Ravenscroft Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Ravenscroft has improved and is now a good school. The pupils are a credit to the school and their families. As we walked out at breaktime and lunchtime, chatty, confident, friendly pupils greeted us with good manners.

Pupils make good use of the outdoor equipment to play and socialise. The pupils are proud and very enthusiastic about their school. As we visited lessons, we watched pupils listening to the adults and behaving well.

They told us that there is little name-calling or bullying. The staff deal with any incidents well. In lessons, pupils concentrate on their work.

Pupils are keen to learn in each subject. Science, reading, religious education (RE) a...nd music are all strong subjects.

Staff have high expectations for all pupils.

They teach the pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. These pupils, and disadvantaged pupils, learn a full and ambitious curriculum. Leaders inspire pupils for the future.

They learn about career options through links with universities. Pupils are well-prepared for secondary school.

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

Children get off to a good start in Nursery and Reception.

Most of them settle quickly. They learn the class routines, including where to get their 'wellies' and protective clothes. There is lots of space for them to play and learn.

As I was sitting on the wooden train, children spoke to me, full of excitement about what they were learning. The activities outdoors help the children to improve their physical skills. For example, they carefully balance the pipes for the water to travel down.

Reading is a high priority and starts from the very first days in school. Around the school, there are displays to motivate pupils to read, for example 'reading makes your mind blossom'. The staff are well trained and expert in teaching reading.

By the end of Year 2, almost every pupil has attained the expected reading standard. This is because staff are quick to spot any child who is falling behind. They put in extra teaching to help pupils catch up.

The quality of education is good. Leaders have created a well-designed curriculum. Pupils do not have reduced subjects to boost their results at the end of Year 6.

Leaders are ambitious. They want all pupils, including those with SEND, to at least meet the expected standard. In science, RE and music, teachers follow a clear sequence of lessons.

These build pupils' knowledge and their skills. Teachers introduce and explain new ideas well. They check on pupils' work and their answers, and they spot any mistakes.

The activities in most subjects build pupils' knowledge. However, pupils in history find it difficult to know how topics and time periods fit together over time. The history curriculum is not planned or sequenced effectively.

It is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken that they can make changes to plan next year's history curriculum. They have plans to train staff in how to deliver it, and they are in the process of bringing this about. In writing, the main reason why pupils' attainment is lower is because they do not have enough opportunity to practise their skills.

This is particularly the case with a lack of writing in other subjects, including history, science and geography.

The school is well led. Leaders have taken decisions to keep the workload for teachers manageable.

Leaders have introduced activities to look after the well-being of the staff. Staff told us that they are protected from harassment. Members of the governing body have a good understanding of what happens in school.

They challenge leaders about decisions and give some useful support.

Through subjects such as RE, music, history and science, pupils reflect on other cultures and countries in the world. They learn about how to respect other religions and people who are different to themselves.

They learn about different families. The school's policies and procedures sometimes unwittingly divide boys and girls, for example when lining up at the end of breaktime. In Reception, girls wore pink wellies and boys wore blue wellies.

Pupils learn about how to behave. Teachers show pupils how to be polite and how to work well with others. They meet the needs of pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders, through their policies and actions, show that safeguarding is a high priority. Leaders have built up good relationships with families and the community.

Staff are vigilant in identifying and then following up any child not arriving at school. Leaders see early help as the key to protecting children. There has been thorough training on issues such as neglect.

Pupils told us that they feel safe. They learn a lot about how to stay safe, particularly when working or playing online. Some pupils are e-cadets, acting as role models to help others be safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Pupils' work shows that some of the aims of the history national curriculum are not well covered. Teachers should increase pupils' understanding of chronology, their interpretation of historic sources, and their understanding of historic concepts and terminology. .

The school has been working on developing pupils' writing skills. Pupils have the knowledge that they need about grammar and punctuation. Their writing is hampered by only having a few opportunities to write at length.

This is particularly the case in other subjects, including history, science, geography and RE. Teachers should increase pupils' attainment by providing more opportunities to apply their writing skills. .

The school is committed to equality and diversity. Some of its policies and procedures unwittingly build up gender stereotypes. Leaders should make sure that all of the protected characteristics identified in the 2010 Equality Act are covered in the school's policies and procedures, and in the curriculum.

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