The Ridgeway Primary School

The Ridgeway Primary is an inclusive, caring school with high expectations, and its provision was judged good across all inspected areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, learn well, behave positively and benefit from calm routines and strong relationships with staff. Reading is central to the curriculum, phonics teaching is strong, and pupils enjoy a wide range of wider opportunities that build confidence and belonging. Leaders have designed a precise curriculum, and outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are positive. Personal development is a notable strength, with effective work on safety, health, diversity and responsibility, and governors provide effective oversight while supporting staff well. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and no overall effectiveness grade is awarded under current arrangements. The main area for improvement is assessment in some subjects. Checks on learning do not always establish whether pupils have securely understood the intended curriculum, which can lead to activities that do not help pupils practise the right knowledge. As a result, some pupils do not build on prior knowledge as effectively as they could.

Strengths

• Inclusive, caring ethos with high expectations for all pupils
• Pupils, including those with SEND, learn well across subjects
• Calm and purposeful environment with positive behaviour
• Strong, nurturing relationships between staff and pupils
• Reading is at the core of the curriculum, with expert phonics teaching
• Phonics books are matched well to pupils' learned sounds, with daily support for those at risk of falling behind
• High-quality texts help pupils develop a love of reading
• Positive outcomes at the end of key stage 2
• Strong personal, social and health education, including online safety
• Wider opportunities such as forest school, visits and Pupil Voice build belonging and self-esteem
• Governors provide effective oversight and staff workload is well supported
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In some subjects, checks on learning do not reliably show whether pupils have secured the intended knowledge
• Some lesson activities focus on completion rather than helping pupils practise the right knowledge
• Some pupils do not build on prior knowledge as effectively as they could

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Ridgeway Primary School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.7% of pupils at The Ridgeway Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Ridgeway Primary School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 22.7% of pupils at The Ridgeway Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 The Ridgeway Primary School received £8,458 and spent £8,026 for each of its 354 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £395,000 (£1,118 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

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What is The Ridgeway Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Ridgeway Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was The Ridgeway Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Ridgeway Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does The Ridgeway Primary School have?

The Ridgeway Primary School has 362 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Ridgeway Primary School cover?

The Ridgeway Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are The Ridgeway Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Ridgeway Primary School?

The Ridgeway Primary School is at Hillbrow, Reading, Berkshire, RG2 8JD.