Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School

ssssssss Inspection of Ravensdale Infant and Nursery School Devonshire Drive, Mickleover, Derby, Derbyshire DE3 9HE

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a caring and nurturing ethos that enables pupils to fulfil the three school values to be ‘ready, respectful, engaged’. Pupils are happy and enjoy their learning. Positive relationships effectively support pupils’ mental health and well-being. Pupils learn to understand and control their emotions through popular activities such as the ‘rainbow breathing’ and ‘mindfulness’ sessions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations for behaviour and learning. They behave respectfully to each other and to adults. Pupils achieve well in early reading. They are well prepared for their next stage of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Playtimes promote pupils’ social development, and their physical fitness, well. The extensive outdoor spaces have been very well designed and equipped to provide a wide range of purposeful activities. Pupils are proud to be elected as outdoor ‘rangers’. Others serve as members of the school council. In these roles, pupils develop important qualities such as responsibility and leadership.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school promotes pupils’ wider personal development well. For example, all pupils can take part in trips and experiences that broaden their horizons beyond school. Positive links with local authors, artists and the neighbouring schools and church enrich pupils’ cultural understanding.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has successfully reviewed and revised the curriculum. The curriculum is well designed and sequenced from the early years to Year 2. The important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn have been carefully identified in almost all areas. In a few subjects, the curriculum is in the process of being revisited and refined. The aim is to ensure that the curriculum is equally ambitious across all areas. Similarly, in the early years, the revised curriculum is still being embedded. The school has rightly identified early writing as an area of immediate focus, aiming to develop a more systematic approach to the teaching of writing skills. The decision to make this an immediate focus is due to the fact that some pupils are not consistently able to develop secure handwriting and spelling, which affects the accuracy and fluency of their writing as they move through the school.

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

The school’s provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is strong. The school ensures that pupils’ needs are quickly identified. Pupils with SEND receive skilled support to access the curriculum. Teaching is adapted according to pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils with SEND achieve well.

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

The school prioritises reading, and a love of books. Pupils are encouraged to share their favourite stories during the ‘book-share’ weeks. Parents and carers are welcome to attend regular ‘stay and read’ sessions. There is a well-established approach to teaching early reading and phonics. Pupils with SEND who would benefit from it, and any other pupils 1 and 2 July 2025

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who need to catch up, receive effective adult support. Pupils develop well as fluent, confident readers.

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Staff have secure subject knowledge. They provide clear instructions and carefully considered tasks that are easily understood. This enables pupils to apply what they already know to new concepts. For example, in mathematics, pupils talk confidently about their current and previous learning. Similarly, in subjects such as geography and science, pupils demonstrate secure knowledge. For example, they can accurately name the seven continents and the capital cities of the United Kingdom. Staff regularly check pupils’ understanding in most lessons and help them to correct any errors in their work.

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In a small number of subjects, pupils are less secure in their understanding. They struggle, at times, to recall their previous learning. In these areas, teachers’ checks are less systematic and effective than in other subjects. This is also reflected in the quality of pupils’ work, which is more variable. The feedback given to pupils is not consistently helpful in supporting them to improve their work. This is because the curriculum in these subjects does not set out exactly what pupils should know, or the order in which it should be taught. In those instances, some pupils can lose focus in lessons. As a result, pupils do not build knowledge as securely or progressively over time in those subjects.

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The school has high expectations for behaviour and attendance. There is a careful analysis of both. The school proactively engages with families and other agencies to provide support for the rare instances of irregular attendance. This approach has ensured that attendance is typically high.

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The school promotes pupils’ broader personal development well. Pupils understand the school’s values. They talk about the importance of respect and kindness. They are developing as thoughtful individuals with a growing awareness of the world.

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Leadership at all levels is strong. Governors provide suitable challenge and support for the school. They fulfil their duties well. Staff receive well-considered support for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is currently under review. It is not fully designed and sequenced to ensure that pupils remember long term what they have been taught. Pupils do not demonstrate secure understanding in those subjects. The school should ensure that the curriculum is coherently planned and sequenced, enabling pupils to know and remember more over time, in all subjects. 1 and 2 July 2025

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 Assessment is not used consistently across all subjects to check pupils’ understanding, identify misconceptions accurately and provide clear, constructive feedback. Consequently, some pupils do not embed secure knowledge and skills and engage with learning as well as they might. Some pupils are not clear about how to improve their work. The school should ensure that staff use assessment effectively to check pupils’ understanding and enable them to achieve as highly as possible over time.

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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). 1 and 2 July 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 October 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 1 and 2 July 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior and curriculum leaders. The lead inspector held discussions with representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography 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, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to groups of pupils about their learning in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and at other times around school.  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.

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Inspection team

Christine Watkins, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jackson Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 July 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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