Ravensthorpe Primary School

Ravensthorpe Primary School Brigstock Court, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire PE3 7NB

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Senior leaders provide highly effective leadership and work closely with governors to continuously drive school improvement forward, particularly in teaching and learning. Together, they have developed a strong culture for good teaching, learning and behaviour across the school. They are making sure the school continues to improve.  Leaders are promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, including their physical well-being, effectively.  Teaching and learning are good across the school. Teachers have high expectations for learning and behaviour. They plan interesting activities and make good use of well-chosen resources to stimulate pupils’ learning.  Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to maintain strong relationships with pupils and manage their behaviour well. They create a positive ethos for learning.  Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons and across the school. They are polite and courteous to all adults

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This is a good school

and have very positive attitudes to learning. Their attendance and punctuality are good. Staff provide good pastoral care to promote pupils’ welfare effectively. Safeguarding is effective.  Pupils in all year groups make good progress from their different starting points in reading, writing and mathematics, and across a wide range of subjects and activities. There are no significant differences in the progress of any groups of pupils.  Good leadership, teaching and learning with a range of well-planned learning opportunities are enabling children in the early years to make good progress in all areas of learning. Their behaviour is good and they stay safe.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are given tasks that are too difficult, which limits their progress and achievement.  Pupils at Key Stage 1 do not always deepen their mathematical reasoning because occasionally teachers miss the opportunity to do so.  Subject leaders have not fully developed nor implemented systems for recording and tracking the progress of pupils in their subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and raise achievement by making sure that teachers always: provide disabled pupils and pupils with special educational needs with tasks that pupils find neither too easy nor too difficult, yet challenge their thinking use every opportunity to deepen the mathematical reasoning skills of pupils at Key Stage 1 so that they master new ideas quickly.  Enhance leadership and management by making sure that subject leaders develop and implement systems for tracking and recording progress within their subjects across the school.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher is providing outstanding leadership in transforming the school. He receives excellent support from his deputy headteacher and good support from staff and governors to ensure that the school continues to improve. Staff morale is high and the school enjoys the confidence of parents. This is reflected in the online questionnaire for parents, Parent View, and staff questionnaire returns.  Senior leaders and governors are driving improvements in teaching and learning forward through continuous support and training for staff and by robustly tackling weaknesses in teaching. This has led to consistently good teaching across the school.  The headteacher has strengthened systems for managing the performance of staff through regular checks on the impact of teaching on pupils’ learning throughout the school. This is successfully raising the achievement of all pupils across the school.  Leaders check the impact of all aspects of the school’s work on pupils’ learning, behaviour and well-being

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

regularly. They have a realistic view of the school and use the information from monitoring well to set clear priorities for improvement.  Many subject leaders are new to their roles and are making a good start in ensuring good teaching and learning in their subjects. They are developing their skills effectively, meeting regularly to review pupils’ achievement in their subjects. New assessment systems for reading, writing and mathematics are used well to provide accurate information about the progress pupils are making within these subjects. However, subject leaders have not fully developed systems for tracking and recording progress within their subjects.  The curriculum is broad and relevant to the needs of all pupils. There is a strong emphasis on developing communication, language, literacy and numeracy, supplemented by interesting learning activities which engage pupils in learning. These include Latin for the most-able pupils, the school choir who performed at

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

the Royal Albert Hall, and a boys’ choir. Music and computing are strengths of the curriculum and pupils compose their own songs to perform on special occasions. Pupils have completed their own documentary videos on aspects of the school and have written blogs for the school website. A wide range of visits enriches learning, such as trips to a local farm, residential visits and a school trip to Burghley House. A wide range of lunchtime and after-school clubs, including for sport and knitting, also enhances learning.  Good use is made of the primary school physical education and sports funding to provide coaching in a range of physical programmes such as tag rugby and football. It is also used well to provide training for staff and it has led to an increase in sports clubs, with increased opportunities for pupils to compete against other schools.  The curriculum promotes pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare well. Pupils’ spiritual,

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils have good opportunities for reflection, as seen in an assembly where they reflected on how to approach and stroke dogs safely. They learn right from wrong through the consistent implementation of the school’s policy for behaviour. They work well together, share and take turns. The school has developed strong international links with Shanghai, Kenya, Sudan, Katowice in Poland and Friends of Chernobyl. A teaching assistant provides translation across a range of Eastern European languages.  The school promotes British values effectively. It recently held a British values week and pupils learned about the monarchy, before the Duke of Gloucester came to open the new building. Pupils also learn about rights and responsibilities, and tolerance for each other including appreciation and respect for different faiths and beliefs. Displays are dedicated to British values. A Paralympian athlete visited the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

school and there is a forthcoming planned visit to Parliament.  Leaders make good use of funding for disadvantaged pupils. Leaders provide effective extra individual support, which ensures they catch up so that they do as well as their classmates and catch up with other pupils nationally. As a result, gaps are narrowing.  Staff promote equality of opportunity well. They promote good relationships between all pupils and do not tolerate any form of discrimination. They also ensure that different groups of pupils make equally good progress from their different starting points.  The local authority is providing effective support for the school through regular monitoring and review.  The governance of the school Governors challenge the work of the school and they support staff well. They regularly visit the school to look at the impact of its work on pupils’ learning and behaviour and they carefully examine reports

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

from school leaders. They have a good understanding of the school’s new system for tracking the progress pupils are making and use the outcomes of this well to form a realistic view of the quality of teaching and its impact on pupils’ learning and progress. Their arrangements for managing the performance of the headteacher are robust. Objectives are linked to pupils’ achievement and behaviour. They also focus on the priorities written in the school improvement plan. These well-chosen targets are monitored closely to hold the headteacher to account. Governors also make sure that good teaching is recognised and any weaknesses are tackled. They make sure that the additional spending on pupil premium and primary sports funding provides good value for money. Governors promote safeguarding effectively by ensuring that training and school policies are up to date and all legal requirements are met. They are effective in holding the school to account for the promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and cultural development, including British values. For example, a governor has spoken to pupils about an MBE award from the Queen.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders make all required checks to ensure that staff and visitors are suitable to work with children. They provide a safe environment and all policies and procedures for safeguarding are implemented effectively.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching and learning are good across the school. This represents a significant improvement since the last inspection when teaching required improvement.  Pupils’ work and visits to lessons and activities show that teaching in a range of subjects is good and that teachers have high expectations for learning and behaviour. As a result, pupils are focused on learning, listen carefully and follow instructions. During choir practice, the learning mentor constantly challenged pupils to exercise and control their breathing before performing and to sing in time and with expression. In the knitting club, the volunteer provided pupils with knitting patterns to make gloves, which they did most effectively.  In discussion about their learning in different subjects, pupils gave many examples of how teachers plan interesting activities and made good use of well-chosen resources to stimulate their learning. They

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

showed examples of the videos and blogs they had produced, talked enthusiastically about performing in the Royal Albert Hall, and showed examples of their practical experiments in science.  In all lessons seen, teachers and teaching assistants worked well together to promote good learning and behaviour. The school’s monitoring of teaching over time shows that staff always maintain strong relationships with pupils and manage their behaviour well. Staff create a positive ethos for learning in all classes by celebrating pupils’ achievements, displaying their work on classrooms walls and by providing good levels of praise, encouragement and feedback on how well they are doing, consistent with the school’s marking policy.  Staff provide good support for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, those at an early stage of learning English, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those who need to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

catch up quickly.  Pupils’ work and information about the progress they make over time clearly show that teachers develop pupils’ reading, writing and mathematical skills well across different subjects, such as in the science topic on Charles Darwin and the history topic on the Tudors.  Teachers provide regular homework for pupils. Pupils and parents say that homework tasks help to improve pupils’ learning.  Teachers use the information about pupils’ prior learning effectively to plan activities that build on their prior knowledge, skills and understanding. However, they have not fully developed systems for recording the progress pupils are making in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Parents are pleased with the regular information they receive through detailed reports about the progress their children are making.  Teachers nearly always promote equality of opportunity effectively in lessons by making sure that all

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

groups of pupils have full access to learning. Occasionally, teachers provide tasks that are too difficult for disabled pupils or those with special educational needs, which limits their learning.  Pupils are keen to deepen their knowledge and understanding. However, occasionally, at Key Stage 1 teachers miss opportunities to deepen pupils’ understanding of mathematics.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The school’s welcoming and caring ethos is central to its work in promoting the welfare and safety of all pupils. Pupils benefit from the good pastoral care provided by staff, particularly through learning mentors and involvement of external agencies. This helps them to settle into school routines quickly, enjoy learning and develop positive attitudes to school. As a result, pupils in Year 6 are well prepared for transfer to secondary school.  Pupils, their parents and staff agree that the school provides good support for pupils. Staff encourage pupils to be kind and honest, to show respect towards others and do their best. This promotes their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and contributes to their good learning and progress. Pupils appreciate different cultures and act as language ambassadors, showing new parents and pupils

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Personal development and welfare

from different backgrounds around the school. They celebrate Christian festivals such as Harvest and learn about other religions from around the world, such as Hinduism, Islam and Judaism.  Staff promote good relationships and show pupils how prejudiced behaviour and bullying affect others. As a result, bullying is rare and is quickly dealt with when it occurs. Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors and take responsibility for their actions, reflecting on the impact of their behaviour on others.  Staff ensure pupils’ safety by implementing good procedures. Consequently, pupils feel safe and secure in school and when they go out on schools trips. Pupils use computers and the internet safely and parents strongly agree that the school ensures that their children are safe in school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Exclusions are rare and there are very few racist incidents, prejudice- based behaviour or incidents of disruption in lessons. Pupils’ conduct during the inspection was at least good and sometimes it was outstanding. However, a few pupils who find work difficult occasionally switch off from learning.  Pupils say they really enjoy coming to school and their parents agree. In all lessons and activities seen, pupils had positive attitudes to learning. Pupils always focused on their learning and showed respect towards their teachers and one another. They take a great pride in their work and in their achievements.  Pupils’ attendance is above average and has steadily risen in recent years. Pupils nearly always arrive well prepared for lessons and only a few pupils are persistently absent.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils across the school are making good progress in a wide range of subjects. They are building on their previous learning well in developing secure knowledge, understanding and skills from their different starting points. Pupils are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. There are no significant differences in the progress of any groups of pupils.  Children in the early years are making a good start at school. Most children join the school with skills that are much lower than those typical for their ages in each area of learning. They make good progress so that the majority are reaching a good level of development and are well prepared for entry to Year 1. There has been a steady, year-on-year rise in children’s achievement since the last inspection.  In 2015, a below-average proportion of pupils in Year 1 achieved the expected standard in the phonics (the sounds that letters make) reading check. Nevertheless, this represented a sharp rise from their well-

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Outcomes for pupils are good

below average performance at the time of the last inspection. The school’s accurate data show that there are no significant gaps in the progress that different groups of pupils are making in phonics, and current pupils in Year 1 are on course to reach broadly expected levels in phonics. Pupils are using phonics effectively to read unfamiliar words and to write and spell words accurately.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 build on this progress. By the end of Year 2, in 2015, pupils reached broadly average standards in writing and mathematics, although they were below average in reading. Pupils’ work and the school’s accurate information about progress shows that current pupils in Key Stage 1 are making good progress. Both boys and girls are on course to reach the expectations for their ages in reading, writing and mathematics.  In 2015, results show that attainment was broadly average at Key Stage 2 in writing and mathematics

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Outcomes for pupils are good

and below average in reading and English grammar, punctuation and spelling. Nevertheless, the 2015 results also show that Year 6 pupils made good progress from their different starting points in reading, writing and mathematics. The school’s accurate tracking information shows that in 2015, pupils in Years 3 to 5 also made good progress from their different starting points. It also shows that pupils currently in Year 6 are making good progress, with all making at least expected progress in reading, writing and mathematics and a significant number more than expected progress. All pupils currently in Year 6 are on course to at least meet age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. A significant number of pupils are making outstanding progress in mathematics by the end of Year 6. However, pupils’ work and visits to lessons show that occasionally, pupils are not deepening their mathematical thinking

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Outcomes for pupils are good

skills, which sometimes limits the progress they can make.  Disadvantaged pupils are making good progress and doing better than their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. The results in Year 6 in 2015 show that their attainment was approximately two terms behind all pupils nationally in reading, writing and mathematics, although this represented a significant narrowing of the gap in attainment from 2014.  The work of the most-able pupils and the school’s accurate tracking information show that they are making good progress in achieving higher levels than expected in reading, writing and mathematics.  Those who enter the school other than at the usual times of admission are making the same good progress as their classmates because they benefit from good support to help them to catch up quickly.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are mostly making good progress from their

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Outcomes for pupils are good

lower starting points because they receive good support to access learning and achieve well. However, occasionally their progress is limited when they are provided with tasks that are too difficult for them.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language, including those who are at an early stage of learning English, are making good progress because staff are developing their speaking and listening skills effectively.  Pupils make at least good progress in reading and writing across the school and a significant number in Year 6 make outstanding progress. Current pupils are making better progress in mathematics than they did at the time of the last inspection. The school’s accurate information shows that they are currently making good progress and sometimes outstanding progress in mathematics. Nevertheless, pupils’ work and visits to lessons show that occasionally, pupils at Key Stage 1 are not deepening their mathematical

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Outcomes for pupils are good

thinking skills, which sometimes limits the progress they can make.  Pupils are making good progress in physical education because the school makes good use of primary school sports funding. They show great enthusiasm for sports, with an increase in numbers attending sporting activities and engaging in after-school clubs.  Pupils’ work and information about the progress of pupils show that they are making good progress across a wide range of subjects, such as singing, computing, science, humanities and art. A significant number of pupils are making outstanding progress in a range of activities, such as singing in the choir, knitting and film-making.

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Early years provision is good

 Good leadership of the early years provision is ensuring that all children are making equally good progress in all areas of learning from their very low starting points. The school’s accurate information shows that children entered the Reception Year with skills and knowledge well below that typical for their ages. Leaders are ensuring that boys and girls are achieving equally well and that disadvantaged children, disabled children, those with special educational needs and those who need to catch up quickly are making the same progress as their classmates. Parents are very pleased about the progress their children are making.  The early years leaders are working closely with parents to support children’s learning. Parents are encouraged to contribute to the initial assessments of their child. However, the early years leaders have rightly recognised the need to develop a system of checking children’s learning further in each area of

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Early years provision is good

learning.  All staff work closely together and with external agencies as required to protect the interests and well- being of children. Good teaching with good support from all adults ensures that children settle into their routines quickly and make good progress in all areas of learning.  Staff provide a rich variety of activities to stimulate children’s learning. As a result, children make good use of the outdoor and indoor learning environments to develop curiosity and imagination and make good progress. In a phonics lesson, children used robotic arms to segment simple words and greatly enjoyed using magnetic letters to make new words. Children made good progress in writing because all adults continuously modelled early letter formation.  Children are keen to participate in learning activities. They showed confidence in numbers and explored mathematics by counting back from the end of the month. Children sang rhymes to practise the days of

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Early years provision is good

the week and the months of the year. They all showed good pencil control and formed letters accurately.  Children’s behaviour and safety are good. They are keen to help each other and their social development is strong. Staff have high expectations for good manners, which children clearly display.

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School details

Unique reference number 110761 Local authority Peterborough Inspection number 10009153

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School details

This inspection 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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 255 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Overton Headteacher Martin Fry Telephone number 01733 263342 Website www.ravensthorpeprimary.org.uk Email address office@ravensthorpe.peterborough.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 5–6 February 2014

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Information about this school

 Ravensthorpe is an average-sized primary school.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and those who speak English as an additional language are well above average. The majority of these pupils originate from Eastern European countries and a significant number of them are at an early stage of learning English.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding is above average. This is additional funding to support pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations set for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.  More pupils than average start or leave the school part of the way through their primary education.

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there has been a significant turnover of staff, with 50% new teachers since September 2015. A new Chair of the Governing Body is in place. A new extension and refurbishment of the school were completed in 2015 to prepare for the proposed expansion of the school to two forms of entry by 2020.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 19 activities, including 14 lessons with senior leaders, four lunchtime clubs and two assemblies.  They examined samples of pupils’ work across a range of different subjects, including computing and science. They also heard a few pupils read.  Inspectors looked at the school’s tracking information and data to evaluate the progress pupils are making in different subjects across the school, including in the early years.  They held meetings with senior leaders, subject leaders, and the special educational needs and early years coordinators. They also held meetings with a group of pupils from each year to seek their views of the school and another meeting with pupils in Year 6 to discuss their learning and progress across different subjects. Inspectors also discussed the views of different pupils informally during break- and lunchtimes and took account of the views of the small number of pupils who completed questionnaires

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Information about this inspection

online.  Inspectors took account of 20 responses to the online questionnaire , Parent View, and held informal discussions with a few parents who accompanied their children to school. They also looked at staff responses in their completed online questionnaires.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation including: records of governors’ visits to the school; safeguarding policies and procedures; records of behaviour and attendance figures; the summary evaluation of the school’s work; and the school development plan.

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Inspection team

Declan McCarthy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Paul Copping Ofsted Inspector Elizabeth Hackett Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted.

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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

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