Roose School

112207 Unique Reference Number Cumbria Local Authority 325555 Inspection number 20–21 May 2009 Inspection dates Michael Onyon Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 147 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Wayne Butler Chair Mrs Wendy Jacobs Headteacher 1 February 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Roose School School address North Row Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria LA13 0HF 01229 894608 Telephone number 01229 894609 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 20–21 May 2009 Inspection dates 325555 Inspection number .

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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. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one additional inspector.

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Description of the school

This smaller than average school is situated to the south of the town. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average. All pupils are of White British heritage with none learning English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is broadly average. The school makes provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage through a Reception class. It holds the Healthy Schools Award, the Activemark and the Inclusion Chartermark.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009

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Grade: 2

This vibrant school provides a good quality of education with outstanding features. It prepares pupils very well for the next stage of their education. Pupils’ personal development and well-being, care, guidance and support are excellent. As one parent accurately commented, ‘Roose is a school where all pupils feel happy, safe and have the opportunity to learn and develop in a welcoming environment.’ The headteacher and assistant headteacher form a highly effective team with an accurate view of the school’s performance, and a clear vision for future improvement to raise pupils’ achievements. Since the last inspection, they have successfully introduced initiatives that have improved teaching and learning, and raised standards and achievement. The rigorous monitoring and evaluation of all aspects of provision ensure that the school is well placed to continue its improving journey. Having entered the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills at levels expected for their age,

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Grade: 2

children progress well. Overall achievement throughout the school is good, resulting in above average standards in English, mathematics and science by the end of Year 6. In Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics often reaches levels above those expected, although fewer pupils reach the higher Level 3 in writing. The school responded positively to a dip in results in Key Stage 1 in 2008 by improving pupils’ basic skills. Pupils do well in Key Stage 2. Reading and mathematics are particular strengths with many pupils achieving beyond national expectations for their age. The school recognises that progress has, however, been slower in writing with fewer of the more able pupils reaching the higher Level 5. The quality of teaching and learning is good overall, with examples of outstanding practice. Lessons are fully inclusive for all pupils. Staff check regularly on pupils’ progress, with teachers’

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Grade: 2

marking directing pupils to their next steps in learning. In the best lessons, the focus is established quickly and learning proceeds at a brisk pace. Lessons are challenging and enjoyable. This results in pupils being interested and eager to participate in question and answer sessions. Relationships are excellent and pupils work together very effectively. Occasionally, the introductory element in lessons lasts too long, with limited opportunities for the pupils to contribute. In such circumstances opportunities to get on with writing, for example, may be restricted and limit progress. The curriculum is good. It is enriched through a wide range of visits, visitors and extra-curricular activities. Pupils’ information and communication technology (ICT) skills have been developed well, enabling them to access information in other subjects. The curriculum is particularly effective in promoting pupils’ awareness of how to stay healthy and safe. This is a happy school

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Grade: 2

in which any behavioural or emotional difficulties are managed positively. Pupils enjoy their time in school and what it has to offer. Behaviour in lessons and in the playgrounds is excellent. Pupils’ attitudes and conduct towards staff and one another lead to excellent working relationships during lessons. Pupils express their opinions and feelings quite openly through their school council and the eco committee, which provides them with a strong voice in the decision-making processes of the school. Overall leadership and management are good and the school knows itself well. The headteacher has a very clear vision for development and she is supported to the utmost by all staff. Governors work hard to support the school but do not sufficiently hold the school to account by evaluating the school’s academic performance, The school makes a good contribution to community cohesion. It is an inclusive school and one in which the personal and academic achievement of

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Grade: 2

4 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009 each pupil is emphasised. It provides good value for money and has good capacity to improve further.

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Grade: 2

Children flourish in Reception and make good progress, especially in literacy and numeracy and in their physical development. This is because staff quickly identify weaknesses in children’s skills when they join school and make careful use of the information to target resources purposefully to tackle them. A clear emphasis on phonics has been a key factor in enabling children to improve their command of the links between letters and sounds. By the time children join Year 1, the majority are working securely within the early learning goals. Children with learning difficulties and/or disabilities acquire the basic skills at a good rate. Clear routines provide children with the structure and stability they need to develop their self-confidence and independence. Children settle in quickly, enjoy school and behave exceptionally well. Staff work well together to ensure that all areas of learning are covered. While the balance between

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Grade: 2

adult-led and child-initiated learning activities is appropriate, some opportunities are missed to encourage children to take responsibility for their choices. Ongoing assessment to inform the next steps in children’s learning is good. Welfare arrangements are of excellent quality and promote children’s outstanding sense of well-being. The Early Years Foundation Stage is led and managed well. The leader has appropriately identified aspects of provision where further improvements can be made.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Increase the proportion of pupils attaining Level 3 at the end of Year 2 and Level 5 at the end of Year 6 in writing. ■ Ensure that governors play a more active role in holding the school to account.

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Grade: 2

Pupils make good progress across the school and, overall, reach above average standards in the core subjects of English, mathematics and science by the time they leave at the end of Year 6. Their achievement is good. Pupils’ attainment is higher than at the time of the previous inspection and effective strategies established by the school have resulted in a marked improvement in pupils’ skills in reading, writing and mathematics. However, fewer pupils reach the higher Level 3 at the end of Key Stage 1 and the higher Level 5 at the end of Key Stage 2 in writing than in reading and mathematics. Inspection evidence demonstrates that pupils in the current Year 6 class are on course to reach their challenging targets. A clear focus on speaking and listening is having a positive effect and pupils’ communication skills are continuing to rise. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make the same good progress as

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Grade: 2

their peers as a result of excellent support by both teachers and teaching assistants.

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Grade: 1

Pupils’ personal development and well-being are outstanding. The school has a keen focus on health and safety, and even the youngest pupils have a highly developed awareness of how to stay healthy and keep safe. This knowledge extends to the use of technology, such as the risks associated with access to the internet. Older pupils are quick to support younger pupils, for 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009 example, when eating at lunchtime and playing during break time. Pupils respond exceptionally well to reverential moments in assemblies. These moments of spiritual reflection are coupled with reminders of personal responsibility to help pupils reflect on their duties towards others. Pupils have a good awareness of other religions as a result of visitors representing other faiths. Excellent relationships are the bedrock of pupils’ highly positive attitudes towards their learning

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Grade: 1

and pride in their school. The staff seek to nurture pupils’ self-esteem at every opportunity. Pupils respond enthusiastically to this encouragement and behave exceptionally well. Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in their above average attendance. Pupils engage fully with opportunities to contribute to the life of the school, for example, through their school council and the eco committee. Their good achievement in the basic academic skills sets them up very well for their later lives.

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Grade: 2

Excellent classroom relationships foster pupils’ eagerness to learn and their good progress. All pupils exploit exceptionally well the ample opportunities to contribute orally to lessons. This, in turn, promotes their self-confidence and a conscientious approach to their work. Skilled teaching assistants and other adults make a valuable contribution to lessons by ensuring that no-one is missed out and by maintaining the brisk pace of learning. Teachers know the pupils well and use the outcomes of assessment to motivate all pupils and to support the learning of different groups of pupils. At its best, teaching incorporates useful strategies like ‘steps to success’ and ‘top tips’ for learning, successfully engaging pupils. Planning for most lessons is detailed and varied but, on a few occasions, opportunities are missed to extend and reinforce the learning of higher attaining pupils, particularly in writing. Frequent opportunities for pupils

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Grade: 2

to test out their learning on the electronic whiteboard promote their self-esteem very effectively.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good and meets requirements. Subjects are studied in depth, which enables pupils to enjoy learning and to achieve well overall. The school is succeeding in increasing pupils’ enjoyment of learning by teaching subjects together as topics. Pupils particularly enjoy the additional visits and visitors designed to stimulate their interest; for example, an African drummer visited during the inspection. Good progress has been made in offering pupils access to a virtual learning environment and further opportunities to enable pupils to use their ICT skills to access learning in other subjects. The curriculum is well planned and carefully applied to cater for the needs of those pupils who require additional learning support. This is helping to raise standards. The needs of gifted and talented pupils are recognised and met well across a range of subjects through extension activities in lessons and additional learning opportunities,

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Grade: 2

although this is not the case in writing.

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Grade: 1

Care, guidance and support are excellent. This is a very respectful, supportive community, where pupils feel safe and very well cared for. As one pupil said, ‘Everyone is kind and caring here; they look after you.’ There is great attention to procedures to keep pupils safe. Care for pupils 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009 with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is exemplary. All are included, as recognised through the Inclusion Charter award. Arrangements for safeguarding are robust, and risk assessment is very thorough. The promotion of pupils’ well-being and academic progress is outstanding; teachers’ marking provides excellent guidance, which supports good progress throughout the school. Pupils at risk of underachievement, or with specific learning difficulties and/or disabilities, are identified quickly and are supported by well-trained teaching assistants who are deployed specifically to meet their needs. Effective plans are in place to meet the needs of

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Grade: 1

vulnerable pupils, and the school works very well with outside agencies to ensure that pupils’ personal and learning needs are met well.

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Grade: 2

The inspirational leadership of the headteacher, who is fully supported by a committed and talented leadership team, ensures high levels of teamwork amongst staff and a clear and shared vision for how the school should develop. Leaders have improved pupils’ achievement over time and have addressed the areas for improvement from the previous inspection most effectively. There is also clear evidence of a range of school initiatives to foster pupils’ communication skills, leading to pupils making good progress. Middle leaders are increasingly involved in the evaluation of the school’s performance through action planning and have a secure understanding of performance in their areas of responsibility. Development planning is focused and success criteria are specific and measurable. The school promotes equality of opportunity well and takes pride in its work to eliminate discrimination. Its contribution to

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Grade: 2

community cohesion is good; Links with local secondary schools and with other institutions in this and other countries are good. Governors are fully supportive of the school but currently do not play a sufficiently active role in holding the school to account. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009

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Inspection judgements

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

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needs of learners?

Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

2 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 2 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 2 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009

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learners?

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

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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 1 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

22 May 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Roose School, Cumbria, LA13 0HF I really enjoyed my inspection of your school. Thank you for being so friendly and helpful. You go to a good school and some parts of its work are excellent. These are some of the best things I found out about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Children get off to a good start in Reception. By the time you leave school in Year 6 you have made good progress to reach standards which are above average. ■ Your personal development is outstanding. You have an excellent understanding of how to keep healthy and stay safe. I was very impressed by your behaviour and enjoyment of school, which came across very clearly. ■ Staff look after you extremely well. They work hard to make sure that no-one is left out. Pupils who need extra help with their learning get excellent support from the teaching assistants and other adults. ■ You are taught well. Everyone gets on really well in the classroom so you have lots of good opportunities to become confident when you practise new skills. ■ The headteacher and staff work hard in making sure that you are happy and settled in school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I have asked your school to make sure more pupils do really well in their writing. I have also asked the governors to check carefully on how well the school is doing and how it can be improved. Thank you again for being so kind and helpful during the inspection. Please continue working hard and looking after each other. Yours faithfully Michael Onyon Lead inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Roose School, 20–21 May 2009

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