Ridgeway Primary Academy

Overview

Ridgeway Primary Academy is described as an "improving school" where pupils "enjoy coming to school" and feel safe within a "well-established positive ethos." While attendance and behaviour meet the expected standard, the report highlights that pupils’ achievement is inconsistent and teaching quality is variable, with recent improvements to the curriculum and leadership still in the early stages.

Strengths

• Leaders have promoted attendance effectively, with disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND now attending "generally in line with their peers."
• Pupils behave well, bullying is "rare," and staff support children effectively to resolve disagreements and manage emotions.
• The early years provision has improved, allowing children to make a "positive start" and settle well into Reception.
• Personal development is strong, with pupils learning to respect differences, understand democracy, and benefit from enriching outdoor and extra-curricular opportunities.
• Staff morale is "very high," and the new senior leadership team has introduced "substantial positive changes."

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure staff consistently adapt teaching to meet the needs of all pupils, particularly those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, to close attainment gaps.
• Staff need to routinely check what pupils know to identify and address gaps in foundational knowledge, particularly in reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Trustees and governors should improve their understanding of provision quality to "hold leaders strictly to account."

Safeguarding

The safeguarding standards are met, with leaders establishing an "open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility" and concerns actively managed.