Ryders Hayes School

Inspection of Ryders Hayes School Gilpin Crescent, Pelsall, Walsall, West Midlands WS3 4HX

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 February 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto of ‘doing the right thing to be the best you can be’ underpins school life. This starts in the early years and is particularly true for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND are extremely well supported to fully participate in school life. All pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils strive to make the motto come to life. Pupils are generally happy, polite and caring towards each other. They know right from wrong and this keeps them safe. For example, if bullying happens, pupils report it and adults swiftly sort it out. There is good behaviour across school in most lessons for most classes. Where this is not the case, staff do not consistently follow this up.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils contribute strongly to school life in many areas. They are rightly proud of being a subject lead learner or a member of the pupil leadership team. They support peers in times of grief through the monthly ‘bereavement support station’. They win national competitions in the field of science. They meet trustees and talk maturely about their views of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have ensured pupils value the ‘growth mindset’ idea of ‘the power of yet’. They know, through the very special careers programme in place for every year group, including early years, that the world of work beckons.

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better?

Trustees and school leaders are passionate about seeking out opportunities for both staff and pupils. They successfully broaden horizons through a wealth of awards and partnership working across a range of education and business communities.

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better?

Staff appreciate the extensive range of training and support they receive. They feel well looked after in both their workload and well-being. Parents and carers value the work of leaders. A comment by one parent captures the views of many: ‘It is a fantastic school with wonderful staff who allow children to flourish. Children become well-rounded individuals who are confident and enjoy school.’

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better?

The groundwork for this success starts in the excellent early years. The youngest children show a keenness to learn, cooperate and talk that is impressive. Everyone is a ‘word collector’ and a ‘magnet for conversation’. Songs and stories; rhythms and rhyme form the bedrock of the daily offer. This builds into effective phonics teaching as children move up through the years. Teachers give extra support if and when needed. Pupils learn to read well.

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better?

Leaders ensure that pupils grow as readers and develop an ever-maturing understanding of books. Leaders use stories to help pupils understand complex and challenging concepts such as racism and disease. Pupils appreciate this and know it will help them face the world beyond school. Most pupils say they like reading. ‘It 14 and 15 February 2023

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gives you a whole new world without leaving your current world, and all by the turn of a page,’ said one pupil, whose view was typical of many.

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Leaders have set out a bespoke curriculum that is carefully sequenced and spirals back on itself to revisit and deepen learning. Subject leaders use 12 defined ‘knowledge categories’ to create links within and between subjects. Pupils use these to help hook their learning on and to successfully recall and retrieve their learning. For example, pupils can write accurately in Spanish to create a postcard. They understand how place value helps them to calculate with decimals and use multiplication tables to support their calculations in perimeter and area.

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Teachers use a range of checks to see how well pupils are doing. A range of swift follow up practices are in place to help support pupils who have not quite understood the learning. Personal study is used to address misconceptions and recent learning. However, work in some pupils’ books shows that the same errors are repeated over time. Work in some books also shows that not all teachers consistently uphold leaders’ ambitions in terms of care of, and pride in, presentation and accuracy.

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Leaders know the needs of pupils with SEND exceptionally well. They identify pupils who need extra help very early on in their school life. This helps secure the very best chances and outcomes for pupils with SEND. Staff support all pupils to understand that some people need a little more help with their emotions, movement and learning in a sensitive and respectful manner. There were many humbling moments during the inspection when activities showed the way in which adults and pupils come together to learn and play. Leaders have ensured that being anxious, being in a wheelchair or receiving medical treatment is no barrier to being successful.

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Pupils have a deep respect for differences. They know people may live in families that are different to their own. They know that people may not be happy in their own body, but that is acceptable. By Year 6, pupils can express emotions through words and artwork that is sensitive, powerful and deeply moving. And all of this starts with the precious and praiseworthy work completed in the early years.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Apart from an administrative error relating to checking trustees that was put right early in the inspection, leaders have rigorous systems to keep pupils safe. They check staff are safe to work in school. Training makes sure staff know what to do with a concern about a pupil or a member of staff. Records show that staff follow these procedures.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have created a team of skilled pastoral professionals who work closely together at all times. The knowledge of key players in this team is extensive. It is a 14 and 15 February 2023

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definite asset in the way leaders understand and deal with a range of risk factors and complex cases.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few lessons across classrooms, a small number of pupils are not as focused on their learning as they could be. Some teachers do not consistently address it. When this happens, their own learning is hindered. Leaders must make sure that their high expectations for pupils’ behaviour are understood by all, and are consistently applied by staff.  Some pupils’ work across some classes within different year groups lacks pride and contains basic errors in grammar, punctuation and spelling. Teachers do not consistently address this. Where this is the case, pupils repeat the same mistakes and are not being helped to present work to a high standard. Leaders should make sure that all teachers consistently have high expectations for presentation and address pupils’ errors in a way that prevents them from being repeated.

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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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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. 14 and 15 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256859 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Sally Miner (executive headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is in a single-academy trust. This is the Ryders Hayes Academy Trust.  The school runs a breakfast club and after-school club. It also offers ‘wrap around’ care to children aged two and three who attend the pre-school and Nursery.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There have been leadership changes since the last inspection. The previous headteacher is now the executive headteacher. The previous deputy headteacher is now the headteacher.  The school is an Early Years Stronger Practice Hub.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 14 and 15 February 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the headteacher and senior leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, modern foreign languages and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspector spoke to other subject leaders and spoke to pupils from some year groups with their books. They also looked at samples of pupils’ work in a wide range of subjects, including English, history, geography, science, art and design, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

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 The lead inspector spoke with seven trustees, including the chair of trustees. The lead inspector spoke with an external mathematics specialist from the Maths Hub.  The lead inspector listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons at different times of the day and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They spoke formally with groups of pupils, as well as talking to pupils in lessons and around school.  Inspectors met with leaders about the school’s safeguarding procedures. Inspectors reviewed policies and records relating to safeguarding, bullying, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors spoke to pupils and staff about pupils’ safety.  The lead inspector reviewed a wide range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans and information on the school’s website.  Inspectors talked informally with pupils and staff to gather general information

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about school life. In addition, they took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys of staff’s, pupils’ and parents’ views.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Keri Baylis His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Sims His Majesty’s Inspector 14 and 15 February 2023

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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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