Ropery Walk Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Ropery Walk Primary School Ropery Walk, Seaham, County Durham SR7 7JZ

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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Outcome

Ropery Walk Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Ropery Walk Primary School say that they are happy and safe here. One pupil said, ‘Nothing at school makes me feel unsafe, we have great teachers and more!’ Others agree that they feel this way. Pupils are confident that their teachers will help them. They say that everyone gets along well here. They understand the importance of the school values of respect, inclusion, courage, honesty, empathy and safety (RICHES) because school has worked with them and their families to determine them. Pupils say that they learn to respect other people regardless of who they are, where they are from or what religion they may be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All staff here expect pupils to do their best. Expectations are high for how well pupils behave, attend and for what they can achieve here and in their futures. Pupils rise to this challenge. Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. Bullying rarely happens. Pupils are confident that teachers will resolve any issues quickly if it does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are highly positive about the school, particularly about how well their children are learning to read and communication between home and school. Pupils respond well to visitors; they cannot wait to show off their school.

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

Since the previous inspection, school leaders have made reading a firm priority. Phonics is taught with fidelity to one scheme and books are carefully matched to the sounds pupils know. This is helping pupils to become better readers because they practise what they know. Pupils apply their phonics knowledge explicitly to help them to spell accurately. Pupils in key stage 1 who need help with their reading are supported with effective additional teaching. As a result, pupils learn to read well. Pupils in all years have lots of 12 and 13 November 2024

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opportunities to borrow and read books. Story time is an important and valued aspect of school life. Teachers model reading to pupils to a very high standard. This inspires pupils.

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Early reading, writing and mathematics get off to a great start in Reception. Teachers and leaders use effective strategies to ensure children are ready to learn quickly. There is a language- and number-rich environment indoors that enables children to learn well. The progress children make with their letter formation can be clearly seen in books as they practise the letters they are learning. In the outdoors, curriculum intent is supported for children’s physical development, but less so for literacy, mathematics and communication and language.

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The recently appointed headteacher has redetermined subject leadership in the school. There is an effective programme of professional development in place to ensure that staff develop in their roles and beyond. Leaders are using their expertise to develop the curriculum further. They are ambitious for the curriculum to be even better, for example making the best possible use of coastal resources in the locality and linking science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects carefully together. There is further work to do to refine the checks that are made on what pupils know and can do. This is to ensure that pupils do not have gaps in their learning as the curriculum evolves.

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In key stage 1 and key stage 2, pupils are confident about their learning in mathematics and they can independently access tasks. In mathematics and all other subjects, quality resources are used to support pupils with their learning. Pupils say that they enjoy mathematics. In lessons, pupils can clearly explain what they are learning and how they are applying their knowledge to problem solve. They can explain what they have learned before that helps them now.

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Pupils attend well. They know that attendance matters and that school staff work with them to make sure they are in school on time. They enjoy Friday celebrations, where they are rewarded for good attendance. Leaders’ analysis of pupils’ attendance shows that their strategies for working with parents is having an impact.

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Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary because all staff have high expectations for pupils. Pupils know this and they rise to meet them. One pupil said, ‘I love coming here every day.’

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The well-planned personal development curriculum helps pupils to understand life beyond school and their local community. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in and out of school. Pupils understand the importance of the protected characteristics defined in the Equality Act (2010) and why it is important to treat everyone with respect. They understand that Great Britain is diverse. School leaders have taken great care to consider the context of the school when planning relationships, sex and health education.

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The new headteacher has joined a long-standing senior leadership team. Along with governors and the local authority, they have effectively maintained the standards of education at this school. The new headteacher is prioritising effective communication with staff, pupils and parents. Staff say that leaders are highly considerate of their workload and well-being. Staff love being part of this friendly, happy, ambitious school. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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What does the school need to do to improve?

 The assessment in wider curriculum subjects is not as developed as in the core subjects. This means that sometimes assessment does not accurately check what pupils have learned. This means that some pupils may not make as much progress as they could in these subjects. Leaders should continue to ensure that assessment in the wider curriculum is reviewed and enhanced so that pupils make strong progress across all curriculum subjects.  Children in the early years benefit from high-quality indoor resources but the outdoor resources are not as well matched to the curriculum intent for literacy, mathematics and communication and language. This means that children do not learn as well in the outdoors as they do indoors. Leaders should ensure that they continue with their plans to further develop the outside area so that equally high-quality learning, linked to the seven areas of learning, takes place indoors and out.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in May 2016. 12 and 13 November 2024

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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.

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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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there is a new headteacher. She started in September 2024.  The school currently offers a breakfast club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  The inspector met with the headteacher and the senior leadership and other school leaders and staff. 12 and 13 November 2024

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Meetings took place with governors, including the chair of governors and with a representative from the local authority school development partner.  Pupils were spoken with throughout the inspection, including in structured meetings and informally at break and lunch.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central records; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interest first.  The inspector considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments and spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day. She reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for school staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Debbie Redshaw, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 2024

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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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