Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection Report Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

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117989 Unique Reference Number East Riding of Yorkshire LEA 280205 Inspection number 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 Inspection dates Mrs Jennie Platt Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Main Street School address Primary Type of school Roos Voluntary controlled School category Hull, East Yorkshire 4 to 11 Age range of pupils 01964 670535 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01964 671411 Fax number 79 Number on roll Mr J Brian Rannard Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Penny Farey Headteacher 1 June 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 280205 16 May 2006 - 4 to 11 17 May 2006 Inspection Report: Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

This is a smaller than average school situated in the village of Roos. It is popular in the locality and pupils come from far afield and from a wide variety of social and economic circumstances. Currently, no pupil takes a free school meal. A very small number of pupils are from minority ethnic groups and all speak English fluently. Very few pupils are identified as having learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Overall attainment on entry to the school is broadly average, although this varies from year to year. The school was a member of a rural achievement zone and is currently an Associate School in the local Excellence Cluster.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Grade: 2

The school’s judgement that this is an effective and happy school is accurate. It has some outstanding features in pupils’ personal development. It provides good value for money. Teaching and learning are consistently good and enable pupils to make good progress and reach above average standards. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage and by the end of Reception most reach the standards expected and a good number exceed them. Assessment procedures are good but teachers are not always using this information effectively when planning work and setting targets for improvement. This especially affects standards in writing by the end of Year 2, which could be higher. Pupils behave well and grow into mature and sensible students. They work hard and really enjoy learning because every day is different. The curriculum is rich and themed weeks, such as the study of China, generate much interest and

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Grade: 2

learning through whole school collaborations in music, art and drama. Space is limited and this especially restricts activities in the Foundation Stage. Overall, leadership and management are good. All involved with the school work as a team with high expectations of pupils’ personal and academic development. The school has good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Increase achievement in writing in Year 2. • Use assessment information more effectively to match work to pupils’ abilities.

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Grade: 2

Overall achievement is good. The small size of intake means attainment on entry varies year on year. The current Reception children started school with lower ability than usually seen for this age. Good teaching in the Foundation Stage enables children to make good progress and the majority of children reach the expected level and a good proportion exceeds it. Comparisons or trends over time are distorted because the cohorts are small. Nevertheless, results of national tests in Year 2 are generally above average. Writing was the weakest subject last year because no pupils exceeded the level expected for their age. Current standards are above average in reading and mathematics and close to average in writing. Although pupils confidently record their ideas in writing they lack accuracy in spelling and punctuation. Challenging teaching in Year 6 has led to very encouraging test results over the last few years and overall

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Grade: 2

attainment has been above average. Results dipped last year and the school failed to reach its target. Up-to-date information shows this year’s target will be achieved because pupils in Year 6 are working at above average levels and have made good progress. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make good progress due to well planned support and close links with support agencies. The few pupils from minority ethnic heritages do as well as the rest of the pupils. 2 Inspection Report: Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development is excellent. This is a very friendly community and pupils warmly welcome visitors. Pupils enjoy school very much and attendance is high. They found it difficult to say what they would improve. One pupil wrote ‘The school is too good to change’. Behaviour is good with some excellent behaviour in Years 5 and 6. Provision for spiritual, social, moral and cultural development is excellent. The school successfully fulfils its aim to create a Christian ethos that pervades every aspect of everyday life. Pupils celebrate their own culture, especially in literacy and art, and have knowledge of other cultures, although this could be more in-depth for older pupils. Pupils know how to keep safe and Years 5 and 6 share their first aid skills with other pupils. Another notable feature of the school is the attention given to keeping healthy. Pupils enjoy keeping fit and appreciate the nutritional value of their school-grown

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Grade: 1

vegetables. The garden is just one example of the school’s excellent relationships with the community. Pupils know they have a role to play by helping others and by acting sensibly to care for their environment. Pupils’ confidence to accept responsibility for their own actions and their good basic skills prepare them very well for their future.

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Grade: 2

Teaching and learning, including in the Foundation Stage, are good with many strengths. Throughout the school, teachers employ a variety of methods, including partner discussions and role play, to make lessons interesting. The use of the interactive whiteboard is adding an extra dimension to lessons as well as demonstrating basic information and communication technology (ICT) skills. The teaching of ICT is good, demonstrating strong subject knowledge and high expectations; the result is that pupils achieve well. Teachers manage pupils in a very positive and friendly way so that lessons are carried out in a calm and purposeful atmosphere. In Years 5 and 6, tasks are challenging because effective use is made of assessment information to match work to pupils’ ability. This is not always the case in other lessons and some work is either too easy or too difficult. Teachers make positive comments when they mark

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Grade: 2

pupils’ work but do not always make clear how it could be improved. This is hindering progress in writing in Year 2 as pupils are not sure how to improve their spelling and punctuation. Assessment information is used well to generate support for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities; they are given precise targets, which are usually achieved. 3 Inspection Report: Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and carefully planned for the mixed age classes so that topics are not repeated or omitted. Personal, social and health education is threaded effectively through all aspects of the curriculum as well as being taught in discrete lessons. Literacy, numeracy and ICT skills are generally promoted well in other subjects. Creative and imaginative skills are stimulated through high quality art, drama and music. The Foundation Stage curriculum is satisfactory. It is carefully planned to cover all of the recommended areas of learning but the teaching space is small and, to avoid disturbing Year 1 pupils, activities are sometimes too formal. The curriculum is enhanced by a good variety of clubs, visits and visitors. These are carefully planned to fit in with whole-school topics so that pupils in different classes can share the experiences.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are cared for effectively. Underpinning this provision is the genuine concern staff show for the pupils who say they feel secure in school because help is always close at hand. Procedures for ensuring pupils’ safety are very good. Child protection is firmly established and close links with external agencies help the school support pupils who are vulnerable or have learning difficulties. These pupils are fully involved in all activities. Monitoring of personal and academic progress is good and the setting of individual targets is generally having a positive effect on standards. There are good links with other schools and pupils are well prepared for their secondary education.

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Grade: 2

Leadership and management are good. The headteacher leads well by the example of her enthusiastic teaching of Year 6. She keeps abreast of current thinking and has a firm belief that the school should reflect Christian beliefs of care and respect for the individual. Management responsibilities are effectively shared with a small number of staff. Staff are self-critical and include the opinions of others in their evaluations. This includes regular consultation with pupils, through the effective school council, and parents. The response to their few concerns was evident in the recent review of homework. The school has an accurate picture of what is working well and what needs attention. Appropriate priorities are included in a good school improvement plan, although it is not always clear how the success of the intended actions is to be measured. Governance is good. Governors are enthusiastic advocates of the school

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Grade: 2

and have been instrumental in many changes, especially the development of the school grounds. Equality of opportunity is strongly promoted and the management of the needs of the pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is very good. The strong 4 Inspection Report: Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 leadership, effective teamwork and the track record of sustained improvements mean that the school is well placed to improve further. 5 Inspection Report: Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006 .

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 16 May 2006 to 17 May 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 2 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 2 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 1 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 1 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Alexandra House 33 Kingsway London WC2B 6SE T 0207 421 6800 F 0207 421 6707 Ofsted helpline 08456 404045 Roos Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Main Street Roos Hull East Yorkshire HU12 0HB 19 May 2006 Dear Pupils Thank you so much for the warm welcome you gave me when I visited your school. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit, especially seeing your garden and hearing about the success of your broccoli in the local show. Writing this report has been made much easier because of the way you chatted and told me about your school. I agree with you and your parents that yours is a good school. It has some excellent features, such as the way you care for each other and grow into mature and sensible students. You behave well and work hard. You told me you would not change anything because your teachers are kind and every day is exciting. I agree with you. I was impressed by the richness of activities and the good teaching which enables you to make good progress. The school council allows

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

you to contribute your ideas and this helps in the smooth running of the school. I have asked Mrs Farey and the governors to make sure you make enough progress in writing in Year 2. The Year 5 and 6 pupils make good use of their target cards and I think other pupils would find this useful to help them understand how to make their work even better. I am sure you all will have wonderful memories of your time in school. Yours sincerely Mrs J E Platt Lead Inspector

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