Redhill Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Redhill Primary School Wrights Avenue, West Chadsmoor, Cannock, Staffordshire WS11 5JR

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The head of school is Sam Philips. This school is part of The Shaw Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the interim chief executive officer (CEO), Kerry Inscker, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Meehan. There is also an executive headteacher, Libby Banks, who is responsible for this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong culture of safety and well-being at Redhill Primary School. Most pupils attend school regularly. The school does all it can to support pupils to overcome any barriers or challenges that they may face. Each day, pupils try hard to live by the school’s ‘ANTLERS’ values. There is a strong ambition for pupils to be the best they can be. Pupils achieve well, particularly in reading and mathematics. Pupils are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils know and follow the school’s ‘ready, respectful, safe’ rules. Classrooms are calm and orderly. Staff ensure that pupils follow clear routines. Pupils settle quickly to learning in lessons. They enjoy spending time with friends at social times. Appropriate support is provided to any pupil who needs it; be this help to regulate their behaviour or to settle and learn. Pupils are well-behaved in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Rightly, parents, carers and pupils are appreciative of and proud of their school. Parents value the ‘above and beyond’ support they and their children receive. This makes a difference to so many pupils and families at the school. Pupils are well supported to be successful both in school and in life. 25 and 26 March 2025

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

The school has constructed a logically ordered curriculum for its pupils. The knowledge that pupils need for future success builds over time to ambitious endpoints. Teachers present learning in exciting ways that motivate pupils to learn well. Teachers confidently help pupils to build on prior learning and close gaps in their knowledge quickly. Recent staff training has significantly strengthened this aspect of the school’s work. Teachers make careful checks on how well pupils learn the curriculum. However, in a minority of subjects, some checks are not as precise as the school intends. This means teachers cannot always assure themselves that curriculum endpoints are met in these subjects.

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

Most pupils take great pride in how they present their work. On occasion, simple writing errors impact on writing fluency for some pupils because they do not review and edit their work in line with age-appropriate expectations. This hampers the progress they make in writing as they move through school.

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

Early reading is prioritised. Staff teach phonics lessons in line with the school’s approach. Pupils practise the sounds they know when reading books that match these sounds. A wide range of literature, daily reading opportunities and reading awards help pupils to develop their love of reading. Pupils who fall behind in reading get effective support to catch up quickly. Most pupils learn to read with the confidence and fluency expected for their age.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are swiftly identified. They get the help and support they need to access the curriculum. For example, teachers successfully use a range of techniques to adapt learning carefully. Pupils with SEND achieve well in school.

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

In the early years, learning is carefully arranged to meet the needs of two-, three- and four-year-olds. It builds on what they know, understand and can do. Children enjoy listening to favourite stories. Staff sing songs and rhymes with children and help them to practise counting. Children have many opportunities to practise making sounds and recognising letters and numbers when working independently. They enjoy making new friends and working together. Staff teach children to share and take turns. Children get off to a sound start to their education.

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

The school is proud of its curriculum, including its ‘learning for life’ approach. This helps to raise pupils’ aspirations. Online safety and sleep hygiene workshops help pupils to develop an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves physically healthy, and to recognise risks to their well-being. Diversity and difference are celebrated at the school. For example, pupils learn about different family types and how to be a good friend. The school’s careers fair helps pupils to think about future dreams and goals. Pupils have high aspirations for themselves and each other.

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

Social justice and a sense of community are prioritised through the school rules. This helps pupils to understand right and wrong, and to challenge and stand up for what they 25 and 26 March 2025

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believe in. The school ensures pupils know how to report worries, concerns or dangers, and to seek support when needed, in a safe and restorative way. Pupils are ‘life ready’.

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Leaders, including trustees, know the school’s strengths and priorities. The trust provides the right level of support and challenge to leaders at all levels. This includes highly effective mentoring and coaching. It enables leaders to make well-informed decisions and take the right actions. Staff value support from leaders to reduce workload and improve their well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, simple errors in pupils’ writing impact on writing fluency and presentation for some pupils. These pupils do not review and edit their work in line with age- appropriate expectations. The school should ensure that staff motivate pupils to think about writing readiness, so pupils write with the confidence and accuracy expected for their age.  In a minority of foundation subjects, checks of pupils’ understanding are not as precise as the school intends. This means that teachers cannot always be sure that curriculum endpoints are fully met in these subjects. The school should assure itself of the impact of the curriculum in these subjects on pupils’ knowledge, so that it can be confident that endpoints are fully met and that pupils achieve well.

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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 25 and 26 March 2025

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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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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Redhill Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in November 2016.

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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). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

CEO of the trust Kerry Inscker (Interim CEO)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the school has joined The Shaw Education Trust.  The previous headteacher is currently the executive headteacher of this, and another local school.  The head of school took up post in September 2023.  The school provides a breakfast club for its pupils.  The school provides a preschool provision for two- and three-year-old children.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  Redhill Primary School converted to become an academy school in April 2022. When its predecessor school, Redhill Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness. 25 and 26 March 2025

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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.  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.  The inspector observed pupils at informal times of the day as part of their evaluation of safeguarding and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector held meetings with the head of school, the executive headteacher and

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Information about this inspection

other senior leaders. The inspector met with the interim CEO and trust representatives. The inspector also talked to pupils, staff and parents to gather information about school life.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Lorraine Lord, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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