Redstone Academy for Girls

Inspection of Redstone Academy for Girls 466 Moseley Road, Highgate B12 9AN

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school fosters a culture of high expectation. These expectations are realised well within the school community. Ambitious leaders believe that every pupil can reach their personal potential.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The rich curriculum is taught well by skilled staff. Pupils engage well and work hard. They take learning seriously and want to achieve well. Teachers are quick to identify when pupils need extra help and make sure they get the support they need. Pupils enjoy their learning and they are extremely proud of their achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Alongside the academic curriculum, pupils engage in outdoor activities and charity work. They enjoy school trips and educational visits that support their learning. Pupils describe their school as ‘hardworking and enriching’. The sharp focus on careers education means that pupils are fully prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They say they feel safe and well looked after. Attendance at school is positive because pupils rarely miss a day. If pupils need help to attend regularly, the school does all that it reasonably can to support them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They say that bullying or unkind behaviour are rare. The school teaches pupils about friendships. Pupils are confident that staff would resolve any conflict quickly.

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better?

Pupils are proud to attend this school. The speak highly of their experiences and are keen to showcase their learning. The curriculum is broad and leads to positive achievements.

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better?

Pupils learn well across the curriculum. They learn and remember more. Teachers know their subjects well. They know what to teach and when to teach it, so that pupils build cumulative skills and knowledge over time. Teachers provide pupils with well-considered opportunities to revisit prior learning. This helps pupils to build their knowledge securely.

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better?

Pupils write with expression and imagination. They use rich vocabulary and grammatical features accurately. They take pride in their work and are keen to articulate their efforts. Pupils love to read. This is because reading is given the highest of priorities in the school. Pupils are resilient learners. They attempt challenging work with determination, including complex equations and problem- solving in mathematics.

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better?

The school checks what pupils know and remember well to address misconceptions and plan future learning. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind, or those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), are identified quickly. 20 to 22 May 2025 Interventions are targeted well and impactful. This is because pupils receive the support they need, when they need it.

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better?

The curriculum for personal, health, social and economic (PSHE) education is well considered. Leaders have carefully thought about important content that pupils need to learn in order to lead safe, happy and fulfilled lives. In key stage 3, the programme is planned and implemented well. Pupils learn about physical and mental health, how to settle into a new school, make friends and stay safe online and in the community. In key stage 4, pupils learn about relationships and sex education. Some aspects of the relationships and sex education (RSE) programme have not been taught in sufficient depth. Pupils enjoy learning about different cultures. They speak enthusiastically about ‘Culture Day’, where they learn about and celebrate differences in background, customs and religion.

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better?

The culture of high aspiration is reflected in the careers education programme. Pupils are ambitious. They have clear ideas of their future plans and are supported by the school to access work experience and college visits. They are well prepared for their next steps.

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better?

Pupils behave well. They understand the high expectations of the school and the behaviour policy. Most pupils say that this is applied fairly and consistently. Pupils are kind to one another and they say that bullying or unkindness is rare. The low number of reported incidents are swiftly managed by staff. Pupils say there is always someone to talk to if they are worried. Some pupils feel that they are less likely to feed back concerns around their learning or areas they felt school could improve.

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better?

Leaders are considerate of staff workload and well-being. Teachers say that they are well supported by approachable leaders. They speak highly of training opportunities and ongoing professional development.

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better?

The work of the school is overseen by the proprietor body. They scrutinise leaders’ work, for instance through meetings and visits. Robust systems for checking regulatory compliance ensure that the school consistently meets the independent school standards.

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better?

The accessibility plan ensures that the school complies with its statutory responsibilities outlined in schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Some elements of RSE and health education have not been taught in sufficient depth for pupils in key stage 4. This means that pupils’ understanding is not as 20 to 22 May 2025 secure as it could be. The school needs to consider curriculum design to ensure that planned content is covered in sufficient detail. The school needs to ensure that pupils are equipped with the knowledge and understanding that they need.  While there are processes for pupils to feed back about their general experiences at school, not all pupils feel that they are listened to and understood. The school needs to improve mechanisms for pupils to share their feedback and feelings on how they feel their learning can improve, to ensure that pupils benefit from continually improved experiences.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 20 to 22 May 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 148157 DfE registration number 330/6136

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School details

Inspection number 10374914 Type of school Other Independent School

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School details

Proprietor Redstone Educational Services Ltd

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 to 23 June 2022 20 to 22 May 2025

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Information about this school

 Redstone Academy for Girls is located in Birmingham. It offers places to pupils aged 11 to 16. The school has an Islamic ethos.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  At the time of the inspection, the school had exceeded the maximum number of pupils on roll that it is registered to admit. The school had not notified the Department for Education (DfE) of this and was therefore operating beyond its registration.  The chair of the proprietor body has changed since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with a representative of the proprietorial body. Meetings were also held with the headteacher, who is also the chair of the proprietor body. Inspectors met with the deputy headteacher.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, including reading, mathematics, science and PSHE. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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.  A number of key policies were reviewed including those related to anti-bullying, behaviour, complaints, curriculum, and health and safety. The lead inspector toured the premises to check for compliance with the independent school standards. 20 to 22 May 2025

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Inspection team

Melanie Callaghan-Lewis, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Huw Bishop Ofsted Inspector 20 to 22 May 2025 to 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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