Ribbleton Avenue Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are made to feel welcome at this school, which prides itself on supporting families in the community that it serves. Respect and friendship are school values that pupils work hard to model. They appreciate their friendships with their classmates and the caring relationships that they have with staff.

Pupils trust that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns. This helps pupils to feel happy at school.

Pupils make a positive start to their education at this school.

This stems from the high levels of ambition that the school has for pupils' learning and development. From the Nursery class onwards, pupils are well mannered and considerate... towards others. Many pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well across much of the curriculum.

Pupils speak with enthusiasm about the trips that they experience. These include visiting the beach, different places of worship and seeing a pantomime. Pupils benefit from opportunities to take on responsibilities in school.

These include being part of the eco committee, becoming a member of the school council, or taking on class monitor responsibilities. Such experiences help pupils begin to understand what it means to be a good citizen.

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

The school's curriculum is ambitious for pupils, including those with SEND.

In a small number of subjects, refinements to the curriculum are relatively new. In these subjects, the curriculum is well thought out. However, as a result of weaknesses in the previous subject curriculum, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge that remain unaddressed.

Consequently, their understanding is insecure and at times this hinders these pupils' ability to make sense of new learning and concepts.

The school has considered the important knowledge that pupils should learn across the curriculum, beginning in the Nursery Year. Across many subjects, the school has developed ways for teachers to check on what pupils know and remember from previous learning.

Typically, teachers use all of this information well to design learning activities that build up pupils' knowledge. That said, some of the learning activities that a few teachers design do not support pupils to successfully connect to and build on what they already know. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

Across a number of curriculum subjects, staff benefit from high-quality training that helps them to deliver the curriculum consistently. Effective training for staff also informs the well-chosen resources and support for pupils with SEND. This helps pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

This is all underpinned by the school's systems that accurately identify the additional needs of these pupils at an early stage. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND highly value the support that the school provides for them and their children. Overall, pupils, including those with SEND, are well prepared for their next stage of education in junior school.

The school places a high priority on children in the Reception Year and pupils in key stage 1 developing a secure knowledge of phonics. Staff teach the phonics programme consistently well. They quickly identify and support those pupils who need extra help.

Pupils who are new to learning English as an additional language quickly begin to understand the different sounds that letters represent. Many pupils who speak English as an additional language develop a secure understanding of phonics by the time that they leave Year 2.

Behaviour across the school is positive and learning is rarely interrupted.

Children in the early years learn cooperatively alongside one another and follow class rules and routines well. The school has been highly effective in improving attendance following the COVID-19 pandemic. The school's systems and procedures swiftly pick up any attendance concerns at an early stage.

The tenacious approach taken by the school helps to ensure that pupils benefit from the good standard of education that it provides.

Pupils experience a range of opportunities that prepare them well for life in modern Britain. Pupils know what to do if they see something online that upsets them.

They understand what they should do in order to cross the road safely. Pupils experience activities in school that bring British values to life in an age-appropriate way, such as voting for school council members.

Governors support and challenge the school well to improve the quality of education.

They work effectively with the school to realise the agreed values. Staff are very appreciative of what the school does to support their workload and well-being. This includes being provided with the time that they need to carry out their roles effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, some of the activities provided for pupils do not build on what they already know. As a result, some pupils do not learn as well as they could.

The school should ensure that teachers have the knowledge that they need to design activities that connect learning and help pupils to build up a deep body of knowledge. ? In a small number of subjects, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge as a result of weaknesses in the previous curriculum. Some of these gaps have not been identified or addressed.

Consequently, this hinders the ability of some pupils to make sense of new learning. The school should ensure that teachers are equipped to identify and swiftly remedy these gaps in pupils' knowledge. This is so that pupils can build and further strengthen their knowledge in these subjects.