Redlands Primary School

Inspection of Redlands Primary School Lydford Road, Reading, Berkshire RG1 5QH

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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 Requires improvement 1 and 2 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe at Redlands Primary School. The school’s values of kindness, respect, determination, responsibility, integrity and equality are extensively promoted. Pupils are expected to live out these values and are supported to do so. As a result, behaviour is strong, and the school is a calm place with learning at its heart.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Everyone is proud of the recent improvements to aspects of school life. Pupils have been part of this journey. They know that adults will listen to them and their ideas, as part of the ‘Redlands Matters’ approach. A question is posed, and pupils and staff offer ideas to answer it. Ideas are implemented to further improve the school. Recent improvements have included recapping learning and developing playground friendships.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of pupils’ learning. The curriculum is new and expertly designed to meet the needs of pupils. Learning is organised to help pupils to deepen their understanding over time. Work in books is of a high standard. Pupils are typically well prepared for the next stages of their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the wide range of opportunities and clubs provided to enrich the curriculum. Opportunities such as drama and sports develop pupils’ teamwork skills.

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

The school has implemented significant changes since last inspection. An informal partnership with a neighbouring primary school has recently become a formal federation. Those responsible for governance have a clear understanding of the strengths of the school and the areas they want to continue to improve. They provide useful support and challenge. The school prioritises effective training for staff through the federation coaching and mentoring model. This supports staff to have the knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum skilfully.

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

The curriculum has been completely redeveloped since September 2023. This journey started with English and mathematics and continued with the wider curriculum. The school has identified the knowledge it wants pupils to learn across the curriculum. This starts in the early years, so that children are well prepared for what comes next. For example, in mathematics, children explore different ways to make numbers to 10. This helps them to learn number patterns and enables them to do more complex calculations later on. Similarly, in music, younger children explore rhythm through clapping to the beat. This helps them when they are learning notation and the value of notes and to write their own music further up the school.

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

The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified swiftly. The school works with external agencies to ensure that, whether in the additionally resourced provision (ARP) or in the mainstream classes, pupils get the help they need to flourish. 1 and 2 July 2025

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Early reading is a priority. Pupils’ learning is meticulously checked and those at risk of falling behind are given the support they need to help them catch up. Books used to teach reading are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils know. This, and the daily practise of writing single letters and simple words and phrases, provide opportunities for children to build fluency in both reading and writing. This prepares them very well for future learning. Pupils are proud to have been involved in establishing the school library. This has helped to increase interest in reading across the school.

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Teachers check on pupils’ current learning effectively. They respond quickly to pupils’ gaps in understanding or misconceptions. This helps pupils to typically achieve well. What pupils remember over time is not checked as carefully, or revisited systematically, in the wider curriculum. This means that pupils do not always deepen their understanding as well as they could.

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Pupils benefit from strong relationships with staff and their peers. Pupils behave well in lessons and learning is rarely disrupted. Staff have high expectations of pupil conduct and pupils rise to this.

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The personal, social, health and economic curriculum provides pupils with the information they need to be well prepared for life in modern Britain. Important local and national issues are woven through the curriculum. For example, information about safe relationships, mental health resilience and dental health is prioritised.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the school and enjoy working here. They recognise the positive improvements that have been made. While workload has increased to achieve this, staff well-being remains a high focus alongside continued improvement and pupils’ learning and development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s checks of pupils’ learning over time in wider subjects are not consistently effective. This means that some gaps in knowledge are not addressed, and their recall of prior learning is not secure. The school should accurately check pupils’ understanding and use this information to inform future teaching to help pupils to deepen their understanding over time. 1 and 2 July 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). 1 and 2 July 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Robert Howell (executive headteacher) Laura Kerr (head of school) Website www.redlandsschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 6 to 7 December 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The school has two ARPs for pupils with SEND. One caters for children at an emerging level and focuses on communication and language and social skills. The other is for older pupils who have social, emotional and mental health needs. Both ARPs can have pupils placed by the local authority.  The school is part of a hard federation with another local primary school which began in January 2025. The executive headteacher leads both schools.  The executive headteacher and head of school took up post in September 2023. The deputy headteachers took up post in September 2024.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not use any alternative provision. 1 and 2 July 2025

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, head of school, the deputy headteachers and members of staff. They also spoke with representatives of the local authority and met with a group of governors, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. The inspectors also considered the curriculum in 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.  The inspectors looked at a range of documents, including the school’s priorities for improvement.  The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through discussions. Responses to Ofsted’s surveys were considered.

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Inspection team

Samantha Ingram, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Fiona Henderson Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 July 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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