Richmond Primary School

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

Early years provision Requires improvement

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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 other senior leaders provide effective leadership. They have successfully improved the great majority of areas that were identified as requiring improvement at the time of the previous full inspection.  Teaching is now good because staff receive effective support and training. These have been crucial in securing good teaching in key stages 1 and 2.  Governors make a strong contribution to the school’s improvement. They are actively involved in the life of the school and have the necessary expertise to support and challenge the school’s leaders.  Pupils currently in key stages 1 and 2 are making good progress because of the improved quality of teaching.  Pupils enjoy their lessons and many participate in the wide range of extra-curricular activities. They behave well and have plenty of opportunities to contribute to the smooth running of the school.  The curriculum is well planned to develop pupils’

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This is a good school

skills and knowledge as they move through the school. Pupils love the wide range of educational visits they go on to enrich their learning.  Middle leaders now play an effective role in checking on, and improving, the quality of teaching.  The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is good and these pupils receive effective additional support to make good progress.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The early years provision requires improvement because teaching and children’s progress are not consistently good.  The proportion of pupils passing the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 is improving but is not as high as it should be.  Not enough teaching is outstanding. Occasionally, adults are slow to provide effective support in lessons for pupils who are struggling to understand their work.  In subjects other than English and mathematics there is sometimes a lack of additional challenge for the most able pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Significantly increase the proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of the early years by: – improving the quality of teaching so that all children make good progress in all areas – ensuring that children understand what they have to do when they are working independently and that adults keep a watchful eye on how well the children are learning – ensuring that staffing is more settled in the future and that high-quality support and training are provided as necessary to secure better outcomes for children.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of pupils in Year 1 who pass the phonics screening check by: – improving the teaching of phonics in the early years so that many more pupils start Year 1 with this aspect of their reading skills at or above those expected for their age.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching and learning in key stages 1 and 2 by: – ensuring that adults spot quickly any pupils who have misconceptions in lessons and provide effective support that enables them to make at least good progress – consistently providing additional challenge for the most able pupils in all subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher is ambitious for the school to be outstanding. She has acted decisively to improve both the quality of leadership and teaching. Staff who spoke with inspectors and who completed the online questionnaire share her vision. They judge rightly that the school is well led and managed.  There is a positive atmosphere in the school. Morale is high and staff who have been appointed recently emphasised how generous colleagues are in sharing their expertise and providing support.  Procedures for managing the performance of staff are rigorous and effective. Senior leaders make sure that individual members of staff receive the guidance they need to improve their work. Decisions about progression through the teachers’ pay scales are linked closely to the quality of teaching and the progress made by pupils. This is helping to secure better teaching and improved pupil outcomes.  The school curriculum prioritises reading, writing and mathematics. However, there are good resources

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

available to teach the full national curriculum effectively. Senior leaders hold subject leaders to account for improving provision and outcomes in their areas of responsibility. This has contributed well to improving the quality of teaching across the curriculum.  Subject-specific skills, particularly in subjects such as science, computing and French, are developed effectively as pupils move through the school. The curriculum is enriched by school visits to places of interests and outdoor learning activities.  The school improvement plan for the current academic year identifies that raising the attainment of disadvantaged pupils is a school priority. Consequently, a new leadership post was created to oversee the use of the additional funding provided for disadvantaged pupils, the pupil premium, and to monitor its impact upon their progress. This appointment is very effective in ensuring that well-targeted, effective

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

additional support is in place.  The leadership of provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is a strength of the school. Teachers are both supported well and held to account for the at least good progress of pupils who require additional help. Parents commented very positively on the school’s work in this area.  The physical education and sport premium is used well. Teachers are more confident teaching physical education and many pupils participate in competitive sports. Almost 200 pupils each week join midday or after-school clubs that promote sport or physical activity.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and contributes well to preparing them for life in modern Britain. The curriculum successfully promotes tolerance and respect and celebrates the range of religions, values and beliefs that exist in modern Britain. The school responded imaginatively to

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

the Queen’s recent birthday by providing pupils with valuable opportunities, both for celebration and for reflection upon life in Britain in the previous nine decades.  The school is now part of the Thomas Estley Learning Alliance. This partnership with other local schools has been helpful in moving the school from requires improvement to good. Senior leaders and subject leaders have benefited from the network of support and speak positively of meetings where they share best practice. Teachers from schools in the alliance have worked together well to moderate assessments of pupils’ work following the removal of national curriculum levels.  Senior leaders have been less successful improving the quality of provision in the early years. While effectively tackling weaknesses in other areas of the school, they have not secured sufficient improvement in the quality of teaching and learning for the youngest children. Training has been

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

provided for early years staff but this has not yet had sufficient impact upon the quality of teaching.  The governance of the school – Governors make a significant contribution to the school’s vision, ethos and strategic direction. They have a wide range of skills which enable them both to support school leaders and to provide informed challenge. – Governors conduct regular visits to the school. These ensure that they get first-hand evidence of how effectively the school implements its improvement plans and policies. Consequently, governors are able to ask insightful questions in response to reports on the school’s performance from the headteacher and other leaders. – Governors are conscientious in continually improving their own effectiveness. They attend training provided by the local authority and join the school staff at sessions, such as those linked to safeguarding and child protection.  The arrangements for safeguarding pupils are effective. Governors and all school staff are fully aware of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

their duty to keep pupils safe. All staff have been trained on safeguarding and child protection. They report promptly any concerns they may have about pupils and work well with parents to ensure that pupils are kept safe. The family link worker works effectively with families and other agencies to ensure that the well-being of children is drawn to her attention.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 The quality of teaching, learning and assessment has improved since the previous full inspection and is now typically good. Teachers plan lessons which interest and engage the pupils. Pupils told inspectors of many memorable lessons including drawing upon their knowledge of number to design board games and using logs and leaves to build a shelter for a Stone Age family.  Teaching and learning benefit greatly from the success the school has in meeting its mission to ‘Provide a stimulating learning environment for all children through the creative organisation of our buildings and grounds’. Discussions with pupils and work in books demonstrate clearly how the environment contributes to the school’s positive ethos.  Teachers ensure that their classrooms are attractive and welcoming places. They use displays successfully to celebrate pupils’ work and to support learning. There is a very impressive amount of high-quality

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

written work on display throughout the school, and this both motivates and inspires pupils to become successful writers.  Pupils’ books show that teachers match work well to the needs of the different groups of pupils, particularly in writing and mathematics. This is leading to good progress in these crucial subjects.  Improving the pupils’ grammar, punctuation and spelling skills has been a priority for the school. Teachers skilfully plan opportunities for pupils to develop these literacy skills in subjects such as science, history and geography. Expectations are high and teachers draw attention to errors and misconceptions when marking pupils’ work. These strategies are helping the pupils become better writers.  The comments teachers write when they mark a piece of work often include helpful guidance on how pupils can improve their work. A noticeable strength is how teachers tailor their comments according to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

the different abilities of the pupils. For example, a most-able pupil, who had written a persuasive argument, responded well to the additional challenge of phrasing a rhetorical question that would provide an even stronger conclusion to an impressive piece of writing.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities receive helpful additional support. Their precise needs are identified carefully and the school draws upon a wide range of resources and expertise to ensure that they make good progress. Very effective strategies to teach reading and writing are helping pupils who have previously struggled in these areas to catch up with their peers.  Teachers have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. They plan activities that suitably challenge pupils of all abilities. However, in a minority of lessons observed, teachers did not identify quickly enough that individual pupils were struggling and, when they did, were not always successful in dealing with the

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  There are strong systems in place to support pupils’ welfare and safety. The family link worker and nurture group staff play key roles in ensuring the well-being of individual pupils. The curriculum also contributes to good mental health and tackles areas such as dealing with challenges and disappointment.  There are many good opportunities for pupils to contribute to the life of the school as school councillors, reading buddies and healthy ambassadors. Pupils have an impressive record of working to protect the environment. Recent activities include monitoring the use of energy and paper to reduce wastage of valuable resources. In recognition of the Queen’s service to the country, pupils took part in a community litter pick in March.  Pupils are confident and thoughtful when talking to adults. They have insightful opinions about which

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Personal development and welfare

subjects they enjoy and how they learn best. In lessons and assemblies, they demonstrate impressively their commitment to meeting one of the school’s five golden rules, ‘to always do my best and celebrate the success of others’.  The school has two elected school councils: one for key stage 1 and one for key stage 2. This helps pupils learn about democracy, responsibility and gives them opportunities to share ideas and participate in decision making.  Pupils’ understanding of personal safety is good because many lessons and assemblies include reminders about personal well-being. E-safety is strong; pupils understand the potential dangers, and know what to do to stay safe online.  Pupils say they feel safe in school. The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to Parent View also feel that their children are looked after well.  Pupils say that staff listen and respond to any worries they may encounter, both in and outside school.

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Personal development and welfare

They say there is little bullying and that any that does occur is dealt with quickly.  While most pupils wear their school uniform with pride, a small minority of pupils take less care over their appearance. For example, a handful of pupils entered assembly with their collars up, jumpers around their waists and with their hands in their pockets.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  In lessons, pupils in key stages 1 and 2 almost always sustain good concentration and try hard with their work. Work in pupils’ books show that they take care to present their work tidily.  In the playground at break and lunchtimes, pupils’ behaviour is calm and considerate. Their conduct reflects the school’s effective strategies to promote high standards of behaviour.  Pupils show respect for each other. They are particularly supportive of pupils from the area special school, who regularly participate in activities at Richmond.  Staff who completed the staff questionnaire agreed unanimously that school manages behaviour well and that pupils consistently behave well.  Attendance is above the national average. Rates of persistent absence are very low.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 The quality of work in pupils’ books, learning observed in lessons and assessment information provided by the school all show that pupils currently in key stages 1 and 2 are making good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The overall progress and attainment of pupils leaving the school in Year 6 have both improved since the previous inspection. They have been at least in line with the national averages. The proportions of pupils making better than expected progress have been strengths in the school. For example, in 2015, half of the Year 6 pupils made better than expected progress in reading. This reflects the strong teaching of reading in key stage 2.  Pupils who started key stage 2 with skills in writing and mathematics below those that are expected are making good progress. Inspectors checked carefully the school’s assessments of their current performance against work recorded in their books. There is strong evidence that significantly more of

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Outcomes for pupils are good

these pupils are now meeting the standards expected for their ages.  This year there has been a strong focus on raising standards in writing. This has had a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes. Their books show good progress in improving sentence construction, applying the rules of grammar and spelling accurately. Pupils have many opportunities to apply these skills across the curriculum and these opportunities are having a positive impact upon their standards in writing.  The proportion of pupils who made expected progress in 2015 in mathematics was below the national average. However, pupils currently in the school are making good progress. Work seen in mathematics books confirms that most pupils have developed number skills appropriate for their age and can apply these to solve problems and carry out investigations.  The school tracks closely the progress of the relatively low proportion of disadvantaged pupils. The

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Outcomes for pupils are good

picture is now more positive than at the time of the previous inspection. Assessment information, supported by work seen by inspectors in books, shows that most disadvantaged pupils are making at least expected progress.  A good number of disadvantaged pupils are now making progress from their starting points that is better than expected. As a result, gaps with other pupils nationally are closing.  Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make progress that is at least in line with other pupils. This is because expectations of what they can achieve are high and the support they are given is well matched to their specific needs.  Across the school, the ablest pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Many of them make more than expected progress. This is because of the high degree of challenge provided for them in these subjects. However, in other subjects the most able pupils often work on the same tasks as

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Outcomes for pupils are good

others and there is little additional challenge, meaning they do not attain as highly or progress as quickly as they might in these subjects.  Outcomes in the Year 1 phonics screening check are improving year on year but remain lower than they should be. Inspectors observed pupils in Year 1 learning phonics successfully and heard individual pupils applying their phonics skills successfully when reading their books. Nevertheless, because of their starting points at the beginning of Year 1, the school judges that the proportion passing the phonics screening check is likely to be slightly below the national average.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 The early years is not as strong as other areas of the school. During this school year unsettled leadership and staffing have had a negative impact on the quality of provision.  The assessments carried out by the school at the beginning of the school year show that when children start the Reception class they have skills below those typical for their age. This is very unusual for a school serving a relatively advantaged community. The children’s progress from these starting points is not rapid enough.  The proportion of children reaching a good level of development has improved since the previous inspection. This year the proportion is likely to be the highest ever achieved by the school, but it will still be below the national average. The below-average reading scores at the end of Reception have, in recent years, had a negative impact upon pupil achievement in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

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Early years provision requires improvement

 The recently appointed leader has a good understanding of the improvements that need to be made and has begun implementing appropriate actions to address weaknesses. However, these are recent developments and are yet to have a measurable impact upon children’s outcomes.  The quality of teaching in the early years is not yet consistently good. For example, during some sessions where children were learning letters and the sounds that they make (phonics) the teaching did not gain the interest of all of the children and so a small minority lost concentration and did not make the progress they should.  Adults do not always keep a watchful eye on children when they work independently. During the inspection, some children observed working on activities to promote their literacy and numeracy skills were unclear of what they were supposed to be learning. For example, four children spent a considerable amount of time completing simple computer games aimed at embedding their phonics skills by randomly

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Early years provision requires improvement

guessing answers.  The school uses additional funding for disadvantaged children effectively. Last year, the seven disadvantaged children achieved higher than other children in the school and above the national average in the assessments made at the end of their year in the Reception class.  Children are well supervised by adults within the provision and are kept safe. While children play and socialise together well throughout the school day, the behaviour of some children during lessons shows that some still have a considerable way to go before being ready for learning in Year 1.  Relationships between parents and early years staff are positive. Comments made to inspectors or submitted to Parent View show that parents feeling well supported when their children start their education at Richmond Primary School.

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School details

Unique reference number 120076 Local authority Leicestershire Inspection number 10009088

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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 420 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Susan Lamprell Headteacher Carolyn Munton Telephone number 01455 637266 Website www.richmond.leics.sch.uk Email address office@richmond.leics.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 27–28 March 2014

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Information about this school

 This is a larger than average sized primary school.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported by additional government funding, the pupil premium, is below average. This funding provides additional support for those pupils looked after by the local authority and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is average.  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.  The school runs a breakfast club each morning.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited all classes to observe teaching. Some of these visits took place with school leaders.  Inspectors asked pupils about their learning and what it is like to be a pupil at the school.  Pupils’ workbooks were scrutinised and inspectors heard some pupils read.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed around the school.  Inspectors took account of the 44 responses to the Ofsted online questionnaire (Parent View) and held brief discussions with parents at the beginning of the school day.  Forty-four responses to the staff questionnaire were received and analysed.  Discussions took place with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, teachers, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Documents were analysed, including the school’s self-evaluation statement, school development plan, minutes of governing body meetings and information about pupils’ achievement.

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Information about this inspection

 Records relating to attendance and safeguarding were scrutinised.  Inspectors visited the breakfast club.

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Inspection team

Tony O’Malley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Vondra Mays Ofsted Inspector Heather Hawkes 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

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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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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