River Mead School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

River Mead School is a very special place.

This is because the whole school team goes above and beyond to support pupils to flourish. Parents describe the school as knowing their children 'inside out' and 'caring about my children just as much as I do'.

Pupils are very well looked after.

Staff listen to them and take their concerns seriously. Pupils are proud to attend the school. They fully appreciate the opportunities on offer to them.

Pupils enjoy working together and value every member of the school community. Pupils get on well together and treat each other with care and respect.

The school is ambitious.

It has high expectation...s for every pupil, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to do well.

Pupils at River Mead are happy, safe and well behaved. Parents appreciate the extra help they can access through the school.

Parents are proud that their children attend the school.

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

The work of leaders is exceptional. Their drive and improvement work are having an impact on pupils' achievements.

Leaders know that many pupils and their families face wider challenges in everyday life. They are also aware of the needs of the significant number of pupils attending that have an education, health and care plan. Many of these pupils attend the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND.

Following COVID-19, some pupils found it difficult to attend school regularly. This resulted in gaps in their knowledge. Leaders worked tirelessly to get pupils back into school.

They have introduced effective approaches to ensure pupils do well over time. However, the school's published outcomes from 2023 do not accurately reflect the quality of learning of current pupils.

The school's support for disadvantaged pupils is extremely successful.

The curriculum carefully meets their needs. Regular checks ensure that staff quickly identify and deal with any misconceptions pupils have. This results in pupils achieving better outcomes.

Additional funding is well used to strengthen approaches that make the biggest difference for disadvantaged pupils, providing a wide offer of care and support for pupils and their families.

The school has clarified what pupils will learn and when they will learn it. This means that staff can successfully make sure younger pupils learn what they need to do well.

For example, there is a keen focus on language and communication in the nursery that prepares children well for later learning. This approach is contributing to improved outcomes in key stage 2.

The teaching of early reading is a strength in the school.

Staff provide high-quality support because they are experts in teaching young pupils to read and write. This enables pupils to quickly learn how to read and spell words correctly from the start. However, some older pupils with SEND have not received the expert help needed to build their phonics knowledge securely.

Improvements in the way that subjects are taught are ensuring that pupils learn more and remember more. This is evident in the knowledge pupils can recall, for example in mathematics. However, these recent improvements did not have sufficient time to impact on the school's published outcomes in 2023.

The school has successfully reestablished expectations of behaviour and attendance. Pupils behave extremely well in lessons, listening carefully to staff and engaging well with activities. However, expectations of pupils' behaviour are not as high outside of lessons.

Pupils do not behave as well at social times. The school continues to closely monitor pupils' attendance and acts swiftly to support pupils and their families. Attendance has improved steadily over time and leaders continue to closely monitor this.

Pupils' personal development is threaded through all aspects of the school. Pupils have opportunities through lunchtime activities and after-school clubs to be involved in the performing arts, sports and imaginative play. Pupils learn about a range of religions and beliefs that provide them with an understanding of differences.

They learn about their local community and how they can contribute positively. Their learning provides them with a secure understanding of the fundamental British values.

Staff are proud to work at River Mead.

The school manages their workload well. The school, alongside effective support from the trust, ensures that staff receive the training that they need to deliver the curriculum effectively.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's expectations for behaviour are not as high outside of lessons. As a result, pupils do not behave as well at social times as they do when in lessons. The trust should extend these expectations to cover the rest of the school day.

• Some older pupils with SEND have not received the expert help needed to build their phonics knowledge securely. They do not read and write as well as they could. The trust should ensure that these pupils benefit from the same approach and high-quality support received by other pupils in the school.