Riders Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school? '

Riders' is at the heart of this community. The actions taken by leaders since the last inspection have had a positive impact on pupils' experiences. Leaders know their pupils and families well.

As a result, relationships between pupils and staff are strong. As one parent reported to inspectors, 'My child is happy and says it's fun!'

Pupils feel safe. They all feel confident that they can go to an adult for support if they have any concerns.

Staff act swiftly to resolve them. Bullying is not tolerated by staff or pupils. Pupils are accepting of others and celebrate those from different religions and backgrounds.

Leaders have high expectations. As a ...result, pupils behave well and care about each other. Pupils enjoy taking part in the multiple sports clubs that are on offer.

Trips are well chosen to enrich the curriculum and develop a broader understanding of the local environment.

The school is improving. Leaders are ambitious for pupils' achievement, and in some areas, such as early reading, pupils achieve well.

However, in other areas, the quality of education is still not good enough. Pupils do not achieve as well as they could because the curriculum is not being delivered consistently well.

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

Leaders have overhauled the school curriculum.

Since the last inspection they have worked hard to identify the specific knowledge that pupils should learn. Leaders have organised this knowledge so that it builds up gradually and ensures that pupils revisit key content as they go through the school. This is accessible for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disability (SEND).

However, this progression of knowledge does not build sufficiently well on the curriculum in the early years.

The delivery of many subjects is inconsistent. Leaders are still developing the way in which the curriculum is taught.

Consequently, teachers are not always making best use of activities and resources to help pupils connect new learning to what they already know. They do not check pupils' understanding carefully enough. As a result, pupils' knowledge and achievement across the curriculum are uneven.

Encouragingly, there are strengths in the curriculum for early reading and mathematics. Leaders have introduced a new phonics programme. Regular assessment precisely identifies any gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Teachers use this to adapt teaching, which helps pupils to catch up and ensures that they gain the knowledge they need to become confident and fluent readers. In mathematics, teachers present new concepts to pupils clearly and give them time to practise problem-solving. This helps them to achieve well.

Both developments represent important improvements since the school was last inspected.

Help and support for pupils with SEND is inconsistent. Leaders have made some impressive changes to ensure the swift identification of needs.

There is growing clarity about what needs to be in place for pupils' learning. However, activity choices do not always enable pupils to achieve the same ambitious aims of the curriculum as their classmates.

Children in the early years get off to a good start.

The curriculum has been carefully designed to meet their needs. Teachers have good subject knowledge. Children benefit from a range of carefully designed activities that deepen their understanding.

They achieve well.

Pupils' personal development is a priority. There is a structured curriculum that teaches pupils how to stay safe and about other faiths, cultures and religions.

This starts in the early years. Pupils enjoy a broad array of inclusive after-school clubs and benefit from a variety of trips that enrich their learning of the curriculum.

Pastoral support is comprehensive.

Leaders have established robust systems to tackle persistent absence and secure higher attendance. There are, however, still some pupils who do not attend school regularly enough. The school works proactively with families to support pupils and offers a range of interventions.

This includes forest schools and cookery. As one parent told inspectors, 'This school offers so much more than education. Every child is included and has the same opportunities.'



Leaders are improving the school. Governors have an accurate picture of where the school needs to improve. However, leaders' and governors' vision for the quality of education is not shared among all staff or born out in practice.

Not all staff feel supported to deal with behaviour or to deliver the curriculum as it is intended. They feel overwhelmed by the multiple initiatives and improvements that are being implemented. Leaders' plans are therefore not translating into improved quality of education for all pupils.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

A strong culture of safeguarding is threaded through everything at this school. Training is comprehensive, contextual and ongoing.

This means that all staff are empowered to spot signs of concern. They know how to record and report any worries that they have, and do so in detail. Leaders act diligently to manage these concerns.

They take swift and determined action. Pastoral staff work with pupils, families, other local schools and outside agencies to secure the help that pupils and their families need. Pupils are taught how to stay safe, including online.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum is not being delivered in a way that builds on what pupils already know. As a result, pupils are not able to connect their learning to prior knowledge and are unable to recall. Leaders must work to improve how the curriculum is implemented and provide teachers with the support and development they need to do this effectively.

• Teachers do not always make adaptions for pupils with SEND. This leads to some pupils with SEND not achieving as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that teachers receive the training and support that they need to be able to provide effective support to all pupils.

• There is disparity between the early years and key stage 1 curriculums, and the way they are delivered. Teaching in Year 1 does not build well on what pupils already know and understand. Leaders need to ensure that the steps of knowledge that pupils should learn are coherently planned and sequenced, for all subjects, from the beginning of early years to the end of Year 2.

• Staff workloads are too high. This means they are unable to implement all the changes that leaders intend. Leaders need to ensure that teachers have the capacity to improve implementation of the curriculum and improve pupils' quality of education.

• Persistent absence remains a challenge. This means that some pupils are not fully benefiting from the school's provision. Leaders must continue with the strategies and support they have put in place to improve attendance of all pupils.

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