Redbridge Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Redbridge Primary School Studland Road, Millbrook, Southampton, Hampshire SO16 9BB

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Outcome

Redbridge 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?

This is a school where pupils feel welcome, are happy and know that they are cared for. Building strong relationships is of crucial importance to the school. Pupils trust the adults. They know adults will listen and help whenever needed. From the very start of the Reception Year, children thrive in this nurturing environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School leaders, including governors, have high expectations for all pupils to achieve well regardless of any barriers to their learning that they may have. Pupils rise to the challenge. They are keen to learn. Pupils listen and contribute well. Their behaviour in lessons is exemplary.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils cherish the wide variety of experiences that the school provides. They value opportunities to visit different places, including trips to local woods to build dens or going to museums, art galleries or the theatre. Pupils in Year 6 said that their residential was the highlight of their time in school as it enabled them to take part in activities that they had never experienced before. Going down the zip wire was a firm favourite. Class ambassadors spoke enthusiastically about their role to see how the new school values of ambition, integrity and well-being are understood and to gather pupils’ views.

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

The early years provision is a strength of the school. Staff have high expectations and children achieve well. As soon as they start in Reception Year, children benefit from an exceptionally strong curriculum which lays the foundation of their future learning. For 7 and 8 January 2025

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example, children engage in high-quality experiences to develop their number skills. These include visiting a local charity shop to experience spending their own money.

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The school has designed a curriculum that is broad, ambitious and meets pupils’ needs. Subject curriculums are well ordered. Teachers know what pupils have already learned and what they need to be taught, including key vocabulary. However, knowledge is not ordered sufficiently well in some subjects and older pupils do not link what they are learning with what they have previously learned. This means that pupils’ achievement in some subjects is uneven. Consequently, the school has reviewed the order of learning in these subjects.

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Where subject curriculums are well established, teachers have strong subject knowledge and present learning clearly. They revisit previous learning to ensure this is embedded before introducing the next step in learning. Teachers check pupils’ understanding effectively.

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Staff are experts in early reading and phonics. Children get off to a strong start in reading. The school regularly checks to ensure that the books pupils are reading match the sounds that they know. Staff keep a sharp focus on pupils who struggle with their phonics and reading. Staff know that pupils need to become confident, fluent readers. There is prompt support in place for those who need it to ensure that they keep up with their peers. As pupils progress through the school, they read a wide range of high-quality key texts. This helps to ensure that they develop fluency and secure reading knowledge. The school has strong procedures in place for identifying pupils with barriers to their learning. Staff know pupils well. They make sure that support plans are regularly reviewed so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make progress towards their targets. Consequently, pupils with SEND achieve well.

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The school has high expectations of behaviour. Pupils, starting with the youngest children, know the routines and behaviour expectations exceptionally well. They follow the school rules in class, as they move around the school and at playtimes.

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The school’s programme for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. Pupils can talk about difference at an age-appropriate level. They know the importance of celebrating diversity and treating people how they want to be treated. Pupils have the opportunity to visit a variety of places of worship and to learn about different religions and cultures. They understand the importance of being a good friend and how that relates to developing healthy relationships as they get older.

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Governors know the school well and what the next steps are. Staff are happy and feel supported. They said that leaders are aware of pressures on workload and take action to reduce these where possible.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 7 and 8 January 2025

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Information for the school and appropriate authority

 The school has recently adapted and changed the sequence of learning in some foundation subjects because, historically, knowledge was not ordered sufficiently well. As a result, older pupils are unable to connect current learning with what they have learned in the past. The school should ensure that knowledge is sequenced well in foundation subjects so that pupils learn equally well across all of their subjects.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2015.

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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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 7 and 8 January 2025

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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). 7 and 8 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school became part of the Bridge Education Trust (Southampton) in March 2023. The Bridge Education Trust is a co-operative trust comprising a federation of six schools.  The headteacher became the substantive headteacher in June 2024.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club for pupils.

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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 her evaluation of the school. 7 and 8 January 2025

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 The inspector focused inspection activity on a groups of subjects. For each group of subjects, the inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  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.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. She spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspector considered the responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She also took into consideration the responses

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Inspection team

Becky Greenhalgh, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 January 2025

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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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