Each year we conduct surveys with our key stakeholders to hear from them what we are doing well and where they think there is room to do things better. We will be using similar questions year-on-year so that we can understand any trends and celebrate where we have ensured aspects of school life and our provision have improved over time.

Students, you said we did

The school is too strict

At River Academy, we pride ourselves on maintaining high standards. We check uniforms, equipment, and expect students to behave respectfully towards themselves, staff, and each other. These systems are the backbone of our rich academic experience, ensuring a focused and safe environment where teachers can teach and learners can thrive. While ambitious, these expectations help you develop essential skills for your future, and we're grateful that so many of you rise to the challenge every day! 🌟

Workload can be high

We set challenging targets because we believe in your potential to succeed. Transitioning from primary schools with minimal homework can be tough, but we offer plenty of support through homework clubs, lunchtime sessions, and staff conversations. Your impressive homework completion rate of over 95% shows your dedication and resilience week after week! 📚💪

Lunchtimes aren’t long enough

We've adjusted Friday's lunchtime to give you more time. While lunches in most schools are 30-35 minutes with long queues, our system provides similar amounts of free association time, ensuring you get the break you need. 🍽️😊

Variation in application of standards of staff

We conduct around 14 observations a week and set coaching targets for all staff. Although there may be some variation in classroom expectations, we're continuously working to improve and provide feedback to ensure consistency. 🏫🔍

There is some bullying in the school

We're committed to addressing this issue and we spoke to a sample of students to gather more information. Despite the positive behaviours we observe, we wanted to understand the nature of the perceived bullying, where it occurs, and how we can support everyone involved. Your safety and well-being are our top priorities. 

After speaking about this matter in some detail with a group of students we feel we understand that whilst there can sometimes be some unpleasantness between students, the school always addresses what it hears about and provides a safe environment to ensure there is a minimum of possibilities for bullying to occur inside the school day. This is further supported by the removal of phones from students at the start of each school day. 💖👫

Thank you for your feedback and for being part of the River Academy community! 🌈✨