Roseacre Junior School

Inspection of Roseacre Junior School The Landway, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent ME14 4BL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 eight years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 19 and 20 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils are happy and safe. They talk proudly about it being an inclusive place where everyone is welcome. Their school is founded around the values of respect, open-mindedness, safety, empathy, achievement, collaboration, resilience and enjoyment (ROSEACRE), and pupils live out these values daily. As one pupil explained, being ‘open minded’ and willing to ‘have a go at anything’ are important as ‘you never know what you will be great at!’ This positivity characterises the school. Pupils are known incredibly well, and relationships are strong. Pupils achieve well here, including in end of key stage assessments. Parents report that their children ‘thrive’, and ‘come home every day telling me the interesting things they learned’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour in this school is exceptionally calm and settled. Pupils know how to conduct themselves well, and they take responsibility for making sure that their school community is safe and well. More recent initiatives such as ‘Roseacre walking’ sees pupils talking about how important it is that they are calm and sensible as they move around the school. A strong rewards culture permeates the school, with pupils excited to earn merits, badges, certificates, or even attend the ‘Headteacher’s tea party’ if they are recognised for having demonstrated one of their core school values.

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better?

The school has put together an effective curriculum, mapping the key points of knowledge and skills that pupils need. Staff subject knowledge is strong, and pupils benefit from clear explanations that help them to understand increasingly complex ideas effectively. Pupils are also supported in remembering what they learn over time, with frequent opportunities to recap and connect their learning across subjects. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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better?

In lessons, staff check pupils’ learning and in the strongest examples pick up on misconceptions quickly to ensure that misunderstandings are not able to persist. In a number of subjects, staff have a sharp understanding of the skills and knowledge pupils have understood. They use this to adapt their teaching, or their longer-term curriculum, as needed to meet the needs of their pupils. However, in some foundation subjects, this assessment is not as precise as it could be.

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better?

There is now a well-considered phonics programme in place. Staff are well trained in its delivery, meaning that those who join the school who are not yet fluent readers are supported to develop these essential skills. This then builds through the school in a considered reading programme where pupils are exposed to a variety of texts to both capture their interests and expose them to the wider world.

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better?

The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) has been on a significantly improving journey over recent years. The school has increased its resourcing in this area, and they identify pupils’ needs and put 19 and 20 March 2024

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appropriate provision in place rapidly. The addition of ‘the hub’ as a space where pupils can access additional support is highly effective in supporting pupils. Parents value this support, noting how their children have ‘come on in leaps and bounds’ as a result of the care they receive. The school is now rightly turning its attention to more subject specific adaptations, training staff to ensure that lessons consistently address these needs.

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The wider development of pupils in this school is exceptionally strong. Pupils are keen to try out the variety of clubs on offer to them, such as choir, performing arts, and a range of sports. The school ensures that this is a space where differences are celebrated, and pupils could all give examples of things they had learned from one another about different faiths. Leadership roles are taken seriously, such as being members of the school council, eco council, digital leaders and house captains.

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Leaders have identified the right priorities for improvements in their school. The revised behaviour system, and the embedding of the school values are examples of the real impact of this work. While leaders have put in a series of monitoring activities, these do not always provide leaders with the information they need about the impact of the curriculum.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment is not yet well embedded across some foundation subjects. As a result, staff do not always know how much knowledge pupils have remembered over time in these subjects. When they do collect this information, they do not routinely use this information to inform the next steps of teaching. The school needs to ensure that all foundation subjects have a systematic approach to collecting and using this information so that teachers can make precise adaptations to their teaching to support all pupils to do well.  While the school has put together a programme of quality assurance activities, these are not always as purposeful as they could be. They do not provide the precise information needed to ensure that the curriculum is being implemented as planned. The school needs to ensure that these activities are sufficiently evaluative and show how well the curriculum is being implemented. This information should then be used to inform next steps.

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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 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). 19 and 20 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 November 2022, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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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.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, teachers, other staff and pupils. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, geography, French and religious education. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to 19 and 20 March 2024

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teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.  The inspectors took account of a range of other information, including the school’s development plans, school policies and governor minutes.  The inspectors spoke with pupils about their experience of the school. They took account of parent and carer and staff views through conversations and responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Inspection team

Marian Feeley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Louise Lythgoe Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 March 2024

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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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