Rivendell Flying High Academy

Inspection of Rivendell Flying High Academy Magenta Way, Stoke Bardolph, Nottingham NG14 5HH

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Julie Worthington. This school is part of the Flying High Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Chris Wheatley, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Neil Robinson. 11 and 12 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish in this exceptionally calm and very happy school. They embody the school’s values of being ‘respectful, intrepid, successful and engaged’. The school provides pupils with a highly engaging and enriching educational experience. From the moment they start in Nursery, children learn to listen and interact positively with each other and their teachers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very courteous and well mannered. Their personal development is central to the school’s vision. A myriad of opportunities are made available to develop pupils’ talents and interests, such as knitting, sports, pottery, choir and archery. Pupils treat each other and staff with high levels of respect and kindness. Because they relish coming to school, pupils attend exceptionally well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning and take great pride in the excellent work they produce. The broad, rich curriculum helps pupils to achieve well. The impact of this is evident in pupils’ achievements and quality of work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school engages effectively with parents and carers because staff are committed to pupils’ needs and achievements, which parents appreciate greatly. One parent summed up the views of many when they said, ‘Staff go above and beyond and always want the best for our children.’

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

The school has developed an impressive curriculum that is highly ambitious, considered very carefully and extremely engaging. It often goes well beyond the expectations of the national curriculum. The school has made learning purposeful by including ‘authentic learning activities’. For example, after learning about fire safety, pupils write fire safety instructions for a new building in the community. Across the school, including in the early years, pupils achieve highly. They are extremely well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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

Reading is prioritised very highly. From the very start, children develop a deep love of nursery rhymes and stories and start learning phonics rapidly. In Reception and Year 1, staff teach the phonics curriculum consistently. They make sure that the reading books are matched very closely to the sounds that they know. This helps pupils to gain the phonics knowledge they need to be extremely successful readers. Highly trained staff give pupils prompt help to keep up when required. As a result, pupils achieve very highly on the phonics check in Year 1. By the end of key stage 1, pupils are typically reading with accuracy and fluency.

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

The school promotes a love of reading very effectively. Pupils like to read and speak enthusiastically about their favourite authors and books. The school ensures that pupils have access to texts through well-stocked libraries and ‘mini-libraries’ for every classroom. For example, the school ensures there is a breadth of diversity of authors for pupils to choose from. This helps pupils develop a thorough understanding of equality and 11 and 12 March 2025

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tolerance. Pupils engage diligently in ‘book swaps’ every week. They are enabled to share their love of books and stories when reading to residents in the local care home.

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Pupils use the words and phrases they learn accurately across the curriculum. They use this when reasoning logically in mathematics. Similarly, staff ensure that pupils apply what they have learned in one subject when learning in another. For example, pupils use six- figure grid references in geography using number lines and intervals they have learned in mathematics lessons. Conversely, pupils also use their mathematics skills when looking at how the eruption of volcanoes can affect a country’s economy in geography very effectively.

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Teachers are experts in the subjects they teach and present information clearly. Teachers routinely check pupils’ understanding and identify any gaps, which are addressed quickly. Pupils have multiple opportunities to consider and then discuss their ideas. This encourages them to embed their new knowledge and apply it to new contexts adeptly.

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Staff provide effective support to meet pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This is due to the clear and precise identification of individual pupils’ specific needs. As a result of the combined therapeutic and academic offer, pupils with SEND achieve exceptionally well. Equality of opportunity is at the core of the school’s work.

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The personal development of pupils takes centre stage. Pupils learn about fundamental British values and are taught about life in modern Britain. Pupils participate in ‘debating’ clubs, where they learn how to accept the views of others through fierce debate. For example, pupils debate topical subjects, such as replacing teachers with artificial intelligence. Pupils develop a very mature understanding of how to keep themselves safe online and in the local community.

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The school engages exceptionally well with its staff. Considered approaches to managing staff workload and well-being have garnered the commitment and trust of staff. This helps staff feel valued and to take great pride in their work and role at the school. Governors and trustees share in the leaders’ relentless commitment to ensure the very best for all pupils at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 11 and 12 March 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). 11 and 12 March 2025

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Flying High Trust, which is a multi-academy trust.  The school opened in September 2023.  The school has not been previously inspected.

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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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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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 held meetings with the headteacher, curriculum leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, the early years leader and groups of staff and pupils.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in three subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. To do this, they met with curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects, including modern foreign languages, history and art and design.  The inspectors met with representatives of the governing body, including the chair, and from the trust.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View survey. They also

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considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  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 school documents, including those relating to governance, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors scrutinised leaders’ plans for improvement and their assessment of the school’s effectiveness.  Inspectors spoke informally to pupils at breaktimes, in the dining hall and on the playground. An inspector spoke informally to parents outside the school.

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Inspection team

CT Atwal, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Katherine Chadbourne Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 March 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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