River View Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: River View Community Primary School 1 Wheaters Street, Off Lower Broughton, Salford, Lancashire M7 1QZ

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 September 2023

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Outcome

River View Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at River View, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are happy to come to school. They described their learning as ‘fun’. The school has high expectations for what all pupils can achieve academically. Pupils and children in the early years benefit from an ambitious curriculum. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision), aspire to be their ‘best self’. Most pupils attend well. They are fully involved in the life of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ positive attitudes help create a calm and nurturing environment where they can learn and flourish. Pupils are confident that they can speak with any member of staff if they have any concerns or worries. If bullying does occur, it is dealt with effectively by the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a wide variety of clubs and activities to spark the interests of pupils, including pupils with SEND. For example, pupils enjoy taking part in the junior Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, ballet and cycling clubs. They delight in playing in the well-equipped outdoor spaces.

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

The school has designed a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils. Learning is logically ordered so that pupils can build up their knowledge over time. The early years curriculum provides children with a secure foundation for key stage 1 and beyond. Children in the Nursery class settle quickly into school routines. Teachers design imaginative and fun learning activities to enthuse children about their learning.

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

The school identifies the key facts that pupils need to know across the curriculum. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and explain new concepts clearly. They check that pupils have remembered essential knowledge before moving on to new learning. 19 and 20 September 2023

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However, in a few subjects, pupils do not have enough opportunities to build and connect their knowledge and therefore deepen their learning.

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Pupils are attentive and engage with their learning well. They can learn free from distractions.

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Children develop their knowledge of sounds in the Nursery Year. This prepares them well to begin the formal phonics programme as soon as they start in the Reception Year. The school provides regular training designed to give staff the knowledge and skills that they need to deliver the phonics programme well. Occasionally, this training does not have the impact that it should. For example, the programme to help pupils who find reading more difficult to catch up with their peers is sometimes not delivered consistently. Therefore, some weaker readers do not catch up as quickly as they could.

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Older pupils said that they enjoy reading. Teachers read to pupils from a variety of different types of books. Teachers choose books knowledgeably to enhance the curriculum and to develop pupils’ understanding of the world. Reading ambassadors act as role models for younger children.

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The school is quick to identify if pupils have additional needs. Staff receive regular training to enhance their knowledge of the range of needs of pupils in the main school and in the specially resourced provision. They expertly implement strategies in the classroom to ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are met. As a result, pupils with SEND in the main school access the full curriculum with their peers.

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A bespoke curriculum skilfully meets the complex needs of the pupils who attend the specially resourced provision. The school ensures that the curriculum prepares these pupils to join their mainstream peers for some lessons. Staff work effectively with external agencies to provide for the individual needs of pupils as well as to help them to achieve their academic potential.

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The school is committed to providing a wide range of opportunities to extend pupils’ learning and experiences. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about trips to a museum and to art galleries. Older pupils attended a local university to find out about the future opportunities that their current learning may open up to them. Pupils learn about democracy through electing their class representatives to the school council. Through the wider curriculum, they learn about world religions and different cultures. Pupils respect difference. This prepares them well for life in modern Britain.

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Governors are well informed about the quality of education that the school provides for all pupils. They are knowledgeable about the key priorities for further development.

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The school engages constructively with staff to consider their workload and to care for their well-being. For example, the school has listened to staff feedback and provided additional time for staff to fulfil their subject leadership roles. The school communicates well with parents and carers and guides them on how to support their child’s learning at home. 19 and 20 September 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, the school’s intended method for delivering the phonics programme is not followed consistently. This means that a small number of pupils do not benefit from a systematic approach to sounding and blending to develop their reading knowledge. This hinders some pupils from becoming confident readers as quickly as they should. The school should ensure that staff follow the school’s reading strategy to help pupils to develop reading fluency.  The school’s curriculum does not include sufficient opportunities for pupils to consolidate and connect learning. As a result, some pupils do not deepen their learning as much as they could. The school should ensure that opportunities to strengthen and connect learning are incorporated into the curriculum thinking.

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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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2018.

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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. 19 and 20 September 2023

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In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 19 and 20 September 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 May 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative education providers for pupils.  This school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. There are 50 pupils accessing this provision from the Reception Year to Year 6. Provision is provided for pupils with autism and for pupils with speech, language and communication needs. All pupils in the specially resourced provision have an education and healthcare plan.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection that the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  As part of this inspection, the inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about 19 and 20 September 2023

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the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also held discussions about the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector observed some pupils in key stage 1 and key stage 2 reading to members of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils, and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered survey responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses. She also considered responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors and spoke with a representative of the local authority.

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 The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self- evaluation document, and records of governing body meetings.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other senior leaders and the special educational needs coordinators.  The inspector spoke to staff to discuss leaders’ support for their well-being and workload.  The inspector spoke to pupils about their perceptions of behaviour and bullying.

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Inspection team

Niamh Howlett, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 September 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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