Ripon Cathedral Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Ripon Cathedral Church of England Primary School Priest Lane, Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 1LT

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Outcome

Ripon Cathedral Church of England Primary 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?

Pupils are happy and feel safe at this welcoming and inclusive school. They describe the school as a friendly place where everyone helps each other. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive and warm. Pupils trust the adults in school to take good care of them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning. Pupils rise to these. They behave well and have exceptionally positive attitudes to school life. Pupils enjoy working together and discussing their learning. They recall with great enthusiasm the many educational visits they have enjoyed. These include visiting the Viking Centre and residential visits to Lindisfarne and London. Pupils achieve well and are well-prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to develop life skills and to care for others. Through their ‘courageous advocacy’ work, they support animal welfare, environmental and community organisations. Pupils have great fun and learn important skills through raising money for various causes. Year 3 pupils make healthy sandwiches and Year 5 print T-shirts. They enjoy selling these on their stall at Ripon market. Pupil leaders, including school ambassadors, sports leaders and spiritual leaders, play useful roles in school.

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

The school has kept a clear focus on improvement since the previous inspection. This has helped to strengthen pupils’ achievement in national tests. Pupils produce high-quality work in their books and take pride in their presentation. 4 and 5 February 2025

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The school’s curriculum identifies and sequences logically the key knowledge pupils need to remember. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and present information clearly. In mathematics, learning builds step by step throughout lessons. Staff quickly spot misconceptions. They provide effective support to help pupils to keep up. Pupils use mathematical language confidently to support their explanations and reasoning.

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Pupils talk confidently about their current learning in other subjects. It is clear how their knowledge builds over a series of lessons. In geography, for example, Year 3 pupils learn about the movement of the earth’s plates and their role in the formation of mountains. However, the school’s agreed approach for helping pupils to remember important knowledge is used less consistently in the wider curriculum than it is in the core subjects of mathematics and English. Where this is the case, pupils are not easily able to make links with prior learning.

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Rewards for achieving reading challenges help to get pupils excited about reading. Pupils enjoy listening to teachers read to them every day. Staff deliver the new phonics scheme consistently well. As a result, children in Reception and pupils in Year 1 get off to a strong start in reading. Older pupils who need extra support get the help they need to keep up. They steadily develop confidence and fluency.

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The early years environment is an exciting place to be. Children explore and challenge themselves indoors and out. Staff skilfully model and support language development. As a result, children thrive and achieve well across all areas of learning.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. This is because strategies to support their inclusion in class learning are highly effective. In addition, extra support that takes place outside the classroom is precisely focused on pupils’ needs. Staff get to know each child very well when they start school. This helps them to identify individual needs from the start.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves healthy and safe physically and mentally. They have lots of opportunities for physical activity, including the daily mile. Pupils learn that exercise, along with a healthy diet and enough sleep, is important for keeping healthy.

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The school ensures that pupils have first-hand experience of other faiths and cultures. Links with schools in Leeds and in Spain help to broaden pupils’ knowledge and understanding of the wider world. Pupils learn values such as tolerance and respect for others. They say that you should always treat others as you would wish to be treated yourself. This is reflected in their attitudes to each other. There is very little bullying or unkind behaviour in school.

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Leaders and governors have a strong and shared vision for the school. Engagement with stakeholders and the community supports the work of the school. Parents have likened the school to a loving family and appreciate the school’s community spirit. Staff appreciate leaders’ consideration for their well-being. 4 and 5 February 2025

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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 agreed approach for helping pupils to remember important knowledge is not used as consistently in foundation subjects as it is in core subjects. This means that on occasions, pupils are not easily able to make links between their current learning and what they have learned before. The school should ensure that strategies for helping pupils to remember important knowledge are used consistently well across all subjects.

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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 to be 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 May 2016.

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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. 4 and 5 February 2025

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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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Diocese of Leeds. The last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, took place in March 2022.  A new headteacher took up their post in September 2024.  The Nursery admits children from the age of three.  The school runs before- and after-school and holiday provision.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of the governing body. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector considered how the school prepares pupils for life in modern Britain.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View, were reviewed. This included any free-text responses. The responses to the Ofsted staff questionnaires were also considered.

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Inspection team

Janet Keefe, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

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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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