Riverside School, Tadcaster

Inspection of a good school: Riverside School, Tadcaster Wetherby Road, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire LS24 9JN

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 September 2022

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Outcome

Riverside School, Tadcaster continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love school. They are delighted to be able to play and mix with each other after having restrictions such as class ‘bubbles’. Pupils are proud of their school. It is a happy place to be. Teachers have high expectations of pupils, who then show this in their own expectations of themselves. Pupils aspire to win class and individual awards. Behaviour is good because pupils stick to the school rules. They listen carefully, try their best, are kind and respectful, and follow instructions. Bullying is exceptionally rare.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the generous outside space. Pupils use the trim trails, climbing wall, basketball area and the wildlife area with glee. They appreciate the chance to learn to play a musical instrument such as the guitar, keyboard or violin. Pupils know how to stay safe physically and emotionally. Pupils trust their teachers to keep them safe in school. They manage their feelings, explaining how to use breathing exercises to stay calm. The elected school council plays a key role in everyday school life. It chooses charities to support and recently secured an additional litter-bin for the playground.

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

Day-to-day school life, including improvement planning, has been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic until very recently. Leaders, governors and trustees have sensible plans to address gaps in pupils’ learning.

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

Leaders have brought in a new phonics scheme that helps teachers to effectively teach pupils to read. Lessons have a systematic and consistent approach. Daily checks and assessment help teachers spot who might not be keeping up. These pupils receive extra support, so that they do not fall behind. Teachers model how to correctly make the sounds of letters using their tongue and teeth for children in Reception. Younger pupils now read with increasing confidence and fluency. Teachers read class novels to older pupils at the end of every day that capture their imagination. 21 and 22 September 2022

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In mathematics, children in Nursery make a fast start to their understanding of number. They match the number of spines on a hedgehog to the correct number. Older pupils quickly get to grips with place value.

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Leaders have worked hard to make sure that many subjects in the curriculum are well planned. Knowledge builds progressively as learning is well sequenced. Smaller units of work have clearly defined end-points. The knowledge that pupils must know and remember to get to these end-points is clear. Pupils can make links between new learning and what they already know. Teachers make on-the-spot checks of pupils’ understanding. Teachers make changes to future teaching and the support that they provide following this assessment. In a few subjects, curriculum thinking is less clear. The essential knowledge that pupils need does not connect with what has come before or what comes next in their learning. This makes it difficult to check what pupils have learned at the end of a topic. Leaders are working to address this issue.

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This is a highly inclusive school. All pupils learn the same curriculum. This includes pupils identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers provide extra support to encourage concentration for those that need it. Teachers make modifications to the way in which pupils access learning or how they record it. This all helps pupils with SEND to achieve well.

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There are few disruptions to learning. All pupils are keen to succeed. This means that the vast majority concentrate and try their best. Teachers deal with any very occasional disruption swiftly. Pupils follow instructions. Teachers address even the smallest misdemeanour. Older pupils’ behaviour when lining up and re-entering school is exemplary.

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Leaders use many opportunities to promote pupils’ positive attitudes and values and mental well-being. Pupils show respect and tolerance and are kind. Pupils benefit from links with a partner school in the Lozère region of France. Older pupils ‘buddy up’ with children in Reception for reading or playtime games. Multi-skills, football and the performance club have resumed.

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There is a tangible camaraderie among staff in school. Staff speak with one voice about recent significant and positive changes. Staff concerns and suggestions are listened to and acted on. The new staff well-being team provides help and support if needed. There is clear teamwork among staff. Staff are enthusiastic about their roles.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Teamwork is the key to why safeguarding systems are so watertight. The safeguarding governor checks the work of the school’s safeguarding team. Clear lines of communication ensure that staff miss nothing. External scrutiny and support from the trust’s central team add another layer of rigour. Leaders provide effective staff training that helps staff to spot any pupil at risk or in need of help. Leaders ensure that safeguarding records are detailed, including those made during staff recruitment. Pupils learn about immediate risks they 21 and 22 September 2022

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might face. They know how to stay safe when online. Pupils explain about water safety, which is necessary because of a nearby river. They know about road safety, riding a bicycle safely and stranger danger.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A few foundation subjects are not sufficiently well planned. In these subjects, essential knowledge is not planned to connect with knowledge that pupils already know. As a result, pupils find it difficult to remember new knowledge and are unable to make connections in learning. Leaders must ensure that all curriculum areas are carefully planned so that the knowledge that pupils learn links with what they already know from previous teaching.

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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 an ungraded inspection and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Tadcaster Riverside Community Primary School, to be good January 2013.

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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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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. 21 and 22 September 2022

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up his post in September 2022.  The school is part of the Star Academies Trust.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, assistant headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, teachers and the school business manager. The inspector met two members of the local governing body, including the chair, the chief executive officer of the trust and two trustees. The inspector also met the assistant inclusion manager and a learning mentor.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, history and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and teaching assistants, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 21 and 22 September 2022

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 The inspector listened to a range of pupils read from different year groups.  The inspector looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about other curriculum subjects. He also met the leader of physical education.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lesson visits, at breaktime and at lunchtime. The inspector spoke to pupils about their views of behaviour. A group of pupils gave the inspector a tour of the school.  The inspector looked at the single central record of recruitment and vetting checks and spoke to leaders, teachers, governors, trustees and pupils about safeguarding.  The views of parents and carers who had responded to Ofsted Parent View were considered.  The inspector met with staff to discuss their well-being and workload. The inspector considered the responses and comments from Ofsted’s staff survey. He also considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Phil Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 September 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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