Redwell Primary School

Redwell Infant School Barnwell Road, Wellingborough, NN8 5LQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils’ attainment is consistently well above average in reading, writing and mathematics. They make excellent progress during their time in the school because teaching is outstanding.  Teachers have high expectations for what pupils can achieve and plan work carefully so that it is just at the right level to take pupils forward in their learning.  Children in Reception make good progress and are well prepared for Key Stage 1. Planning is sometimes overcomplicated, however, and does not always ensure indoor and outdoor activities build upon each other to develop children’s skills to the full.  The teaching of reading has a high priority in the school and is well supported by parents and grandparents. Attainment is high as a result.  Behaviour in lessons and around school is outstanding. Pupils feel cared for and safe.  This school gives great emphasis to developing pupils’ sense of values, and qualities such as

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

happiness and kindness are promoted constantly and highly effectively. Pupils’ attitudes to each other, to adults and to their learning are consequently exemplary.  Leadership and management are outstanding. The experienced and inspirational headteacher has created an extremely effective staff team. Frequent checks are made to ensure teaching and pupils’ progress are maintained at a high level.  Governors are keen to help the school to improve and have much expertise to offer. Their regular visits mean that they know how well the staff and pupils are performing.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 13 lessons taught by eight teachers. Four lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with the pupil council, six Year 2 pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and a governor responsible for teaching and learning, the headteacher and deputy headteacher, and teachers responsible for different aspects such as the Early Years Foundation Stage.  A discussion took place with a representative from the local authority about the support and advice it gives to the school.  There were 60 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) by the end of the inspection. The inspectors took account of these and also sought the views of parents and carers as they arrived at school with their children.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ recent and current progress, minutes of the latest Governing

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Information about this inspection

Body meeting, planning for school improvement, checks on teaching and behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Joseph Peacock, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Liz Kissane Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. It has seven classes: two in Year 1 and in Year 2, but three in Reception as the school is expanding to have three in each year.  It shares spacious grounds with the junior school next to it.  The proportion of pupils from a variety of minority ethnic backgrounds is below average, with few pupils speaking English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils supported by additional government funding through the pupil premium is well below the national average. In this school, it mostly applies to pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is low and the proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is broadly average.  On 1April 2014, the school will close, along with the junior school, and will re-open as a new

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Information about this school

primary school. Building work is planned to join both school buildings together.  The headteacher, who is a National Leader of Education is developing the school’s role as a National Support School. She was appointed as headteacher for the junior school from September 2013, being in charge of both schools since then, and will become the headteacher of the new school when it opens.  There is already a joint Governing Body for both schools. The Chair of Governors is a National Leader of Governance.  The school is a training school for apprentice teaching assistants.  The school is applying to become a National College Teaching School to train new teachers.  The local authority uses the expertise of the headteacher, deputy headteacher and Chair of Governors to support and advise other schools and governing bodies in Northamptonshire.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate children’s progress in their Reception year by:  ensuring that outdoor learning activities build more closely on activities taking place indoors.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children start school with skills and understanding that are broadly in line with those typically seen at this age. Relationships and routines develop quickly because staff are caring and supportive and help children to play and work together well.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Children make good progress in learning phonics (letters and their sounds), often using these skills to spell simple words correctly or read unfamiliar words. The school’s records show that children are making good progress in developing key skills in all areas of learning, and some exceed the level of attainment expected by the time they leave Reception. Planning covers different areas in detail but does not always ensure activities are linked to the development of specific skills so that children can practise them whether they are working indoors or outdoors. As a result, progress in Reception is good rather than outstanding.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The good start children make in school is due to the support from adults as they work in groups or independently and the wide range of enjoyable and challenging activities planned for them. The close attention children receive from all adults ensures that they are prepared well for the next phase of their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Most pupils, including those who are more able, make excellent progress in Key Stage 1 because teaching is outstanding. Attainment has been significantly above average at the end of Year 2 for the past four years. All pupils typically reach at least expected levels, and a much higher proportion than average exceed them. In 2013, results showed a dip from the very high level the previous year. Attainment was still significantly above average overall and in all subjects except writing. This was because there were more boys in the year group and many pupils started in the summer term so had a shorter time in Reception.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Standards have been restored to their usual high level in the current Year 2. School data show that boys’ attainment in writing has improved due to the provision of more opportunities for writing in English lessons and other subjects and teachers planning topics that capture the boys’ interests.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Attainment and progress in reading are excellent. Teachers have reviewed their strategies for teaching phonics, following the below average proportion of pupils attaining as expected last year. Extra homework in phonics and many more opportunities for pupils to read have raised standards. Three mornings each week, parents come into school to support reading, and reading records show the frequency pupils are heard reading at home.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupil’s skills in mathematics are as good as they are in other areas. ‘Pupils are on fire today,’ commented a teacher, as pupils told the time using a digital and analogue clock or found a half, quarter or third of numbers. Pupils are grouped by ability in Year 1 and Year 2 with two groups for each year. This enables teachers to plan appropriate tasks that challenge pupils and enable most to make excellent progress.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make rapid progress in reading, writing and mathematics. They benefit from the outstanding teaching and the expertise of some highly skilled teaching assistants who work closely with individuals or small groups in lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 The school uses the small amount of additional pupil premium funding it receives well to provide individual help for the few pupils known to be eligible, and school records show that this helps to improve their attainment in English and mathematics. Too few Year 2 pupils were known to be eligible for free school meals in 2013 to comment on their attainment in national tests without identifying them. Generally, however, eligible pupils across the school make the same outstanding progress as their classmates.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The outstanding quality of teaching reflects teachers’ wide-ranging experience and their commitment to seeing that pupils of all ages and abilities do as well as they can. Teaching offers pupils tasks that engage, interest and motivate them. In one English lesson, for example, the teacher’s expressive introduction motivated pupils to write their own version of a story using ‘wow’ words. Some pupils completed six pages of writing.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers make frequent and accurate checks on pupils’ rates of progress in reading, writing and mathematics, so any pupils who are falling behind are quickly identified and supported. More- able pupils are challenged appropriately and make excellent progress. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make rapid progress because their individual learning needs are recognised in teachers’ lesson planning.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Marking, an issue for improvement in the previous inspection, has been improved. It is thorough and gives pupils clear guidance on how to improve punctuation and the content of their written work. Teachers ensure writing topics interest and engage boys in particular and this is rapidly improving their writing.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Reading is taught exceptionally well throughout the school, and pupils of all ages use their phonic knowledge to read and spell words correctly. Parents and grandparents help promote the love of reading and play their part in helping to raise standards by listening to pupils read in special morning sessions each week. In a sample of home reading records seen, each pupil was heard reading every single night.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Less-able pupils are supported closely by skilled and conscientious teaching assistants. Teachers plan suitably challenging tasks, both for them and the more-able pupils. This ensures that pupils of all ages and abilities listen attentively and concentrate well on their work. In lessons, there is invariably a quiet, industrious atmosphere and pupils work together well. They help one another by sharing ideas and information and constantly trying to do their best.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 In Reception, activities hold children’s interest well. Children were able to list things a delivery truck would take to a farm and sharpen imaginary pencils to write letters correctly in the air. Planning does not, however, always link the skills that children are learning indoors with those outdoors as effectively as it could.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The school uses homework to extend pupils’ learning very effectively. Pupils are currently given additional phonics exercises and basic mathematic number skills to learn, as some were not doing as well as expected in these areas in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Behaviour in lessons is exemplary and this contributes strongly to pupils’ excellent progress. All join in enthusiastically with staff in ‘Activate’ sessions, the music and exercises helping to prepare everyone for learning. Pupils say learning is fun and their enjoyment was evident in Year 1 as they made, then tested paper aeroplanes in the hall as part of their topic work.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is very good. Pupils readily say that they feel safe and that ‘everybody is really nice’. They clearly enjoy coming to school, as shown by their consistently above-average attendance. On ‘Values Day’ each year, emergency services and a range of volunteers support the school. The life skills bus ensures pupils have a clear understanding of how to keep themselves safe from danger. Messages are regularly reinforced in lessons and assemblies.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils of all ages have a clear understanding of different types of bullying, such as name-calling and misuse of mobile phones or emails. They say that bullying is not an issue in the school, a view backed up by school records, but know what to do if they should experience any form of bullying. Junior pupils visit to talk to pupils about bullying and keeping safe. ‘We have an anti- bullying team,’ reported a Year 1 pupil proudly. Problems rarely get as far as teachers or parents as pupils sort out disagreements themselves or with the team members.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Staff manage behaviour consistently well and deal with the rare incidents of inappropriate behaviour immediately and effectively. In lessons observed during the inspection, there were no interruptions of any kind because of pupils’ determination to listen carefully and do well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 In Reception, children settle in quickly. Their behaviour is excellent for their age and they thoroughly enjoy activities such as painting numbers and letters with water on outdoor surfaces or creating a farm collage indoors. In whole-class introductions to activities, many sit with a finger on their lips as they listen carefully to instructions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Attendance is above average and has been for the past three years. Currently, data for this year show that a further improvement will be made. Pupils are punctual and there have been no exclusions in the past two years.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The inspirational leadership and management of the experienced headteacher, and her determination to maintain high standards in all areas, are successfully motivating all staff. They share her drive and enthusiasm to maintain this as an outstanding school.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 All staff are fully involved in evaluating teaching and checking on pupils’ progress frequently. Any below par performance results in intensive support to lift teaching to the high standard expected. The school’s detailed analysis of pupils’ progress ensures that any pupils who are not making expected progress are quickly identified and supported. The deputy headteacher’s expertise in data gathering and analysis provides teachers with a clear view of their pupils’ progress. Improving boys’ writing was a focus last year and has resulted in boys virtually closing the gap between them and the girls.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are effective with all three teachers working well as a team. There is separate planning for classroom activities, those in the shared area, phonics, mathematics and the outdoor area. However, because all this planning is undertaken separately, the different areas of learning and the skills being promoted indoors and outdoors do not always work as effectively together as they could.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is outstanding. Parents are fully involved and the compilation of regular assessment information on each individual enables teachers to meet the specific learning needs of all pupils. The school makes good use of outside specialists to support them in their work with individual pupils.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Senior leaders and the governing body make sure that teachers’ pay rises and promotion are closely linked to their performance in ensuring pupils’ successful learning and progress. The national Teachers’ Standards are used effectively in judging teaching quality.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The way all pupils are treated equally by staff reflects the school’s strong principles of inclusion and equality, so that no-one experiences discrimination. The importance of caring for every individual and the friendliness of staff ensure all pupils feel valued.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Teaching programmes have been developed well by able and knowledgeable subject leaders. The curriculum has a strong focus on literacy and numeracy. Parents and volunteers hear reading every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning in school and this is helping to maintain high standards. Staff training, funded by the additional sports funding from the government, is ensuring that pupils enjoy extra PE sessions that are exciting and enjoyable. The curriculum is further enhanced by clubs such as French knitting, the hamma bead club and yoga.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school is well-advanced in its preparations for implementing the new curriculum in September. The school’s already broad curriculum and a strong emphasis on values contribute well to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Religious studies, including world religions such as Hinduism and examining the honesty of people like Gandhi, give pupils a good understanding of other cultures, faiths and values. All enjoyed taking part in St George’s Day, the International day and Chinese New Year celebrations.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The local authority judges this to be a ‘jewel’ of a school because of the high quality of leadership and management and high standards achieved by pupils. It provides as much support as the school requests. The headteacher’s knowledge and expertise and that of senior staff and governors are used by the local authority to benefit other schools. Periodically, checks are made on the school’s performance to make sure that it continues to maintain its high standards.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 A third of all parents responded to Parent View and most were positive about the school. Almost all who responded, for example, would recommend the school to others. A very small number had concerns about homework. Inspectors found it to be at the right level for the age of pupils. The headteacher and senior leaders attributed the concerns to recent changes where more emphasis has been given to developing phonic skills and basic numeracy skills rather than homework topics. Parents spoken to during the inspection struggled to identify any aspects to improve. ‘They love it’ and ‘fantastic school’ were typical comments.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The governance of the school:  Governors visit the school regularly to find out for themselves how effectively the headteacher and staff are working. They know how well pupils’ achievement compares to that of similar schools nationally. The governing body has a wide spread of expertise and governors are highly effective in helping the school to improve through their interest, support and by asking searching questions. Each year the performance of the headteacher and all teachers is checked using information about pupils’ progress and standards achieved. Governors know what the school is doing to reward good teaching and to tackle any underperformance. All are appropriately trained, with almost all having attended training sessions in the past year. Financial resources, including pupil premium and sports funding, are well managed. Governors assess the impact of these funds on achievement and pupils’ interest and behaviour. The

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The leadership and management are outstanding

governing body has an excellent knowledge of child protection and safeguarding matters, and all current national requirements relating to safeguarding are met.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 121949 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 440583

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same act.

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4-7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 210 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Caren Ingold Headteacher Anne Ansell Date of previous school inspection 24 May 2011 Telephone number 01933 673520 Fax number 01933 673520 Email address bursar@redwell-inf.northants-ecl.gov.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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