Ripple Primary School

Ripple Primary School Suffolk Road Site: Suffolk Road, Barking, Essex IG11 7QS Westbury Site: Ripple Road, Barking, Essex IG11 7FP

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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

 The headteacher and the two deputy headteachers lead the school very well. They are ably supported by other leaders and governors. As a result, the school has improved significantly since the previous inspection.  Most teaching is effective and most pupils make good, and often rapid, progress from their different starting points. This is despite the high turnover of teaching staff and some ongoing recruitment difficulties.  The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Pupils are confident and happy. They feel safe and are extremely well cared for. Pupils behave well. They are proud of their work, their school, and each other.  The school is developing a broad and interesting curriculum which pupils enjoy. As one pupil put it, ‘We have very amazing things to learn about’.  Children in the Nursery and Reception classes benefit from outstanding provision. This is as a

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This is a good school

result of the impact leaders have had on improving the quality of teaching. Teachers and other adults plan tasks based on their detailed understanding of the needs of each child. This, together with the rich learning environment which is sharply focused on early reading, writing and mathematics skills, helps children to make rapid progress.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is exemplary. A very strong culture of safeguarding underpins all other aspects of the school’s work.  Pupils in the ‘Acorns’ additionally resourced provision make good progress because of the excellent teaching and care that they receive.  Parents are generally happy with the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Some of the teaching is not of the highest quality for all pupils to make outstanding progress.  Assessment systems do not give an entirely accurate picture of the progress pupils make.  Subject and middle leaders need to continue to develop their roles in order to support teachers and learning support assistants to get the best possible outcomes for pupils in all classes and subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the impact of leadership and management on pupil outcomes by ensuring that: – subject and year group leaders develop their skills and build on the good work they have started to improve teaching – assessment systems give a more accurate picture of the strong progress pupils make.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Build on the expertise within the school to raise the overall quality of teaching from good to outstanding by: – making sure that learning support assistants support the progress of all pupils in lessons – ensuring that teachers learn from the good practice in some classes which leads to rapid progress in all subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher, ably supported by the senior leadership team and governors, has brought about considerable school improvement since the previous inspection. As a result, standards have risen. There has been a sharp focus on improving the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. Consequently, pupils are making stronger progress and achieving better results in these areas.  Roles and responsibilities within the leadership team have changed since the previous inspection. The headteacher and his two deputy headteachers provide strong, effective leadership across the two sites. They are supported by assistant headteachers who collectively have had a significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning across the school.  Leaders at all levels know their school well. Improvement planning is rigorous and sharply focused on the right priorities. All staff share the headteacher’s vision for the school. His vision for ‘one school across two

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

sites’ has been realised. Both sites offer equally strong provision for pupils and both sites are characterised by a sense of community and a sense of pride.  Improvements since the previous inspection have taken place during a period of constant staff turnover. Leaders and governors strive to secure good teaching for all pupils. They have eradicated the weakest teaching through rigorous teacher appraisal processes, coupled with effective training and support. However, pockets of weaker teaching have an impact on the strong progress most pupils make.  Leaders provide comprehensive ongoing training and support to meet the development needs of their staff.  Leaders have ensured that feedback, marking and guidance to pupils about their work have improved since the last inspection and now support the good progress that learners make. New systems to check on the progress pupils make have been implemented. Leaders recognise that these systems do not yet

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

give an entirely accurate view of the strong progress which can be seen in books. Leaders know what actions need to be taken to address this issue.  The local authority has provided good support to the leadership team since the previous inspection. It has helped to ensure that senior leaders work effectively together in their newly defined roles.  The school’s work to promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and can be seen throughout the broad curriculum on offer. British values are well developed. Pupils demonstrate a strong sense of right and wrong and are tolerant and respectful of religions and cultures which are different from their own. Provision in the Acorns additionally resourced provision has a significant impact on the social development of the pupils who attend.  The curriculum is broad and pupils enjoy learning in a range of subjects both within and beyond the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

school day. Reading is taught well through class teaching of guided reading and through the interventions and catch-up programmes that the school provides, which lead to accelerated progress. The school has won a national award this year for its reading intervention work. There is some strong practice in teaching science, history and geography across the school which leads to good progress. Leaders recognise that this strong practice needs to be shared more widely in all classes. Clubs such as the theatre club, cooking, samba and a range of other sports clubs enrich the curriculum and are valued by pupils.  The majority of parents who spoke to inspectors or completed Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, were positive about the school. A very few rightly expressed concern about the high teacher turnover and the impact this has on their children. Leaders and governors acknowledge that they need to continue their

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

relentless effort to secure good, permanent teaching staff.  Provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability is a strength of the school. The inclusion lead ensures that individual targets are set and that provision matches their needs so that they make strong progress. The additionally resourced provision supports pupils from across the local authority who are at risk of educational or social exclusion. The resource is well led and managed. Parents of all the pupils who attend are happy with the progress their children make and the support that they receive.  Leaders together with the school’s attendance officer have worked hard to ensure that attendance remains good. This is a reflection of how much pupils enjoy coming to school.  Pupil premium funding has been used effectively to narrow gaps between the progress attainment of disadvantaged pupils and others. Where gaps exist, they are closing rapidly. This reflects the school’s

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

commitment to equality of opportunity.  Sports funding has also been used well to provide good-quality teaching in a range of sports. Pupils enjoy physical education and appreciate the wide range of sports on offer, such as athletics, volleyball and dance.  Middle leaders have been well supported by senior leaders to develop their skills in supporting and developing teachers in their year groups or subjects. They are keen to develop their roles further in monitoring the quality of teaching. They understand that sharing the best practice which exists in the school is key to further improvement.  Newly qualified teachers feel well supported by leaders and teachers in the school and are being helped to develop their teaching skills further.  The governance of the school – The governors responded positively to the issues raised in the previous inspection report and undertook an external review of their work. As a result of this and of recruiting some highly skilled

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

new governors, they are much more effective in holding leaders to account. Governors are well led by the recently appointed chair. They carefully review and challenge all the information that leaders provide them with. They have an accurate picture of how well the school is doing and of the areas for further development. – Governors visit the school regularly and provide feedback to leaders. They offer support and challenge in equal measure. They are determined to support leaders in recruiting strong, permanent teaching staff. They make no apologies for having high expectations of teachers or for their rigorous approach to dealing with weak teaching. They support the headteacher in ensuring that teachers’ appraisal is used to set appropriate targets and linked to pay. – Governors ensure that the school meets all its statutory requirements. They monitor the impact of spending on key groups of pupils within the school and make sure that pupil premium funding is used

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

effectively to close gaps in achievement. Governors bring a range of expertise to the school. For example, one governor was instrumental in supporting the development of the school’s website.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school’s systems and procedures are exemplary and provide a model of best practice.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Some teaching in all year groups leads to rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Teachers plan carefully to ensure that tasks set interest and challenge pupils. They use resources such as visualisers well to help pupils reflect on learning together. Teachers use questioning skilfully. For example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson, pupils were asked to explain how they had worked out some complex calculations. The teacher’s questions helped them to reason, to reflect and to deepen their understanding. Teachers share leaders’ high expectations of what pupils are capable of and, as a result, most pupils are working at or above the levels expected for their age. The most able pupils across the school make good progress as teaching stretches and challenges them. Typical of this was a Year 1 writing lesson where the most able pupils were guided to use complex sentences with varied vocabulary.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

This showed that they had made rapid progress in writing from the start of the year and were working well above the level expected for their age.  Teachers have worked hard to develop strong subject knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. The teaching of phonics (the sounds letters make) in Reception and in key stage 1 is very strong and leads to good, sometimes outstanding, progress. Gaps in the progress of disadvantaged pupils and others are closing as a result of good teaching over time.  Marking, feedback and guidance to pupils about their work have improved since the last inspection and support pupils’ strong progress by making it clear what pupils need to do to improve. The ‘super challenge’ they offer pupils motivates them to improve their work and be successful.  Catch-up intervention sessions led by teachers and learning support assistants have good impact on pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics and help them catch up quickly with their classmates.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Provision for pupils who have special educational needs or disability is good. Pupils are well taught by teachers and learning support assistants inside and outside the classroom and they make good progress.  Teachers have rightly prioritised pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics since the previous inspection, resulting in good progress. Some teaching leads to equally strong progress in other subjects such as science and history, particularly in lower key stage 2. Pupils enjoy the range of sports on offer at school which contribute well to their physical development. Pupils take part in singing assemblies and are inspired by enthusiastic teaching. Their rendition of an Elvis Presley song was impressive and they took pride in their success, as did their teachers.  Learning support assistants generally support pupils’ progress well in lessons. When teaching is strongest, learning support assistants are used flexibly and are targeted at different ability groups for different

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

subjects and purposes. In some classes, learning support assistants are mostly directed to work with the lower-ability pupils. This occasionally means that pupils become over-reliant on teaching assistants to give them access to tasks, rather than being set tasks which meet their specific next steps in learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Ripple is a nurturing school community. All staff prioritise pupils’ well-being and safety. This shows in all aspects of the school’s work.  Pupils are confident, happy learners who enjoy school and value the efforts that the adults who work with them make on their behalf. The headteacher is highly regarded by pupils. As one pupil put it, ‘He respects us and we respect him back.’ Respect is a key feature of life at the school. Pupils respect themselves and each other. They are pleasant and welcoming to visitors and keen to chat about their life and their school.  The school systems for identifying and supporting vulnerable pupils and those who might be at risk are exemplary. There is a whole-team approach to keeping pupils safe. All staff are kept well informed and are vigilant. Safeguarding is an agenda item at all meetings. Training is comprehensive and continuous

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Personal development and welfare

for all staff. The school council is involved in developing a ‘keeping pupils safe’ strategy with leaders. Pupils show good awareness of how to keep themselves safe because of the high priority given to this across the school. However, leaders are not complacent. They are relentless in their drive to make sure that their systems and processes for identifying pupils at risk are as robust and effective as possible.  Pupils work well together in lessons. They enjoy partnership work and group work. They listen to each other and take turns respectfully. They show pride in their work, their school and their achievements.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils behave well in lessons, in assemblies and around the school. During playtimes, staff intervene swiftly when a very few pupils sometimes get involved in play fighting. Pupils say that behaviour is generally good and parents agree. Pupils recognise that sometimes their very positive attitude to learning is not so strong when they are occasionally taught by temporary staff. Behaviour during lessons observed throughout the inspection was consistently good.  The school has a robust system in place to support behaviour management and pupils show a good understanding of the ‘5 star’ system and think it is fair. Year group leaders oversee behaviour logs. Action taken as a result of poor behaviour is swift. Incidents of bullying are rare and are dealt with quickly and effectively by leaders.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 In 2015, results in the Year 6 national tests were broadly in line with the national expectations for reading and writing but were well above in mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils and those who speak English as an additional language had similar outcomes to their classmates. The proportion of pupils making expected progress across key stage 2 was above the national average. The proportion of pupils making more than the expected progress in reading and writing was well above average. Gaps between the progress made by disadvantaged pupils and others have narrowed significantly. Pupils leave Ripple well prepared for the next stage of their education.  Current pupils are making good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics, and any gaps between the attainment and progress of disadvantaged pupils and others are rapidly closing. Younger children in the school are making rapid progress in all areas and older pupils in key stage 2 are

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Outcomes for pupils are good

making good progress which is helping them to close any gaps in their learning from previously weaker teaching.  Pupils in the early years and in key stage 1 use their phonics skills well to help them read and write. Pupils across the school enjoy reading and are making good progress as a result of strong phonics teaching, good guided reading work and timely interventions which help them catch up quickly if they fall behind.  Pupils’ outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check have improved over the last two years but are still below the national average. The teaching of phonics is currently a strength in the school and pupils in Year 1 are on track to improve on last year’s performance this year.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make good progress. Current pupils in the school have made at least expected progress this year, based on their individual targets. Pupils make good

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Outcomes for pupils are good

progress during their time at Acorns, the additionally resourced provision. Staff support academic and personal development well and make sure that changes of approach are made quickly if pupils are not responding or making good progress.

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Early years provision is outstanding

 The early years phase leader and the deputy headteacher responsible for this phase provide inspirational leadership. They rise to the challenges of leading early years provision across two sites and nine classes with enthusiasm, commitment and expertise. They provide staff with individualised support and training to secure continuous improvement in the quality of teaching. Any weaknesses in teaching are quickly identified and sorted out. As a result, children across both sites benefit from outstanding provision and make rapid progress during their time in the early years.  Children in the early years make rapid progress in all areas of learning, from below-average starting points. The proportion of pupils achieving a good level of development at the end of the Reception Year has improved over the last two years but is still below the national average. Current Reception children are making rapid progress in all areas. Teachers are precisely targeting provision to meet children’s

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Early years provision is outstanding

needs. The proportion of pupils set to achieve a good overall level of development this year is on track to meet or just exceed the national average.  Children who have special educational needs or disability are quickly identified and supported well by adults to make good progress. The quality of individual care and support for children with severe learning difficulties is a strength of the provision. They are integrated well into daily routines and staff do everything they can to involve parents and reassure them that their child’s needs are being met.  Warm relationships and high-quality talk underpin learning within the early years. Children are encouraged to develop their thinking and reasoning skills in all areas of learning. Adults skilfully question, explain to and challenge learners. They show children how to phrase questions and sentences and how to use the key subject-specific vocabulary they are developing. As a result, children quickly gain confidence

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Early years provision is outstanding

in talking about their ideas and their learning. One child talked at length about the snails he was observing with an adult. He was able to infer where they were going and what they were doing and was then encouraged to write a label so others knew where to find them! Records show that this child had been very reluctant to talk on entry to Nursery. Such rapid progress is typical in the early years.  Adults working in this phase are proud and happy to be there and are clear on the impact they have on children’s learning and well-being. They talk about the children with genuine affection and pride. Children are kept safe and are well cared for. They behave well and have very positive attitudes to their learning and their play.  Staff have a very clear picture of the progress children make. They keep records including ‘learning journeys’ which show the rapid progress children make. Parents contribute well to these and participate in

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Early years provision is outstanding

school activities. They attend workshops provided by staff to help them support children’s learning. During the inspection, parents received a warm welcome to a writing workshop.  Since the previous inspection, early years leaders have worked hard with staff to improve provision for early reading, writing and mathematics skills. The impact of this is very clear. Children in Reception classes are using their phonics skills confidently in reading and in writing. Many of them are writing at levels well above those expected for their age. Children at the very early stages of learning English are quickly and effectively taught letters and sounds.

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School details

Unique reference number 101198 Local authority Barking and Dagenham Inspection number 10009158 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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 1,183 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Toby Kinder Headteacher Roger Mitchell Telephone number 020 8270 4670 Website ripple.bardaglea.org.uk Email address office@ripple.bardaglea.org.uk Date of previous inspection 14–15 January 2014

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Information about this school

 Ripple is a much larger than averaged-sized primary school which occupies two sites within walking distance of each other. The school is a five-form entry school with four Nursery classes and two additional ‘bulge’ classes in Years 3 and 4.  A slightly larger than average proportion of pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding. This is additional government funding to support pupils who are eligible for free school meals, have a parent or carer in the armed forces or who are looked after by the local authority.  The majority of pupils come from a range of minority ethnic groups and speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is broadly average.  There have been significant changes to the roles and responsibilities of the leadership team and to the governing body since the previous inspection.  Recruitment and retention of teaching staff is a challenge for leaders and governors. Nineteen teachers

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Information about this school

left the school following the previous inspection and nine teachers have left the school since September 2015.  The school runs a breakfast club.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in all year groups. Year 2 pupils were taking end of key stage tests at the time of the inspection. The majority of the observations were undertaken with senior leaders, including the headteacher, two deputy headteachers and senior leaders responsible for some phase groups.  Meetings were held with governors and with a representative of the local authority.  Meetings were held with pupils to discuss their learning and their views on the school. Pupils took inspectors on a curriculum ‘tour’ of the school.  All leaders met with inspectors to discuss their roles and the impact of their work.  Inspectors heard pupils read and talked to pupils in the lunch hall, in lessons and as they moved around the building.  Inspectors attended an assembly.  Inspectors examined a range of school documents, including information on pupils’ progress across the school, improvement plans, curriculum plans and checks on the quality of teaching. They also examined

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Information about this inspection

school records relating to safety and behaviour.  Inspectors scrutinised books from all year groups to see what progress pupils make and to look at the impact of the guidance teachers provide. Senior leaders and inspectors scrutinised a range of books from Year 6.  Inspectors took account of 146 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and to information gathered from discussions with parents during the inspection. Inspectors also considered the school’s own information from a recent parent questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Ruth Dollner, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Karen Matthews Ofsted Inspector Andrew Rigby Ofsted Inspector Helena Mills Hazel Burnie Ofsted Inspector 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

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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