Ribbleton Avenue Infant School

Ribbleton Avenue Infant School Ribbleton Avenue, Preston, Lancashire, PR1 95RU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils make rapid progress through the school and learn exceptionally well. Their attainment by the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics is broadly average. This represents outstanding achievement from their starting points which are well below those expected for their age and exceptionally low in speech and language development.  Much of the teaching is outstanding and never less than consistently good. Teachers have very high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and of what they can achieve.  Teaching assistants make an excellent contribution to pupils’ learning.  Staff show very high levels of respect and courtesy for pupils and others.  Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. They are very polite and considerate towards others. Pupils have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. They say they feel very safe in school at all times.  All pupils benefit from a highly relevant

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

curriculum that provides rich opportunities for high-quality learning. It promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in an exceptional way.  The headteacher provides inspirational leadership and has been central to the school, maintaining and building upon its outstanding performance at the previous inspection.  Leaders and governors have worked together especially well to make further improvement in the quality of teaching and to raise pupils’ achievement.  There are excellent procedures for checking how well the school is doing and for identifying areas for improvement. Leaders and governors use this information extremely well to drive the school forward. Action taken to bring about improvement is rigorously assessed to see how successful it is proving.  Leaders have strengthened links with parents and this has led to a significant improvement in pupils’ attendance over the past year; leaders

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are aware there is more to do.  The school is committed to the well-being of all pupils and provides exceptional care for those whose circumstances might put them at risk.  The governing body is highly ambitious for the school and makes an excellent contribution to its work and direction.  The school’s ability to carry on making improvements is outstanding.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 16 lessons or parts of lessons taught by eight teachers  Discussions were held with the Chair of the Governing Body along with another governor, parents, staff, pupils and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors observed the school's work and looked at school documentation, including that relating to safeguarding, records of meetings of the governing body, assessment information and curriculum planning. Work in pupils’ books and displays around the school were examined. The inspectors listened to groups of pupils read.  There were insufficient responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) for the inspectors to take into account in carrying out the inspection. Account was taken of the responses to a recent school questionnaire sent to parents to gain their views about its performance.

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Inspection team

Melvyn Hemmings, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Dave Blackburn Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Ribbleton Avenue is an average-sized primary school.  An above-average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, those whose parents are in the armed forces and pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above average as is that of pupils whose first language is not English. A high proportion of children start school at an early stage of learning to speak English.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The school has gained a number of national awards, including the Excellence in Learning Award, and holds Healthy School status.

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What does the school need to do to improve further

 Build upon the strengthened links with parents to raise pupils’ attendance further.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils’ achievement from their skill level on starting school, which is well below that expected and exceptionally low in speech and language development, is outstanding. They make rapid and sustained progress throughout the school. As a result, their attainment by the end of Year 2 is broadly average in reading, writing and mathematics.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage children make rapid gains in their speech and language development because activities to promote these skills are tailored very effectively to meet their individual needs. They grow in confidence as they are encouraged to make choices for themselves.  In Years 1 and 2 pupils are very keen to learn and get on well with their work. They are attentive and eager to make contributions to class and group discussions. This was evident when pupils in Year 2 were making predictions of what happened next in the story of ‘Flat Stanley’.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils’ reading skills are promoted very effectively. This results from the strong emphasis on developing their ability to use their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make to read unfamiliar words.  The school has successfully improved pupils’ ability to structure sentences using correct grammar, punctuation and spelling since the previous inspection. Pupils are keen to express their ideas in writing.  Pupils make excellent progress in understanding how to use the four rules of number to solve mathematical problems. Pupils have a secure understanding of key mathematical ideas such as measurement and capacity.  Pupils at an early stage of learning to speak English make the same outstanding progress as other pupils because of the highly effective extra support provided for them. Trained bi-lingual teaching assistants play an important role in this process.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make the same progress as other

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

pupils because their specific needs are identified early and excellent extra support provided to meet them.  The funding for pupils eligible for the pupil premium has been used very effectively to raise their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics. It has enabled the school to significantly improve pupils’ attendance and provide individual support to successfully narrow the gap between the attainment of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and other pupils in school. Consequently, their attainment is similar to that of pupils not supported by the pupil premium.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage adults work extremely well as a team to ensure that children’s individual needs are met. They provide activities that that are stimulating, practical and very effective in helping them to learn. The outdoor area has been improved since the previous inspection and very successfully extends learning that has taken place indoors.  In Years 1 and 2 teaching is highly effective in inspiring pupils and ensuring that they learn extremely well. Teachers and other adults are very aware of their pupils’ capabilities and of their prior learning and understanding. They plan their lessons extremely well to build on these.  Teachers make clear to pupils at the start of lessons what they are going to learn and what they need to do to achieve success. They are skilled at checking pupils’ understanding during lessons and in making changes to activities as necessary to improve their learning.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers show much respect for pupils and other adults and this contributes well to the very friendly atmosphere evident in all lessons observed.  The school has provided good-quality training for teaching assistants to develop their skills further. They provide valuable support to all pupils, particularly disabled pupils, those who have special educational needs and pupils at an early stage of learning to speak English.  Teachers use marking and discussion very effectively to guide pupils to their next steps in learning. As a result, pupils are clear about how to make improvements.  Classroom management is exceptional. Teachers have extremely high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and of what they can achieve and ensure that no time is lost in developing pupils’ learning.  The many examples of outstanding teaching were characterised by the provision of inspirational activities that captured and maintained pupils’ interest and very effectively met their individual

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

needs. This was typified in a lesson for children in Nursery when they made outstanding progress in recognising different numbers and in learning how to count to 10.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted extremely well, such as by the many opportunities to explore how their actions affect others and to find out about the traditions and beliefs of cultures different from their own.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Parents, staff and pupils are extremely positive about pupils’ behaviour and safety. Pupils have a thorough understanding of the different kinds of bullying, such as name-calling and physical bullying. They say that bullying does not happen in school and are very confident that staff would deal with it if it did.  Behaviour in and around school is exemplary. Pupils are highly considerate and very supportive of each other in lessons. Pupils’ consistently thoughtful behaviour is a factor in their successful learning and creates an extremely welcoming and friendly atmosphere throughout the school.  Pupils are very aware of how to keep themselves and others safe. The curriculum very effectively develops their understanding of the potential dangers associated with roads, railways, water and the use of the internet. Pupils are clear about what to do if approached by a stranger.  Pupils say they feel very safe in school at all times. Their attendance has improved significantly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

over the past year because of initiatives that leaders have introduced, but leaders know there is more to do. Pupils say they enjoy all aspects of school life and that learning is fun.  There are many opportunities for pupils to take on responsibility, such as being a member of the school council. They take these on very willingly and carry out their roles diligently. They have enhanced the life of the school, such as by persuading leaders and governors to improve the variety of equipment available for pupils to use at break and lunchtime.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher has high expectations of staff and pupils and leads by example. She is capably supported by the deputy headteacher and other leaders, who work extremely well with governors to drive improvement.  The management of how staff perform has led to improvements in the quality of teaching and learning. The training of teachers and other adults meets the needs of the school and individual staff extremely well. There is a strong link between the performance of teachers and their salary progression.  Leaders check the quality of teaching rigorously to ensure that teachers and other adults maintain the highest standards in lessons.  There are excellent procedures for checking how well the school is doing. Action taken to bring about improvement is reviewed regularly to see if it is proving successful. The school’s leadership has shown it is extremely capable of continuing to make improvements.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The promotion of equality of opportunity and tackling of discrimination is outstanding. Leaders very carefully check the progress of different groups to identify if any of them are in need of extra support.  The local authority has confidence in the ability of school’s leadership to continue making improvements and provides light-touch support.  The care and welfare of pupils are central to the school’s work. Leaders and the governing body ensure that all pupils are safe, and work very effectively with a range of agencies to provide exceptional support for those pupils whose circumstances might put them at risk.  The curriculum provides rich experiences and contributes extremely well to pupils’ academic achievement and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. It is enhanced by educational visits, including an activity centre in which they take part in a variety of outdoor pursuits.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governance is outstanding. Governors have a very clear view of the quality of teaching. They know how leaders check how well staff are doing to improve their expertise, reward high- quality teaching and tackle any underperformance. Governors take part in regular training and make sure that safeguarding requirements are met. They understand data relating to the school’s performance and are strongly involved in driving improvement. Governors manage the budget extremely well and hold the school to account for the way the funding for pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is used to raise their achievement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 119235 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 413356

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 3–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 247 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Keith Manogue Headteacher Sarah Johnson Date of previous school inspection 1 October 2008 Telephone number 01772 796037 Fax number 01772 796037 Email address office@ribbletonavenue-inf.lancs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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