Redwood Park Academy

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Redwood Park Academy Wembley Grove, Cosham, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO6 2RY

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection. The executive principal of this school is Louise Quaid. This school is part of Solent Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Sharon Burt, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Hill.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Redwood Park love coming to school. They like the kind and happy atmosphere. The school is a calm place to learn because pupils behave extremely well. Staff are positive, friendly and caring. They understand pupils’ needs and know how to help pupils get back on track if they occasionally become distressed. Pupils know how to seek help if they are worried about anything. This helps them to feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are eager to be able to do more for themselves. During their time at the school, pupils improve their communication skills, gain confidence and become more independent. They enjoy attending the many clubs and activities that the school offers, both on site and in the local community. For example, pupils visit the sea front, learn how to kayak and how to spend money in shops.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In the last couple of years, there has been some changes to how the school is organised. This is because some aspects of the school were not working as well as they might. Much has already improved. The school is more ambitious for pupils’ achievement. Leaders and staff are working hard to make sure that these ambitions are realised consistently well. 23 and 24 April 2025

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

Leaders and staff recognised that, after the pandemic, many pupils struggled to cope with the demands of school. Consequently, the school has changed how it is organised to better meet pupils’ needs. Pupils now spend more time in their main classroom learning with one teacher. There is more consistency between how learning is organised. For example, all teachers use similar approaches to developing pupils’ communication. Staff understand why pupils behave as they do, and respond to changes in behaviour in a consistent, supportive way. All this ensures that there are really positive, trusting relationships between staff and pupils. Pupils feel much more settled. They are more confident about their learning.

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

The curriculum has been revised to be increasingly ambitious for pupils’ achievement. Pupils learn a broad range of subjects. Staff have better information about pupils’ starting points than they had in the past. Consequently, learning is typically well sequenced to build on what pupils already know and can do. Alongside this, staff adapt what they teach to help pupils meet the short-term targets from each pupil’s education, health and care (EHC) plan. Staff are patient. They understand that for many pupils much repetition is needed to help them remember what they are taught. Nevertheless, many pupils reach their targets quickly and achieve their potential.

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

While there are many strengths, there are some inconsistencies as staff adapt to meet the school’s expectations. Sometimes, activities are not well-enough matched to pupils’ needs or what they need to learn next. A new approach to helping the weakest readers improve their knowledge of phonics is not being used precisely, rigorously or regularly enough. For example, pupils do not practise the sounds they need to know regularly enough. The books that they use to practise reading are not well enough matched to the sounds they know.

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

Pupils are very well prepared for their adult lives. Pupils are helped to think about how they can participate in society. Pupils especially like the school’s own ‘flat’ where they learn how to develop their independence, for example by making the bed and doing the washing. Pupils learn how to behave in the workplace, including by undertaking work experience with local employers. Pupils achieve meaningful qualifications that demonstrate what they know and can do.

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

Most pupils attend school very regularly. Leaders understand the reasons some pupils struggle to attend every day, for example because of social, emotional and mental health needs. The school ensures that families who need it get additional help so that pupils can come to school more often.

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

Leaders and the trust place a high priority on supporting staff’s well-being and workload. This includes an ongoing programme of professional development. Consequently, staff are all on board with the school’s raised ambitions. Staff support each other well in making the necessary changes to the school. Parents and carers are rightly full of praise for the school and the positive difference it makes. 23 and 24 April 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Support for the weakest readers is not organised as well as it could be. Activities are not consistently well matched to what pupils need to learn. The books pupils use to practise reading are not always matched precisely enough to the sounds that they are learning. Pupils do not practise reading the sounds they know regularly enough. As a result, some pupils who have gaps in their phonics knowledge do not make the improvements they should. The school should make sure that the school’s chosen approach to teaching phonics is thoroughly understood and followed, including that pupils have regular access to books that are well matched to the phonics they are learning.  Sometimes, activities are not designed well enough to help pupils achieve the raised ambition of the academic curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as much as they could. The school, supported by the trust, should make sure that staff are well

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

supported to deliver the ambition of the curriculum.

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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 outstanding 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 outstanding for overall effectiveness in November 2019. 23 and 24 April 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). 23 and 24 April 2025

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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School details

Principal Louise Quaid (Executive Principal)

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 November 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school caters for pupils with complex communication and/or learning difficulties. All pupils have an EHC plan. The school is part of the Solent Academies Trust, which has four other special schools in the area.  The trust has restructured the leadership of the school over the last two years. Several senior and middle leaders are new to their roles.  At the time of the inspection, the previous head of school had very recently left the school. The trust is actively recruiting for a new head of school to begin in September 2025.  The school uses three unregistered providers of alternative provision.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 23 and 24 April 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive principal, and other senior leaders and staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the trust, including the chair of the board of trustees, the chief executive officer, the director of school improvement and the chair of the standards board. The inspector also met with the chair of the local academy committee and some other governors.  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

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and the views of staff and pupils in Ofsted’s online surveys. Inspectors also spoke to pupils and staff in meetings and around the school site.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation and records.

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Inspection team

Catherine Old, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Alan Johnson Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 April 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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