Setting

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

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Kirby Littlewood Headteacher Roundhill Primary School Mount Road Southdown Bath BA2 1LG

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Roundhill Primary School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 27 and 28 November 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 was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in June 2023.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Roundhill Primary School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements, 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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Special measures monitoring inspection of Roundhill Primary School

During the inspection, I and Richard Vaughan, Ofsted Inspector, discussed with you and executive leaders from the trust, the chief executive officer of the trust, governors and the chair of the board of trustees 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. We also visited lessons, looked at samples of work, spoke to pupils and groups of staff, considered the results of the parent and staff survey, and scrutinised monitoring reports and the school’s rapid improvement plan. We have considered all this in coming to our judgement.

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

necessary for the school to no longer be judged as requiring special measures.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the June 2024 monitoring visit, several staff have left. A small number of staff are on long-term absence. A shortage of support staff means the school is using agency staff to cover these roles. However, a small number of roles remain unfilled. In September 2024, several new teachers joined the school and some of these staff also have leadership responsibilities. Provisional 2024 results for the phonics screening check and key stage 2 national tests were very weak. This reflects the long-term issues with staffing, as well as the curriculum and its implementation.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The school is starting to experience some of the benefits of a more settled, permanent teaching team. A broad curriculum is in place and is being implemented with greater cohesion. Teachers have increased expectations of what pupils can do. This is particularly the case for older pupils. The school has ensured there are agreed approaches to lesson structures so that teachers know well how best to implement the curriculum. Teachers follow these closely. Consequently, the curriculum is now typically implemented in the way the school expects. Pupils’ learning in mathematics has benefited particularly from this structured approach.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Pupils are also taught English better than in the past. In early reading, staff have secure subject knowledge when teaching the phonics code. They check regularly what pupils have learned. This helps them to identify any gaps in knowledge quickly. However, in some sessions, some pupils are given tasks which do not help them to learn well. This slows their progress through the curriculum. In writing, pupils now write more frequently and at length. This allows them to practise and apply their skills. Pupils’ handwriting has improved, although some errors in letter formation persist across all phases.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

However, because of the long-term inadequacies with the curriculum, pupils still have numerous and varied gaps in their knowledge and understanding. The school has begun to address these, and some gaps in pupils’ knowledge are starting to diminish. Nevertheless, on some occasions, some staff do not take into account well enough the gaps in pupils’ knowledge and do not build upon pupils’ previous learning well enough. This means that some pupils do not learn as well as they should.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is still in the early stages of improvement. Processes for the early identification of pupils are still being refined. Some pupils do not have their needs identified early enough. This means they do not get the support they require. This is particularly the case for those with the most complex SEND needs. The school has increased its expectations for pupils’ behaviour. This is making encouraging strides. Most pupils’ conduct in lessons is positive. However, a few pupils have struggled to adapt to the changes. Consequently, suspensions have risen. Additionally, the school has created a ‘nurture base’ provision to support a small number of pupils socially and emotionally. This is beginning to improve their behaviour. However, the provision needs further refinement. The school has not considered well enough how pupils will learn the academic curriculum during their time in this provision.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The trust provides effective support to the school to ensure that all wider subjects identify the specific knowledge pupils should know. It has helped subject leaders make necessary changes to their subject curriculum so that pupils know more and remember more. While the school has continued to make improvements in its curriculum, the trust is aware that further staffing at all levels needs to be provided so that any improvements are sustained and effective.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The trust has carried out checks on the school’s progress and identified accurately where the school has improved and which areas need further urgent work, specifically SEND. Trustees and governors check the rise of suspensions closely and know the reasons behind these.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

New staff receive appropriate induction upon starting, including safeguarding training. The school has ensured that any strategic changes are made in a way that ensures that staff’s workload is manageable.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the board of trustees and the CEO of The Partnership Trust, the Department for Education’s regional director and the director of children’s services for Bath and North East Somerset. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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