Risedale School

Inspection of Risedale School Hipswell, Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire DL9 4BD

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 3 and 4 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Published outcomes show that pupils’ achievement is significantly below national averages and is declining. The new headteacher has raised standards and expectations. The school has high expectations of what pupils will achieve. Pupils’ achievement does not currently match these expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils build positive relationships with staff at the school. Most pupils enjoy attending Risedale School. They have trusted adults to speak to if they have any concerns. Pupils feel safe at the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A small number of pupils display boisterous behaviour at social times. These pupils do not always respond to staff’s requests to meet basic behaviour expectations. However, the school has raised expectations for standards of behaviour. Staff apply the behaviour system more consistently across the school. As a result, pupils’ behaviour is improving. Classrooms are calm and purposeful most of the time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular clubs, such as sports, board games and crafts. Pupils have opportunities to take up leadership roles, such as school ambassadors, librarians, pupil mentors, mental health ambassadors and student councillors. The pupil mentors act as role models for younger pupils who may be struggling with their behaviour.

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

In some subjects, the school has not identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn. Teachers do not consistently provide pupils with activities that help them to build their knowledge. As a result, pupils’ knowledge of the curriculum is inconsistent. They struggle to recall their learning and deepen their understanding. In other subjects, the curriculum makes it clear what pupils should learn and is well sequenced. In these subjects, the delivery of the curriculum is more effective, and pupils can recall their learning.

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

The school is increasingly ambitious for its pupils. Leaders have identified areas for improvement across the school. These include changes to the curriculum and new systems for behaviour and attendance. Staff are positive about these changes. There is an air of optimism about the future.

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

The school is beginning to prioritise reading. The school accurately identifies pupils who are struggling to read. Pupils have only recently begun to receive support to improve their reading. The school has not evaluated the impact of the strategies it has introduced to help pupils to read accurately. Pupils in key stage 3 take part in guided reading lessons. These lessons help to promote a love of reading.

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

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school trains staff to use different strategies to support pupils with SEND in the 3 and 4 December 2024

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classroom. Staff do not consistently apply strategies that help pupils with SEND to successfully learn the curriculum.

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Rates of absence are high, particularly for pupils with SEND. The school has a coherent and structured system in place to tackle this. As a result, fewer pupils are persistently absent this year than last year. The school plans to refine this system further in the near future. Rates of suspensions are high. The school has responded to this by adopting a more supportive approach to pupils who do not meet behaviour expectations. As a result, suspensions have reduced this year.

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The school’s personal development offer is inconsistent. The school does not help pupils to develop character traits such as resilience and self-regulation as well as it might. Some pupils are passive learners in the classroom. Pupils access a well-planned personal, social, health and economic education curriculum. They understand tolerance and respect. Pupils learn about online safety and about relationships. Most pupils in Year 10 take part in work experience.

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The school does not have the information it needs to evaluate the impact of the strategies it uses. Leaders have identified the right areas for improvement. The changes made need time to embed. Leaders take staff’s workload into account when making decisions. Governors have a realistic view of the school. They provide support and challenge where appropriate. The school is working with support from the local authority on its journey of improvement.

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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 school has not accurately identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn. As a result, some pupils do not learn or retain the key knowledge that is needed to achieve well in these subjects. The school should ensure that in all subjects important knowledge is identified and sequenced coherently.  Teachers do not consistently ensure that pupils receive work and activities that help them to learn the curriculum. As a result, some pupils cannot recall recent or prior learning. The school should ensure that teachers provide pupils with activities that help them to build their knowledge.  Rates of pupil absence, particularly for pupils with SEND, are high. As a result, some pupils miss out on important learning. This impacts on how well they achieve. The school should continue its work to improve attendance and reduce persistent absenteeism. 3 and 4 December 2024

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 The school does not currently support pupils effectively to develop positive character traits, such as resilience, self-regulation and social responsibility. As a result, some pupils are passive learners in the classroom and a small number of pupils display boisterous behaviour at social times. The school should evaluate and develop its new character education programme to ensure that these positive character traits are nurtured more effectively in its pupils.  The school has not had sufficient time to embed the recently revised systems to evaluate the quality of provision. As a result, it is difficult to celebrate achievements and identify further areas for improvement. The school should ensure that these revised monitoring and evaluation systems provide the information it needs to be able to continue the improvement work that has begun.

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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.

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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). 3 and 4 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher started at the school in September 2024.  The school has a larger-than-average number of service children on roll.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider of education.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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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. 3 and 4 December 2024

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 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 taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in mathematics, English, art, and modern foreign languages. 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 met with the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, reviewed education, health and care plans and other support plans for pupils with SEND. They visited lessons to see how pupils with SEND are supported to learn.

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 Inspectors met with the leader responsible for reading to discuss the support for pupils at the early stages of reading.  Inspectors met leaders to discuss pupils’ behaviour and reviewed the school’s use of external and internal suspensions.  Inspectors met with the chair of the governing body and other governors.  Inspectors met with representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors scrutinised records relating to attendance and records of pupils who have joined and/or left the school roll.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in a range of situations, including in corridors, at social times, at lesson change-over and in lessons. They also spoke to pupils about behaviour and bullying.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the views of parents and staff through Ofsted surveys, as well as additional communication from parents during the inspection. The views of pupils were considered through a range of inspection activities.

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Inspection team

Chris Sergeant, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sam Vickers Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 December 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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