Riders Infant School

Riders Infant School

Address: Kingsclere Avenue, Leigh Park, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 4RY Unique reference number (URN): 115909

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Early years Expected standard

Children in the early years benefit from a warm, inclusive environment. This helps them to feel safe, settled and ready to learn. Staff know children well and provide tailored support to meet their diverse needs. They work in partnership with parents and carers to support children's progress through the curriculum. Leaders have focused on creating a positive learning space, with well-designed areas and activities that help children to play, explore and learn together. As a result, most children access the curriculum successfully and are generally well prepared for the move into Year 1.

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Early years Expected standard

The curriculum is thoughtfully planned to ensure children make secure progress across each area of learning. Many children join the school needing support to develop their language and communication skills. During focused teaching, staff model subject-specific vocabulary to help children learn and use new words with growing confidence. However, the quality of staff interactions varies. While some interactions successfully extend children’s thinking and vocabulary, this is not consistent. Leaders recognise the need for further training to ensure that all children benefit from high-quality language development.

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Early years Expected standard

Phonics teaching is systematic and well sequenced, helping children build confidence as they develop early reading skills. Children listen well during story time and join in confidently during mathematics sessions. They choose resources independently and manage their learning areas responsibly. Children in the early years demonstrate positive attitudes towards learning and school life.

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Achievement Needs attention

Pupils have not achieved well enough over time, including in published outcomes. Disadvantaged pupils have underperformed compared with their peers. Many pupils lack secure foundations in reading, writing and mathematics. For example, too many struggle to read fluently, which makes it difficult for them to access the wider curriculum. Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not identified or addressed consistently, so some pupils fall further behind as they move through the school.

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Achievement Needs attention

The quality of pupils’ work varies across year groups and in subjects beyond English and mathematics. Many pupils have gaps in basic skills such as spelling and handwriting, although this is not the case for all. Leaders have started to address these weaknesses, but this work is still at an early stage and its impact is limited. Too many pupils, including those who face barriers to learning, do not learn as well as they should. As a result, they are not as well prepared for the next stage of their education as they need to be.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Too many pupils do not attend school as regularly as they should. This is particularly the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Persistent absence remains too high, with many pupils missing vital learning. Leaders have worked with determination to improve attendance. A dedicated team works with families to rebuild confidence and remove barriers so that pupils can come to school more often. Leaders have raised expectations and provide tailored support to address this. They analyse attendance patterns and act quickly when concerns emerge. However, this work is at an early stage, and the impact on attendance rates is limited.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Most pupils behave well and show positive attitudes to learning. Where teaching is well organised and engaging, such as in the early years, pupils concentrate well and enjoy their learning. However, in some lessons, a small number of pupils lose focus or disengage. There is a variance in how successfully and swiftly this is addressed.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Social times are calm and harmonious, and pupils trust adults to deal with unkind behaviour or rare instances of bullying promptly and fairly. Leaders use rewards and consequences appropriately to help pupils improve their behaviour where necessary.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The quality of teaching is inconsistent across the school. It does not reliably help pupils to address gaps in their prior learning. Adaptations for pupils who face barriers to their learning are not as effective as they need to be. As a result, gaps in basic skills remain and prevent some pupils from being fully ready for the next stage of their education. Leaders understand the strengths and weaknesses in teaching across the school. They have begun to take appropriate action to achieve more consistent quality. This includes providing appropriate support for staff to teach subject curriculums well. However, this work is still at an early stage, and its impact is not yet secure.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Leaders have designed a well-organised and increasingly ambitious curriculum for pupils. They have rightly prioritised improvements in reading, writing and mathematics. New curriculum developments in the foundation subjects are underway, but leaders do not have a clear enough picture of the gaps in pupils’ knowledge across the wider curriculum. This limits their ability to support teachers to address what pupils have missed in their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The teaching of reading is a high priority. Teachers help younger pupils to learn new vocabulary and check that they can blend sounds accurately. Pupils read books that match the sounds they know, which helps to build their confidence. Despite this, too many pupils do not practise reading often enough or read with sufficient fluency.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Support for pupils who need additional help with their learning is inconsistent. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Some pupils with SEND have clear, well-matched plans that outline the support that they need. However, this is not the case for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged or known to social care. Staff receive training to help them to understand pupils’ needs and to make reasonable adjustments in lessons. However, this training is still at an early stage and not applied consistently well across the school.

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Inclusion Needs attention

The school has faced significant challenges over time, including an increasing number of pupils who join with barriers to their learning. Staff typically provide high levels of adult support for these pupils. Wider adaptations that help pupils become independent learners are used less often. Leaders have begun to monitor interventions more closely, particularly in phonics. However, they do not check the effectiveness of interventions with enough precision. As a result, the quality of support varies, and not all pupils receive the help they need to catch up quickly.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders use pupil premium funding to support disadvantaged pupils, for example through additional reading support. However, staff do not fully understand how to deliver the pupil premium strategy in day-to-day practice. Additionally, governors do not have the oversight needed to evaluate the impact of this work.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Following a period of instability and uncertainty, leadership has now stabilised and strengthened. New leaders have been in post for a short time. They are beginning to make a positive difference to the school. However, much of this work is still in its early stages, which means it is too soon to see how well these actions are improving outcomes for pupils.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Leaders make decisions in pupils’ best interests and have gained the confidence and support of most staff and the wider community. Staff describe an increased sense of teamwork and shared purpose. Most staff value how leaders and governors consider their workload and wellbeing while maintaining a focus on making essential improvements, particularly in the quality of teaching and learning. Leaders have provided extensive training, guidance and support for staff at all levels. This professional learning is helping staff to make changes to their classroom practice. Leaders have also started to check the impact of their actions on pupils’ behaviour, attendance and learning.

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Leadership and governance Needs attention

Governors and leaders understand and fulfil their statutory responsibilities and the school’s context. They have identified appropriate priorities, including improving attendance and ensuring that behaviour supports learning. Governors are generally aware of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and provide support and challenge when needed. However, their scrutiny is not always sharply focused on the quality of education pupils receive, including pupil outcomes. Current approaches to securing assurance do not always give governors a full or precise picture of the impact of leaders’ work.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

Leaders have recently strengthened the school’s personal development offer. These changes are appropriate and reflect the needs of the school community. However, the full impact of this work is not yet consistently evident for pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. Pupils do not always build secure knowledge over time. While the personal, social and health education curriculum covers a wide range of topics, it does not yet develop pupils’ understanding in enough depth. Pupils generally know how to stay safe and understand the importance of healthy lifestyles. However, some pupils are less confident when talking about their mental health or explaining how to manage their feelings. Pupils are not always clear about why they take part in certain enrichment activities or how these experiences help their personal development. Leaders are aware of this and recognise the need to strengthen consistency and impact across the programme.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

The school’s work to support pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is at an early stage. Pupils take part in assemblies that explore cultural events, such as Eid, and learn about equality and British values. However, many pupils find it difficult to recall key details or make clear links between their learning across different activities. As a result, pupils’ knowledge in this area is uneven.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

There are positive aspects of the personal development programme. Pupils develop strong social skills and show a clear understanding of right and wrong. They learn to cooperate with others, share resources and resolve disagreements calmly. Most pupils can talk about fairness and kindness. Structured support for pupils’ social and emotional needs is beginning to reduce behaviour incidents and help pupils manage their emotions more effectively.

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Personal development and wellbeing Needs attention

A broad range of activities, including music, cooking and community visits, helps widen pupils’ experiences. Leaders ensure disadvantaged pupils can take part fully and carefully target clubs to support specific needs, such as teamwork or coordination. A clear pastoral programme is in place. Well-trained staff provide caring, timely support, helping pupils feel happier, safer and more confident in school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are happy and feel safe at this school. Staff build warm, trusting relationships with them and place pupils’ wellbeing at the centre of their work. Pupils describe staff as kind and caring. They are confident that adults will listen to them and take action if they have any worries. When bullying occurs, staff deal with it promptly and effectively. Pupils feel known and valued. They are supported to be ready to participate in school life and to learn.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy coming to school and spending time with their friends. The school’s ethos is largely reflected in the positive way pupils and adults treat one another. Pupils understand what is expected of them in terms of behaviour, conduct and keeping themselves safe. They talk confidently about striving to do their best. This contributes to pupils' wellbeing and sense of belonging. Many pupils show positive attitudes towards learning and want to do well. Most behave well, although low-level disruption sometimes interrupts lessons. Staff deal with this, but not always consistently. This means that, at times, learning time can be lost.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils take part in a wide range of trips and enrichment activities that extend their learning beyond the classroom. They enjoy visiting places such as the aquarium and Marwell Zoo. These experiences help pupils to develop an understanding of the wider world. However, pupils are sometimes unclear about the purpose of these activities or what they should learn from them. Too many pupils do not learn as well as they should. Achievement across the curriculum remains inconsistent. Pupils' reading and writing skills are not developed securely enough. Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive helpful support, but this is not consistently the case. This means that pupils with SEND and those who face barriers to their learning do not achieve as well as they could. In addition, while attendance has improved for some pupils, too many still miss significant amounts of school.

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Next steps

Governors should further develop their expertise, including their oversight of the pupil premium strategy, to help them hold school leaders to account for the impact of their work, particularly with regard to improving pupils’ outcomes. Leaders should ensure that the support provided to pupils to reduce their barriers to learning is monitored and implemented consistently well by well-trained staff. Leaders should ensure that effective teaching is embedded across the school so that pupils progress well through the curriculum and are further supported to have positive attitudes to learning. Leaders should ensure that staff are supported to develop the expertise to address gaps in pupils’ knowledge effectively, particularly for disadvantaged pupils, so that pupils secure the foundational knowledge and understanding within both the academic and the personal development programme. Leaders should continue to embed their attendance strategy to improve how often pupils

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Next steps

attend school. This includes ensuring that pupils' persistent absence rates decrease over time. Leaders should ensure that staff are supported to have the expertise to engage in consistently high-quality interactions with children in the early years to further develop secure children's communication and language skills prior to joining key stage 1.

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About this inspection

The chair of the governing body is Carolyn Owens.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a federation called the Federation of Riders Infant and Junior Schools.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following Ofsted’s renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspection activities: Inspectors spoke with senior leaders, governors and representatives from the local authority. Inspectors also spoke with pupils, staff, parents and carers. They also considered responses to Ofsted’s surveys.

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Lead inspector:

Gareth Flemington, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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180

Inspectors confirmed the following about the school: There have been significant changes to staffing and leadership. Since September 2025, the school has been led by 2 interim executive co-headteachers.

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180

The school has also undergone significant change in pupil numbers since the last inspection. Numbers on roll have reduced from 170 to 55.

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180

The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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180

The school provides before-school provision for pupils.

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180

Interim executive co-headteachers: Erika Leach and Ben Bourton Below average

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care. services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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