School where parents are 'highly positive' praised in Ofsted report

A school has retained its good rating following a recent Ofsted visit, with inspectors praising the “warm, welcoming and nurturing” staff.

Ofsted visited Rosegrove Infant School, in Owen Street, Burnley, in March and found the school, which caters for around 150 pupils aged four to seven, a place where pupils are well-behaved and kind and caring to one another.

In the report, inspectors said: “Pupils are proud to attend this warm and friendly school. They enjoy strong relationships with nurturing staff.

“Staff work in partnership with parents and carers to ensure pupils are happy and enjoy their learning. Parents and carers, who shared their views with inspectors, are highly positive about the school.

“Pupils are supported to understand and follow the school’s values and expectations.

“The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Their learning is enriched with experiences throughout the curriculum.

“Pupils are taught about how they can contribute to the school and to the local community.”

The curriculum was described as “broad, balanced and ambitious” with key skills built coherently over time and opportunities to revisit prior learning, meaning pupils achieve well across a wide range of subjects.

The school’s work with special needs pupils was praised, identifying needs quickly and ensuring effective communication between staff and parents to work in partnership and ensure SEND pupils make good progress.

Teaching of phonics and reading was praised, with pupils “confident, fluent readers”, and reading prioritised from the moment children start in Reception.

Work between staff and parents to emphasise the importance of good attendance means absences are reducing over time, while embedded behaviour routines and expectations mean classrooms are calm, focused environments where children learn “keenly and enthusiastically”.

To become outstanding, the school was told it needs to improve assessments in a small number of subjects, where teachers are not always aware of gaps in pupils’ knowledge meaning their learning is not as secure as it should be.

Governors were praised for effectively supporting and challenging the school, safeguarding was deemed effective, and staff said they felt supported with their workload and well-being.