Prior to breaking up for the 2019 winter holidays, Riverside Education had an OFSTED inspection. The report from this inspection is now available and we are pleased to announce Riverside Education is now rated a ‘good’ school!
All of the pupils did exceptionally well while the inspectors observed lessons, asked students questions and looked at their work. We would like to share with parents some of the main points of the OFSTED inspection; the full report can be found in the Document Zone.
What is it like to attend this school?
- Riverside makes a real difference to pupils’ lives. There is a special feel to the school due to the positive ethos and commitment of staff, led by the inspirational headteacher. Everyone exemplifies and reinforces the school’s values of ‘honesty, integrity and respect’.
- Pupils’ comments accurately sum up their experiences of school: ‘We’re 100% safe here; they [the staff] really care about us and they’ll drop everything to help us.’
- Pupils’ behaviour improves over time because there are clear expectations that are understood and followed by everyone.
- Leaders address bullying concerns quickly, and pupils agree that there is little bullying. Leaders help pupils to reflect on bullying and behaviour incidents in a safe and supportive way.
- Staff have put much thought and careful planning into creating a broad, personalised curriculum with a good balance of academic and vocational qualifications, including GCSEs. Pupils and post-16 students see the value of what they are learning about. It helps them to achieve well, become independent and gain valuable skills for employment.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
- Leaders want pupils to experience an interesting education, while also improving their chances of employment or access to further education. Parents and carers speak highly of the school. Typical comments included ‘They will do anything for you’ and ‘They see their role as a vocation and not a job.’
- Teachers plan and order curriculum content so that pupils learn and remember more over time. Teachers make sure that pupils apply their literacy and numeracy skills across other subjects. Activities often make connections to pupils’ social and emotional development. Leaders have skilfully woven British values into schemes of work.
- Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) get the help they need because leaders take time to gather up-to-date information and use it effectively. Staff work well with other agencies to get pupils extra support.
- Staff make their expectations for behaviour clear. Pupils settle quickly to their work. Staff manage low-level disruption quickly and discreetly. They know that pupils sometimes behave the way they do because of their lack of confidence in their academic ability. Staff often use humour to defuse situations that may be in danger of escalating.
- Pupils enjoy enrichment activities such as aero-kicks, yoga and languages.
- Pupils’ and students’ personal development has a high priority in the school. Staff take time to find out about pupils’ needs and interests, including how they learn best. Staff talk passionately about being positive role models for the pupils. Pupils have helped to write the personal and social education curriculum. It threads though different subjects, focusing on developing pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. In music, pupils write lyrics to express themselves: ‘They ask me what I think instead of telling me what to think.’
- Staff get to know pupils well, supporting their social and emotional well-being. Pupils appreciate this. They talk about the ‘real’ care they receive rather than the ‘fake’ care they say that they have encountered in other settings.
- Weekly debates enable pupils to reflect on different aspects of their spiritual, cultural and moral development, for example debating legal and illegal employment and diversity within society.
- Attendance rates are below the national average, but many pupils have had significant improvements in their attendance since joining the school. This includes some pupils who were previously out of education for some time.
- Leaders make sure that individual timetables incorporate pupils’ and students’ academic learning and vocational interests. Pupils and post-16 students receive good-quality careers advice and follow appropriate courses. There is a strong emphasis on key skills for employment, including punctuality, attendance and customer service. Leaders have worked tirelessly to secure agreements with a wide range of employers to provide pupils and students with relevant work-based experiences.
- Leaders’ commitment to helping pupils learn how to use public transport safely has led to almost all pupils now travelling independently to and from school and the workplace.