Ryton Junior School

Inspection of Ryton Junior School Main Road, Ryton, Tyne and Wear NE40 3AF

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

At Ryton Junior School, pupils are taught to be ‘positive, respectful and safe’. Pupils know these school values and live them out well. Pupils are positive about school because they are happy there. They enjoy warm relationships with adults. Adults care deeply for pupils. As a close-knit community, staff know the pupils extremely well. This means that the school can support pupils and their families well. Pupils are safe. The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils rise to these expectations. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s work to support pupils’ wider development and well-being is of a high quality. Pupils benefit from a range of strategies to support their mental health. They are taught coping strategies such as mindfulness. They learn to recognise their emotions and to speak about how they feel. The school offers pupils a range of exciting experiences. For example, pupils take part in an adventurous activity residential and opportunities to learn outdoors. A typical pupil comment was that these experiences help pupils to ‘face their fears’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They are respectful of their teachers. In lessons, teachers use language that is encouraging and supportive. Pupils are recognised for their achievements. This helps to create a positive learning environment. Pupils trust their teachers. They say that the school would respond quickly if they had any concerns.

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

The school has put reading at the heart of the curriculum. Pupils read a wide range of high-quality stories and poems. Pupils enjoy reading. Pupils regularly read for pleasure. Pupils take part in a poetry recital. This helps pupils to develop their reading fluency, expression and confidence. Pupils who need support are identified quickly. The school supports pupils effectively to catch up.

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

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. It is well designed to help pupils build their knowledge over time. For instance, in Year 4 science, pupils learn about aspects of the human body. In Year 5, pupils build on this by learning about how the human body changes. There are some other aspects of the curriculum that the school is developing further. The school has recently begun to help pupils write at a higher standard and in an appropriate way for a range of subjects. This aspect of the school’s work is still being embedded.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They ask effective questions and regularly check what pupils know and remember. They use this information to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Due to effective teaching, pupils achieve well. Their outcomes in national tests, particularly in reading and mathematics, are strong.

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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) are supported well. The school works well with a range of professionals to ensure that pupils’ needs are accurately identified and met. Pupils with SEND are fully included in the life of the school. 1 and 2 October 2024

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The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils are polite and well mannered. Most pupils are enthusiastic about their learning and pay attention in lessons. Attendance is a priority at the school. Leaders use a range of strategies to help pupils and their families overcome any barriers to attendance. These strategies are successful.

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The school’s personal, social and health education curriculum is thoughtfully planned. Pupils learn about keeping themselves safe online and in the local community. Pupils learn about healthy relationships in an age-appropriate way. The school offers pupils a range of opportunities to develop their interests and talents. For example, pupils can play a range of sports and take part in a range of performing arts.

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Pupils are taught to take responsibility. Pupils help to tidy up the hall after lunch. They pick litter in the local community and act as buddies to younger pupils. They take on roles such as school councillors and sports leaders. Pupils are tolerant. They value the differences in other people. However, pupils’ understanding of different world faiths, protected characteristics and fundamental British values is not as secure as it should be.

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Leadership is effective. Leaders are ambitious and committed to the school. They have created an environment where all pupils can thrive. The school supports staff with their workload and well-being. Governors are highly skilled. They know the school’s strengths and priorities. They understand their statutory duties and fulfil them well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s recent work to further develop pupils’ writing skills is not fully embedded. Not enough pupils produce writing of a higher standard. The school should further embed and develop the teaching of writing so that pupils’ knowledge and skills are developed well.  There is variation in the school’s work to secure pupils’ understanding of different faiths, fundamental British values and protected characteristics. This means that pupils have a limited understanding of the wider world. The school should further develop its work to deepen pupils’ understanding of different faiths, British values and protected characteristics so that pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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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. 1 and 2 October 2024

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Deborah Ashcroft (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 Ryton Junior School is part of the Ryton Federation along with Ryton Infant School.  The two schools share an executive headteacher and a governing body.  The school does not use any 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 1 and 2 October 2024

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taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team spoke with leaders, staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with the chair, and members, of the governing body.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in these subjects: English (including reading), mathematics 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 the curriculum in some other subjects with leaders.  An inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors observed pupils during social times. They spoke with pupils and staff about opportunities for pupils’ personal development.  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

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The lead inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including any free- text comments. He also took into consideration the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Dan McKeating, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Julie McGrane Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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