Rocklands School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 July 2022

Pupils enjoy coming to Rocklands School. They feel happy and safe and they benefit from positive and productive relationships with staff and their peers. Pupils work hard together and value their education. They understand that what they learn now will help them in their life beyond school. Pupils study a wide range of subjects. They remember information from lots of different areas. Staff have high expectations of pupils. Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. Staff encourage pupils to look at books and read at the appropriate level. Pupils know that reading helps them to learn and that it is an important skill for their adult life. Staff ensure that pupils have many opportunities for personal development. Pupils gain knowledge from a range of experiences, including trips, visits, clubs and performances. Recently, pupils staged 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at a Birmingham theatre. Pupils are friendly and behave well. Pupils, staff and parents and carers raised no concerns about bullying. Pupils are confident that staff would help them to resolve any issues should they arise. The school council's 'kind squad' promotes positive interactions during social times. For example, squad members encourage pupils to play together if they are by themselves.

What the school should improve

• The implementation of the curriculum is not consistently strong in every area. Consequently, pupils do not always produce work of the highest standard in every subject. Leaders should ensure that all staff plan to allow pupils to produce work of a consistently high quality. This will allow all pupils to achieve exceptionally well.
• The school recently introduced a new phonics scheme. It is not yet embedded. This means that pupils are not yet getting the full benefit of this programme. Leaders should ensure that all staff are trained to deliver the new phonics scheme well so that all pupils become fluent and confident readers.
• At times in mathematics, staff move on learning too quickly for some pupils. They introduce new information before pupils are fluent in what they are studying or before their learning has been consolidated. Leaders should ensure that all staff have the knowledge and skills they need to deliver the mathematics curriculum consistently well so that all pupils have strong mathematical knowledge.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)