Redwell Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Redwell Primary School Barnwell Road, Wellingborough, Northamptonshire NN8 5LQ

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Claire Head. The school is part of Nene Education Trust, which means other people in the trust have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Chris Hill, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jenna Weedon.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Redwell Primary School are clear and confident communicators. They are welcoming and friendly to visitors, respectful to their teachers and kind to each other. Pupils feel happy, are mindful and are kept safe in this highly nurturing school. Pupils work hard in their lessons and meet the high expectations staff have of them to achieve and behave well. Pupils enjoy earning ‘values pebbles’ when they demonstrate the school’s values through their positive behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very proud of the way their school celebrates different religions and cultures. They enjoy community events such as the summer carnival and ‘Values day’ and raising money for local and national charities. Pupils develop a sense of responsibility by being leaders and working with the younger children. They take on roles such as playground and sports leaders, house captains, school council, librarians, reading ambassadors, door monitors, play monitors and shed monitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are given opportunities to develop their talents and interests through a range of activities. These include, for example, music lessons and workshops, a range of sporting activities, choir and clubs for science, debate, dance, craft and storytelling. Pupils develop an understanding of how to keep safe and healthy online and in the community.

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

The school has embedded a thoughtfully constructed and ambitious curriculum that 11 and 12 March 2025

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enables pupils to build their knowledge across a full range of subjects. This means that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are well prepared for their next steps and to continue their education into secondary school. For example, children from Reception Year start working scientifically, using simple experiments such as observing plants grow. This builds to more sophisticated ways of observing, making predictions and handling increasingly complex data as pupils get older.

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Teachers exhibit strong subject knowledge and explain things clearly. They use a range of strategies to support pupils to be confident, emotionally ready and able to access the learning. Pupils with SEND are very well supported. Leaders work effectively with teachers to identify and help pupils with SEND so they achieve well.

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Teachers check that pupils have remembered and understood their learning in the moment and over time. Teachers then make changes to correct misunderstandings and revisit learning if pupils have not remembered key knowledge. However, in some subjects, pupils are not given enough opportunity to apply and develop their writing skills across the curriculum. This means pupils are not fully developing the fluency they need to write with confidence and show their knowledge across subjects.

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The school has ensured there is a sharp focus on children learning to read fluently and with accuracy. Leaders check what progress pupils make in their reading. If pupils fall behind, well-trained, expert staff help them to catch up quickly.

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The school manages behaviour well. As a result, learning is rarely disrupted, and pupils move around the site safely. The school has ensured that pupils know what is expected of them. Pupils are rewarded when they demonstrate positive behaviour and understand the consequences when they do not meet expectations.

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The school prepares pupils to become responsible, respectful and active citizens through a well-structured personal, social and health education and relationships and sex education curriculum. Pupils are taught about different faiths and family structures. They are taught to be inclusive and respectful and to celebrate difference and diversity. The school ensures pupils enrich their cultural capital through a broad range of visits and experiences, as well as many leadership opportunities.

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The trust and school leaders work well together to maintain standards and ensure pupils achieve and behave well. Leaders make informed decisions based on the needs of children at the school. The school works with experts within and outside the trust to provide pupils with a very positive school experience. For example, they have worked with reading and writing consultants, as well as different local authority learning hubs, to enhance the curriculum across subjects. Similarly, working with SEND experts helps the school to refine its offer for some of the most vulnerable pupils.

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Recent work across the local committee and trust has added clarity to the roles of each group. This is a very positive step forward for the school’s governance. It offers a greater focus on communication to enhance parental engagement.

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Staff typically feel leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. Leaders have 11 and 12 March 2025

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worked with teaching and support staff to develop their understanding and delivery of the curriculum. As a result, staff typically feel well developed, recognised and supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are times when teachers do not provide opportunities for pupils to apply and embed their writing skills and disciplinary knowledge across the curriculum. This means that pupils are not as fluent and ambitious writers across subjects as they could be. The school must ensure that teachers are providing enough opportunities for pupils to develop their writing fluency and subject knowledge across all 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 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. 11 and 12 March 2025

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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). 11 and 12 March 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The principal took up her post in October 2021.  The school currently uses one unregistered, local authority-approved alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of the 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.  Inspectors met with school leaders, local committee members and members of the trust, including the deputy CEO and chair of the trust.  Inspectors visited sample lessons, met with some pupils and looked at samples of work. They also observed breaktimes and the start of the day. 11 and 12 March 2025

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 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 and open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupil’s interests first.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were considered through both discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Una Buckley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Chrissie Barrington Ofsted Inspector 11 and 12 March 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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