Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Timothy Milburn Headteacher Rossett School Green Lane Harrogate North Yorkshire HG2 9JP

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of Rossett School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 23 January 2024, on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and took place because the school has received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous graded (section 5) inspections.

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of Rossett School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s overall effectiveness, but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school’s previous graded inspection.

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Requires improvement monitoring inspection of Rossett School

During the inspection, I discussed with you, the chief executive officer (CEO) and members of the interim executive board the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. We discussed the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. I also met with the deputy headteacher to review the quality of education, visited lessons, spoke to pupils and looked at pupils’ work. I reviewed the single central record, discussed the culture of safeguarding across the school and analysed the school’s behaviour and attendance information. I have considered all of this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to become good.

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Main findings

You were appointed as headteacher at Rossett School in September 2023. At this time the school became part of a multi-academy trust when it joined Red Kite Learning Trust. The multi-academy trust put an interim executive board (IEB) in place to strengthen governance and support school leaders. As a result, some significant improvements to the school did not begin until September 2023. The school’s improvement priorities are now starting to become embedded and pupils are receiving an improved quality of education as a result.

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Main findings

The school has secured improvements in pupils’ behaviour. Leaders have raised everyone’s expectations of pupils’ conduct. A new lesson structure has had a positive impact. Disruption to learning has reduced, and pupils engage well in lessons. Incidents of internal truancy have reduced significantly since the previous inspection. Although the number of suspensions has increased this academic year, the IEB has a strong oversight of the emerging patterns and trends. A minority of pupils continue to demonstrate challenging behaviour. Many of these access the ‘reflection room’ or the ‘learning support centre.’ You recognise that there is still more work to do to establish these areas of the school. Leaders do not analyse the information about these provisions closely enough to inform future actions.

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Main findings

Leaders have a sharper focus on attendance than was previously the case. Key members of the senior leadership team meet weekly to analyse attendance data and coordinate the school’s actions. However, it remains that some pupils do not attend school often enough. The number of disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities who are persistently absent from school, although improved, is still too high. You, quite rightly, have identified pupils’ attendance as a key improvement area for the school. Senior leaders know that there is more to do to improve attendance.

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Main findings

You recognise that some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, have not achieved well in end-of-key-stage assessments. The school has implemented plans to address this. For example, teachers have been supported to use consistent approaches for gaining pupils’ attention, promoting discussion and checking pupils’ understanding in lessons. The lessons I visited on this visit were purposeful and pupils were focused. Pupils are now benefiting from a curriculum that is helping them to know and remember more of what they have been taught.

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Main findings

The school has clear improvement plans to address the next steps identified at the previous inspection. This plan is monitored and evaluated by you, other leaders in school, the IEB and by the trust. You have accessed external support to review the curriculum and systems for attendance. School and trust leaders have ensured that the school is improving quickly. You are aware that there is more work to do to improve published outcomes, particularly of disadvantaged pupils, and to increase pupils’ attendance.

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Main findings

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO of Red Kite Learning Trust, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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