Roscoe Primary School

Inspection of Roscoe Primary School Alison Road, Liverpool, Merseyside L13 9AD

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The headteacher of this school is Paula Jones. This school is part of the SAIL Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the interim chief executive officer, Nigel Ward, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Carole McBride. 21 and 22 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, and children in the early years, receive a warm welcome as they arrive each day at Roscoe Primary School. The majority of pupils feel happy and safe at school. Pupils said that they have a trusted adult who they can speak to if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to learn the wide range of subjects on offer and they behave well in most of their lessons. However, some pupils do not show the same high levels of respect for new or temporary staff that they show towards their regular teachers. Sometimes, the behaviour of these pupils disrupts the learning of their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has raised its expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. Pupils have started to benefit from the school’s recent improvements to the curriculum. For example, pupils were keen to recall and explain their latest learning. However, due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum, some pupils have not developed sufficient subject-specific knowledge over time. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy participating in the increasing number of additional opportunities on offer to enhance their learning of the curriculum. These experiences include singing in the school choir, taking part in cross-country running and visiting the local church. Pupils are eager to develop their interests and talents in other areas. They told inspectors that they appreciated the opportunity to tell teachers what they would like to do in the future.

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better?

The school is emerging from a period of instability and changes in leadership. The new leadership arrangements and structure have helped to facilitate many rapid improvements to the quality of education for pupils. For example, the school has acted appropriately to update subject curriculums so that they are suitably ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

Across the curriculum, the school has thought carefully about the order in which pupils should learn knowledge from the early years through to Year 6. Staff value the subject-specific training that they have received. This helps them to explain concepts clearly to pupils and make effective use of resources. In the main, teachers deliver the curriculum increasingly well.

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better?

The school is in the process of updating its approaches to assessment, including in the early years. As a result, some staff are not sufficiently equipped to identify and remedy gaps in pupils’ knowledge that have developed over time. This hinders how deeply some pupils learn. Some pupils are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they should be. 21 and 22 November 2023

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Staff support children in the Nursery Year to develop their language and communication skills through rhymes, stories and talk. This prepares children well for the phonics programme that they begin when they join the Reception Year. Staff are suitably trained to deliver the phonics programme consistently well. In the main, pupils learn to read confidently and fluently by the end of key stage 1.

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Pupils’ achievement in reading has improved considerably. Skilled staff provide effective support for those pupils who find reading more difficult, including older pupils and those who are new to the school. The school has successfully fostered a love of reading among pupils. Pupils enjoy reading the wide range of high-quality texts on offer to them. They said that they look forward to visiting the school library.

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The school has effective processes in place for identifying the additional needs of pupils with SEND. The school communicates well with parents and carers to ensure that pupils receive appropriate support from staff. However, the school has not ensured that staff are suitably furnished with the information necessary to fully meet the needs of each pupil. This hinders how well some pupils with SEND learn.

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The school’s consequences for pupils’ misbehaviour are clear and used consistently well by staff. Despite this, from time to time, some pupils’ behaviour does not reflect the school’s high expectations.

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The school has recently refined the personal, social, health and economic education curriculum. Pupils are better prepared for life in modern Britain than they were in the past. The school ensures that pupils learn how to stay physically and mentally healthy, including how to stay safe online. The school is in the process of broadening the range of activities on offer to enhance pupils’ learning of the curriculum.

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The school is committed to further improving the quality of education for all pupils. Despite this, trustees and those responsible for governance have not always had an accurate understanding of some of the specific priorities required to achieve this vision. As a result, over time, trustees and local governors have not held the school to account as effectively as they should.

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While implementing the many recent changes in the school, leaders have appropriately considered the impact on staff’s workload. For example, they have provided support for staff to enable them to carry out their roles effectively. Staff said that leaders are supportive of their well-being, and they appreciate the opportunities provided to work collaboratively.

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Parents told inspectors that they value the additional opportunities that the school provides for them to be more involved in the life of the school. These events have included information sessions about supporting their children with reading and open evenings. As a result, parents have a growing understanding of how they can best support their children’s learning at home. 21 and 22 November 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not address pupils’ misconceptions quickly enough. This means that some pupils have gaps in their learning, including in the early years. Leaders should ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to use assessment strategies effectively to identify and remedy any gaps in pupils’ knowledge swiftly.  The school has not ensured that staff are furnished with sufficient information to support pupils with SEND well. As a result, some pupils with SEND do not receive the help that they need to learn the curriculum successfully. The school should ensure that staff receive the guidance that they require to adapt their delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND effectively.  On some occasions, some pupils do not display the respectful behaviours and positive attitudes towards staff that they should. This behaviour sometimes disrupts the learning of their peers. The school should ensure that these pupils

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

receive the support that they need to behave consistently well.  Over time, those responsible for governance have not supported and challenged the school as well as they should. Trustees should continue to strengthen the expertise of governors so that they can fully hold the school to account.

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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 21 and 22 November 2023

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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). 21 and 22 November 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 March 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has recently undergone a considerable staffing restructure, including the appointment of a new headteacher.  The school is part of the SAIL multi-academy trust.  Since the last inspection, several members of the trust board and the local governing board have resigned their positions. New members of the trust board have been appointed. There are several vacancies on the local governing board.  The school closed its provision for two-year-old children in April 2023.  Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision. 21 and 22 November 2023

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, English, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors carried out additional work in art and design, computing and geography.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other senior leaders, subject leaders and members of staff. The lead inspector met with the chair and other members of the trust board.  The lead inspector spoke with the interim chief executive officer of the multi- academy trust and a school improvement partner.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences of school and their views on behaviour and bullying. Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: 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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments.  Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff. There were no responses to the survey for pupils.  An inspector spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school.

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Inspection team

Eleanor Overland, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Tonge Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 November 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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