Roundhay School

Inspection of Roundhay School Gledhow Lane, Roundhay, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS8 1ND

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Sixth-form provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since November 2013. 28 and 29 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive academically, and personally, at Roundhay School. Staff know each pupil individually. They work tirelessly to provide exceptional support, including acting as strong advocates for pupils and their families with outside agencies. Pupils enjoy attending school. Attendance is high. Pupils learn effectively across the whole school. They consistently achieve highly in external exams and tests.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school community contains pupils from diverse backgrounds. The personal development programme is extremely effective in supporting pupils to understand, respect and celebrate the lives of others. Groups of pupils are actively involved in designing aspects of the personal development programme. For example, pupil groups have developed videos that support other pupils to understand why certain words are considered offensive when talking about their faith, sexuality or culture. Pupils show exceptional levels of respect for others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school aspires for all pupils to be ‘Recognisably Roundhay – responsible, resilient, and ready to learn’. This is something that pupils live out daily. They can explain what this means to them in their own words and demonstrate this consistently through their actions. Most pupils behave exceptionally well in lessons and around school. Those few pupils who struggle with the high behaviour expectations receive highly effective support to help them be successful.

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better?

The school has a determination that all pupils will learn to read with precision and fluency. Children are expertly taught phonics from the very start of Reception. By the end of Year 2, almost all pupils are reading accurately and confidently. As pupils move through the primary phase, they read a range of interesting books. The focus on reading continues in the secondary phase. Extensive staff development ensures that teachers know how to ‘get the most out of each piece of text’ that pupils read in their subjects. Students in the sixth form read a range of texts covering contemporary issues in society, along with academic journals and papers.

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better?

Leaders have carefully designed subject curriculums from Reception through to Year 13. They have outlined what pupils will learn, and when. The expectations for what pupils will know and be able to do at the end of each stage of education are exceptionally high. Across the school, teachers have a shared understanding of the high-quality teaching approaches that best support pupils’ learning. Pupils of all ages can talk confidently about what they have learned. They produce high-quality work independently.

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better?

In the early years, adults understand the needs of the youngest learners well. They expertly establish the foundations and routines that children need for later learning. High-quality adult-led learning provides children with the skills and knowledge they need to become independent learners. All adults have a relentless focus on identifying and addressing barriers to learning to help all children to succeed. 28 and 29 November 2023

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The school has a ‘whatever it takes’ approach to supporting pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Staff carefully identify pupils’ individual learning needs and ensure that they address any barriers to learning. Adults working in the resourced provision have an expert understanding of pupils’ needs. They support pupils to develop strategies to manage their own learning. This helps pupils to engage in and be successful across the curriculum.

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Students in the sixth form receive the independent support and guidance they need to prepare them well for the future. A large percentage of pupils go on to higher education, including to Russell Group universities. Students demonstrate independent, mature attitudes to study skills, both in and out of the classroom. They speak highly of the enrichment programme available to them, including opportunities for work experience and to develop their own personal interests.

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Pupils behave very well. The expectations, built around the school’s ‘Kindness Charter’, are understood clearly by pupils, parents and staff. Systems for rewarding positive actions, or dealing with negative behaviours, are simple and consistently applied. A small number of pupils attend alternative provision. The level of coordination between school and these providers is exceptional.

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Pupils benefit from a wide array of carefully considered extra-curricular clubs and groups. There is an absolute commitment that all pupils will benefit from these excellent opportunities. Where there are barriers to a pupil attending a club, leaders work with the pupil and their family to find solutions. This is highly successful. Currently, 97% of pupils attend at least one club each week.

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Governors ensure they have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the school as well as any areas for further development. They provide highly effective challenge to leaders to help maintain continuous improvement. Leaders act with a relentless moral purpose. They are committed to supporting every pupil and member of the staff team. They actively seek ways to manage staff workload and well-being. Staff are proud to work in this exceptional school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 28 and 29 November 2023

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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). 28 and 29 November 2023

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 2,530

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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sixth form

Headteacher Matthew Partington (Executive Headteacher) Alastair Field (Head of Primary) Jenny Hogarth (Head of Secondary) Website www.roundhayschool.org.uk

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sixth form

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 November 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This is a much larger than average-sized school.  The school has a primary campus and a secondary campus that are on different sites. Each campus has a headteacher.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for free school meals is below the national average.  The school has an additional resourced provision for pupils with specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia. 28 and 29 November 2023

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 The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.  The school uses two alternative providers of education. Both are registered.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteachers, leaders responsible for behaviour and attendance, leaders in charge of personal development and careers, the safeguarding team, the early years leader and the sixth-form leader.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinators along with the leader of the resourced provision. Inspectors looked at the provision that pupils with additional needs were receiving across all aspects of school life.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, science, history and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders,

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Information about this inspection

visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors looked at aspects of provision in a number of other subjects.  Inspectors met with a group of governors and reviewed minutes of governing body meetings.  Inspectors spoke to teachers, teaching assistants and support staff over the course of the inspection.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils on both campuses and spoke to others informally during the inspection.  Inspectors considered over 500 responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey.  Inspectors took account of a wide range of documentary information, including the school’s policies, its self-evaluation, records of behaviour and documentation related to safeguarding. 28 and 29 November 2023

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Inspection team

Steve Wren, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Haunch Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 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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