Ofsted conducted a short inspection of Rickling Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School on 27 February 2019, following its previous judgment of good in October 2015. The inspection confirmed that the school continues to maintain its good status. The leadership team, under the new headteacher, has demonstrated a clear understanding of the school's strengths and areas for improvement. The senior leadership team is characterized by enthusiasm and a commitment to enhancing pupil achievement and well-being. Governors and the local authority provide strong support, showing confidence in the leadership.
Since the new headteacher's appointment in September 2018, trust among parents has been secured, with many expressing satisfaction with the school's nurturing environment. Parents appreciate the professionalism and approachability of the staff, noting that their children are happy and engaged in their learning. The quality of teaching has remained good across early years and key stages one and two, with leaders ensuring high standards in personal development, behavior, and welfare.
The school has made notable improvements in pupil outcomes, particularly for the most able students. A higher-than-average proportion of children in the early years reach a good level of development, and the phonics standard in Year 1 is also high. The school has successfully maintained high standards in reading, writing, and mathematics at key stages one and two. However, the leadership has identified that foundation subjects are not taught as systematically as English and mathematics, which is an area for further development.
Safeguarding practices are effective, with a strong culture of pupil safety established. Staff training is current, and there is a clear understanding of safeguarding procedures among staff. The school has refined its child protection recording processes, leading to meticulous record-keeping. The single central record meets all requirements, and governors ensure that safeguarding documents are well maintained.
The inspection focused on how effectively leaders support the most able pupils, particularly in mathematics. While standards in mathematics are consistently high, the progress of most pupils by the end of key stage two is broadly average. The headteacher commissioned a review of teaching and learning to address this issue, leading to the implementation of new approaches to develop pupils' mathematical reasoning skills. Observations indicated that pupils are currently making good progress in mathematics, although opportunities for less-able pupils to engage in reasoning tasks need to be increased.
The curriculum is organized effectively, with evidence of high-quality teaching reflected in pupils' work. Pupils enjoy a broad range of activities, contributing to their spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development. However, coverage in history, geography, and science is inconsistent, which may hinder pupils' preparedness for the next stage of their education in these subjects.
Leadership and management quality is strong, with leaders inspiring staff to lead improvements. The school maintains high standards of cooperation and positive behavior among pupils, who demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. Next steps for the school include ensuring that reasoning is central to the mathematics curriculum and that pupils are well-prepared for future educational stages in foundation subjects. The inspection findings will be shared with relevant stakeholders, and the letter will be published on the Ofsted website.
