The Reddings Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: The Reddings Primary School Bennetts End Road, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire HP3 8DX

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Outcome

The Reddings Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is welcomed and included when they join the school. Pupils get on well together. They reflect on their own feelings and consider how others are feeling. Visiting speakers with diverse experiences help pupils consider viewpoints and perspectives that may be different to their own. For example, Olympic and Paralympic athletes visited recently to tell pupils about their lives and training regimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy here. At breaktimes, pupils play together joyfully. They go out of their way to make sure everyone feels included. Pupils behave responsibly and respectfully. They are safe and feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ academic achievement. Typically, pupils build secure knowledge across subjects. Pupils benefit from the school’s strong support for their personal development and well-being. This includes additional pastoral support for those who need this.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about the importance of maintaining a healthy mind. From the early years and beyond, the school fosters nurturing, professional relationships with pupils. This helps pupils feel confident to speak to staff if they have any worries.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school aims to inspire pupils to love reading. Therefore, the school makes sure pupils read and listen to stories regularly during the school day. This begins when children join the school in the Nursery Year. Pupils at the early stages of learning to read receive phonics teaching daily. The school checks precisely the letter sounds pupils know. Pupils read books matched sharply to their knowledge of phonics. The school provides useful 5 and 6 November 2024

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information for parents and carers. This is so they know how to help with reading at home. If pupils struggle with reading, they receive extra teaching and support to help them keep up. As a result, pupils quickly learn to read competently and fluently.

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Pupils study a range of subjects in line with those in the national curriculum. From the early years onwards, the school sets out important knowledge and skills for pupils to learn and remember. This is sequenced logically, so it cumulatively builds as pupils move through the school. In most subjects, the school frequently revisits and reminds pupils about key content. When this is the case, pupils connect prior learning to new ideas with certainty. For example, pupils in Year 6 confidently select the most appropriate method to use when multiplying large numbers. This is because, in Year 3, they learn to add and multiply numbers in different ways.

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Typically, the school keeps a close eye on how well pupils learn. Teachers check pupils know and remember important information. In a few subjects, teaching does not make the most important information explicit and check pupils remember it. Where this is the case, the school misses where some gaps in pupils’ knowledge exist. As a result, sometimes pupils struggle to connect current learning to what they learned before.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective help and support to learn the curriculum. The school identifies if pupils may have SEND promptly. Teaching staff have strong expertise to support pupils with SEND. The school makes effective adaptations to teaching and resources to help pupils learn well.

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Leaders take effective action to make sure pupils benefit suitably from the education they receive. For example, the school has identified appropriate refinements to the curriculum. The governing body provides useful support and challenge to the school. Leaders and the governing body consult with staff regularly on issues that may impact their workload.

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The school provides appropriate information and effective support to parents about attendance. As a result, pupils attend school regularly and on time. Pupils know the school’s expectations about behaviour and conduct. They are attentive in lessons. Learning takes place without interruptions due to pupils’ behaviour.

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The school’s approach to supporting pupils’ personal development is well organised and extensive. The school provides a wide range of extra-curricular clubs. These include football, yoga and singing. Educational visits include residential experiences for older pupils. The school ensures that all pupils have equal access to these opportunities. Pupils learn about diverse cultures and traditions. They are taught about the importance of treating others equally. Pupils receive age-appropriate information about healthy, respectful relationships from the early years onwards. They learn important messages about how to stay safe, including online. The school listens to pupils’ views about the school. Elected school council representatives share their classmates’ ideas about how to improve the school. For example, recently, the school made improvements to the playground following pupils’ suggestions. 5 and 6 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, teaching does not make the most important knowledge pupils should learn explicit and check pupils remember it. Where this is the case, gaps in pupils’ knowledge exist, and they do not build as effectively as they could on previous learning. The school should ensure that the important knowledge pupils need to learn is identified clearly in all subjects and taught in a way that helps pupils build effectively on what they have learned before.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2019.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school. 5 and 6 November 2024

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 5 and 6 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Timothy Ffrench-Lynch

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 23 and 24 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new chair of governors has been appointed. From September 2023, the two assistant headteachers led the school jointly until the headteacher took up post in January 2024.  The school runs breakfast club for pupils who attend the school.  The school does not use alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and the assistant headteachers. The inspector also met with representatives of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. 5 and 6 November 2024

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Andrea Bedeau, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 5 and 6 November 2024

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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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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