Romsey Primary School & Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Romsey Primary School & Nursery. This shows in their very high attendance.

Staff aim for pupils 'to be incredible' in all they do. Pupils appreciate how the school celebrates their achievements. A highlight for many is the chance to be named 'incredible of the week'.

This inspires pupils to work hard in lessons and try their best. Older pupils leave school ready for the demands of secondary education.

More recently, pupils' behaviour has improved, including for the growing number of pupils with complex needs.

Pupils respond well to the structures and routines in place, such as the 'ready, respectful and safe' rules. This starts... in the early years. Children play cooperatively in the large outdoor space.

Bullying is not a concern for pupils. Staff swiftly sort out any issues so that pupils feel safe and cared for.

The school plans purposeful experiences beyond the academic to complement pupils' learning.

These include visits from expert speakers, clubs, trips and music concerts. Pupils learn to be advocates for themselves and others. For example, ambassadors take pride in helping younger pupils read and organising sports events.

These and other roles teach pupils to be responsible and develop leadership skills.

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

Much has changed since the previous inspection. The number of pupils attending the school has increased.

More pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school has been through a period of turbulence in staffing. Consequently, some aspects of the curriculum are more developed than others.

Where the school has prioritised its efforts, it has been rewarded. This is particularly evident in physical education (PE), reading, writing and mathematics.

Reading is one of the highest priorities.

Staff use carefully chosen books and extracts to inspire pupils to read. Pupils share in this enthusiasm. In lessons, they eagerly discuss authors' use of language.

The well-stocked library, book swaps and readathon challenges help encourage a love of reading.

The school has strengthened its approach to early reading following a dip in the 2023 phonics outcomes. Pupils are now doing better than previously.

Staff prioritise children's communication and language skills when they join the Nursery. Children learn rhymes to build their knowledge of letters and sounds. In the main, staff teach and assess the phonics programme effectively.

They carefully match the books pupils read to the sounds they know. Staff give well-targeted help to any pupil who struggles to read. Even so, a few staff do not always use the agreed strategies during reading practice.

This slows down some pupils' reading fluency.

The wider curriculum is developing well. All subjects specify what pupils should learn and when.

In established subjects, staff connect new learning to what pupils already know. For example, in PE, pupils remember how to use skills, such as passing and pivoting, in different games. However, the school has not clearly set out the essential knowledge pupils should revisit and remember in a few subjects.

As a result, pupils do not deepen their understanding or make meaningful connections with what they already know.

A recent focus on teaching strategies that will help pupils to learn is paying off. For example, teachers use images and resources to help pupils with SEND make sense of mathematics concepts.

The school is currently working to bring about greater consistency in how staff use the agreed teaching methods.

The school is ambitious for pupils with SEND. It has improved systems to identify pupils' needs.

For the most part, staff provide pupils with the help they need to experience success. A minority of pupils present with more challenging behaviour. Staff manage this well.

They ensure that disruption to learning is minimal. A few staff would value further support to help deal with challenging behaviour.

Pupils gain from opportunities to support their personal development.

They learn how to stay safe online and where to seek help if they need it. Pupils play their part in promoting equality. They are not afraid to speak up against racism or gender stereotypes, making the school a welcome place for everyone.

Governors understand the school's priorities. They meet with pupils and subject leaders to dig deep into strengths and areas for improvement. Governors provide effective support and challenge to school leaders.

Most staff are proud to work at the school. They value the changes made to reduce their workload.

Most parents are positive about the school and would recommend it to others.

Many commented on the friendly atmosphere and strong community feel.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, the school has not been clear enough about the most important knowledge pupils should revisit and remember.

Staff do not have enough guidance about the precise content to emphasise in the longer term. Consequently, pupils do not deepen their knowledge or make meaningful connections with what they already know. The school needs to make the most important concepts and knowledge they want pupils to remember more explicit and then check that pupils have retained this knowledge over time.

A few staff do not consistently implement the agreed teaching strategies in some subjects. This does not help pupils practise the knowledge they need and slows progress. The school should continue to develop staff's pedagogical knowledge to maximise pupils' learning across all subjects.

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