Ranskill Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Ranskill Primary School Cherry Tree Walk, Ranskill, Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 8LH

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Outcome

Ranskill Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their friendly school. Staff know pupils well. Staff and pupils all support the ‘take care’ motto. For example, all are committed and resilient. Pupils respect their teachers and each other. They are clear that, ‘Everyone is welcome here.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high ambitions for every pupil. They want pupils to ‘go beyond’ and achieve well. Teachers help pupils to become fluent readers from the start. Leaders know what they want pupils to remember and understand. Teachers help pupils to learn new vocabulary from books and experiences. For example, younger pupils explained the conditions in a Crimean hospital compared to now. Older pupils discussed Egyptian irrigation systems. Pupils appreciate that they learn a lot and are ready to take on more challenges.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They follow the ‘we choose respect’ school rules. They enjoy receiving awards for caring behaviour and excellent work. They are thoughtful and want to help others, for example by raising money for charities. They trust adults to keep them safe. Staff deal with the rare incidents of bullying effectively.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have built a strong sense of teamwork across the school. They provide support and training, so staff share their high ambitions for all pupils. Pupils get a good quality of education across a range of subjects.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders make sure that reading is always a top priority. They believe that reading is the bedrock for pupils to succeed. The phonics programme is well sequenced to develop pupils’ reading. Daily reading is a must in all classes. Pupils read with fluency and understanding. They talk with enthusiasm about their favourite books and authors.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have ensured that the mathematics curriculum is well planned to enable pupils to build on their learning year on year. Teachers plan lessons in mathematics that develop 19 November 2019

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what pupils already know. They ensure that pupils revisit and develop their number skills well. Most pupils gain the knowledge that they need so that they can take on more demanding work.

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Leaders quickly identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They consider carefully the help that these pupils need. Teachers and teaching assistants provide sensitive support. Leaders believe that every lesson counts, so check often how well these pupils are doing. As a result, pupils catch up quickly and keep up.

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Pupils enjoy learning about interesting topics in a range of subjects. The trust is working with leaders to improve the curriculum. They have set out clear guidance on what should be taught in most subjects over time. They have provided training for teachers. This is ensuring that teachers plan well-sequenced lessons that build up what pupils know and can do. Some pupils can remember important information taught at the beginning of the school year. For example, they could recall why the River Congo is important to surrounding communities. Leaders are beginning to ensure that pupils revisit important knowledge. However, this is not yet happening in all subjects.

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The trust and senior leaders are developing the skills of the curriculum leaders for history, geography and science. They are using staff expertise from a group of schools. However, curriculum leaders have not yet had time to help teachers improve teaching in their subjects. Sometimes teachers do not plan work that is demanding enough for all pupils.

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Staff make sure that children are safe and happy in the early years. Children settle quickly and learn the routines of school life. They enjoy the range of interesting activities on offer. Leaders make sure tasks are fun and purposeful. Children are well prepared for Year 1.

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Pupils behave well and respect each other. There are many extra-curricular clubs. Pupils enjoy developing their interests, such as dance, singing, gardening and craftwork. They take part in visits to support their learning, such as to galleries and the zoo. Older pupils are enthusiastic about residential trips. Pupils are proud to represent their school at many sporting events. They take on responsibilities, such as being a school councillor.

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Staff feel valued. They appreciate that leaders care about their well-being. Many parents said that they appreciate staff’s commitment to go the extra mile.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders give pupils’ welfare the highest priority. Staff receive regular training. They are aware of the signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They report concerns to leaders. Leaders have a clear oversight of pupils’ behaviour, attendance and safeguarding. They know pupils well.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are quick to seek advice and support from other agencies. They make sure that pupils and families get the help they need. 19 November 2019

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Pupils understand how to stay safe when online. They know who to talk to if they have worries. They learn about railway and road safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The trust has worked with leaders to identify the most important knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn across the curriculum. Leaders have made a good start to ensuring that teachers use this to plan and teach well-sequenced lessons across a broad range of subjects. Leaders should ensure that teachers revisit important knowledge regularly so that pupils remember more and achieve well across all subjects.  The work that teachers set for pupils does not always match the ambition of the curriculum. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to make sure that teachers plan work that is sufficiently demanding for all pupils.  The trust has worked with senior leaders to identify and train new curriculum leaders. Senior leaders now need to ensure that curriculum leaders have the time and support necessary to use their training to improve the quality of education in their area of

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school Ranskill Primary School to be good on 12–13 October 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 19 November 2019

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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. 19 November 2019

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Ranskill Primary School converted to become an academy on 1 January 2017. When its predecessor school, Ranskill Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Since September 2019, an on-site nursery has become part of the school. This includes places for two-year-olds.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the head of school, the deputy headteacher, the chief executive officer and other trust staff, the vice-chair of the board of trustees and two members of the local governing body.  Inspectors examined the quality of education that pupils receive in reading, mathematics and history. They visited lessons, scrutinised pupils’ work, listened to pupils read, visited sessions run by teaching assistants and spoke with pupils and teachers about their lessons.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including those relating to safeguarding, behaviour, the school’s plans for improvement and minutes from meetings of the local governing body and trustees. Inspectors considered information about pupils’ 19 November 2019

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achievement from published information and information on the school’s website.  Inspectors spoke with parents informally at the end of the school day. They considered the 28 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. Inspectors took account of the six responses to the staff survey and eight responses to the pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Mandy Wilding, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Martin Fitzwilliam Ofsted Inspector 19 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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