Lift Ryde

Overview

Ryde Academy is rated ‘Good’ across all inspection categories, including overall effectiveness, the quality of education, and leadership. The report describes a school where pupils are proud to attend, benefiting from a ‘calm and orderly environment’ and strong relationships with staff who help them feel safe. Leaders are ‘ambitious for all pupils’, fostering a culture where success is regularly celebrated and personal development is highly prioritised.

Strengths

• Teachers possess ‘strong subject knowledge’ and use regular assessment to identify learning gaps, helping pupils ‘remember more’ through structured recap opportunities.
• The sixth form is ‘growing’ with ‘high aspirations’, providing effective teaching that prepares students for ‘academic or vocational destinations’.
• Safeguarding arrangements are ‘effective’, with staff receiving timely training and leaders meticulously managing recruitment processes.
• Careers provision is a ‘strength’, offering personalised support, work experience, and visits to higher education institutions.
• Reading is prioritised through daily tutor time and a ‘well-resourced library’, with strong support for early readers.

Areas to improve

• In a ‘small minority of subjects’, the Key Stage 3 curriculum lacks the ambition of the national curriculum, requiring leaders to ensure equally broad provision.
• Curriculum adaptations for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND are ‘not yet consistent enough’, preventing these groups from achieving their ‘very best outcomes’.
• Attendance improvement efforts have ‘not yet been robust enough’, with leaders needing to work closely with families and agencies to reduce high absence rates.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’, noting that leaders and staff are ‘diligent in how they protect children from potential risk of harm’.