‘Pupils at the heart of this small, caring Ridgmont Lower School’ say Ofsted inspectors

The school's previous Ofsted rating from June 2023 was 'requires improvement' but following an inspection in November it has been graded at achieving the 'expected standard' for Achievement, Curriculum and Teaching, Inclusion, Leadership & Governance and Personal Development and Wellbeing. In addition, Attendance & Behaviour was graded as 'strong'.

The school was invited to put itself forward for an Ofsted inspection under the new 2025 framework. The inspection took place over two days in November.

Inspectors said "pupils are at the heart of this small, caring school. They arrive eager to learn because lessons are enjoyable and achievable. Staff understand how each pupil learns and build on their individual strengths.

"When challenges arise, pupils receive the support that they need to overcome them. This helps them to develop resilience and achieve well overall. Even when learning feels difficult, pupils stay positive and keep trying. This determination prepares them well for every stage of their education.”

The report also acknowledged safeguarding standards were being met, stating: “This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

"Leaders also make sure that pupils make steady and sustained progress through the curriculum, regardless of their needs or vulnerabilities. Pupils speak about their achievements and apply what they know across different subjects.

“Leaders work closely with local schools to ensure that pupils learn content that prepares them well for their next stage of education and that standards are high.”

The school stated it was important that, having taken the Inspectors' recommendations on board, staff were able to showcase the huge steps taken to improve since the summer.

Headteacher, Mrs Allison Jakes said: "I am incredibly proud of the school and its achievements. Staff go above and beyond to ensure that each child's needs are met and our very small classes enables this to happen seamlessly."

Going forward inspectors stated: “Leaders should further strengthen the consistency and quality of teaching across the curriculum to ensure that all subjects are taught equally well. This includes strengthening their work to support pupils in applying their foundational writing knowledge across subjects beyond English, so their written work is of a consistently high quality.

Read the full report here.