Ryedene Primary and Nursery School

Ryedene Primary and Nursery School Ryedene, Off Clover Way, Vange, Basildon, Essex SS16 4SY

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Since the school’s opening as an academy in September 2016, leaders have established a strong culture of learning in the school. Teachers and pupils value learning and work hard together so that pupils make good progress.  Leaders’ professional development for teachers is effective and has contributed towards the many improvements to teaching, learning and assessment over recent years. Teachers are fully committed to their professional development and use what they learn to improve their pupils’ learning.  The trust makes a substantial and positive contribution towards the school’s continuing improvement. Leaders and teachers work with colleagues from across the trust to create the best possible education for their pupils.  Pupils make good progress as they move through the school. At times, however, teachers do not give the most able, including those in the early years, opportunities to think with enough depth about their learning.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils show confidence in their learning. They demonstrate determination to succeed and they learn well together.  The quality of provision in the early years is good. Children enjoy and value their learning and make a good start to their education.  Leaders’ and teachers’ support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. These pupils make good progress.  Leaders are committed to supporting disadvantaged pupils to overcome whatever barriers they face. Well-considered and targeted support ensures that these pupils make good progress.  The use of the physical education (PE) and sport premium enables pupils to enjoy sport and take part in physical activity on a regular basis. The number of pupils involved in a sports club outside of lessons has risen so that the majority of pupils now take part in extra- curricular sport.  The curriculum provides breadth and balance

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

for pupils to make good progress in a wide range of subjects. However, the sequencing of the curriculum is not always coherent, and this leads to some pupils not making the progress they should in subjects such as geography, history and religious education (RE).  Safeguarding is effective. Governors carefully check that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.  While improving, the rate of persistent absence is too high.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching, learning and assessment so that pupils make better progress by: – equipping teachers with the skills and strategies to plan sequences of learning that meet the needs of the most able in all subjects of the curriculum and in the early years – equipping teachers with the skills and strategies to plan sequences of learning in reading that meet the needs of all pupils, particularly those pupils who find reading difficult.  Improve leadership and management by: – designing the curriculum to enable teachers to plan well-sequenced lessons in geography, history, RE and reading, so that pupils make strong progress in these subjects.  Improve behaviour by: – ensuring that the rate of persistent absence continues its decline so that all pupils attend school regularly.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders have created a caring school with an ethos founded on high expectations and the assumption that pupils can achieve the highest levels of success. Staff look for ways of overcoming any barriers to learning that pupils may face. Teachers and pupils work in partnership with a shared determination to succeed.  Since opening the school as an academy in September 2016, school leaders have made substantial improvements in the quality of teaching, learning, assessment and outcomes. Parents and carers are pleased with the improvements made and value the work of teachers. Nearly all parents reported on Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View, that their children are taught well at this school.  The trust has provided strong support for leaders and governors to make the necessary improvements to the school. Leaders from across the trust share expertise with school leaders to help find solutions to challenging issues. Trust leaders also hold each other

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

accountable for their work to ensure that pupils receive the best possible provision at school.  Leaders provide effective professional development for all staff. Staff actively look for and adopt the most effective practices in the profession and share what they learn with their colleagues. Nearly all staff reported on Ofsted’s staff questionnaire that leaders use professional development to encourage, challenge and support teachers’ improvement.  Leaders at all levels have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They use their monitoring systems well to identify the priorities for improvement and create well-focused development plans that contain specific targets. When something is not achieving the desired result, leaders take swift action to make the necessary changes in teaching and the curriculum to ensure good progress for pupils. Together with governors, they regularly review progress towards their priorities.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 Leaders carefully target extra funding to support disadvantaged pupils and monitor its impact carefully so that they achieve well across the curriculum. Leaders also ensure that these pupils are given a wide range of enrichment opportunities, such as stimulating educational visits and guest speakers. As a result, disadvantaged pupils enjoy and value their learning and make good progress.  The leadership of the provision for pupils with SEND is strong. They receive good support from teachers and teaching assistants that enables these pupils to overcome whatever barriers to learning they face.  The primary physical education (PE) and sport premium is spent effectively. As a result of effective staff training in the subject, PE is a popular subject in which pupils make good progress. Leaders have also used the extra funding to increase the number of pupils taking part in sport, which is rising quickly so that the majority of pupils now

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

take part in sports clubs at school.  Leaders and staff promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils value diversity when learning about different lifestyles and when interacting socially. As a result of the strong teaching of fundamental British values, pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.  Leaders have created a broad and balanced curriculum. Pupils successfully develop subject-specific skills across the curriculum, including in English and mathematics. They also develop personal qualities, such as how to be resourceful, reflective and resilient. Because the sequences of learning within the curriculum are not always logical, some pupils do not make the progress they should. This is particularly the case in geography, history, RE and reading.

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Governance of the school

 Governors have a detailed understanding of what is working, and what needs to improve at the school. With high-quality support from the trust, governors have ensured that leaders have made, and continue to make, the necessary improvements to the school.  Governors closely check the school’s use of additional funding, such as the spending to support disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. Governors ensure that extra expenditure is having a positive impact, including on pupils’ outcomes. As a result, these pupils make good progress.  Governors work closely with senior leaders and the trust to ensure that pupils are kept safe. Governors use their regular training to hold leaders to account for the safeguarding of pupils.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Recruitment checks on staff are compliant with current regulations to ensure that pupils are kept safe.  School leaders, governors and trustees ensure that staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training, and this training is put into practice across the school. Records are well kept, and staff act swiftly and appropriately when any concerns about the welfare of children arise.  The school works closely with a range of professionals, including the local authority, to help keep pupils safe and to support families. Leaders monitor carefully agreed actions and ensure that vulnerable pupils receive the support they need.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers inspire pupils to take their learning seriously. Teachers create a purposeful atmosphere in lessons, where pupils focus on their learning. One pupil, when explaining why he does the work set by his teacher, represented the views of others when he said, ‘I know it will benefit my learning.’  Staff and pupils have very strong relationships. Pupils trust staff and feel confident that they are well supported by all the adults at school. Teachers and teaching assistants understand the needs of pupils and create learning opportunities that lead to good progress.  Teachers ask challenging questions that enrich pupils’ understanding of what they are learning. Teachers expect pupils to respond with carefully considered answers. Inspectors saw many examples of teachers requiring pupils to improve their responses by answering again with greater precision and sophistication after thinking more carefully about their answers.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Teachers teach pupils to value and learn from their mistakes. Accurate assessment ensures that teachers catch any misconceptions and provide clear feedback to pupils. Pupils thoughtfully live up to the examples set by the five school mascots, including ‘Reflective Raymond’ and ‘Resilient Reggie’. As a result, pupils accept feedback positively and act upon advice to improve their learning.  Teachers require pupils to choose their words carefully and give pupils many opportunities to enrich their vocabulary. Pupils, from an early age at the school, speak and write with increasing confidence and sophisticated language, and teachers develop this well as pupils grow.  Teachers stimulate pupils’ interests so that pupils enjoy reading and see it as an important skill. The youngest pupils quickly learn how to use phonics to develop their reading. Older pupils are provided with fun challenges to support their interest in

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

reading. For example, pupils proudly told inspectors how well they are doing in the school’s ‘100 book reading challenge’. However, some teachers do not sequence learning opportunities and resources precisely enough in reading. As a result, pupils who find reading harder than others are not making the progress they should.  In mathematics, teachers support pupils to investigate numbers and develop their curiosity about how mathematics works. Pupils learn how to reason well and demonstrate that they enjoy mathematics. Work in books shows that they apply what they know about the subject accurately to solve mathematical problems in real-world situations.  Teachers plan exciting and stimulating learning opportunities for some subjects. Because of the high-quality teaching and coherent curriculum in science, for example, the school achieved the Primary Science Quality Mark in May 2019. In geography, history and RE, however, the learning activities, though exciting, are not well enough

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

sequenced to enable all pupils to build upon what they already know and can do. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress they should over time in these subjects.  Teachers are starting to improve their skills at getting the most able to think in greater depth. Pupils’ work in books shows that, although improving, too few pupils are reaching the greater depth or higher standards.  With a ‘can-do’ approach, teachers fully include pupils with SEND within lessons and provide effective learning sequences for them. Using their extensive training, teaching assistants deliver effective one-to-one and group support sessions. These sessions contribute positively towards the good progress these pupils make.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils from very young ages are confident and curious learners who take pride in their achievements. Pupils live up to leaders’ high expectations and practice the school’s learning values. During lessons, for example, pupils told inspectors that they were being like ‘Risky Rex’ and taking thoughtful risks in their learning. Pupils reflect on their own strengths and weaknesses, set future goals for themselves and work towards them with determination.  Pupils care for and are kind to others. When disagreements occur, pupils are well equipped to resolve them without adults needing to get involved. Pupils report that bullying is rare and feel confident that they have adults at school they can trust to help them, should the need arise.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe at school, at home, online and in the community. Pupils understand the importance of living healthy lifestyles, physically,

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Personal development and welfare

socially and emotionally. When pupils experience social, emotional and mental health difficulties, leaders provide swift and effective support so that these difficulties are quickly resolved.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are friendly, polite and well-mannered. They behave well in lessons, at playtime and when moving around the school. Because pupils enjoy learning, they focus well in lessons. Disruptive behaviour is very rare.  Adults’ supervision during breaktime and lunchtime creates a pleasant, orderly and safe environment. The school’s ethos is very evident on the playground, where pupils enjoy playing together and support each other well.  Leaders have reduced the amount of absence and persistent absence since the school opened as an academy in 2016. By the end of 2018, the rate of overall absence was slightly below the national average. The rate of persistent absence, though reducing, remains above the national average.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 As a result of the improvements that leaders have made to teaching, learning and assessment, attainment at the expected, greater depth and higher standards is improving across the school. In-school assessments and work in books show that nearly every class has improved attainment in most subjects at both the expected, higher and greater depth standards.  In 2018, at the end of key stages 1 and 2, the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in writing and mathematics was broadly in line with the national average. In reading, however, pupils’ attainment was below the national average. This is because the curriculum for reading is not effectively sequenced to enable teachers to teach logical sequences of learning that lead to all pupils making the progress they should.  Because the teaching of phonics is effective overall, the proportion of pupils in Year 1 attaining the expected standard in 2018 was above the national average. However,

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Outcomes for pupils Good

because the curriculum and teaching of phonics are not fully developed for pupils who find reading hard, most of the pupils who did not reach the expected standard in 2017, in Year 1, did not reach it again in Year 2 in 2018.  In 2018, at the end of key stages 1 and 2, the proportion of pupils reaching the greater depth standard was above the national average in writing. In reading and mathematics, attainment at the greater depth and higher standards was broadly in line with the national average. These were substantial improvements on the previous year’s results.  At the end of key stage 2, pupils’ progress in 2018 was average in reading and writing and above average in mathematics in comparison with other schools nationally. In- school information and work in books indicate that pupils in both key stages are making good progress currently.  Pupils with SEND and those who are disadvantaged make good progress. Leaders

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Outcomes for pupils Good

identify their needs accurately and, in partnership with parents, plan provision tailored to their needs. Staff deliver effective support that enables these pupils to learn well and overcome many of the barriers they face.  In subjects other than English and mathematics, pupils’ progress varies depending on the subject.

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Early years provision Good

 Leaders have high ambitions for the early years and have raised expectations by introducing a new curriculum. Leaders are determined to give every child the best start to their education.  Children leave the provision prepared with the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to succeed in key stage 1. The proportion of pupils who reached a good level of development in 2018 was well above the national average. School assessment information shows that even more children will reach a good level of development in 2019 than in 2018.  Staff use many effective ways to develop children’s use of language. Teachers ensure that children develop the skills of early reading well in preparation for Year 1. Adults also extend children’s vocabulary by accurately modelling spoken English and requiring children to use sophisticated language when speaking and writing.  Disadvantaged children are supported well within lessons and make good progress in

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Early years provision Good

the early years. Additional funding for disadvantaged children is spent well and provides enriching learning opportunities for these children.  Children quickly learn and live up to leaders’ high expectations of behaviour and develop strong personal qualities, such as courage and resilience. When playing independently, children are not afraid to take risks and recover quickly when they fall on the ground or are disappointed, for example.  Because teachers provide exciting activities and teach the value of learning, the children typically engage well with the learning activities. They also take pride in their achievements. At times, however, the provision does not meet the needs of the most able children well enough so that some of them do not make the progress they should.  Leaders have ensured that appropriate measures are in place for the children’s welfare, and safeguarding arrangements are secure. Adults are well trained to care for the

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Early years provision Good

children and protect them from harm. They observe the children carefully and look for signs of potential harm and take appropriate actions swiftly when concerns arise.

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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

Email address admin@ryedene.essex.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Ryedene Primary and Nursery School became an academy in September 2016 and is part of the Lee Chapel Multi Academy Trust.  The senior leadership team is made up of the headteacher and the deputy headteacher. The chief executive officer (CEO) of the trust oversees the work of the headteacher.  The local governing body reports to the trustees.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, the CEO of the trust, the deputy headteacher and middle leaders. They also held a meeting with members of the governing body.  Inspectors observed lessons across the school and considered work in pupils’ books. An inspector listened to some pupils in Years 1, 3 and 5 read.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day. Inspectors also considered 50 responses from parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.  Inspectors spoke to teachers, support staff and pupils through the course of the inspection.  Inspectors took account of a wide range of information, including the school’s website, development plan, assessment information from its pupil tracking system, and leaders’ monitoring of teaching and learning. Inspectors reviewed documentation relating to safeguarding, as well as governing body minutes and information from the multi-

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Inspection team

Al Mistrano, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kay Leach 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

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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, 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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