Ryton Community Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Ryton Community Infant School Main Road, Ryton, Tyne and Wear NE40 3AF

p.1

Outcome

Ryton Community Infant School continues to be a good school.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the many school trips and exciting activities on offer in school. Leaders have planned a range educational visits and experiences to enhance the curriculum. They are determined that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), catch up and achieve well.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils model caring and positive relationships, which helps pupils to feel safe and confident. Most pupils listen carefully in lessons, which are calm and purposeful. Pupils strive to achieve well in lessons. They enjoy receiving praise from staff. This motivates them to work hard. Pupils are not worried about bullying because they know it rarely happens and staff always sort out any problems.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many organised visits and activities, such as participating in a dance festival and visiting the theatre to see ‘Room on a Broom’. Staff make sure that pupils understand responsibility by providing experiences such as looking after the school’s brood of hens. Children in the early years learn about healthy eating through planting and growing vegetables to make soup.

p.1

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

Leaders have identified the knowledge and skills that pupils must learn in each subject. Curriculum plans show the important knowledge and vocabulary leaders want pupils to learn. Staff attend training to develop their subject knowledge in order to ensure that the curriculum is well taught. Leaders have identified gaps in pupils’ learning as a result of the pandemic. Extra sessions in reading, writing and mathematics ensure that pupils are catching up.

p.1

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

In mathematics, teachers plan activities that help pupils to remember the content they have been taught. This is enabling pupils to learn new ideas. For example, in Nursery, children practise counting through a range of activities, such as blowing bubbles. Later, in Years 1 and Year 2, pupils count in multiples of two, five and 10 using coins. In 19 April 2023 mathematics and English, teachers make regular checks on pupils’ understanding to make sure pupils are keeping up. Extra help is provided for pupils who need it. On occasion, pupils’ recall of content that they have covered in the past is not as strong as it could be. This results in some gaps in their long-term memory, making it harder to learn new topics.

p.1

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

Children learn to listen to and enjoy stories as soon as they start in Nursery. They copy sounds and rhythms in songs and rhymes. This helps to prepare them to learn to read using phonics when they start Reception. Pupils in key stage 1 are grouped carefully so that they receive the support they need to help them succeed in reading. Staff listen to pupils read often. The books that pupils read match their phonics knowledge. A few pupils join the school mid-year. Effective systems are in place to identify any gaps in pupils’ phonics knowledge. Staff ensure that these pupils receive frequent catch-up sessions. As a result, pupils develop fluency and confidence in reading.

p.2

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

Leaders identify pupils with SEND carefully. Staff work well with external agencies to ensure that these pupils are well supported. This includes ensuring that staff receive regular training so that they know how best to support pupils with SEND. Pupils who need help to manage their emotions or mental health are well supported through interventions. As a result, children from Nursery to Year 2 learn to understand and manage their emotions well. This helps pupils to engage in their learning and to form positive relationships with others.

p.2

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

Some pupils do not attend school as often as they should. Leaders promote the importance of attending school every day. Staff work hard to help families understand the importance of regular attendance. Despite this, attendance is below where it needs to be.

p.2

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

Pupils show respect and cooperate well with others. Leaders ensure that there are strong links with the local community police. Through assemblies and stories, pupils learn to tolerate difference. Older children learn values such as democracy by voting for their school councillors. There are many clubs and activities on offer to develop pupils’ talents. For example, older pupils participate in physical education festivals at the local secondary school. They enjoy singing at a Durham Cathedral competition for school choirs.

p.2

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

Leaders consider staff workload by ensuring that staff are given time to fulfil their responsibilities. Staff feel valued through the personal development opportunities available. Governors understand their roles well. They monitor the use of funding to ensure that it is being used to benefit pupils well.

p.2

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.2

Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders ensure that all staff receive relevant training often to help them recognise potential risks of harm. Staff know pupils and their families well. They report concerns promptly. Leaders follow up concerns thoroughly. They ensure that families benefit from the help of external agencies. 19 April 2023 Pupils are taught about potential risks. Leaders ensure that pupils participate in assemblies and projects to help them to understand positive relationships and to know how to report when they have any concerns about the way they are being treated.

p.2

Safeguarding

Leaders and governors, check safeguarding processes, including the safer recruitment of adults who work in the school.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The attendance of a few pupils is not good. As a result, some pupils miss too much learning. Leaders need to continue to support parents and carers to ensure that all pupils attend well and on time.  Some pupils have gaps in their memory and learning. This is because pupils do not revisit important learning often enough to help them to transfer knowledge to their long-term memory. Leaders should consider which knowledge needs to be revisited and revised to help pupils to remember what they have been taught.

p.3

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.

p.3

Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in November 2017.

p.3

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.

p.3

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.3

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 19 April 2023 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 April 2023

p.3

School details

Inspection number 10255813 Type of school Infant

p.5

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 November 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The executive headteacher took up post in September 2018.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.  The school does not currently make use of alternative provision.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the effect of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, other school leaders and staff. The lead inspector met with four members of the governing body. The lead inspector had a telephone conversation with a representative from Gateshead local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. 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. 19 April 2023  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the lead inspector checked the single central record of recruitment checks. The lead inspector met with the executive

p.5

Information about this inspection

headteacher to discuss safeguarding. Inspectors also spoke to staff, governors and pupils about safeguarding.  Inspectors met with pupils to consider their views. The views of parents and staff were considered through discussions and responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

p.6

Inspection team

Kathryn McDonald, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Ailsa Taylor Ofsted Inspector 19 April 2023 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.

p.6

Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspection team

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

Inspection team

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7