Ryarsh Primary School

Inspection of Ryarsh Primary School Birling Road, Ryarsh, West Malling, Kent ME19 5LS

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected in 2012 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 inspections. 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 inspection. 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school values of compassion, determination, integrity, respect and unity are modelled magnificently by the proud pupils of this thriving school. Behaviour is exemplary. Relationships are highly respectful, nurturing and courteous. The school’s expectations are ambitious, striving for pupils to achieve excellence. Pupils are highly motivated to learn and achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Playtimes reflect the joy that pupils feel every day. The school has enhanced pupils’ experiences with a rich offer of outdoor activities. Mixing happily across the classes, pupils love riding scooters and trikes, experimenting with musical instruments, climbing, balancing, or playing football matches. Everyone is thrilled with the buddies system, where the oldest and youngest pupils spend time supporting each other. This embodies the high regard that this caring school places on well-being and togetherness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Personal development is excellent. Pupils show impressive understanding of equality and diversity, and care deeply about their school and the wider community. Charity appeals and special guest speakers build pupils’ empathy and care toward others. Talents and skills are nurtured through a rich range of opportunities for sport, music and creativity. Pupils enjoy meaningful opportunities to tangibly improve school life, through roles such as reading ambassador and digital leader. The school prepares pupils impressively for their next steps.

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better?

Pupils learn to read and write brilliantly. They study and acquire precise skills, enabling them to construct extended pieces of writing across a range of genres. Walls are adorned with celebrations of pupils’ high quality written work. Phonics is taught well in early years and Year 1. Children read books which provide precise practice of the sounds they are learning. Effective catch-up sessions target any areas that pupils are struggling with. This strong practice helps pupils to become fluent, motivated and confident readers who enjoy diverse and ambitious books.

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better?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are thriving and achieving well, accessing the full curriculum with meaningful adaptations and bespoke support. Leaders and staff frequently meet to identify help for pupils to help them shine from their starting points. An effective blend of expertise and compassion ensures that all pupils can flourish. Leaders collaborate skilfully with specialist services to enhance the school’s impressive inclusion work further.

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better?

Teachers have strong subject knowledge as a result of frequent training opportunities and teamwork across the school. The curriculum is sequenced well across every subject. Pupils engage highly with recall activities to showcase what they have learned. This helps teachers to spot any gaps in learning. Where the school has identified the knowledge and skills with precision, pupils achieve strongly. This is reflected in reading and writing achievements in 2023, which were above 12 and 13 March 2024

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national averages. Progress in mathematics was less strong, with average outcomes at the end of key stage 2, so leaders are focussing on raising standards further. Pupils are enthusiastic learners, and love being historians, scientists and artists, accessing engaging tasks across the broad and ambitious curriculum. Pupils remember most of their learning, but occasionally knowledge has not been precisely identified in planning. This sometimes results in pupils’ recall of knowledge over time being less secure. The school has plans in place to sharpen curriculum implementation further, striving for excellence across every subject.

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Children make a strong start in early years, where they learn to manage their feelings in a nurturing environment. Language is modelled and practised to help children communicate well. Behaviour is brilliant in every class across the school. Pupils listen to the views of others and show respect and kindness. Learning is never disrupted. Excellent pastoral care helps pupils to manage their emotions when needed. Attendance is better than national as a result of effective work by the school.

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The school’s curriculum and assembly programme ensures impressive personal development for pupils. Pupils don’t merely tolerate; they celebrate how everyone is unique. They embrace learning about different faiths, cultures and characteristics. Pastoral support is another strength. Pupils benefit from excellent emotional and mental health help. One parent represented many when sharing that the school goes ‘above and beyond our hopes and expectations’. Parents particularly appreciate the school’s excellent communication, ensuring that they feel well informed about their children’s learning and well-being.

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Leaders are highly reflective, ambitious and dedicated, leading by example. Governors share a wealth of expertise to fulfil duties with diligence. Leaders at all levels have achieved the high standards they aim for in many areas. Governors provide support and challenge, but not always precisely enough to recognise where curriculum impact could be strengthened. All staff feel well supported, happy, passionate and proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons, the important knowledge is not precisely identified and emphasised for pupils to learn. This means that pupils sometimes do not recall key content over time. The school must ensure that content is precisely defined and emphasised so that pupils learn and remember essential knowledge across the whole curriculum. 12 and 13 March 2024

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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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). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 25 and 26 April 2012, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school offers before- and after- school clubs, overseen by the governing body.  The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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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 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, special educational needs co-ordinator, early years leader, teachers and support staff. 12 and 13 March 2024

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 The lead inspector met with four governors, including the chair of governors.  The lead inspector spoke by telephone with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors also discussed and evaluated pupils’ work in art and design, English, computing, modern foreign languages and personal, social, health and economic education.  The lead inspector listened to a range of pupils read. The inspector observed catch-up interventions to learn how staff provide extra support to pupils.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and

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considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the responses to the staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.  Inspectors evaluated responses to the pupil survey and spoke with pupils to learn their views about the school.  Inspectors spoke to a range of parents and took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View questionnaire and the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Scott Reece, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

James Freeston Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 March 2024

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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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