Riverside Meadows Academy

Riverside Meadows Academy Almond Road, St. Neots, PE19 1DZ

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inspection report:

At the most recent graded inspection, the following areas were identified as needing to improve:

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inspection report:

The school has not ensured that the curriculum sets out how pupils’ existing knowledge helps them secure new learning. This means that teaching does not explicitly link new knowledge to what pupils already know. Consequently, pupils find it difficult to secure new knowledge and do not learn as well as they should. The school and trust must ensure that the curriculum clearly sets out how prior learning links to new knowledge.

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inspection report:

The school has not ensured that staff have the subject and pedagogical knowledge they need to teach the curriculum as intended. As a result, teaching does not provide pupils with clear explanations of new information, adaptations that help them engage or suitable activities they need to secure learning. The school and trust must ensure that staff have the subject and pedagogical knowledge to teach the curriculum as designed.

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inspection report:

Some of the strategies to support pupils who struggle to attend school regularly often lack the focus to directly address individual pupils’ needs and barriers. This means that some pupils do not feel adequately supported to return to school. The school and trust must ensure that the support provided to pupils addresses their individual barriers to attending school regularly and often.

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inspection report:

The school has not ensured that staff have a shared understanding of its vision and how it will be realised. This means that staff do not understand why changes are implemented. It has also led to marked differences in the provision between the 2 sites. A lack of performance indicators means staff and trustees are unable to measure how well actions are impacting on pupils’ experience. The school and trust must ensure that staff and trustees understand and share its vision and how this will be realised in their practice.

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designation

Monitoring Inspection report: Riverside Meadows Academy, 30 June 2026 2 During the monitoring inspection, the inspector focused on the following evaluation areas:

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Leadership and governance

Leaders and trustees continue to move the school forward on its journey of improvement. The trust has taken decisive action in establishing a new senior leadership structure to streamline its function and with clearly defined roles. The trust keeps a close eye on standards and holds leaders to account for their work. Leaders have had a positive impact in a short period of time on the areas of improvement identified at the last inspection. They have done this despite some recent unforeseen challenges. Staff are also positive about the work of leaders and are now working as a unified team across the 2 sites.

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Leadership and governance

Leaders have firmed up the new curriculum pathways that will take full effect from September 2026. Staff are receiving the necessary training to teach this revised curriculum approach. The curriculum has been enhanced to provide pupils with experiences to support the social, emotional and mental health needs identified on their educational health care (EHC) plans. Leaders have made the most improvement in raising attendance and improving behaviours of pupils at risk of prolonged disengagement. Since the last inspection, leaders have ensured that pupils are only accessing alternative provision most suitable to meet their needs.

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Leadership and governance

Leaders remain realistic about the work that still needs to be done. The reading and mathematics curriculum do not currently have the detailed knowledge pupils will need to know mapped out with the same clarity as seen in the writing curriculum. The updated curriculum is not due to start until September 2026. Therefore, it is not possible currently to see the impact of this change on pupils’ outcomes, including how well pupils achieve their EHC plan targets. Attendance is improving, but the analysis of this for key pupils is still only at the early stages. This means leaders still have work to do to widen this approach to more pupils so that attendance overall improves more rapidly.

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Safeguarding

At the previous graded inspection/monitoring inspection, safeguarding was evaluated as being effective.

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Attendance and behaviour

Leaders have recently introduced a robust system to identify and monitor key pupils with high persistent absence and/or increased behaviour incidents. They have used intensive periods of bespoke mentoring support for these high-risk pupils. As a result, attendance for these individuals has improved significantly in a short period of time and has been sustained. Likewise, there are fewer suspensions occurring. This work is still in its early Monitoring Inspection report: Riverside Meadows Academy, 30 June 2026 3 stages and leaders intend to build on this success for a wider range of pupils. Overall attendance is improving steadily, as is attendance at alternative provision. Pupils on part- time timetables are increasing their hours in school. These improvements in attendance and behaviour are equal at both sites.

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Attendance and behaviour

Across both sites, pupils are engaged in their lessons more than seen at the last monitoring visit. They are benefiting from staff following the school’s agreed teaching and behaviour management approaches more consistently. Pupils recognise that there are less instances of disruptive behaviour. Pupils have been able to cope with examinations and assessments due to how well staff have prepared them and addressed pupils’ anxieties linked to this.

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Curriculum and teaching

Leaders have now fully established the new curriculum pathways for pupils. However, this is not due to be started until September 2026. Therefore, it is too soon to assess the impact of this work. Staff understand this new approach. They have assessed pupils’ needs academically and socially so that pupils are on the most appropriate curriculum pathway. Leaders have ensured there are ample opportunities within the renewed curriculum offer for pupils to work towards their EHC plan goals. However, it is not yet sufficiently explicit within the updated curriculum how pupils’ EHC plan targets will be met. Leaders are aware of this, and work is underway to address the issue.

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Curriculum and teaching

Leaders have identified the knowledge pupils need to learn and in what order across the curriculum. Leaders have ensured that staff have a clear system to identify and fill gaps in pupils’ writing knowledge. The system to support teachers to identify key knowledge to be taught and when to support gap filling within reading and mathematics is not as robust. Leaders know this is a priority to have in place for when the new curriculum pathways start.

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Curriculum and teaching

Staff are in the process of completing the necessary training to teach aspects of the reading and mathematics curriculum.

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About this inspection

The inspector carried out this monitoring inspection under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005, and it was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require significant improvement following the graded inspection that took place in July 2025.

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About this inspection

The school’s previous inspection was carried out under the Education Inspection Framework (EIF) at that time. The renewed EIF took effect from 10 November 2025. The areas for improvement identified at the school’s graded inspection have been cross- referenced to the relevant evaluation areas in the inspection toolkit for consideration on this monitoring inspection.

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About this inspection

The purpose of this monitoring inspection was not to determine grades for any of the evaluation areas set out in the school inspection toolkit. The purpose was to identify and report on the school’s progress in addressing priorities for improvement since the school’s previous inspection. Monitoring Inspection report: Riverside Meadows Academy, 30 June 2026 4 Since the last inspection, the school has moved to having one executive headteacher who oversees both sites. Each site now has a head of school and an assistant headteacher.

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About this inspection

During this inspection, meetings were held with the executive headteacher and other senior leaders, the chief executive officer of the trust, other trust leaders and school staff to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection.

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About this school

Type of specialist provision The school caters for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. Monitoring Inspection report: Riverside Meadows Academy, 30 June 2026 5 and inspects to 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 looked- after-children, safeguarding and child protection.

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About this school

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About this school

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About this school

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About this school

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

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