Ridgeway Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

Ridgeway Primary provides a good education.

The school was described by a group of pupils as 'the best school because it gives much support and encourages mutual respect for everyone'. Staff and pupils are happy and there is a strong focus on giving all pupils the best possible opportunities to achieve well in a safe and secure environment. Pupils enjoy school; this is reflected in their above average rate of attendance.

All pupils make good progress from their starting points although in past years progress has not been uniform as they moved through the school. However, teaching has improved and learning is now consistently good across all year groups. The headteacher provides excellent lead...ership of a strong leadership team.

The self-evaluation document provided by the school is extremely accurate and shows that leaders and managers have a good understanding of the strengths and areas which require developing in the school. They have correctly identified the need to improve reading and writing and have recently procured a whole school system which is being introduced. There has been good progress on improving the issues identified during the last inspection.

The provision for more able pupils is now good and the effectiveness of community cohesion is outstanding. The school has a good capacity for sustained improvement. As part of the outstanding community cohesion provision the school has carried out a comprehensive audit of the community and monitors the impact of its provision closely.

Pupils now have excellent opportunities for direct contact with pupils from a range of differing backgrounds as well as communication links with those in different countries. They have a good understanding of the importance of maintaining a cohesive society. Cohesion within the school and local community is outstanding.

Fundamental to the school's success is the improvement in teaching. Good quality professional development of staff has taken place and good appointments have been made to fill vacancies. Teachers use assessment data effectively to monitor pupils' progress and pupils are becoming more involved in assessing their own progress.

However, teachers' marking of pupils' work does not consistently give them enough guidance on how to improve their work and there is not always evidence that they have taken note of this advice. Pupils agree that adults in the school help them to learn and that they know how well they are doing at school. Those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported in class and have additional individual support when necessary.

Their progress has also improved and is now good. Pupils have an outstanding approach to leading a healthy lifestyle. They eat healthy food, drink water frequently and join in enthusiastically with the sporting activities available to them.

Through the curriculum provision they gain a good understanding of health dangers that they may face in the future. They confidently engage in conversations about healthy lifestyles and encourage others to follow their example.

Information about the school

Ridgeway Primary School is a larger than the average primary school.

Most pupils come from White British backgrounds and very few speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than in most schools. The school has an average proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and their needs cover a broad spectrum.

Four new teachers joined the school in September 2011. The school has achieved several awards including Healthy School status and the Gold Active Mark. There is a privately managed Nursery on the school site, which is inspected and reported upon, separately.

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