Riverview Junior School

Inspection of Riverview Junior School Cimba Wood, Gravesend, Kent DA12 4SD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 8 and 9 February 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Riverview Junior School is a place dedicated to learning. Teachers strive to ensure that pupils learn well across the curriculum. They have high expectations of what their pupils can achieve and enthusiastically encourage them to aim high. In turn, pupils believe that they can succeed and they take a real delight in what they learn. They devote their energies to always doing their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

One of the school’s core values is ‘respect’ and this runs through the whole community. Pupils say they feel very safe and nurtured in school. They behave well throughout the school, showing respect to each other and to adults. There are clear rules, which pupils understand and abide by. Pupils are patient and understand how to be responsible. They are emphatic that there is no bullying at the school. If it ever did happen, they have full faith that staff would sort it out.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents think very highly of the school and what it offers their children. One parent’s comment encapsulates how many feel: ‘My child has blossomed over the years at Riverview Junior at multiple levels, since the school is very inclusive, diverse, authentic, with great ethos for education, discipline, growth mindset and most importantly mental well-being.’

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better?

Leaders have conducted a thorough review of the curriculum. They have identified the essential knowledge they want pupils to learn in each subject. They have also considered carefully how this knowledge builds up securely over time in the pupils’ minds.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They receive useful training in how to deliver learning effectively. In the core subjects, teaching is skilful and stimulating. In some of the foundation subjects, while the planning is well thought out, teachers have yet to craft their delivery to the same high quality as they do elsewhere.

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better?

Teachers use assessment as a fundamental part of their practice. They check on what the pupils are learning and adjust what they teach accordingly. There is strong assessment practice in most subjects. Teachers are in the process of widening this to all areas of the curriculum.

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better?

Pupils’ work shows that they are successful in their learning. They can talk about what they have learned with considerable confidence. They make useful connections between topics and across subjects.

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better?

Leaders recognise that fluent readers make capable learners. Consequently, they have invested effort, thought and resource into the reading curriculum. All pupils are regular and committed readers. They talk with genuine enthusiasm about the books they borrow from the three libraries in the school. Weaker readers receive focused and expert help in developing their decoding skills. 8 and 9 February 2022

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Leaders are acutely aware of those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The approach to teaching means that these pupils’ needs are a crucial part of the teachers’ planning and delivery. All staff work with skill within the classroom to ensure every pupil has access to the curriculum.

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In class, pupils work with concentration and enjoyment. They have exceptionally positive attitudes towards their learning. They are respectful and supportive of each other. Out and about in the school, pupils continue to show high levels of self-control and maturity.

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Leaders go above and beyond in how they support the personal development of their pupils. The school values of excellence, respect, resilience, responsibility and teamwork resonate throughout daily life at Riverview. This includes pupils holding doors open for others, checking in on their peers at playtime, contributing ideas in the trust- wide pupil parliament, taking part in debates and fulfilling a range of leadership roles.

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The headteacher and his senior leaders have brought about rapid and fundamental improvement at the school over the past few years. They have achieved this without placing extra burdens on staff. Governors also provide appropriate challenge and support. The trust has ensured the school has what it needs to flourish. Leadership at all levels is exceptional in its quality.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. Leaders ensure that all staff are trained to know what to look out for. They also make sure that everyone knows how to pass on any concerns quickly and clearly. Staff take this responsibility very seriously.

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Safeguarding

Where pupils are at risk of harm, leaders are swift to take action and involve relevant agencies to help children and their families. Pupils throughout the school receive helpful guidance about how to keep themselves safe.

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Safeguarding

Governors and the trust monitor on a regular basis how well the school carries out its recruitment checks.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The delivery of the curriculum in some foundation subjects is not as thorough and comprehensive as the planning suggests. As a result, pupils’ learning in a few subjects is not as deep as in other areas of the curriculum. Leaders need to make sure that teachers fully deliver the planned curriculum content across all subjects. 8 and 9 February 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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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. 8 and 9 February 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is a larger-than-average junior school.  The school became an academy in October 2017, joining The Pathway Academy Trust.  The predecessor school’s last inspection judged the school as requiring improvement.  The current headteacher took up post subsequent to the predecessor school’s last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 8 and 9 February 2022

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 The inspectors reviewed the school’s safeguarding arrangements. They looked at relevant documentation, staff recruitment checks and training. They also considered how well adults in the school act on emerging concerns.  Staff’s and pupils’ views were gathered through informal discussions with inspectors. They also considered 44 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including 27 free texts. There were 37 responses to the staff survey and 129 replies to the pupil questionnaire.  Meetings were held with leaders, governors and trustees, including the chair of governors, and the chief executive officer as well as the school improvement adviser.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science, geography and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, talked to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of

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pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke with leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.

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Inspection team

Yasmin Maskatiya, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kirstine Boon Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 February 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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