Riverside Primary School

Inspection of Riverside Primary School Minton Lane, North Shields, Tyne and Wear NE29 6DQ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 2 and 3 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Riverside Primary School. They have warm and positive relationships with staff. This helps to make pupils feel safe. Pupils play well together at breaktimes. They chat and interact in a friendly way in the lunch hall. Staff listen to pupils and help them with any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very clear about how to behave. They know and follow the school rules well. Pupils walk smartly and sensibly in corridors. They behave well in lessons, taking part and working purposefully. Those pupils who need extra support to manage their emotions receive such support. This includes being able to spend time in the new sensory room, where they access a calming environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have experienced recent improvements in what they learn. They study a full range of subjects. They benefit from a clear approach to reading. However, some curriculum areas do not have clear building blocks of learning. This means that pupils do not build up strong and secure subject knowledge in these curriculum areas.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides opportunities for pupils to pursue their interests in sporting activities. Pupils enjoy being sports leaders and helping to organise events. Trips and activities enhance the curriculum. For example, pupils’ learning was enhanced during a recent visit to Grimsby Fishing Museum. Pupils are proud to take on roles of responsibility, such as being buddies for younger children, which help to build confidence. Some pupils do not benefit from these activities fully because they do not attend school regularly enough.

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better?

The school has taken positive steps to develop the depth of the curriculum. In some subjects, and in the early years, the school has identified the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. It has broken this down into logical steps. However, in some subjects, the curriculum content, and the order in which it should be taught, has not been considered well enough. This means that pupils are not given opportunities to build on their previous learning effectively.

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better?

Mathematics outcomes have historically been too low. However, changes to the curriculum are beginning to have a positive impact. Children in the early years learn to count and understand numbers. Staff plan their use of language to develop children’s understanding of early mathematics. Outcomes at the end of key stage 1 are more positive. However, for older pupils, there are still some significant gaps in their knowledge. These gaps prevent them from making the progress they need to make and are capable of making.

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better?

Teachers use questioning well in lessons to check whether pupils have secured the intended knowledge. There has also been a sharp and successful focus on improving writing. Staff use modelling and scaffolding well to help develop pupils’ writing. 2 and 3 July 2024

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Reading is a priority throughout the school. Staff teach reading daily through the school’s phonics programme and guided reading. The school supports staff, through ongoing training, to teach reading effectively. Those pupils at the early stages of reading receive extra support to help them catch up.

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The school ensures that the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are promptly and accurately identified. Staff understand the specific needs of pupils, including children in the early years. They make adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum to ensure that pupils with SEND successfully access the same learning as their peers.

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Most pupils attend school regularly. However, several pupils do not attend as often as they should. The school works with pupils’ families and external agencies to identify any barriers to regular attendance. Despite this, some pupils’ attendance is still too low.

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The school promotes pupils’ broader development well. There is a commitment to building pupils’ knowledge beyond their immediate community. Pupils learn about, and experience, life outside of school through visits to museums. The curriculum supports pupils to be well prepared for life in modern Britain. They understand fundamental British values. They learn about diversity and difference as well as faiths and religions. Pupils understand healthy relationships and how to stay safe online.

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Leaders and governors are committed to their roles and work together closely. Work is needed to ensure that middle leaders have sufficient training to construct coherently sequenced curriculums. The vast majority feel well supported by leaders and appreciate the changes made to try and reduce workload. Staff work well together as a team. The school engages with the community by having reading information workshops for parents, for example.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum is not coherently sequenced. This leads to pupils not building on their prior knowledge. Consequently, pupils do not always achieve well. The school needs to ensure that the whole curriculum is well thought out and supports pupils to know and remember more.  Some pupils miss too much school. As a result, they do not achieve as well as they could. The school should continue to work with families to increase the attendance of these pupils so they can reach their full potential. 2 and 3 July 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). 2 and 3 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Stephen Lonsdale

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses no alternative provision.  The school has a larger-than-average number of pupils who join the school at a point other than at the beginning of Reception Year.  The proportion of pupils entitled to additional pupil premium funding is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below average.

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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. 2 and 3 July 2024

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 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 a range of leaders, including senior leaders, the special educational needs coordinator and governors. The lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and spoke with some pupils about their learning. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to several pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the science and history curriculum and looked at samples of pupils’ work for these subjects.

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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 reviewed a range of school documentation and policies. These included the school development plan and minutes of governor board meetings.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s parent and staff questionnaires. They also spoke with pupils and staff to gather their views of the school.

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Inspection team

Jessica McKay, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie Hall Ofsted Inspector 2 and 3 July 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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