The Ridgeway Church of England (C) Primary School

The Ridgeway Church of England Primary School West St, Childrey, Wantage, OX12 9UL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils make good progress and reach high standards in English and mathematics.  Teachers use their knowledge of pupils’ achievements to plan work which stretches them.  Good teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage leads to good achievement for these children.  Teachers use questions well to check pupils’ understanding and to change tasks during lessons to challenge them further.  Pupils enjoy learning about a wide and exciting range of subjects.  Pupils work hard and their behaviour and attitudes help them to learn. They are proud of their school and their achievements.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school and know that staff will help them if they need it.  The vast majority of parents express satisfaction with and confidence in the work of the school.  The headteacher, other leaders and governors have a clear understanding of the strengths and areas to develop within the school. They are skilled in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

checking its work and holding staff to account.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There are not enough opportunities to develop pupils’ writing skills across different subjects through their topic-based work.  There is not enough consistency in the application of mathematics skills through problem solving and investigations in other subject areas.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in all classes accompanied by the headteacher and a senior leader. She also observed an assembly.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, staff, pupils, parents, governors, the headteacher of the local high school and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector listened to pupils read and looked at the work in their books.  School documents were examined, including the school’s own evaluation of its work, its plan for improvement, information about pupils’ progress, records of governors’ meetings, and documents about safeguarding and attendance.  The inspector took account of 32 responses to the online survey, Parent View, and 10 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Lynne Bradbury, Lead inspector Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  Early Years Foundation Stage provision is offered on a part-time basis.  Almost all pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is in line with the average nationally. There are no pupils supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium (funding allocated by the government to help those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority) is much lower than average.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics .  There have been staff changes in the last year .

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further develop pupils’ skills in writing and mathematics by ensuring:  pupils practise writing at length in a range of subjects  an agreed whole-school policy on mathematical problem solving and investigations across different subjects is followed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, governors and leaders at all levels have high expectations of staff and pupils, and this is shared by the whole-school community. They check the work of the school carefully so that priorities are identified and then tackled effectively.  Judgements about teachers’ success and pay awards are based on pupils’ progress and lead to appropriate further training for staff.  Subject leaders check the progress of pupils in their subject areas and have an accurate understanding of the strengths and areas to improve within the school. They have been effective in raising standards, particularly over the last year. They produce action plans which give clear focus to areas that need to improve further, and they check the progress made against their plans.  All subjects and aspects of school life establish high-quality spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness for all pupils. They show commitment to learning as well as an understanding and tolerance of difference

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The leadership and management are good

amongst various groups. Older pupils greatly enjoy working with those who are younger.  Exciting topics combine subjects and pupils work with great enthusiasm for their learning. They enjoy studying faraway countries like China and Japan, and learning about the Romans and Anglo Saxons. There are not yet enough opportunities for all pupils to develop their skills by writing at length and undertaking problem solving and investigations in subjects and topics across the curriculum.  The commitment to equal opportunities for all pupils is demonstrated in the good progress made by all groups. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have access to all learning opportunities. Disadvantaged pupils are supported well by additional funding to pay for staff and equipment.  The school has developed good relationships with parents. The vast majority of them are highly satisfied with the work of the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has given high-quality support in developing teachers’ skills in teaching phonics (letters and the sounds they make) and in developing accurate assessment procedures. This has contributed well to improvement in these areas.  Governors and leaders have used the government sports funding well to ensure that pupils have wider sporting experiences. Pupils enjoy taking part in gymnastics, football, netball and cricket tournaments. The school has also ensured that staff have benefited from training to develop their skills.  The governance of the school:  Governors bring their professional skills to their roles and undertake a range of training and development so that they are be able to judge the work of the school for themselves. They understand how well pupils are achieving in comparison to those in other schools. Governors set ambitious targets for staff performance and check pupils’ progress to hold staff to account, including in making salary

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The leadership and management are good

decisions. Governors help to identify appropriate areas for development, devise action plans and use information about pupils’ achievement to check progress against these. They each take responsibility for a subject and use assessment information to identify the improvement needed. Finance is matched to improvement plans and carefully monitored. Governors ensure that additional funding is improving the achievement of disadvantaged pupils. The primary sports funding is used to benefit every pupil. Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They are attentive in lessons, engage fully in learning, and there are few disruptions to classes. They show excitement, enthusiasm and determination to learn, and are very proud of their school.  Pupils move about the school sensibly and play in the playground with care and consideration for others. They are respectful of their peers and adults in school. They build good relationships, care for those with particular needs and show much respect for each other.  They take care in presenting their work and take pride in achieving their targets.  Pupils say that the staff care about them and help them in all aspects of school life. Relationships between staff and pupils are warm and supportive.  They enjoy taking part in sports activities and clubs. They value the school’s reward systems and enjoy being praised.  Staff, pupils and the parents who met with the inspectors say that behaviour is typically good. Records

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Behaviour

within school show that work with pupils who have difficulty in managing their own behaviour has been successful in helping them to make progress in their work.  Attendance is above average and pupils are punctual in getting to school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Safeguarding processes meet statutory requirements and effective policies are monitored and updated regularly. Procedures are followed by all staff and pupils. The school makes appropriate checks on visitors, including supply teachers, sports coaches and those who lead assemblies.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe and are developing an understanding of the different forms that bullying can take, including that involving mobile phones and the internet. They say that bullying is rare and is dealt with very effectively by staff.  Pupils say that staff check very carefully that pupils do not use derogatory language or say unkind things about individuals and groups who may be different to them in some way.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff have established a calm and orderly learning environment which helps pupils to make good progress. There are high levels of respect and pride in achievement.  Since the previous inspection, teachers have improved their skills in assessing accurately what pupils already know. They use this knowledge to plan learning activities at the right level of difficulty, and this helps pupils to make good progress.  Teachers’ marking and feedback to pupils have been developed to a high standard. As a result, pupils know how to improve their work as they move on to new learning.  Pupils’ homework makes a significant contribution to their progress because it includes a focus on reading, number and spelling skills each week, and the opportunity to explore their learning in more detail with their families.  Staff make sure that there are good relationships in classes and they use the reward system so that

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The quality of teaching is good

pupils focus on their learning.  A new project to develop reading and writing skills by analysing the writing of famous children’s authors has been successful in motivating pupils to achieve their best in these areas.  Reading and research skills are developed well through the exciting work which teachers plan, based upon their pupils’ interests. Pupils work very hard and are very enthusiastic about this work.  Teaching assistants work with pupils with special educational needs or others who need extra support. This makes an important contribution to pupils’ learning.  All staff make sure that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness is developed through all subjects and experiences in school. Projects on people from around the world and of different faiths have helped pupils to understand Britain’s place in the world and develop their respect for a wide range of cultures.

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is good

 There are small numbers of pupils in each year group and this makes comparisons with national achievement figures unreliable. Nevertheless, pupils make good progress and reach above-average standards in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The most able pupils achieve well. Teachers set challenging work for these pupils and this helps them to make good progress in a range of subjects.  Higher-level skills in writing, together with problem solving and investigations in mathematics, are not yet developed consistently in all year groups, and this can slow pupils’ progress in these areas.  Pupils in Year 1 develop their skills in phonics (letters and the sounds they make) well. In 2014, they achieved levels broadly in line with those nationally in the Year 1 phonics check, and this was an improvement from the previous year.  In 2014, pupils in Year 2 achieved standards in reading and mathematics which were above average.

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is good

 Pupils read to a high standard and talk with great enthusiasm about their books in all classes. They understand their reading and know how to use books and the internet to find information. Guided reading groups focus on stretching pupils’ ability to understand text through teachers’ challenging questions.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because teachers assess their work carefully and support them with well-focused extra work.  There are too few pupils in school who are eligible for support through additional funding to make accurate comparisons between their achievement and that of their peers in school, or with similar pupils nationally.

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is good

 Children join the Reception class with skills and knowledge which are generally in line with those typical for their age. They make good progress because teachers plan exciting topics based upon stories which the children clearly enjoy. They enter Year 1 with skill and knowledge levels which are a little above average and they demonstrate a great enthusiasm for learning.  Good teaching helps children in the Reception class to make good progress. Staff have developed greater accuracy in checking children’s past achievements and plan activities carefully for their learning in each area. Children show imagination, excitement and creativity in their work.  Behaviour and attitudes in Reception class are good. Children come to school happily and quickly settle to their work. They are confident about their learning. Most parents say that they are welcomed to discuss their children’s learning.  Leaders know which areas need to improve because they check the effectiveness of their work. There are

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is good

effective systems in place to track children’s progress and to plan new learning.  There are good systems to safeguard children in the Reception class.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 123151 Local authority Oxfordshire Inspection number 444050

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 60 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mrs Julie Jones Headteacher Mrs Ruth Nye Date of previous school inspection 26 April 2010 Telephone number 01235 751254 Fax number 01235 751254 Email address Head.3231@ridgeway.oxon.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 and 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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