Rawdon St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Rawdon St Peter’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Town Street, Rawdon, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS19 6PP

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Outcome

Rawdon St Peter’s Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a welcoming and inclusive school. Staff and pupils feel part of the Rawdon St Peter’s ‘family’. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm, respectful and supportive. This helps pupils to be safe and happy in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is highly ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Despite pupils achieving well, the school is constantly seeking ways in which to improve pupils’ experiences and outcomes. Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. Leaders deal with rare instances of bullying swiftly and decisively. Pupils are clear about the school’s values of love and friendship, honesty, endurance, thankfulness and fairness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides pupils with a wide range of opportunities to take on responsibility through leadership roles. These roles include peer mediators, who help to resolve problems at playtimes. School councillors help discuss and bring forward initiatives to improve the school. Sports councillors help to promote active and healthy play. Pupils welcome these opportunities that prepare them well for later life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They understand about prejudice and the protected characteristics such as sexual orientation or gender. They have learned about a range of different faiths. They insist that anyone would be welcome at their school.

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

The school has developed and introduced a broad curriculum. Leaders have identified the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn. They have sequenced the curriculum in such a way that pupils’ knowledge builds on their earlier learning. For School 4 and 5 October 2023

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example, in history, pupils first learn about local history before moving on to British then global history. Important historical strands are studied and revisited well in different topics. These strands, quite correctly, include ideas such as conflict, religious belief, settlement and trade. The mathematics curriculum is similarly well sequenced. Teachers ensure that pupils regularly revisit learning so that important knowledge is remembered. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well with their learning. They benefit from the support of adults and through adaptations to learning activities. However, pupils’ individual learning plans do not outline the small steps in learning that pupils need to make. Consequently, the school is not able to track and review the smaller steps of progress these pupils make.

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Reading is an extremely high priority. Books are celebrated throughout the school. The school’s chosen scheme for the teaching of reading is taught consistently by well-trained staff. Pupils at the early stages of learning to read receive daily phonics lessons in which they learn the sounds that letters make. Teachers make regular checks on pupils’ progress in reading. They quickly identify any pupils who fall behind and provide the support they need to keep up.

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Children in the early years get off to a particularly good start and are well prepared for their learning in key stage 1. The school has thoughtfully designed the curriculum to develop children’s knowledge and vocabulary. The early years environment is rich in opportunities for children to learn and consolidate early mathematical concepts. The children respond well to the high expectations of staff. There are strong and positive relationships. Children learn the importance of keeping healthy and healthy habits such as oral hygiene.

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Pupils behave well and are attentive in lessons. There is a calm and purposeful atmosphere in the school. The behaviour policy is applied consistently and is well understood by pupils. Pupils are polite and welcoming of visitors.

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The school has a well-developed curriculum for personal development. Pupils enjoy a wide range of opportunities for experiences beyond the academic. These include educational visits, close links with the church and wider community, and a choice of well- attended extra-curricular clubs ranging from sports to chess. Pupils learn about the environment and sustainability in the school’s outdoor learning area, The Hive. This supports pupils’ well-being and helps them to appreciate the world around them.

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Senior leaders have managed a period of change in the school well. The school is outward facing and benefits from collaborations with other schools. Leaders are mindful of staff workload and well-being. Staff enjoy working at the school and appreciate the support they get from leaders.

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Members of the governing body understand their roles extremely well. They regularly access relevant training and development opportunities, including recent training in safeguarding. Governors share leaders’ high ambition for all pupils. They know the school well and make visits to evaluate the information they receive from leaders. School 4 and 5 October 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The next steps that pupils with SEND need to make are not outlined in their support plans well. Leaders are not able to accurately track the progress that these pupils make. The school needs to ensure that the small steps in learning that pupils with SEND need to make are agreed with their parents and carers and outlined in their individual support plans.  The curriculum is not fully embedded in all subjects. As a result, pupils do not develop consistently a secure understanding of the essential knowledge they need to make progress. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is embedded across the school so that pupils develop a deeper knowledge over time.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2014.

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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. School 4 and 5 October 2023

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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). School 4 and 5 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 April 2018 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post in September 2022.  The school is designated as having a religious character. It is part of the Diocese of Leeds. It was inspected under section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in March 2020. It is due to be reinspected before March 2028.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspector carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 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 inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. School 4 and 5 October 2023

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and other members of staff. The inspector also met with representatives of the Diocese, the local authority and those responsible for governance.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. Pupils were also observed reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector talked with pupils about their experiences at school, visited the dining hall at lunchtime and observed their behaviour at playtime.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers during the inspection. He considered the responses, including free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. The responses to the staff and pupil questionnaires were also considered.  The inspector talked to staff about workload and about the amount and quality of training and support they receive from leaders.

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Inspection team

Dughall McCormick, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector School 4 and 5 October 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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