Riversdale Primary School

Riversdale Primary School 302a Merton Road, Wandsworth, London, SW18 5JP

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 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

 Senior leaders provide clear strategic and day-to- day direction. As a consequence, the school has made great strides in ensuring improved outcomes for pupils.  Achievement has improved rapidly since the last inspection. In the most recent national Key Stage 2 tests, all pupils made the expected progress. Considerably larger proportions than seen nationally in 2014 made more than expected progress in reading and mathematics. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have continued to rise since the previous inspection.  Teaching is good. Teachers regularly review pupils’ progress and match their provision well to pupils’ needs. A focus on the teaching of reading ensures that those pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language, make good progress.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because of the analytical and reflective approach adopted by leaders and teachers.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils have a well-developed understanding of their rights and responsibilities. They demonstrate high levels of maturity through their reflective approach, self-control and self- confidence. This contributes significantly to pupils feeling, and being, safe.  Pupils’ outstanding behaviour and attitudes to learning make a significant contribution to their good, and improving, achievement.  Governors challenge the school to maintain its rate of improvement by keeping a close eye on pupils’ achievement and holding leaders to account.  Parents express high levels of support for the school’s work.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Grammatical and spelling errors are sometimes overlooked when checking pupils’ work.  The outdoor provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage is not used as effectively as the indoor space to impact on children’s learning.  Middle leaders do not have sufficient opportunity to impact on the quality of teaching in their areas of responsibility.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited lessons in each year group, on most occasions accompanied by senior leaders.  Meetings were held with the headteacher and senior leaders, three members of the governing body including the Chair, a group of staff, a representative from the local authority and middle leaders. Inspectors also met with the teacher with responsibility for physical education, the Early Years Foundation Stage leader and the teacher with responsibility for special educational needs.  Inspectors also held discussions with three groups of pupils as well as speaking to them informally around school, in the playground and during visits to lessons. Inspectors listened to pupils reading.  Inspectors took account of the 83 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View.  The 43 responses to the staff questionnaire were taken into account.  Inspectors met with one parent and considered the documentation received from another.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors scrutinised the school’s self-evaluation document, information about pupils’ achievement, records of pupils’ attendance and behaviour, development plans, and records of recruitment and safeguarding checks.

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Inspection team

Jeremy Loukes, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average sized primary school. The number of pupils on roll has grown over recent years. The construction of a new building adjacent to the existing building is due to be completed in time for the next academic year. This will provide additional classroom accommodation.  The proportion of pupils entitled to support from the pupil premium is higher than average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to support pupils known to be eligible for free school meals or those looked after by the local authority.  More than double the proportion of pupils seen nationally have minority ethnic backgrounds. Approximately one quarter of pupils are of Pakistani heritage.  A significant number of pupils are admitted to the school at times other than at the beginning of the Reception Year. Similarly, a large number of pupils leave before the end of Year 6.  Over half of pupils speak English as an additional language.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of disabled pupils or those with special educational needs is average.  A number of children attend the Nursery full time while others attend for either the morning or afternoon session. All Reception children attend full time.  The headteacher was appointed in an acting capacity in September 2014, and substantively in April 2015.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum standards set out for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of the teaching of writing by ensuring that teachers address pupils’ grammatical and spelling errors as a matter of course.  Ensure that the outside environment in the Early Years Foundation Stage promotes children’s learning as effectively as the inside space does.  Increase the impact of middle leaders on the quality of teaching by providing suitable opportunities for them to apply their leadership skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has established a culture in which ambition is central. Staff have high expectations of themselves, each other and pupils. The school’s work to instil a mutual tolerance and understanding of each other’s differences is successful.  Leaders check the impact of teaching on pupils’ achievement regularly and rigorously. They visit lessons, scrutinise pupils’ work and review the numerical information about pupils’ progress. Where teachers require support, it is provided promptly and reviewed to check on its impact.  The culture and ethos leaders have established supports professional dialogue. This extends to colleagues in other schools with whom effective partnerships at both primary and secondary school level have been established to moderate judgements about pupils’ attainment. A significant proportion of pupils transfer to a local secondary school when they leave Riversdale. Effective partnerships between the two schools

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The leadership and management are good

eases pupils’ transition.  Pupils study a broad and varied curriculum. Teachers take opportunities to ensure that pupils are inspired by, and engaged in, their learning. For example, pupils recall their enjoyment of learning about plants in science through practical activity.  Middle leaders, new to their roles, are effectively mentored by senior leaders. They have been trained to observe teaching and to give advice about how to improve practice. As a result, their skills have been refined, although they have had limited opportunity to have an impact on the quality of teaching in the subjects for which they are responsible.  Equality of opportunity has a high profile. Attention to the social and academic needs of individual pupils is a strength of the provision. Providing first-hand experiences for pupils enables them to develop a broader general knowledge, and provides a context for their learning. Visits to museums, places of worship, the

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The leadership and management are good

beach and the theatre support learning in the classroom well. The impact of this can be seen in the similar rates of progress made by the pupils of all backgrounds, including those who speak English as an additional language.  Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education and for life in modern Britain. Activities to enhance the curriculum provide pupils with lasting memories and valuable learning opportunities. At the time of the general election, pupils learnt about the democratic process. They wrote and gave speeches before each class selected their candidate. Election campaigns followed, with the local member of parliament visiting school to meet pupils and answer questions.  The spending of the pupil premium is carefully planned. Individual need is taken into account resulting in focused support and good progress.  Opportunities for pupils to gain an insight into career and further education opportunities help to raise

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The leadership and management are good

ambition. For example, links with the ‘Mosaic’ charity provide mentors and visits to universities and businesses which raise aspiration and inspire pupils to realise their potential.  Local authority support has been highly effective in supporting this improving school. Local authority officers have contributed to improving the quality of teaching, supported leaders in refining procedures and in facilitating moderation arrangements.  The physical education and sport premium is spent very effectively. Teachers in Key Stage 1 work alongside a specialist physical education teacher. As a result, their skills and teaching practice have improved. The number and variety of sporting opportunities have increased significantly, as has the proportion of pupils taking part in sports clubs. The profile of sport has been raised, with teams representing the school at a range of tournaments and festivals.  Arrangements for safeguarding are highly effective and meet the statutory requirements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governance is effective. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s performance data; regular and close scrutiny lead to governors asking pertinent questions about pupils’ progress and attainment. Governors visit school regularly, often in their capacity as a governor linked to a particular subject. They make a clear link between the quality of teaching and the impact it has on pupils’ progress. Governors are familiar with the policies applied to manage staff performance and are clear about the arrangements employed when performance does not meet the expected standard.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Positive relationships between members of the school community underpin the improvement in pupils’ achievement. This underlying respect between pupils and adults allows teaching and learning to proceed without interruption.  Pupils are proud of their school and keen to speak about its many strengths. They demonstrate the high value they place on their education through their attention in lessons, the presentation of their work and their perseverance and determination to succeed. Pupils show interest in the work and posters displayed around school. They move around the school in an orderly manner, entering and leaving assembly respectfully.  At the time of the last inspection, attendance was well below the national average. It is now in line with the average. Effective and prompt action is taken to follow up absence. Measures to tackle poor attendance, including support from the school’s learning mentor, have resulted in significant

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Behaviour

improvements in the attendance of individual pupils. The proportion of pupils persistently absent has reduced over recent years and is now below the national average.  Pupils play co-operatively at lunch and break times. They understand the rota system used to ensure that the available space is used fairly over the course of a week. Older pupils carry out their roles of responsibility as prefects and playground helpers with confidence and pride.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Leaders ensure that staff are well trained to identify and raise concerns about pupils’ welfare. In addition to generic safeguarding training, staff have received specific guidance related to female genital mutilation and the prevention of radicalisation. Good relationships with local authority colleagues ensure that those responsible for safeguarding are able to act quickly when concerns are raised.  The school’s provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development plays a significant role in making sure that pupils are safe, and feel safe. Pupils develop a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities through teaching, assemblies and displays around the school. These include posters which encourage pupils to guard against the use of homophobic language and those which celebrate the varied make-up of families. Pupils have a well-developed sense of right and wrong and are able to explain with

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Safety

confidence each person’s entitlement to be themselves.  Pupils speak with confidence about the strategies they have learnt to help keep themselves safe when using the internet. For example, they know to ‘think before you do’ and to set a password that is easy to remember but difficult to guess.  Parents spoken to during the inspection and those who responded to the online survey were unanimous in their view that their children feel safe at school. Responses to the staff questionnaire concur with this view.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ strong subject knowledge enables them to ask questions which prompt pupils to explore issues in greater depth. Similarly, teachers are adept at asking questions to find out precisely what pupils have understood so that they can plan for their next step. Teachers make the most of opportunities for pupils to reflect. For example, in assembly, pupils are asked to consider the words of the school song in order to fully understand the meaning of the words, ‘you are my brother and my friend’.  Pupils make good progress in reading because of the sharp focus on its teaching. Staff are well trained to teach phonics . The daily before-school reading club provides good support, often for those pupils speaking English as an additional language. The provision is particularly beneficial in cases where families are less able to support pupils reading at home. Adults listen to pupils read, discussing the meaning of the

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The quality of teaching is good

text and ensuring that pupils develop their reading fluency.  Pupils are clear about what is expected in their writing because of the specific success criteria outlined at the start of the lesson. Teachers model writing well, collecting pupils’ contributions and taking opportunities to improve vocabulary and phrasing. Topics for writing capture pupils’ interest. For example, pupils in Year 5 write to those in Year 4, explaining what to expect at the start of the new academic year.  Clear success criteria outline what is expected in each lesson. Teachers provide verbal and written feedback based on these aspects of learning. However, grammatical inaccuracies and spelling errors are sometimes overlooked, which limits the progress pupils are able to make.  Investigative mathematical activities are used well to allow pupils to apply their skills and to practise their ability to reason. For example, Year 6 pupils explored the mathematical relationship between arm span

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The quality of teaching is good

and body height, having looked at a Leonardo da Vinci illustration.  Specialist teaching of drama, music and physical education ensures that pupils receive high quality teaching and that class teachers are able to develop their own skills through observing good practice.  Sequences of lessons are well planned so that pupils do not repeat topics unnecessarily.  Teaching assistants follow the teacher’s lead, asking open-ended questions to promote thinking and allowing pupils to verbalise a response before writing it down.  Teachers use information about pupils’ progress well to identify those in need of further support. Small group teaching is effective, with good use made of the opportunity for teachers to gain a greater insight into individual pupils’ understanding.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage. They enter with skills, knowledge and abilities below those typical for their age. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development is broadly in line with the national average.  Standards in Key Stage 1 have risen steadily for the last five years. In 2015, the proportion of pupils reaching Level 2 in reading, writing and mathematics was above the 2014 national average. A greater proportion than seen nationally achieved Level 3; this represents a significant improvement on previous years’ results, particularly in reading and mathematics.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 has risen from being well below average in 2010 to being above average in 2015. All pupils made expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Significantly higher proportions than seen nationally in 2014 made more than the expected progress in reading and

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The achievement of pupils is good

mathematics. A similar proportion to that seen nationally in 2014 made more than the expected progress in writing.  The most able pupils make good progress, with all making at least the expected progress. For the first time, in 2015, some pupils attained Level 6 in the end of Key Stage 2 mathematics, and grammar, punctuation and spelling tests.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make similar progress to their peers.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, including those of Pakistani heritage, make similar progress to others.  Small gaps exist between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others in school. In 2015, disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 were approximately one term behind others in writing and mathematics but attained similar levels in reading. Gaps between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others nationally are negligible.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make good progress from their starting points, many having begun the Reception class having had no pre-school experience.  The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) leader keeps a close eye on children’s progress. Detailed assessment information is used to make sure activities are planned to address children’s needs accurately and promptly. The EYFS leader has a good understanding of the need to provide effective support for children speaking English as an additional language. Regular monitoring of practice, combined with appropriate training, ensures that the quality of teaching continues to rise.  Teachers consider children’s needs carefully when planning activities. For example, having identified the need to develop children’s fine motor skills, teachers devised creative activities to increase children’s manipulative skills; children used pipettes to place drops of water accurately in the holes in plastic

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The early years provision is good

construction bricks as well as placing cheerios on lengths of spaghetti, using plastic tweezers.  Phonics is taught well. Sounds are taught precisely, with children having opportunities to learn new sounds, practise those they already know, and apply their understanding through reading and spelling. Adults engage well with children, modelling language and extending vocabulary.  During both teacher-led and child-initiated activities, children show high levels of concentration and perseverance. They behave well and remain focused for extended periods of time without the need for adult intervention. Children collaborate well, sharing resources and taking turns as a matter of course.  Disabled children and those with special educational needs are supported well by appropriately trained staff. As a result, they make good progress from their starting points.  Children enjoy learning to swim in the on-site swimming pool. Staff show a good level of vigilance for

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The early years provision is good

children’s safety. Children listen carefully to instructions, applying the skills they have learnt previously and making good progress.  The indoor environment is stimulating and used well. Children choose from a wide range of well- resourced activities. The outdoor environment is less stimulating and does not promote such high levels of motivation.

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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 101018 Local authority Wandsworth Inspection number 448205

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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 292 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rev. Ian Tattum Headteacher Amy Roberts Date of previous school inspection 26 January 2010 Telephone number 020 88746904 Fax number 020 88750368 Email address info@riversdale.wandsworth.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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