Riverside Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Riverside Junior School Holme Street, Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire HX7 8EE

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Outcome

Riverside Junior School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Riverside is a caring and friendly school where parents and pupils feel happy and included. Strong relationships create a warm and supportive atmosphere. Teamwork plays a key role in the school community, making it a wonderful place for learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school equips pupils with essential skills to stay safe in today’s world. Engaging assemblies address important topics like online safety and local water safety. These lessons are impactful, helping pupils grasp how to navigate various situations safely.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school promotes a positive behaviour culture. Pupils speak politely to adults and each other, especially during group work. The school has introduced a new approach to breaktimes. This encourages teamwork and fun activities. All pupils behave exceptionally well during these times. They collaborate well with their friends, including pupils from the resourced provision, which is integrated into school life. The focus of the school and this positive environment have helped improve attendance. Pupils grow in confidence at this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school focuses on helping pupils succeed in all subjects. Pupils do well in mathematics. The school prioritises the work needed to ensure pupils achieve the same level of success in other subjects. The school promotes a love of learning for all pupils.

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

The school has created a reading environment that encourages a love for reading. The library is a quiet and inviting space filled with a diverse selection of texts. These cater to 15 October 2024

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various interests. Pupils are encouraged to explore different genres. Daily reading sessions help build reading fluency. Pupils in the resourced provision benefit from effective phonics interventions. Some struggling readers do not receive similar support. The school is prioritising staff training so that this begins as a matter of urgency.

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Pupils are exposed to different texts and themes as models for their writing. The school has recently adapted its approach to writing. They focus on letter formation and the use of dictation practice. The impact of these changes is yet to be realised. For older writers who struggle, there is an overreliance on scribing and copying. This is because they have not fully developed accurate letter formation and writing fluency. The impact of the school’s work can be seen in mathematics. Staff demonstrate strong subject knowledge. Learning successfully builds on secure number fluency. Regular arithmetic practice and reinforcement of previous learning are part of this success. Pupils apply their knowledge to increasingly complex problems.

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The school offers a broad and balanced curriculum. It shows small steps in learning that build knowledge over time. Pupils talk enthusiastically about art and design. The impact of this and the small steps of progression can be seen around the school. More recent curriculum developments include regular recaps, which strengthen learning and check remembered knowledge. For example, in science, pupils are deepening their understanding. They learn important vocabulary that helps them understand the main ideas. The full impact of these changes is still in the early stages.

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The school is fully inclusive and ambitious for the significant number of pupils attending that have an education, health and care plan. The school works with pupils and their families to settle them into school life. These pupils progress well from their starting points and grow in confidence.

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The school offers a well-rounded curriculum. Pupils eagerly apply for leadership roles. These include the eco council members and librarians. In a high flood risk area, the school promotes ecological issues within the community. This includes a climate café and climate change march with local schools. Clubs and sporting events build pupils’ perseverance and resilience. These experiences begin with well-timed residential trips to develop skills. Pupils understand equality and fairness. They recognise that some pupils need more support. Pupils are beginning to deepen their understanding of different faiths. A planned programme of visits and speakers will further enhance this learning. These rich experiences develop pupils’ character and prepare them for the next stage of life.

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The school is part of a local federation. Recent restructuring has brought stability and strength to leadership. This includes some new governors who come with a wealth of experience. Leaders know their community and school well and are focused on driving improvement. Staff appreciate that leaders consider their workload and well-being when introducing new initiatives.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 15 October 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils start school without accurate letter formation or writing fluency. This results in ongoing errors that hinder their ability to write effectively. The school should focus on teaching correct letter formation and provide more practice to improve handwriting fluency.  In some subjects, pupils can recall basic information but struggle with a deeper understanding of their learning. This leads to difficulties in remembering and connecting important knowledge over time. The school should continue to embed its new approach to assessment to help pupils remember and connect key knowledge across the curriculum.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in April 2015.

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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. 15 October 2024

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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). 15 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Hebden Bridge Schools Federation.  The school has a specially resourced provision for up to 10 pupils on the autism from the ages of 7 to 11.  The school has a higher-than-average number of pupils with an education, health and care plan.  The school uses one unregistered 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 inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in the evaluation of the school. 15 October 2024

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 The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, including the resourced provision, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  The inspectors met with a wide range of staff, including the headteacher, designated safeguarding leads, the SEND coordinator and subject leaders. The lead inspector also met with the chair of governors, governors and the local authority school improvement partner.  Throughout the inspection, the inspectors met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspectors considered the views of parents expressed through Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Lesley Sullivan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Smith Ofsted Inspector 15 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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