Rawmarsh Rosehill Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Rawmarsh Rosehill Junior School Kilnhurst Road, Rawmarsh, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S62 5QH

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 September 2023

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this ungraded (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a graded (section 5) inspection were carried out now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at this school. They are polite and eager to talk about the things they enjoy doing at school. They attend school regularly. Pupils are engaged, and they behave well in their lessons. They are proud to represent their school in leadership roles, such as student councillors and eco champions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are generally kind to one another and bullying is rare. They feel confident that if they have a problem, staff in school will support them. There are a range of clubs that pupils enjoy attending after school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Overall, the school is ambitious for its pupils. Pupils are encouraged to work hard in their lessons. Leaders of individual subjects are knowledgeable and pupils are taught a wide range of important concepts in lessons. However, for some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), teachers do not provide them with the right support for effective learning across the curriculum. Expectations of their achievement are sometimes too low. This slows their progress.

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

The school has created a broad and ambitious curriculum. This is underpinned by the school values of aspiration, resilience, respect, independence, voice and empathy. However, these ambitions are not realised for all pupils. Pupils with SEND do not benefit from the support they need to learn as well as they could.

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

Subject leaders have created curriculum plans that set out the order in which new learning is taught. In history, for example, knowledge and skills are taught and applied within each unit of work. These skills build progressively on pupils’ prior learning as they move through the school. Pupils in Year 5, for example, know about why settlement 20 and 21 September 2023

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around water was important for the Ancient Greek civilisation. This follows their work in Year 4 on the Indus Valley civilisation.

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Reading is a priority. Staff have benefited from extensive training and confidently teach pupils to read. Pupils are taught phonics by using a carefully sequenced programme, which starts in Year 3. Pupils progress at their own pace through the programme. Pupils read books that ensures they gain a secure knowledge of the letters and sounds they need to learn. Any pupils who need further help with reading are identified quickly and supported well. Leaders think carefully about the books and stories they use to teach pupils how to read. This gives pupils exposure to a wide variety of texts and develops their love of reading.

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On occasions, the curriculum is not adapted sufficiently well to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. The tasks that teachers give pupils with SEND do not help them to learn the important knowledge that they need. Teaching does not consistently enable pupils with SEND to focus on the most important things that they need to know.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and focus on their learning. However, at social times, behaviour does not consistently meet the high expectations the school has set. Pupils who need extra help and guidance with their behaviour get the help they require. Staff help these pupils to make the right choices.

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The school has developed a personal development curriculum that ensures that pupils are well-rounded, knowledgeable citizens. Pupils learn about different types of relationships and how to keep themselves healthy. They have a good understanding of fundamental British values, such as democracy and tolerance, as they link to the school’s values.

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The school works well with the local community, including other schools. The view of the school held by many parents is generally positive. There are some parents who say that the communication from school is variable and that they do not feel that leaders listen to their worries. They also say the school is sometimes too slow to act to address any concerns they have. The school recognises that it needs to work harder to make sure that relationships with parents improve.

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Governors share leaders’ desire to give pupils the best education possible. The school keeps them up to date on the school’s performance with the information they provide. However, this information is not always accurate or in sufficient detail. Consequently, governors are unable to check what needs to improve with regards to attendance, behaviour or from any complaints raised by parents.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 20 and 21 September 2023

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Leaders ensure that the correct procedures are followed when appointing staff. Staff receive regular training and understand their responsibilities to keep pupils safe.

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While adults report any incidents related to attendance, behaviour and safeguarding, school records do not consistently reflect the actions taken. As a consequence, the school is unable to analyse or identify patterns of concern. Leaders have recognised this and recently reviewed the school’s procedures for providing governors and others, including the local authority, with accurate and timely information on the actions taken to support pupils’ welfare and safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders do not have a clear enough oversight of attendance, behaviour and safeguarding issues in the school. They do not record these well enough or analyse patterns of concern clearly. The school should ensure that they use revised systems and processes to improve how they use this information to keep pupils safe and enhance accountability.  Staff do not consistently provide effective support for pupils with SEND to enable these pupils to fully access the curriculum. Expectations for some of these pupils are too low. The school should ensure that they provide appropriate support and resources for pupils with SEND so that they can achieve well across the curriculum.  Leaders and governors do not have an accurate view of the school. Governors are not provided with sufficient information to hold the school to account. This means that the school is not improving as quickly as leaders think it is. The school should ensure that

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

governors receive the information and training they need to hold the school to account for their actions.  A significant minority of parents’ lack confidence in aspects of school leadership as they feel communication is not good enough and their views are not considered. The school needs to build better relationships with these parents to work in partnership for the benefit of the pupils.

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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 May 2018. 20 and 21 September 2023

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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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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). 20 and 21 September 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Christopher Oxer

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School details

Date(s) of previous inspection 9 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there have been a number of staffing changes, including a new headteacher, assistant headteachers, special educational needs coordinator and designated safeguarding leader.  The school does not currently use any registered or unregistered alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast club.  Inspectors were aware during this inspection that complaints of a safeguarding nature were being investigated by the appropriate authorities. While Ofsted does not have the power to investigate complaints of this kind, actions taken by the school in response to the complaints were considered alongside the other evidence available at the time of the inspection to inform inspector’s judgements.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 20 and 21 September 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, subject leaders, safeguarding lead, members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading and phonics, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; looked at records and information, took account of the views of leaders, staff, pupils and parents; and considered the extent to which the school has created an

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open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The views of staff and pupils were considered from conversations and through responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.  The inspector spoke to parents during the inspection. The responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, including written responses, were considered.

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Inspection team

Nicola Shipman, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 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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