causes of any issues. As a result, any disruption to learning is unusual.

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The school has developed a curriculum for personal development that meets pupils’ needs. They know a lot about risks and about being safe, including with regard to road and online safety. Pupils develop understanding of important areas, for instance different types of families. This helps them to be ready for life in a changing world.

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Staff praise their experience of working in the school. They say the school carefully considers their well-being and workload. Staff get wide-ranging help with their career development. This leads to them being highly motivated.

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Governors have the knowledge and skills they need for their roles. They monitor the curriculum closely and understand its strengths and weaknesses. Where needed, they support and challenge the school’s work. Governors check closely on safeguarding and fulfil their statutory obligations.

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Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the provision. The school collaborates with them successfully in areas such as supporting early reading and attendance. Typical comments praise the ‘dedication’ of staff and leaders, and how ‘nothing is ever too much for them’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not routinely plan learning activities that build precisely on prior knowledge. This means that pupils sometimes struggle to understand new content. The school should continue to train teachers in how to implement the curriculum effectively, including how to choose the best learning activities to support and deepen pupils’ understanding. 13 and 14 September 2023

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 The curriculum does not in all cases provide enough opportunities for pupils to recap prior learning. This means that pupils sometimes struggle to recall what they have learned in the longer term. The school should ensure that curriculum planning builds in opportunities for teachers to enable pupils to recall key knowledge and link it to future learning.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 13 and 14 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.rocklands.norfolk.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 6 March 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Rocklands Community Primary School is part of the Great Ellingham Primary and Rocklands Primary Federation. This federation consists of Great Ellingham Primary School and Rocklands Primary School. There is one governing body responsible for the governance of both schools in the federation. The federation shares the same headteacher and deputy headteacher.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.  The school runs well-attended breakfast and after-school clubs.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 13 and 14 September 2023

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. In early reading, this consisted of listening to pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, notably science and RE.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The lead inspector also met with representatives of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  As part of evaluating the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors met with leaders, governors, staff and pupils. They scrutinised the school’s single central record of recruitment and vetting checks. Inspectors considered the extent to

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which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a wide range of documents, including curriculum plans, school development plans, policies and documentation for behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors considered the 37 responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the 29 free-text comments submitted. They considered the 14 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for pupils. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning in lessons to understand what it is like to be a pupil in their school.

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Inspection team

Charlie Fordham, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Joanna Pedlow Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 September 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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