Ridgeway High School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 January 2024

The school has a strong sense of community which helps pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to feel happy and safe. Pupils respect the differences between people, and they are proud to be part of a diverse school community. The school has high aspirations for all pupils. It expects pupils to flourish both academically and socially. Typically, pupils strive to meet these high expectations. They behave well and they try hard in lessons. Pupils benefit from a suitably ambitious curriculum. In the main, they are well prepared for the next stage of their education or training. The school is aspirational for pupils' futures. Pupils are encouraged to think carefully about their next steps. For example, pupils are keen to take part in careers fairs and to visit local employers. The school provides a range of opportunities to enhance pupils' learning of the curriculum. For instance, pupils told inspectors that they enjoy a variety of outings, such as visits to theatres and museums. The Ridgeway Charter programme encourages pupils to engage in all areas of school life. As part of the programme, pupils are encouraged to attend a range of extra-curricular activities, such as cooking and gaming clubs.

What the school should improve

• In a very small number of subjects, the school is still refining its curriculum design. Occasionally, this hinders teachers from designing learning that supports pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding. The school should ensure that these subject curriculums set out the most important things that pupils need to know and remember. This is so that pupils can build successfully on what they know already.
• In a few subjects, where refinements to the curriculum have been more recent, some teachers do not use assessment information as effectively they could to address pupils' misconceptions quickly. On occasion, some pupils move onto new learning before their knowledge is as secure as it should be. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, teachers are suitably equipped to remedy any gaps in pupils' learning before introducing new concepts

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