Riders Infant School

Inspection of Riders Infant School Kingsclere Avenue, Leigh Park, Havant, Hampshire PO9 4RY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 12–13 November 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Riders Infant school is a warm and welcoming place for pupils to learn. Most pupils enjoy school. Some are excited about what they learn and apply themselves positively to the tasks that teachers set for them. Others lose interest and become distracted because teaching does not always meet their needs. This means that behaviour in some classes distracts pupils from learning as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us they feel safe in school. They said that they would be able to talk to any adult in school if they had worries. Pupils said that sometimes there is bullying in school, but teachers sort it out quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults know pupils well. Support is planned for individual pupils who find it difficult to manage their own feelings. This is beginning to help these pupils develop a more positive attitude to their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Currently, there are very few opportunities for pupils to take part in after-school clubs or activities. Pupils say that they would like more time to take part in dance and football clubs. This is something that leaders are well aware of.

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better?

The school has experienced a number of challenges in recent times. Staff turnover has been high. Teachers have not always had the guidance they needed to help them teach well. As a result, many pupils did not achieve highly enough. The new acting headteacher has made lots of positive changes. She has high expectations for pupils, and teachers now reflect her determination to make sure that pupils are given the best possible chances. This is leading to pupils understanding and remembering more. However, teaching is not consistently strong, so some pupils still have gaps in their learning.

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better?

Leaders have only recently started to pay careful attention to what is taught and when so that pupils learn more over time. In some subjects, teachers have received training to help them know what to teach and when to teach it, although this is not the case for all subjects. Subject leaders have little experience and are new to their roles. They have not supported teachers in improving their teaching. As a result, some subjects are taught better than others.

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better?

There are some strengths in the quality of education. This is particularly the case for phonics and reading. Leaders are determined that pupils read well. Children start to learn phonics in the early years. They start by listening for sounds they can hear and going on ‘sound hunts’ in their outdoor learning environment. Children move on to sounding out letters and blending them into simple words. As pupils move through key stage 1, their phonics knowledge improves. More pupils have the skills they need than in the past, although this is not yet consistent in all classes. Pupils say that they love to read and understand that the more they read, the better they get at reading. 12–13 November 2019

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Staff provide strong support for pupils’ social and emotional development. This is particularly the case for the most vulnerable pupils in the school, including disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have not, however, made sure that the curriculum develops pupils’ understanding of the values they need to live harmoniously side-by- side with other people. For example, pupils were not able to explain why it is important to be tolerant of others and accept that others’ views and beliefs may be different from their own.

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Teachers do not always have high enough expectations of pupils’ behaviour in class. Too often, pupils are distracted from their learning by the behaviour of others. Leaders continue to focus on improving pupils’ attendance. However, further work is required because pupils’ rates of absence are still higher than those seen nationally.

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Leaders have recently implemented a sharper focus on the support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) now tracks this group of pupils closely. She works alongside teachers to help them plan lessons that closely match the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, these pupils are beginning to achieve well.

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Children get off to a good start in the early years. Teachers know the children well and plan interesting activities across the curriculum. Children respond enthusiastically, focusing and showing interest and curiosity. There are warm and caring relationships between all adults and children in the early years. Children play kindly together. They share resources and take turns.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture throughout the school. Leaders provide training for all staff so that they know how to report concerns about pupils’ safety and well-being. Leaders’ work with external agencies ensures that pupils and families who need it quickly get the help they need. Governors take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. They regularly monitor the school’s systems and procedures to keep pupils safe, including checking that the adults the school employs are suitable to work with children.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In the past, not enough pupils have developed the phonics skills they need. Leaders have begun to make improvements to the teaching of phonics in the early years and key stage 1 and some improvements can be seen. They need to continue their sharp focus on this aspect of learning so that pupils’ achievement continues to improve. 12–13 November 2019

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 Staffing is now more stable. Leaders have made sure that all subjects are led and managed by a member of staff across the federation. However, many of these leaders have had little or no training to help them to lead their subject effectively. Teachers’ subject and pedagogical knowledge are not yet secure in all subjects across the wider curriculum. Senior leaders must ensure that curriculum leaders become experts in their subjects, so that the quality of education significantly improves.  Leaders need to ensure that all staff have equally high expectations of pupils’ behaviour so that all pupils can learn, and teachers can teach without interruption.  Strategies to improve pupils’ attendance needs to be evaluated. Leaders should assess what is working well and consider new and more effective ways to improve pupils’ attendance in school.  Teachers’ planning does not ensure that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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understanding is developed. This is also the case for pupils’ understanding of fundamental British values. These important principles need to be taught within the curriculum so that pupils develop tolerance and respect for others and understand the consequences of their behaviour and actions.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111110 Type of school Infant

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27–28 June 2017

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Information about this school

 Riders Infant School is in a statutory hard federation with Riders Junior School.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the acting headteacher, the consultant headteacher and the headteacher of the junior school. Inspectors also met with representatives from the governing body, the SENCo and other subject leaders.  We did deep dives in reading, mathematics, computing, history and physical education (PE). We met with subject leaders for each subject, visited lessons, talked to pupils, scrutinised the work in pupils’ books and held discussions with class teachers.  An inspector attended an assembly.  We looked at a range of information about behaviour, attendance, extra-curricular activities and wider enrichment activities.  We met with pupils from all classes. 12–13 November 2019

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 We observed pupils’ behaviour in class, around the school and during playtimes.  An inspector talked to the school business manager about the checks the school makes on adults who work in the school.  An inspector talked to the headteacher about safeguarding arrangements. The inspector looked at records of the actions they have taken to protect pupils at risk.  We talked to pupils about how safe they feel in school and to what extent the school teaches them to keep themselves safe. We also checked whether members of staff understand and follow the school’s safeguarding policy and procedures.

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Inspection team

Luisa Gould, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alan Jenner Ofsted Inspector 12–13 November 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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