Ridgeway Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Ridgeway Infant School Uplands Avenue, Littleover, Derby, Derbyshire DE23 1GG

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Outcome

Ridgeway Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have established a genuine sense of community at this school. Parents and carers are warmly welcomed, with events such as the termly ‘tea and toast’ breakfast sessions. Staff make breakfast for them and engage with families. Staff talk about the family feel that exists at the school. All associated with the school understand the motto, ‘think big, have fun, learn more’. Leaders’ aspiration for all to achieve highly is infectious.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive school. Leaders are keen to ensure they serve the school’s diverse community. Pupils understand equality and diversity. Leaders are especially keen for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to do well. Parents and carers appreciate the support their children with SEND receive. One parent, typical of many, stated they were ‘over the moon’ with the support for their child.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ excitement to learn is evident throughout the school. Teachers make learning fun yet memorable. Should learners become too excited, teachers expertly enable them to refocus. Pupils say bullying rarely happens. They know there are adults they can go to who will sort it out should it happen. Pupils play well together. They are keen to share their learning at breaktimes with other pupils and adults.

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

Leaders have designed a well-structured curriculum. They have identified the key knowledge pupils need to know and remember. Leaders make sure that teachers revisit this key knowledge. For example, weekly ‘green sheets’ make links with what pupils learned yesterday, last week, last term and last year. As a consequence, this helps pupils to achieve well. The exception to this, during the previous academic year, was in writing. Leaders have taken steps to address this by focusing more sharply on developing pupils’ skills. Leaders have a clear vision of how to deliver their curriculum. For example, in science, the use of ‘enquiry spinners’ helps pupils to develop the skill of scientific enquiry. 25 and 26 April 2023

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However, in a few subjects, teachers are not checking what pupils can remember well enough.

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Pupils learn to read as soon as they start school. All staff are well trained to deliver the phonics programme. This helps them to identify pupils who fall behind. These pupils quickly get the support they need to catch up. Parents and carers receive lots of information to help them support their child at home. Pupils commonly say they ‘love reading’. Leaders provide a wide range of books for pupils to read. These books also support the wider curriculum. For example, weekly reading books support the early years foundation stage curriculum for mathematics. Teachers read books regularly to pupils. Pupils say they like the teachers’ ‘story voices’.

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Children in the early years settle well. It is a happy learning environment. Leaders make sure they get to know their children, with early visits to local feeder nursery providers. Developing children’s ability to communicate is a priority. Leaders choose topics carefully to ensure there are opportunities to explore language and develop a wide vocabulary. The outside area is used extensively and effectively. Considerable thought goes into ensuring that learning opportunities have real purpose. Engagement with parents is a priority. The ‘dig and chip’ sessions help parents and carers to learn about their child’s education, and the sessions help to maintain the outside area at the same time.

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Pupils with SEND do well. Staff are clear on the needs of these pupils and provide well for them. Adult support during lessons is effective because staff receive appropriate training. Parents often say the school goes ‘above and beyond’ for their child.

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Pupils behave well and enjoy coming to school. This is because leaders have high expectations of them. Staff apply the school’s behaviour policy consistently. The school values underpin this policy and are celebrated weekly in assembly. Pupils enjoy having cookies with the headteacher on Fridays for demonstrating these values. However, despite their enjoyment in attending the school, too many pupils are persistently absent.

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Leaders want pupils to develop into responsible, caring citizens. They provide opportunities to explore environmental issues through stories and visits. Leaders invite parents to share how education helped them to prepare for the jobs they do. This creates a sense of purpose for all that pupils do at school. Pupils learn about different families and the importance of being respectful and tolerant of diversity. One parent shared a common view: ‘The school is truly helping my child to reach his potential and supporting him to grow into a lovely person.’

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Staff say morale is high. They state that senior leaders continually work to ensure that staff workload is manageable. In addition, they state that governors place a high priority on reducing workload. Staff are proud to work at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 25 and 26 April 2023

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The safeguarding culture at this school is strong. Leaders ensure that staff have the necessary knowledge to identify pupils who are at risk of harm. Systems for reporting and recording concerns are rigorous. Safeguarding leaders check these regularly and make sure that pupils and families receive the support they need. They work closely with external agencies to help families and pupils. Leaders are tenacious in ensuring families and pupils receive this support. Leaders ensure that only appropriate adults work in the school. Governors make regular checks on safeguarding systems.

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Pupils say they feel safe and know how to keep themselves safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, teachers are not checking what pupils can remember well enough. Consequently, some pupils do not recall all they have been taught. Leaders should ensure that systems identify gaps in knowledge and that teachers provide opportunities for these gaps to be addressed.  Too many pupils are persistently absent from school. This means that they are missing out on too much of their education. Leaders must ensure that the recently introduced strategies to improve attendance are having the desired impact so that all pupils attend school regularly.

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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 school to be good in October 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. 25 and 26 April 2023

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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. 25 and 26 April 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268925 Type of school Infant

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school federated with Gayton Junior School in September 2020 to form the Blagreaves Federation.  The school does not make use of any alternative providers.  The governing body manages the before- and after-school 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 leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator.  The inspector carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and science. To do this, he met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at samples of pupils’ work, listened to pupils read and met with teachers and pupils. He also looked at curriculum documentation for design and technology and spoke with the curriculum leader for this subject. 25 and 26 April 2023

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 The inspector met with three members of the local governing body, including the chair.  The inspector met with a local authority representative.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View, including free-text responses. The inspector also took account of Ofsted’s staff survey and pupil survey. The inspector spoke informally to parents outside the school.  Records of attendance, behaviour and safeguarding were scrutinised. This included the school’s single central record. Inspectors also conducted meetings with leaders to discuss the safeguarding of pupils.  Inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour at various times of the day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Mark Anderson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 April 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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