Ribblesdale School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 July 2025

The school has high aspirations for all pupils, including children in the early years. Children and pupils enjoy coming to school. They learn about the 'Ribblesdale way' which supports their positive behaviour and conduct. Staff foster positive relationships with pupils. Pupils are respectful, and open doors for staff and visitors. The vast majority of pupils are polite and want to learn. They achieve well across a wide range of subjects in the primary and secondary phases of the school. Pupils have access to a rich set of experiences that promote their personal development. Enrichment workshops cultivate pupils' imagination and creativity. Pupils enjoy participating in a plethora of activities, including chess, forensic science, geometric art, astronomy, calligraphy, volleyball, the repair shop and festival fashion. Activities, including the Duke of Edinburgh's Award and sports, such as biking, golf, skiing, swimming, tennis and running, help to promote pupils' confidence and well-being. Pupils give generously of their time to the local community. They raise money for charities and local organisations. Pupils value the opportunity to take leadership roles as reading ambassadors, sports leaders, well-being ambassadors and as members of the eco committee. Pupils develop an understanding of the wider world through a range of educational visits both in the United Kingdom and abroad.

What the school should improve

• At times, some staff choose activities that do not help pupils to learn subject content sufficiently well. As a result, some pupils, including some pupils with SEND, do not achieve as well as they could in certain areas of the curriculum. The school should ensure that staff continue to receive support to design effective learning activities. This will help pupils to deepen their understanding and retain their knowledge.
• At times, some of the checks on pupils' learning are not as effective as they could be. Consequently, gaps and misconceptions in some pupils' knowledge are not identified or addressed promptly. This means that some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready. The school should strengthen the expertise of some staff in identifying and addressing pupils' errors and misconceptions. This will help ensure that pupils build their knowledge securely over time.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)