Ryecroft Academy: Leeds school completes Ofsted transformation after 12 years of improvements

Ryecroft Academy, located on Stonebridge Grove, Farnley, was rated as Outstanding in all five inspected inspected areas - quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

It completes a stunning transformation for the primary school, which was rated Inadequate by Ofsted inspectors in 2013, with parents “losing confidence” in the school.

Ryecroft joined The GORSE Academies Trust the following year in 2014 and began a programme of sustained improvement.

The education watchdog said: “The school provides a positive, welcoming learning environment. This enables pupils, including those with special educational needs and / or disabilities (SEND), to flourish and grow.

“The school’s drive to instil a sense of ambition and aspiration in pupils is at the heart of all that it does. Pupils successfully overcome many different barriers to their learning. They make full use of the opportunities that the school provides. This helps them to thrive and to achieve as highly as they can.”

Pupils’ behaviour was described as “exemplary” by inspectors and starts in the early years where “caring staff support children” to quickly learn routines and listen well.

Inspectors noted that the school’s priority is for pupils to secure the foundational knowledge they need in English and mathematics, which is ensured by “high-quality teaching.”

They added: “The curriculum also draws together pupils’ spiritual, social, moral and cultural understanding so that they develop academic and personal skills seamlessly alongside each other.

“The school has designed an inspiring curriculum that is both broad and ambitious. Content in each subject is sequenced so that pupils’ knowledge builds over time.”

“Well-structured processes” ensure the needs of pupils with SEND are identified as quickly as possible, Ofsted reports. The school takes a “very personalised approach” to establishing pupils’ starting points and providing clear next steps.

This approach ensures that their work is “exceptionally well matched to their needs” and pupils with SEND work as “independently as possible” alongside their peers.

Helen Townsley, Principal at Ryecroft Academy, said: “I am thrilled with this Ofsted report and that it judges the academy to be ‘Outstanding’ in all areas. This outcome is a real team effort - it reflects the hard work and dedication of all of our fantastic staff and governors, the support we get from our brilliant parent body, and of course the talent of our amazing pupils.

“They all deserve this success. With the support of The GORSE Academies Trust, we have been able to transform Ryecroft Academy so that it is thriving, high-achieving and popular and well-respected in the community.”

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The school’s offer for personal development was described by inspectors as “exceptional” and pupils take on roles of responsibility with “extreme pride.”

Parents and carers, alongside the local community, “hold the school in high regard.” The trust and the local governing body share a “common endeavour” to ensure pupils have access to the highest quality of education.

Leanne Griffiths, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at The GORSE Academies Trust, said: “Ryecroft Academy is an exceptional school, providing a world-class education that gives every pupil the best chance to do well.

“I want to thank Helen and her team for doing such a superb job. The work they have done to transform the academy is remarkable, and I know they will continue to drive improvements moving forward.”