Ridgeway Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 3 June 2025

Pupils enjoy coming to this inclusive school. They consistently embody the school's core values of respect, responsibility and relationships in their daily interactions. Many pupils speak about the improvements that have taken place since the last inspection. The school is now in a place where pupils feel both happy and supported. Pupils understand the school's high expectations of their behaviour. Pupils trust that staff will take action, when behaviour falls short of the expected high standards. An ambitious curriculum is in place for all pupils. Pupils engage with learning well. Lessons are calm and run smoothly. However, published outcomes at the end of the programmes of study do not reflect the positive changes made by the school. Pupils, including students in the sixth form, take part in a broad range of activities that further enhance their learning and leadership skills. These include expeditions as part of the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. Sixth-form students act as reading buddies to support younger members of the school to improve their reading. Pupils enjoy and engage with the wide variety of clubs with sports, drama and musical activities being most popular. These activities help to improve pupils' self-esteem and confidence.

What the school should improve

• A very small number of subject curriculums require further refinement to ensure that the key knowledge pupils need to learn is identified and thought out in a logical order. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well in these subjects as they do in the rest of the curriculum. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, the curriculum clearly sets out the subject content, so that teachers teach this important content in the correct order.
• Sometimes, the school does not always check what pupils know precisely enough, or in a timely manner. As a result, pupils can have important gaps in their knowledge, which are not identified and addressed effectively. The school should ensure that staff are supported to systematically check what pupils remember, so that gaps in knowledge are reduced and that pupils progress as well as possible.
• Many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that a number of pupils, including those students in the sixth form, miss valuable learning time. The school should ensure that it strengthens its strategies to reduce absences, so that pupils and sixth-form students do not miss vital learning opportunities.

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