Rydon Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Rydon Primary School Rydon Road, Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, Devon, TQ12 3LP

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 January 2022

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Outcome

Rydon Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at Rydon primary. The new headteacher has set high expectations. Pupils are in no doubt of what these are. Early years staff set the bar high from the moment children join the school. Classrooms are calm and purposeful for learning. Pupils are eager to learn. They say poor behaviour does not exist. Warm relationships between pupils and staff permeate the school. As a result, pupils feel safe and confident to talk to any adult if they have a concern.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say that bullying rarely happens and, if it does, staff deal with it quickly. Pupils embrace the school values of respect, resilience, responsibility and teamwork. They like the different clubs on offer. They relish the many opportunities they have to take on positions of responsibility. Older pupils buddy up with children from the early years to help them settle into ‘The Rydon Way’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers would recommend the school. One parent’s comment that captures the opinion of many was ‘Staff clearly care about my child and us as a family.’

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum. Learning builds well on pupils’ prior knowledge. For example, in the early years, children learn to play musical instruments. By the time they leave Year 6, pupils compose and play music using a variety of instruments. Pupils link their knowledge from other subjects well. This helps them to deepen their understanding across the curriculum. Pupils remember the knowledge that leaders want them to learn. Carefully considered support plans, coupled with effective provision, ensure pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well across the curriculum.

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

Reading is the backbone of the curriculum. Leaders promote a love of reading from the moment children start school. The early years is awash with high-quality books that underpin learning. Children are well prepared for Year 1 because they achieve well in 18 and 9 January 2022

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reading. Older pupils read widely and often and enjoy reading. Staff receive the appropriate training they need to deliver the school’s approach to phonics. Most pupils learn to read well. Pupils, who find learning to read difficult have additional support to help them catch up. However, some of these pupils do not always have books that match the sounds that they know. This hampers their ability to catch up quickly and become confident, fluent readers.

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The mathematics curriculum has been well thought out. Children get off to a good start in the early years. Staff take every opportunity to develop children’s knowledge of early mathematics, for example counting beats when playing musical instruments or when visiting the play post office. Further up the school, teachers explain learning effectively. Pupils learn mathematical facts well and draw upon this knowledge to solve problems using appropriate methods and strategies. Leaders have adjusted the curriculum because of missed learning caused by the pandemic. As a result, some pupils receive extra support to help them secure knowledge of key concepts. These pupils are catching up quickly.

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Leaders have recently developed their approach to checking what knowledge pupils have remembered. This helps most staff to make appropriate changes to the curriculum. However, sometimes staff do not use this information well enough. This means that some pupils do not reach the high standards they are capable of.

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Pupils’ personal development is well catered for. The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum helps pupils to develop a secure understanding of the differences that exist in society. Leaders often adapt the curriculum so that pupils learn about important issues. Pupils do much work with the local community. Recently this has been affected by the pandemic. Nevertheless, leaders have plans to reintroduce this work alongside wider educational visits. Pupils have a secure understanding of how to have a healthy relationship. They know what is and what is not acceptable.

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Specialists from the trust have worked closely with subject leaders to improve their expertise. Staff appreciate the opportunities they have to develop professionally. They value the team spirit and open culture that exists in the school. Staff morale is high.

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The experienced governing body holds leaders to account effectively for the standard of education that pupils receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and staff have a clear understanding of their responsibilities to keep pupils safe. Appropriate recruitment checks are carried out on all who work at the school. Regular training ensures that all staff have up-to-date knowledge. As a result, they are aware of the potential risks to pupils and know how to respond. Leaders work closely with external agencies. Pupils and their families get the support they need. 18 and 9 January 2022

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Leaders teach pupils how to stay safe. Topics such as e-safety and relationship education are prioritised. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils who find learning to read difficult do not always have books that match the sounds that they have learned. This hampers their ability to read fluently and with confidence. Leaders need to ensure that all pupils who are learning to read have books that match the sounds that they know.  In some subjects, assessment information is not used well enough. This leads to some pupils not learning the curriculum as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that all teachers use assessment information effectively, so that all pupils reach their full potential.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in February 2017.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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 are the school and you are 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. 18 and 9 January 2022

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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. 18 and 9 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211199 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 February 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher joined the school in September 2021.  The school is part of Education South West, a multi-academy trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and took this into account in his evaluation.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, teaching staff, and the director of education and chief executive officer of the trust.  The inspector met with the chair and vice-chair of the governing body.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum 18 and 9 January 2022

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plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning, looked at samples of pupils’ work and listened to pupils read.  The inspector examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement plans.  The inspector scrutinised safeguarding records, checked staff’s safeguarding knowledge, spoke with pupils and met with the designated safeguarding leader.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. He also took into consideration the responses to the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Matt Middlemore, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 9 January 2022

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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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