Rosebank School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Rosebank School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to Rosebank School. They arrive in the morning smiling and they are pleased to see the members of staff who greet them. Pupils are happy in school and they feel safe there.

Staff cater well for the individual needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Leaders have high expectations of both pupils' behaviour and what pupils can achieve. They want pupils to do their very best.

Pupils are well known to staff, and staff know how to help pupils learn well.

Pupils develop the skills that they require for adult life. They star...t learning these important life skills from their first day in the Reception class.

Pupils continue learning these important steps towards independence throughout their time in the school.

Pupils take part in lots of activities that help them to understand the world around them. They enjoy learning in the outdoor space around the school and in the adapted classrooms.

Pupils' behaviour is usually calm. Behaviour is skilfully managed by adults. Any incidents that could be perceived as bullying are dealt with quickly and effectively by staff.

Parents and carers think highly of the school. They value the work done by staff to help their children settle into the school quickly. Pupils and parents appreciate the efforts of teachers to support the whole family.

Pupils said that staff go the extra mile to help them.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum which is well organised and suitably ambitious. It meets the additional learning needs of most pupils.

The curriculum is structured to build on what pupils know already and helps them to learn new things. Added to this, leaders have thought carefully about how the curriculum supports pupils to learn about independence, community participation and how to manage their emotions. The speech and language therapy team accurately assesses each pupils' communication skills.

The team gives advice to teachers that helps them to design learning effectively and aids pupils' communication skills. Pupils usually achieve well from their starting points.

Pupils generally focus on the work that teachers have set for them.

Sometimes pupils can become distracted. However, adults in classrooms quickly redirect them back to their work. Pupils can explain what they are learning in lessons.

They said that they particularly enjoy activities which are practical. The work that teachers set for pupils supports them to learn the ambitious curriculum well. That said, occasionally in one or two subjects, the work set for pupils does not deepen their learning sufficiently well.

Teachers use assessment strategies well to understand what pupils know. Staff in the Reception class are well informed about children's needs when they start the school. This helps staff to understand what children know and can do already.

Children in the Reception class settle in well. For example, they have quickly learned the routines of the school in a few weeks.

There is a well-organised curriculum for reading.

This helps pupils to develop the skills that they need to become fluent readers. Pupils, including children in the Reception class, learn to recognise different sounds. They enjoy listening to stories.

As pupils get older, they learn to recognise letter sounds and develop their reading fluency. Some pupils can read a wide vocabulary of words but do not always understand what the words mean. Teachers skilfully focus on helping pupils to understand the meaning of the words they can read.

For instance, teachers ask pupils questions or use other activities to help pupils develop their understanding of vocabulary.

Pupils' progress in reading is regularly assessed by staff. Those pupils who are not able to develop their reading skills learn about different symbols.

This means that they can communicate their needs and wishes appropriately.

During lessons, there is usually a calm atmosphere. Occasionally, a small number of pupils become agitated or distressed because they are confused or frustrated.

Adults skilfully help pupils at these times so that lessons are rarely disrupted. Staff are well informed about pupils' needs. Staff are equipped well to identify any additional SEND and provide timely and appropriate support.

This helps to ensure that adults can support pupils consistently well.

There is an extensive range of activities which help to develop pupils' understanding of the wider world. Each class has an educational visit once a week.

Pupils learn about their local community and various venues across the region. Pupils visit the local swimming pool and library. They learn important self-help skills in order to become as independent as possible.

Governors know the school well and understand their responsibilities to ensure a high-quality education for pupils. Governors and leaders keep a close eye on staff workload.Members of staff say that their workload is managed well by leaders.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There are effective processes for identifying pupils who may need help or are at risk from harm. All members of staff know what to look for to protect pupils and know how to report their concerns.

Leaders take necessary actions in a timely manner so that pupils and their families can access the help they need.

Pupils learn how to stay safe and how to look after their own emotional well-being.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• On occasions, the work that teachers give to pupils in a small number of subjects does not reflect the ambition of the school's curriculum.

This means that, from time to time, some pupils do not acquire the depth of knowledge that they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers are well supported to design learning that enables pupils to achieve all that they should in these subjects.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2017.