Ryton Junior School

Ryton Junior School Main Road, Ryton, Tyne and Wear, NE40 3AF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Inadequate 4 Leadership and management Inadequate 4 Behaviour and safety of pupils Inadequate 4 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires special measures.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils’ behaviour and safety are inadequate. Some pupils say they do not feel safe because of bullying, disruption to their lessons and boisterous play during lunchtimes. Behaviour in some classes is not good enough and a minority of pupils disrupt the learning of others.  The school’s overall effectiveness has declined since the last inspection and is now inadequate. There is too little sign of improvement. The leadership’s ability to improve pupils’ behaviour and safety quickly is weak. Inadequacies in the social and moral education pupils receive have not been dealt with effectively.  The leadership does not have an accurate view of the school’s performance. They do not systematically check pupils’ rates of progress and are unaware how well different groups are achieving. Consequently, leaders have not planned carefully enough to improve teaching and pupils’ achievement.  Governors are not rigorous enough in holding

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

leaders to account for the school’s performance.  Teaching requires improvement because teachers do not always use the information about how well pupils are achieving to plan lessons and set work that helps the pupils make the best possible progress, particularly for the disadvantaged and least-able pupils.  Marking is inconsistent. Pupils do not always know what they do well, what they need to do to improve or have time to respond to teachers’ comments.  Achievement overall and in mathematics requires improvement. Not all teachers are skilled in the teaching of mathematics generally and in calculation in particular. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to investigate and solve problems; some pupils do not take enough care with their work. Consequently, standards in mathematics are not rising as quickly as in reading and writing.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils enjoy reading and achieve well in developing their reading skills.  Attendance is improving strongly.  The good provision for sport and music enables pupils to excel, develop talents and demonstrate their capabilities.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 10 parts of lessons. The inspectors also observed pupils taught in small groups and listened to pupils from Year 3 and Year 4 read. In addition, inspectors reviewed samples of pupils’ written work.  Discussions were held with different groups of pupils, the executive headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders, members of the governing body and two representatives of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the overall work of the school, looked at a range of documents, including plans for improvement, records of the school’s checks on pupils’ and teachers’ performance, safeguarding and attendance documents and minutes of the meetings of the governing body.  Inspectors spoke directly to 2 groups of parents and took account of the 30 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 12 staff questionnaires.  Inspectors looked at a range of other evidence, including displays and evidence relating to the school’s

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Information about this inspection

wider achievements beyond the classroom. The school’s website was reviewed.  The Early Birds activity club was also visited by an inspector.

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Inspection team

Margaret Armstrong, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 44 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended), Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. It has been in a soft federation with Ryton Infant School since April 2013.  The school has an executive headteacher who has overall responsibility for the two schools and provides strategic direction for them. The head of school has responsibility for the day-to-day running of the junior school. At the time of the inspection, the head of school had recently returned from a long-term absence.  Most pupils are of White British heritage. A few pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by pupil premium funding is average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those

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Information about this school

children who are looked after by the local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  Most pupils join the school from Ryton Infant School.  The school provides an Early Birds activity club, which is managed by the governing body.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Urgently improve pupils’ behaviour and safety by:  taking immediate action to eradicate all forms of bullying to ensure that all pupils feel safe in school  making sure all pupils know who to contact, if they have a concern or feel anxious  organising appropriate training for all staff in how to tackle homophobic bullying  improving the effectiveness with which teachers manage pupils’ behaviour in lessons  maintaining detailed records of behaviour incidents and analysing the results, so that the school can identify any patterns and support pupils effectively.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve rapidly the effectiveness of leadership and management, including governance, by:  ensuring that the school’s evaluation of its own work is accurate and based on rigorous checking of pupils’ achievement, and that leaders use this information to direct their plans for improvement more effectively  implementing efficient and accurate systems by which the school can measure the progress of individuals and groups of pupils  ensuring that teachers’ performance management targets are closely linked to the pupils’ achievement and that staff are robustly held accountable for the progress of pupils in their classes  providing high-quality training, so subject leaders make a stronger contribution to raising standards in their areas of responsibility  ensuring that governors are well informed about the school’s performance and have the skills necessary to hold the school to account effectively  making sure that the school’s website is kept up to date and contains all the required information,

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

including the pupil premium grant and the impact of how it is spent.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching across the school so it is consistently good or better by:  making sure teachers use assessment information about pupils’ previous learning to set work at the right level for pupils of all abilities, particularly the least able and those who are disadvantaged  checking pupils are given clear information about how they can improve their work and have time to act upon that advice.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve progress in mathematics by:  ensuring that teachers plan work in mathematics that provides a good balance between what pupils already know and the skills they have to learn  offering more opportunities for pupils to practise efficient methods of calculation and to apply their skills in real-life, problem-solving activities  insisting that pupils present their mathematical work to a consistently high standard  providing high-quality training to extend the skills of teachers in the teaching of mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

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The leadership and management are inadequate

 Since the previous inspection, the school’s overall effectiveness has declined. Behaviour and safety are now inadequate, because leaders have not ensured that all pupils feel safe in school. Leaders have not done enough to tackle instances of bullying, particularly during lunchtimes. As a result, a significant number of pupils do not feel safe in school.  In addition, the school is not checking the progress of its pupils effectively. As a result, leaders do not know when pupils are falling behind and so are not in a position to help them make up ground quickly.  Senior leaders do not monitor the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement rigorously enough to identify weaknesses quickly or offer staff effective support to help them improve their work. The monitoring skills of subject leaders, including their analysis and use of data on pupils’ progress, are not sufficiently developed to assist them in leading developments in their areas of responsibility. The log of

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The leadership and management are inadequate

staff training shows that leaders have attended some relevant courses on leadership and management, but so far their impact has been limited.  Procedures for managing teachers’ performance are not linked closely to how well pupils are achieving and to salary progression. This has contributed to the decline in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The school’s evaluation of its own performance is inaccurate and is not based on a rigorous analysis of pupils’ achievement. As a result, school improvement documents do not have clear milestones by which time improvements should be made; they are vague about the actions needed to improve standards. Therefore, the school’s capacity for sustaining improvement is not evident.  The school is committed to improving the achievement of all groups of pupils and has a clear desire to promote equal opportunities and tackle discrimination. However, this has not yet ensured that all pupils

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The leadership and management are inadequate

and groups of pupils make rapid and sustained progress and attain their best possible standards.  The curriculum offers pupils a range of learning opportunities across a significant number of enrichment activities through educational visits and extracurricular activities, particularly relating to music and sporting activities. However, the mathematics curriculum does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to develop their calculation skills fully and to become confident when using their skills to solve problems. Consequently, too many pupils, particularly the least able and those who are disadvantaged, are not prepared well for the next stage in their education.  Pupils enjoy assemblies which make them think about the world around them. For example, they reflected sensibly on the implications of war on family life during an assembly about Remembrance Sunday. They have a sound understanding of other cultures and faiths, although their understanding of life in modern

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The leadership and management are inadequate

Britain is less well developed. There are weaknesses in the social and moral education pupils receive; as a result, they do not always treat each other well and some lessons are disrupted by persistent low-level, unacceptable behaviour.  Pupils have good opportunities to take part in sport. Additional physical education and sport funding is being used to provide more coaches and training for teachers in gymnastics and to widen the range of sport on offer. This is improving pupils’ physical skills and encouraging more participation in sport.  The school website does not contain all the information required, including up to date information about how the pupil premium is used and the impact of how it is spent.  Local authority officers have identified the school as potentially requiring improvement and put strategies in place to address weaknesses in teaching and leadership. However, despite these efforts, the rate of

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The leadership and management are inadequate

improvement is too slow to help pupils achieve as well as they should. In addition, the local authority failed to recognise that the school does not have effective systems in place to tackle bullying or address some low-level disruptive behaviour.  Newly qualified teachers may not be appointed.  The governance of the school:  Governors demonstrate a strong commitment to the school and the community. However, the governing body has not challenged senior leaders rigorously enough about the school’s performance. While governors receive relevant and up-to-date training, they do not have a secure knowledge of how the school is performing. This is because the information they receive is not accurate, particularly regarding the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. Consequently, governors do not challenge leaders effectively and ensure that teachers’ performance is linked to salary progression.  The governing body is committed to improving the outcomes for all pupils, particularly those pupils

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The leadership and management are inadequate

supported through the pupil premium funding. They are aware of how the funding is used, but do not evaluate the impact of funding on pupils’ progress and ensure that this is reported to parents on the school website.  Governors make sure that statutory safeguarding procedures meet requirements. However, the school’s arrangements for the welfare and safety of pupils are not robust enough to ensure that they all feel safe in school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is inadequate. Although most pupils know how to behave well, some lessons are disrupted by persistent low-level unacceptable behaviour and pupils’ poor attitudes to learning. On these occasions, either teachers do not notice this weak behaviour or the strategies they adopt to address it do not work. This affects the enjoyment and progress of too many pupils.  Incidents of poor behaviour are not dealt with in a consistent way across the school. Pupils are not always clear about the school’s incentives for rewarding good behaviour or what the consequences will be if they do not behave well.  In some classes, pupils do not take enough care with their work, particularly in mathematics. When this is the case, pupils make careless errors and the quality of their work is poor.  The school keeps records of behaviour incidents, but there are inconsistencies across different classes in

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Behaviour

how these incidents are recorded and there is no analysis of patterns of behaviour in every class. Class behaviour logs record a few minor incidents, but the school could not supply any records of how more serious incidents were dealt with, despite having a number of pupils who are receiving support with behaviour management.  Parents are generally supportive of the school. A few parents, however, from the online survey, do not believe that behaviour is good and some have concerns about bullying.  The Early Birds activity club is well attended and ensures that pupils get off to a good start each day.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is inadequate. Although most pupils work together sensibly, some of the younger pupils say others are too boisterous during lunchtimes and that there are too many instances of fighting, arguing and name-calling, which unsettle them.  Pupils know about different types of bullying, including Internet safety and cyber-bullying and say it does happen. Some pupils were particularly concerned by regular instances of homophobic bullying. They told inspectors that they were worried they would be called ‘gay’ and pushed into the ‘gay hole’, while others were concerned they would be given the ‘gay touch’. Younger pupils said they were frightened of the older pupils, who often ‘pushed them around’ or hit them. Pupils said they sometimes hide in the toilets or make an attempt to stay inside the school to keep away from pupils who may upset them.  Pupils report that, although they pass their concerns on to adults, they are not always acted upon. Some

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Safety

pupils say they do not know who to turn to when they have a problem, while others are afraid to report incidents in case older pupils retaliate.  The school maintains a log of racist incidents and leaders act quickly when issues are reported. However, pupils say discriminatory language continues to be used and this upsets a few pupils who come from minority ethnic backgrounds.  Attendance is average and improving quickly; the persistent absentee rate is low.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching over time requires improvement because not all pupils are making good progress.  Teachers do not always use information about pupils’ prior learning to plan activities at the right level that match their needs fully. Work is sometimes too easy or too hard and as a result, pupils do not achieve as well as they should, particularly disadvantaged pupils and the least able.  There is some good teaching over time. In some classes, pupils make faster progress because teachers have higher expectations of what pupils can achieve. When this is the case, activities are exciting and capture pupils’ interest. For example, in Year 5 pupils showed a keen interest in their learning when taking part in a game which tested out their scientific knowledge of day and night.  Teachers’ expectations are not always high enough, especially in mathematics. In some lessons pupils’ application of mathematical skills is weak and pupils do not take sufficient care when recording their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

As a result, they make too many careless errors which could have been avoided.  The teaching of the most-able pupils improved last year, because teachers had higher expectations of what they could achieve. In the end of Year 6 tests in 2014, more pupils exceeded the expected levels in reading and writing. However, this was not the case in mathematics and, as a result, the proportion of pupils who reached the higher level was lower than for the previous year.  In lessons, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are given helpful and sensitive support from teachers and teaching assistants to enable them to become even more confident learners. As a result, their progress in reading is speeding up.  The school’s marking policy is used consistently to help pupils understand how successful they have been in their work. Teachers’ marking is less clear in helping pupils understand exactly what they need to do to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

improve and they are not always offered sufficient time to act upon any advice given.  Since the last inspection, pupils have been provided with far more opportunities to practise their reading and writing skills across a range of subject areas. Pupils are increasingly keen to write, especially when teachers provide interesting topics which capture their enthusiasm.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 When pupils start school in Year 3, the standards of their reading, writing and mathematics are typically above average. By the end of Year 6, standards are significantly above average in reading and above average and improving in writing. Standards in mathematics are not improving as quickly. They dipped to average in 2014, because pupils did not make enough progress from their starting points.  In 2013, although standards were significantly above average overall, the proportion of pupils who made more than expected progress was close to national averages in reading and mathematics, but lower in writing. Through a range of new initiatives, the school has been successful in raising standards in writing and pupils’ workbooks provide evidence that progress is speeding up.  Achievement in mathematics requires improvement. In 2014, unvalidated results from national tests in Year 6 showed standards are declining in mathematics and the proportion of pupils who made more than

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

expected progress was below the national average. The school’s current assessment information and examples of pupils’ work confirm that the pupils’ progress in mathematics is not improving fast enough.  Pupils make good progress in reading. Younger pupils who read to inspectors made good use of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) to help them read unfamiliar words. These skills enhance progress as pupils move through the school. Many pupils are keen readers and talk enthusiastically about their favourite books and authors. They read widely and many say they are avid readers at home.  In 2013, the most-able pupils did not make the progress expected of them. They made better progress in 2014 and their attainment at the higher levels improved in reading and writing, although not enough pupils exceeded the expected level in mathematics.  In 2013, disadvantaged pupils made the progress expected of them, although they did not do as well as

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

others in the school, particularly in writing and mathematics. They were four months behind other pupils in the school in reading and mathematics and five months behind in writing. Disadvantaged pupils did better than all pupils nationally. They were 10 months ahead in reading, eight months ahead in mathematics and four months ahead in writing.  In 2014 unvalidated data show that although the attainment of disadvantaged pupils was similar to all pupils nationally, the gap between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils in the school widened in reading, writing and in mathematics. They were nine months behind in reading, 12 months behind in writing and almost 18 months behind in mathematics.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress to that of their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. Teaching assistants provide useful support when it is needed, both in

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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 108355 Local authority Gateshead Inspection number 448352

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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 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 203 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Anne Leech Headteacher Janice Porter Date of previous school inspection 25 February 2010 Telephone number 0191 4133573 Fax number 0191 4130130 Email address rytoncommunityinfantschool@gateshead.gov.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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