Riverside Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Riverside Primary School. They have warm and positive relationships with staff. This helps to make pupils feel safe.

Pupils play well together at breaktimes. They chat and interact in a friendly way in the lunch hall. Staff listen to pupils and help them with any worries or concerns.

Pupils are very clear about how to behave. They know and follow the school rules well. Pupils walk smartly and sensibly in corridors.

They behave well in lessons, taking part and working purposefully. Those pupils who need extra support to manage their emotions receive such support. This includes being able to spend time in the new sensory room, where they acc...ess a calming environment.

Pupils have experienced recent improvements in what they learn. They study a full range of subjects. They benefit from a clear approach to reading.

However, some curriculum areas do not have clear building blocks of learning. This means that pupils do not build up strong and secure subject knowledge in these curriculum areas.

The school provides opportunities for pupils to pursue their interests in sporting activities.

Pupils enjoy being sports leaders and helping to organise events. Trips and activities enhance the curriculum. For example, pupils' learning was enhanced during a recent visit to Grimsby Fishing Museum.

Pupils are proud to take on roles of responsibility, such as being buddies for younger children, which help to build confidence. Some pupils do not benefit from these activities fully because they do not attend school regularly enough.

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

The school has taken positive steps to develop the depth of the curriculum.

In some subjects, and in the early years, the school has identified the most important knowledge that pupils should learn. It has broken this down into logical steps. However, in some subjects, the curriculum content, and the order in which it should be taught, has not been considered well enough.

This means that pupils are not given opportunities to build on their previous learning effectively.

Mathematics outcomes have historically been too low. However, changes to the curriculum are beginning to have a positive impact.

Children in the early years learn to count and understand numbers. Staff plan their use of language to develop children's understanding of early mathematics. Outcomes at the end of key stage 1 are more positive.

However, for older pupils, there are still some significant gaps in their knowledge. These gaps prevent them from making the progress they need to make and are capable of making.

Teachers use questioning well in lessons to check whether pupils have secured the intended knowledge.

There has also been a sharp and successful focus on improving writing. Staff use modelling and scaffolding well to help develop pupils' writing.Reading is a priority throughout the school.

Staff teach reading daily through the school's phonics programme and guided reading. The school supports staff, through ongoing training, to teach reading effectively. Those pupils at the early stages of reading receive extra support to help them catch up.

The school ensures that the additional needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are promptly and accurately identified. Staff understand the specific needs of pupils, including children in the early years. They make adaptations to the delivery of the curriculum to ensure that pupils with SEND successfully access the same learning as their peers.

Most pupils attend school regularly. However, several pupils do not attend as often as they should. The school works with pupils' families and external agencies to identify any barriers to regular attendance.

Despite this, some pupils' attendance is still too low.

The school promotes pupils' broader development well. There is a commitment to building pupils' knowledge beyond their immediate community.

Pupils learn about, and experience, life outside of school through visits to museums. The curriculum supports pupils to be well prepared for life in modern Britain. They understand fundamental British values.

They learn about diversity and difference as well as faiths and religions. Pupils understand healthy relationships and how to stay safe online.

Leaders and governors are committed to their roles and work together closely.

Work is needed to ensure that middle leaders have sufficient training to construct coherently sequenced curriculums. The vast majority feel well supported by leaders and appreciate the changes made to try and reduce workload. Staff work well together as a team.

The school engages with the community by having reading information workshops for parents, for example.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the curriculum is not coherently sequenced.

This leads to pupils not building on their prior knowledge. Consequently, pupils do not always achieve well. The school needs to ensure that the whole curriculum is well thought out and supports pupils to know and remember more.

• Some pupils miss too much school. As a result, they do not achieve as well as they could. The school should continue to work with families to increase the attendance of these pupils so they can reach their full potential.

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