River View Primary and Nursery School

Riverview Primary School Suffolk Road, Burton-on-Trent, DE15 9HR

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Requires improvement 3 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 The progress pupils make through Key Stage 2 requires improvement. It varies too much between different year groups, particularly in writing and mathematics, for achievement to be good.  Teachers do not consistently show high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve, particularly the most able.  Teaching does not always help pupils to fill gaps in spelling, punctuation and grammar and problem-solving skills.  A small number of pupils lose interest and interrupt lessons when the work does not engage them. Where teachers fail to manage such disruptions effectively, pupils make too little progress.  Subject and other leaders have not had a complete picture of teaching and achievement in the areas for which they are responsible while they have been covering for the absence of other staff.  The changes made by leaders and governors have not yet been sufficiently effective to result in good teaching and achievement.

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The school has the following strengths

 The headteacher has a good awareness of the school’s priorities for improvement, and has drawn up suitable plans to tackle them.  Most pupils make good progress from Nursery through to Year 2.  Pupils say they feel safe in the school’s caring environment.  The pupils are offered a wide range of activities that enrich their experience of school life.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed teaching in 21 lessons or part lessons, a number of which were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, teachers, pupils, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors held informal discussions with parents at the start and end of the school day. They also took account of correspondence sent by parents. There were nine responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View.  The inspectors considered the views expressed in survey responses from 20 members of staff.  A range of information supplied by the school was scrutinised, including the school’s own information about how well pupils are doing, planning documents, checks on the quality of teaching, the school development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding procedures.

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Inspection team

Lucy Maughan, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Janet Bird Additional Inspector David West Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are White British. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups or who speak English as an additional language are below national averages.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above average. This is additional funding, in this school for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.  There have been a number of staff changes since the last inspection, including within the senior management team.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum requirements for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate pupils’ progress by improving the quality of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 2, by ensuring that teachers:  set work that is appropriately challenging, particularly for the most able  hold consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve and the quality of work they should produce.  Improve achievement in writing and mathematics by making sure that pupils are expected to:  spell correctly, use grammar and punctuation appropriately and write legibly  apply their mathematical skills to real-life problems.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management in driving improvement by ensuring that:  all leaders use information from assessing pupils’ skills and progress to give them an accurate overview of their subjects and areas of responsibility.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress is not yet consistently good. In Key Stage 2, pupils do not always make enough progress, especially in writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children start in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and abilities that are below age- related expectations. They make good progress, particularly in communication, language and literacy, so that they reach expected levels by the time they join Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils continue to make good progress throughout Key Stage 1 in reading, writing and mathematics, and reach standards that are broadly average by the end of Year 2.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, standards reached at the end of Year 6 dropped from broadly average to below average, particularly in mathematics. In this subject, pupils were nearly a year behind pupils nationally. Current data show that attainment in Year 6 is rising and pupils are on track to achieve standards that are broadly average, in line with those achieved in 2012.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Faster progress is evident in Years 4 and 6, particularly in reading, but this is not consistent across the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make similar progress to their classmates. The school now uses good systems for identifying pupils’ specific learning needs and ensuring that appropriate support is provided for them.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language achieve similarly to other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils supported by the pupil premium make progress in line with their classmates. In 2013, they were on average more than two terms behind other pupils in English and a year behind in mathematics. The school spends pupil premium funding on extra resources and adult help. This builds up pupils’ skills, confidence and enjoyment of school so their rate of progress increases. The gap between the attainment of eligible pupils currently in the school and that of their classmates has narrowed.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress in reading has improved due to the support pupils receive in developing their phonic skills (the sounds that letters make). Year 2 pupils can explain their reasons for enjoying reading. They use decoding skills well to read new or ‘difficult’ words and use their comprehension skills to explain the text they are reading. The proportion of Year 1 pupils on track to pass the national phonics screening check is much improved from the previous year.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Several changes of teaching staff in particular year groups have had a negative impact on the quality of teaching since the last inspection. Teaching particularly requires improvement in Key Stage 2.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Sometimes teachers’ expectations of what pupils, including the more able, can produce are too low. Staff sometimes overlook spelling, punctuation and grammar errors, and standards of handwriting and presentation vary throughout the school.  Not all staff are skilled at judging when to adapt lesson activities in response to how well pupils are learning. This means that pupils are not always challenged enough to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching had the most impact on learning, teachers showed strong subject knowledge. Their good questioning skills developed pupils’ knowledge and understanding so they became confident learners. They were able to apply key skills to problem solving. This was demonstrated in a Year 6 mathematics lesson where pupils answered questions relating to the conversion of different currencies using a line graph. They used appropriate mathematical vocabulary to explain clearly why and how they had reached their answers.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children learn through exciting, purposeful activities to develop their skills, and particularly their language. For example, children were in the outside role-play ship area, dressing up as pirates and talking about the actions pirates take and the sea animals they might spot. Children were having fun painting and moulding different sea creatures using various materials.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching assistants give effective support to all pupils, particularly disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. The quality and focus of this support are improving and are starting to have a more positive impact on their progress, particularly in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Marking and personalised learning targets in different subjects ensure pupils know what they need to achieve to move on in their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The behaviour of pupils requires improvement. Pupils’ attitudes to learning in a small number of lessons are not good enough. Pupils lose concentration when work is not of sufficient interest or challenge to them. On these occasions pupils are not engaged in their learning, or low-level disruption causes their progress to slow.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are polite. They generally get on well together and respond positively to adults’ instructions. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Older pupils are beginning to take on extra responsibilities, which they enjoy, including the role of peer mentors to support the younger pupils at breaktimes.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school council has an active role in the school, making decisions relating to school uniform, school sanctions and healthy eating. School teams also raise money for a variety of charities.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say that they feel safe and are confident that an adult would always help them if they are concerned or worried about a problem. Many parents who spoke to inspectors felt their child was safe, happy and well looked after.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils are aware of different forms of bullying. Road safety, including cycling skills, and internet safety lessons all help pupils to develop an awareness of how to keep safe in a variety of situations.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Good relationships between adults and pupils have created a caring, supportive environment. The well-attended sports breakfast club provides a healthy breakfast and physical activities to ensure that pupils develop an understanding of healthy lifestyles and are ready for learning.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Attendance was previously below average. The school has worked closely with parents and pupils so that they understand the importance of regular attendance. As a result, attendance has improved this year to broadly average.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since the last inspection, the headteacher has been working under challenging circumstances. A number of staff absences and a legacy of weaker teaching have had a detrimental impact on the school’s performance. At present, much of the responsibility for driving improvement rests on a small number of leaders while others have had to cover staff absences.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has clear action plans to drive it forward. Where senior leaders have been in post for some time, these plans are having a good impact, for example in the Early Years Foundation Stage. However, where leaders have been absent or are relatively new to the role, these plans are yet to have a full impact on pupils’ achievement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders have demonstrated the capacity for securing improvements. A range of measures, including staff training and peer mentoring, has had a positive impact on the quality of teaching, particularly in Key Stage 1.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils have many opportunities to take part in activities that extend their learning. These include activities before and after school, and visitors and visits that enhance their experiences. They make a strong contribution to pupils’ moral, social, cultural and spiritual development.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school uses the additional primary school sports funding to employ specialist teachers who coach the pupils in different sporting activities, and to provide training for staff. This has led to a greater number of pupils, particularly younger pupils and girls, taking part in physical games and entering local sporting events. The school has also gathered the views of pupils on how best to enhance sports and physical education further in the future.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority is helping the school by providing support and effective training for staff at all levels.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Some issues with recruitment and retention of governors in recent years have resulted in much of their day-to-day involvement with the school being based on the work of a few key governors. The governing body ensures that new members undertake training to fulfil their role. Key governors are well informed about the school’s work, including information relating to achievement and how the school compares to other schools nationally. They know which staff require mentoring and support to ensure consistency across year groups, and know clearly the school’s strengths and areas for development. These governors visit the school to gather first-hand knowledge of the quality of teaching and learning and to hold senior leaders fully to account. Governors ensure that teachers’ pay is closely linked to the progress their pupils make, and that safeguarding procedures meet national requirements.

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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 135281 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 430617

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 445 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Kevin Downing Headteacher Christine Bell Date of previous school inspection 29 May 2012 Telephone number 01283 239510 Fax number 01283 239517 Email address office@riverview.staffs.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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