Raynville Academy

Inspection of a good school: Raynville Academy Cross Aston Grove, Bramley, Leeds, West Yorkshire LS13 2TQ

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 September 2023

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Outcome

Raynville Academy continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Andrew Midgley. This school is part of Great Heights Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Amanda Bennett, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Carlton Midgley.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations of pupils. Pupils respond well to these. Pupils use the ‘three Rs’: ‘ready, respectful and responsible’, to guide their actions. They act maturely around the site. At social times, pupils play well together. They show respect for each other and take turns when using school equipment and playing games. Bullying and acts of unkindness are rare. Adults act promptly to resolve these incidents when they happen. In lessons, pupils are usually focused and attentive. Older pupils are positive role models for younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders place importance on pupils having opportunities to develop into well-rounded individuals. Most pupils have experienced educational visits. Often, these are connected to the curriculum. For example, pupils went on a local visit to learn about aspects of Roman life when learning about this in history. Some pupils participate in extra-curricular clubs, particularly sport clubs. Opportunities for pupils to develop their talents and interests beyond sport are less diverse.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils attend school regularly. However, some pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, do not attend often enough. These pupils do not benefit as much as their peers from the quality of education on offer to them.

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

The school’s updated curriculum is ambitious for what pupils should learn. Leaders have the same aspiration for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school adapts its curriculum appropriately to provide effective support for pupils with particular needs. Over time, leaders have strengthened the quality 20 and 21 September 2023

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of education that pupils receive. The school’s oversight of some of these continuing improvements, such as those in particular subjects, is not as strong as it could be. This causes some of these improvements to slow.

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Leaders have thought carefully about the knowledge and skills that they want pupils to develop as they progress through the curriculum. The school has identified the small steps that they want pupils to learn. Leaders have ensured that these build progressively over time. Teachers use well-considered, consistent strategies in lessons. They check what pupils know before introducing new concepts. This enables teachers to adjust their teaching to meet the needs of pupils. In a small number of lessons, the work that pupils complete is not precisely matched to the aims of the curriculum. When this happens, some pupils do not develop detailed knowledge of the subject.

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The school has prioritised the teaching of reading. Staff have received training in how to teach the school’s phonics curriculum. Leaders regularly check on how effectively this is being taught. They provide staff with ongoing training to improve their teaching of reading further. Consequently, staff teach lessons using an effective approach. Pupils who need additional help in learning to read receive appropriate support.

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The needs of pupils with SEND are well understood by teachers. The school has effective systems to identify what additional support pupils with SEND need. Leaders work well with external agencies, such as speech and language therapists, to secure this help.

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Children in the early years make a positive start to school. Adults use stories and rhymes to develop children’s understanding of language. Adults plan activities that support children’s development in each area of learning, for example by using climbing equipment and obstacle courses to improve children’s balance. Children maintain their focus when participating in activities. Adults teach children to cooperate and play well together.

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The school’s personal, social and health education curriculum is well designed. Pupils develop a secure, age-appropriate understanding of this curriculum. Pupils describe in detail how decisions about diet and exercise impact on their body’s ability to perform different functions. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils rightly see the school as inclusive. They learn about what is important to people of different faiths. This is strengthened with visits to places of worship.

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The majority of pupils attend school regularly. Leaders have worked well with families to improve pupils’ attendance since the pandemic. The attendance of pupils has improved as a result. Despite this, too many disadvantaged pupils miss school regularly and are persistently absent. These pupils miss important learning opportunities and develop gaps in their knowledge.

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Leaders, including governors and trustees, have an accurate understanding of the school. Those with responsibility for governance receive detailed information about the performance of the school. They, along with colleagues from the multi-academy trust, provide effective support and challenge to school leaders. 20 and 21 September 2023

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who miss school regularly and are persistently absent is too high. These pupils miss important learning opportunities. The school should ensure that systems identify and address pupils’ barriers to attendance so that these pupils attend school regularly.  The school’s oversight of some work to improve the quality of education that pupils receive is not as strong as it could be. The school does not use its evaluations of actions to inform further improvements. The school should ensure that systems to check the quality of education that pupils receive are consistently strong.  In a minority of lessons, some activity choices are not well matched to the aims of the curriculum. They do not support pupils to learn the intended knowledge. The school should ensure that the activities pupils complete are consistently aligned with the aims of the curriculum.

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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 predecessor school, Raynville Primary School, to be good in December 2017.

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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. 20 and 21 September 2023

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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’ 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). 20 and 21 September 2023

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CEO of the trust

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Raynville Academy converted to become an academy school in March 2019. When its predecessor school, Raynville Primary School, was inspected by Ofsted in December 2017, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of Great Heights Academy Trust.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is above the national average.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.

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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 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 their evaluation of the school. 20 and 21 September 2023

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 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 met with members of the trust board, the local governing body and the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the principal. He also met with other senior and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding and personal development.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 The inspector looked at a range of documentation regarding the support pupils with SEND receive. He looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND in lessons.  The inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead. He checked records of actions taken by leaders to keep pupils safe.  Over the course of the inspection, a wide range of pupils and staff talked with the inspector, formally and informally, about the safeguarding culture in school.  The inspector scrutinised a range of documentation, including minutes from governing board meetings as well as the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.  The inspector looked at a range of information regarding behaviour. He observed the behaviour of pupils at social times.  The views of pupils and staff who responded to Ofsted’s surveys were considered.  The inspector considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online

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questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Thomas Wraith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 20 and 21 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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