Staff

Our dedicated, knowledgeable and passionate staff are our greatest asset.


To maximise the impact they can have on the children in our school, we ensure our day-to-day systems allow them the freedom and flexibility to engage in high-quality pedagogy. 

We place high value on staff continuing professional development (CPD) and provide a comprehensive, annual programme of CPD for our team. Staff are encouraged to stay abreast of current research about teaching strategies and techniques, and to trial and evaluate the impact of these, with the children’s best interests in mind. Our staff readily engage in wider reading and research and share their findings with colleagues to ensure best practice is achieved across the school. We invest in the development of our team of teaching assistants to ensure they have the skills and confidence to support children effectively. Our membership of the National College enables all staff to access high-quality CPD, so they can select appropriate materials for their own self-directed development. 

Our staffing structure fosters a collaborative approach, with staff in teams that are designed to enhance their practice and development. Each year group has a team of teachers who plan together on a weekly basis, so they can discuss and refine ideas to ensure provision in their classrooms is of the highest quality. In addition, each subject has a team of staff who drive school-wide development of provision in that subject.  

Our staff are reflective practitioners and use their time after school to consider how to adjust and refine their next day and future learning, based on what the children have learned that day. During this reflection, teachers have children and their learning at the forefront of their minds. 

We encourage staff, and provide opportunities for them, to have a voice, so they feel invested in and can take ownership of driving whole-school improvements for the benefit of the children. The Ridgeway team works tirelessly to ensure our provision is as effective as possible and strives towards our ethos of nurturing every child for lifelong success.   

At Ridgeway we place a high degree of value and trust in our practitioners, enabling our teachers to plan and deliver an outstanding curriculum to our learners.

We believe that teachers teach most effectively when:

  • They retain individuality and feel valued within the school community
  • They work as part of a mutually supportive team of co-headteachers, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher, leading practitioners, class teachers, higher level teaching assistants, teaching assistants and support staff
  • They are able to work collaboratively with colleagues, planning and evaluating together
  • They are part of the school’s decision-making process, setting out aims, policies, etc.
  • They feel supported by the school’s leadership team to take risks and try innovative ways of working
  • They have a high sense of well-being
  • They get adequate help and support from outside agencies
  • They have access to high quality professional development opportunities, designed to improve subject expertise and teaching skills
  • They have regular release time out of the classroom to enable them to plan and evaluate the curriculum, to support and learn from colleagues, to attend courses or visit other schools and to fulfil the requirements of their role as a team or subject leaders
  • They have clearly defined and negotiated job descriptions which form the basis for their role in the school development plan, through action planning and target setting
  • They have ample opportunity for professional development through school-based and other training opportunities, experiencing responsibility for a variety of subject areas
  • They are encouraged to widen their professional experience by teaching across the primary age-range
  • They have access to the resources necessary to carry out their teaching role successfully, and to provide an appropriately stimulating classroom environment.
  • They are reflective practitioners and who are aware of the characteristics of effective teachers