Riverside Primary Academy

Inspection of Riverside Primary Academy Colliery Road, Dunston, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear NE11 9DX

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 December 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Julie Goodfellow. This school is part of Riverside Primary Academy, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of governors, chaired by Clare Freemantle.

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 10 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 13 and 14 December 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Riverside Primary Academy is a welcoming and inclusive school. Leaders and staff have created an ethos where kindness and a sense of fairness prevail. Pupils are friendly and supportive of each other. They build strong friendships, characterised by respect. Pupils enjoy school. Parents and carers reflect this in their views. One parent said, ‘At all times, the school has the best intentions for every child.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and they know staff look after them well. Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. Clear routines and expectations for behaviour are understood by pupils and adults alike. This is a calm and orderly school. Moreover, from an early age, children understand these routines. They share and work together to solve problems.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. The school’s ambitious curriculum reflects these high ambitions. Pupils engage well in their learning and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that pupils have access to a range of opportunities outside the classroom through extra visits and clubs. Pupils contribute to school life in roles such as those of eco-cops, reading buddies and young interpreters.

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

Leaders have designed a curriculum, starting from early years, that ensures children are ready for the next stage in their learning journey. In some curriculum areas, such as mathematics and physical education (PE), the curriculum is well mapped out. The school ensures that key knowledge and skills are planned and sequenced carefully. In mathematics and PE, teachers make checks on learning so that they know what pupils have learned and remembered. In mathematics, leaders ensure that pupils have opportunities to go over what they have learned before. This helps pupils to remember important mathematical knowledge and to make the progress leaders plan for. However, in some wider curriculum areas the curriculum does not set out clearly what pupils will know and remember and the checks made on this are inconsistent. This limits the school’s understanding of pupils’ progression through the wider curriculum.

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

The school prioritises reading. Leaders ensure that there is a reading curriculum, which starts in early years. This is taught with consistency. Pupils read books using the sounds they know. Staff make regular checks on pupils’ progress. Pupils who need help to catch up with their reading receive it. Leaders carefully map out the texts pupils will read across school. Pupils talk confidently about books they are currently reading in class.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same curriculum wherever possible. Support, adaptations and resources help pupils with SEND to learn alongside their peers. Leaders use advice from professionals to support pupils with SEND well.

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

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Their attitudes towards learning are positive in lessons. Right from the start in early years, staff have established routines that children understand 13 and 14 December 2023

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and follow. Relationships between pupils are strong. They get on well with each other. Respect is important to pupils. It is seen in their relationships with each other and with adults in school. Pupils are courteous and well mannered across the school day.

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Leaders give careful thought to pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn important information about online safety, healthy lifestyles and how to keep themselves safe. Pupils attend clubs, such as those for chess, karate and gymnastics. Pupils say that the visits they go on, such as to museums and outdoor adventure centres, are an important part of school life.

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Pupils understand equality and that it is important that everyone has the same rights as each other. They live out these values every day. Pupils have a strong understanding of difference and respect for diversity. They celebrate learning about different religions and cultures.

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Governors and school leaders have clarity about their vision for the school. They ensure that pupils are kept safe. Staff are proud to work at this school and feel supported by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The most important knowledge that pupils need to know and remember is not mapped out as clearly as it could be in some areas of the wider curriculum. This means that the school cannot check the impact of the planned curriculum as well as it could do in these areas. The school should ensure that the key knowledge it wants pupils to learn in the wider curriculum is better mapped out so that the school is assured that pupils are learning the important knowledge that they need.

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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. 13 and 14 December 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). 13 and 14 December 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.riversideprimaryacademy.org.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 March 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school offers a breakfast club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Prior to the inspection, the lead inspector reviewed documents on the school’s website, as well as published information about the school’s performance and previous Ofsted inspections. 13 and 14 December 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, geography and PE. As part of the deep dives, the inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at the curriculum in science.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: 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.  Inspectors gathered views of parents informally in person and formally through responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The views of staff were considered through the staff survey and through meetings with them. Pupils’ views were considered through pupil

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meetings.  Inspectors spoke with those responsible for the governance of the school.  Inspectors observed the behaviour of pupils during lessons and at social times.

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Inspection team

Nichola Irving, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Natalie Fountain Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 December 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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