Red Hall Primary School

Inspection of Red Hall Primary School Headingley Crescent, Darlington, County Durham DL1 2ST

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Inspection dates: 7 and 8 January, and 11 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 7 and 8 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Red Hall are happy and positive. They are welcoming to visitors, polite and highly inquisitive. Pupils of all ages embody the school’s vision of ‘CARING’, which includes values such as aspiration, respect and inclusion. Pupils enjoy warm relationships with the adults in school. They are well cared for by nurturing staff. There is a calm and purposeful learning atmosphere in classrooms.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school aims to provide an environment in which pupils thrive. Expectations of pupils’ achievement are high. Pupils generally learn well and embed their knowledge over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Well-trained staff ensure that pupils are safe. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, both physically and mentally. They speak fondly of the pastoral support they get in school. Where pupils might have difficulty with their emotional well-being, the school puts effective support in place to help them. If bullying does occur, it is dealt with effectively. The school is working hard to engage with parents and carers for the benefit of pupils.

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

Leaders have designed a high-quality curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils. Highly trained staff are adept at identifying pupils’ needs. The school puts appropriate support in place to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well. The school’s specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, Strive, provides pupils with very effective support to enable them to positively engage with learning and to progress well. While pupils generally make positive strides forward in their learning from low starting points, this is not reflected fully in published outcomes of national tests.

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

From the start of children’s education in the Lullaby Lane provision for two-year-olds, skilled adults focus on communication and language. This has noticeable impact throughout the rest of the early years provision. Children develop their confidence in their own ability to communicate. They develop a love of rhyme, songs and stories. High- quality resources promote children’s engagement and curiosity for extended periods of time. For example, children suggest their own ideas to extend their learning. They confidently explore the setting to find the correct materials or resources they need.

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

Recent training for staff has been successful in developing staff’s expertise in delivering the phonics programme effectively. This helps pupils at the early stages of learning to read to develop a secure understanding of how to decode unfamiliar words. The school’s careful checks on pupils’ learning through the phonics programme enables staff to identify, and then provide, any additional support that pupils need to close gaps in their learning. This is especially important for pupils who are new to the school. Pupils steadily become more fluent readers.

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

Older pupils develop their knowledge and skills well across different subject areas. For example, pupils in computing lessons use their knowledge of shapes and angles from mathematics to program a digital ‘turtle’ to move around a screen. However, some older 7 and 8 January 2025

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pupils have gaps in their knowledge that are not identified and addressed well enough. As a result, these pupils sometimes struggle to learn effectively.

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Most pupils behave positively in school. There are some pupils who have difficulties in maintaining positive behaviour. Sensitive and appropriate support is available for these pupils. Pupils talk with understanding of the positive impact this has on them. Persistent absence is high. Some pupils miss out on the positive education that the school provides. They struggle to catch up when they return to school. While the school understands the causes for absence and puts a range of support in place to improve this, some pupils do not attend school regularly enough.

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The curriculum in school extends beyond the academic. Pupils enjoy various opportunities for meaningful educational visits and well-being activities. For example, the whole school has the opportunity to visit and climb a local landmark, Roseberry Topping. As a result of the school’s well-constructed wider development programme, many pupils develop admirable attitudes to those of a different ethnicity, religion or sexuality. They are prepared well for life beyond school.

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Governors are committed and knowledgeable. They support the school well and offer supportive challenge where appropriate. Leaders take all decisions in the best interests of children. The school takes staff workload and well-being into account when making these decisions. Staff are part of a cohesive team and are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge that have not been identified and addressed well enough. This means that they struggle to build knowledge securely and close gaps in their learning. The school should ensure that effective support is put in place to close these gaps.  The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school is too high. This means that pupils do not receive their entitlement to education and struggle to catch up when they are in school. The school should strengthen its engagement with parents to promote regular attendance and reduce the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent from school. 7 and 8 January 2025

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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.

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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). 7 and 8 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Julie Davidson (executive headteacher)

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School details

Website www.redhallprimary-darlington.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 April 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 All governors have been appointed since the previous inspection.  Almost two thirds of staff were not working at the school at the time of the previous inspection.  The school has provision for two-year-old children.  There is a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. This 16-place provision supports pupils who have an education, health and care plan that identifies social, emotional and mental health needs. There are 13 pupils currently in this provision. The age range of pupils who access this provision is six to 11.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils in school is well above average.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and 7 and 8 January 2025

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management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection started on 7 January 2025. Inspectors returned on 11 February 2025 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders, some other school staff, members of the governing body, a representative of the unregistered alternative provider, the school’s external school improvement adviser and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the

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curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in some other subjects on day two.  The inspectors also discussed the impact of the curriculum in some other subjects.  An inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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 put pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  The inspectors considered the responses to the online staff questionnaires, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Ann Pritchard, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Richard Beadnall His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Kate Byrne 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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