Buzz of pupils is key to learning success
HEAD IS DELIGHTED OVER POSITIVE OFSTED REPORT
PUPILS at a village school are taught “how to be polite and confident” and they “buzz with excitement” as they learn, an education watchdog has found. Rykneld Primary School in Main Street, Branston has been rated as “good” again after Ofsted inspectors paid a visit.
The school was visited on March 15 and 16 and the results have now gone online. The report starts: “Rykneld is a welcoming, warm and happy place to be. Pupils buzz with excitement while they learn. They behave very well in school and go out of their way to be friendly to others.
“Adults have high expectations and teach pupils how to be polite and confident. As a result, this is a school where pupils ask others how they are feeling, greet each other warmly and make conversation.”
The inspector noted that pupils were kept safe, they knew where to go with problems and there was a space in the school called “The Haven” where pupils went if they felt worried or anxious. It was found that bullying was uncommon and the pupils had the confidence to ask for help.
The report added that leaders were determined the pupils would do well and children enjoyed what they were learning, as well as tried hard in lessons. It stated that it was an ambitious curriculum at the school and the subject plans allowed teachers to know what they have to teach and when, with leaders regularly checking.
The inspectors found that “this practice is stronger in some subjects than in others” as well as pupils with special educational needs benefiting from the curriculum. Reading was prioritised and those falling behind were spotted quickly.
The report continues: “Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Most pupils willingly meet these expectations. In lessons, pupils go from one task to another quickly when their teachers ask them to. Lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.”
Pupils could also take part in plenty of well-planned activities and the school also organised a residential visit. A lot of these things were done in school time so every pupil could get involved and the leaders were now looking to widen the range of activities, inspectors found.
The inspector said: “Staff say that leaders do all they can to reduce workload. Staff say that they feel listened to and are grateful for leaders’ focus on their well-being. Recently, leaders changed the school’s feedback policy.
“The aim of this is to reduce workload and make feedback to pupils more efficient and effective. The system is working well in most subjects. However, in some subjects, leaders know that they need to develop assessments further.”
Ofsted said that arrangements for safeguarding were effective. It found that the “simple and effective assessment system to complement the school’s curriculum” was working well in most subjects. However, it was not being used consistently in music, art and computing so teachers in these subjects were not as well informed about how pupils were doing with the curriculum.
Head teacher Rob Cruise said: “As a school, we are thrilled with the content of this report, the wording and the recognition of the considerable efforts that have been offered by everyone in our school to achieve such success.
“This report is a collective achievement and one which we are all incredibly proud of.”