Reedswood E-ACT Academy

Reedswood E-ACT Academy

Address: Bentley Drive, Walsall, West Midlands, WS2 8RX Unique reference number (URN): 138452

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Achievement Exceptional

Whatever their starting points, pupils at this school make remarkable progress. Year after year, pupils’ progress and attainment in national tests and assessments are significantly higher than average. This is also the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, for disadvantaged pupils and for those who speak English as an additional language.

p.2

Achievement Exceptional

This impressive level of achievement has its roots in the school’s unwavering commitment to securing pupils’ essential knowledge in English and mathematics. This enables pupils to maximise every opportunity for learning in these and other subjects. Indeed, the broad curriculum offers pupils many high-quality opportunities to excel. From physical education to history, and from geography to science, pupils develop deep subject knowledge and enjoy success. This, in turn, motivates them to learn more.

p.2

Achievement Exceptional

In both their achievement and their attitudes, pupils leave Reedswood Primary Academy exceptionally well prepared for learning at secondary school.

p.2

Leadership and governance Exceptional

The quality of leadership at this school is superb. Year after year, leaders have driven continual improvement across all areas of the school’s work. Notably, pupils’ achievement and personal development have risen to truly exceptional levels and all in the school community feel a keen sense of belonging.

p.2

Leadership and governance Exceptional

The oversight from the trust brings a meticulous level of scrutiny to the school’s work and performance. Trust leaders provide extremely effective support and challenge. This helps to retain staff, build their expertise and get the best from them.

p.2

Leadership and governance Exceptional

At the school level, excellent leadership inspires trust from staff, pupils, and parents and carers. Leaders ensure that all staff benefit from top-quality professional learning. This helps staff to perform highly at work and to manage their workload in constructive ways. Leaders’ attention to ongoing training strengthens leadership capacity and allows everyone to further enhance the school’s high performance. Staff greatly value the guidance and support they get from leaders. The sense of informed, ambitious team spirit is tangible.

p.2

Leadership and governance Exceptional

Leaders have an excellent knowledge of the local community. They understand the local challenges and find ways to overcome these so that all children get the best possible education. Parents understand leaders’ high expectations and are proud to send their children to Reedswood Academy.

p.2

Leadership and governance Exceptional

In all that they do, leaders put pupils’ best interests, particularly pupils who are vulnerable, at their forefront of their thinking. Leaders and those responsible for governance meet and exceed their statutory duties.

p.2

Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

The school’s exemplary focus on pupils’ personal development and wellbeing has a significant, positive and lasting impact on their learning, confidence, sense of belonging and academic success. Pupils speak with pride about their school and enjoy extremely positive relationships with staff and one another.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

The personal development programme is meticulously planned and coherently sequenced. It works seamlessly with the curriculum to deepen pupils' learning and enrich their experiences and supports them to navigate everyday risks, including those online. It provides meaningful opportunities for pupils to build cultural capital and excel across all aspects of school life. Whatever pupils' circumstances, the programme supports them to set ambitious goals and to meet them.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

High levels of participation in extra-curricular activities further boost pupils’ confidence, broaden their interests and inspire their aspirations for the future. Pupils take on many leadership opportunities and have a genuine voice in shaping school life. They show a secure understanding of important values such as respect, democracy and fairness. Visits to museums, concerts, sporting events and nationally significant sites, such as London, expand their cultural awareness and their appreciation of diversity.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

A deeply embedded culture of mutual support encourages pupils to contribute positively to their community and care for one another. As a result of the school's commendable attention to healthy relationships, pupils naturally model kindness, respect and inclusion. Everyone who joins the school is welcomed warmly as a friend and supported to thrive. Furthermore, highly effective pastoral support is readily accessible to pupils and their families, helping pupils to overcome any challenges and flourish.

p.3

Personal development and wellbeing Exceptional

As a result of the provision for personal development, pupils leave this school as confident, ambitious, resilient young people. They are proud of who they are, and excited about life and their ambitions beyond school. Their strong self-belief, optimism and social awareness reflect the profound and transformational impact of the school’s work.

p.3

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Pupils respond extremely well to the school’s high expectations for behaviour. Excellent conduct is the norm. This is because leaders have established a culture where respect, courtesy and consideration for others are prized by all. In lessons, pupils pay close attention to their teachers and cooperate very well with others. Around the school and on the playground, pupils instinctively look for ways to be helpful.

p.3

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The school’s behaviour policy is designed to recognise and promote positive behaviour and attitudes, and it does. Staff implement it with well-judged consistency so that pupils get the right attention for the right things. As a result, they become reflective, thoughtful individuals with a keen awareness of other people’s feelings. Bullying or poor behaviour are very rare. Nevertheless, the school has prompt and constructive routines in place to deal with any problems, should they occur. There have been no suspensions for many years.

p.3

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Over time, attendance overall has been in line with national averages and, currently, shows an upward trend. Leaders keep a very close eye on this. Indeed, their level of analysis is superb, and informs their work to find ways around any barriers to regular attendance. Their communication with families and other organisations about this is excellent.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Leaders have established a highly effective curriculum. In the core subjects of English and mathematics, deliberate attention to establishing the firm foundations of reading, writing and number sets pupils up to succeed. Furthermore, if anyone falls behind, staff are quick to step in to help them catch up.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Across the wider curriculum, subject content is sequenced carefully so that new learning builds precisely on what has come before. Teachers revisit core knowledge frequently so that pupils remember it and develop an increasingly complex understanding. For example, teaching in history and geography supports pupils to know how farming, settlement and trade have shaped the world over time. In all subjects, staff prompt pupils to discuss their learning, ask questions and widen their vocabularies. This builds pupils’ confidence and competence with spoken language. It also means that they become attentive listeners which, in turn, helps them to learn and remember even more.

p.4

Curriculum and teaching Strong standard

Support networks within the trust and input from external experts serve to build staff's subject expertise and strengthen teaching so that it meets pupils' changing needs, including those who are disadvantaged. This helps staff to deliver the curriculum to best effect. Because they know what the curriculum is aiming for, staff are quick to anticipate, spot and address pupils’ mistakes or misconceptions.

p.4

Early years Strong standard

Leaders at all levels know the importance of getting it right in early years. Consequently, they make sure that the curriculum, teaching and classrooms in the early years provision are designed to give all children the best possible start to their education.

p.4

Early years Strong standard

Leaders have established a sequential curriculum, which supports children as they move through early years into Year 1. Crucially, they prioritise children’s early language development. From the start in ‘Tiny Twos’ and the Nursery, staff find creative and meaningful ways to engage all children in conversations. A weekly puppet show in the Nursery class, for example, prompts children to retell and talk about stories. Attention to letter sounds paves the way for more formal, and very effective, phonics lessons in Reception.

p.4

Early years Strong standard

Classrooms support learning in other key areas, too. For instance, indoor and outdoor areas are set up to develop children’s dexterity, decision-making and independence.

p.4

Early years Strong standard

Staff maintain constructive communication with parents and carers. They gather information from home about their children’s experiences and interests and keep parents informed about their progress.

p.4

Early years Strong standard

The impact of this high-quality early years education is reflected in how well children are prepared for their next steps. These firm foundations set children up for later success.

p.5

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. They are quick to identify any barriers pupils may face with learning or any other aspect of school. They then find very effective ways to overcome them. For example, because many pupils start school with little or no spoken English, staff prioritise support for speech and language.

p.5

Inclusion Strong standard

For pupils with particular needs, staff work closely with families and a range of professional services from within and beyond the trust. This allows staff to strengthen their knowledge of different special educational needs and/or disabilities. It also steers them to adapt classroom practice in exactly the right ways so that all pupils can access the full curriculum and succeed.

p.5

Inclusion Strong standard

As well as classroom learning, the school makes sure all pupils have equal access to all other aspects of school life. From pupil leadership roles to after-school clubs, special days and trips, all take part and feel valued and involved.

p.5

Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders maintain rigorous oversight, including of the use of pupil premium funding, to ensure that pupils receive timely academic and pastoral support. Their collaborative and attentive approach to inclusion prevents any pupils from slipping through the net.

p.5

What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils at this school feel a keen sense of belonging and achieve exceptionally well. The inclusive ethos ensures that everyone is valued and supported. Relationships between all are built on trust, respect and care. Pupils feel safe and are confident that there is always someone on hand to help them. This sense of security means they can focus fully on doing their very best.

p.5

What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school’s nurturing, yet ambitious, environment allows all pupils to thrive. Pupils are attentive, motivated and very responsive to the high-quality teaching they receive. Consequently, most attend well, and classrooms are calm, purposeful spaces where pupils engage deeply with their work.

p.5

What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Behaviour is excellent and bullying is not accepted. Pupils are polite, respectful and kind. They understand the school’s high expectations and meet them consistently. Staff model positive behaviour, celebrate success and build pupils’ self-belief. Pupils enjoy school life and learning because they know that their teachers believe in them and want them to succeed.

p.5

What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from a huge range of experiences beyond the classroom, including clubs, trips, sporting activities and leadership opportunities. These experiences help pupils to build their confidence and resilience, and raise their aspirations for the future. Pupils know that their voices, ideas and ambitions matter.

p.5

What it's like to be a pupil at this school

From the start of the early years, staff place a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ language and number. Many pupils begin school with little or no spoken English. Nevertheless, the school’s highly effective focus on early language ensures that all pupils make rapid and sustained progress. As they move through the school, pupils become articulate learners. They apply their knowledge routinely across the curriculum and engage thoughtfully with others.

p.6

What it's like to be a pupil at this school

As a result of the school’s unwavering commitment to high-quality teaching, personal development and pastoral care, pupils leave exceptionally well prepared for the future. They do so with strong academic outcomes, high aspirations and the confidence to succeed in life beyond the school gates.

p.6

Next steps

• Leaders and those responsible for governance should continue to sustain the effectiveness of their work in all areas.

p.6

About this inspection

This school is part of E-ACT multi-academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Tom Campbell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lord Jim Knight.

p.6

About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

p.6

About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

p.6

About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders, staff, parents and pupils. They also spoke with trust leaders and the chair of the trust board.

p.6

About this inspection

Inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

p.6

About this inspection

The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

p.6

About this inspection

The school provides pre-school provision for children from the age of 2 years.

p.6

Team inspectors:

Michelle Bishton, Ofsted Inspector Darryl Asbury, Ofsted Inspector Rebecca Nash, Ofsted Inspector

p.7

Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

p.7

What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

p.7

What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

p.7

What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

p.8

What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

p.8

What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

p.8

What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

p.8

What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

p.9

Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

p.9

Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

p.9

average

2022/23 (final) 75% 73% Close to average

p.9

Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

p.9

Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

p.10

Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

p.10

mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

p.10

Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

p.11

Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

p.11

Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

p.11

Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

p.12

mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

p.12

Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

p.12

Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

p.13

Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

p.13

Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

p.14

national average

2024/25 (2 term) 5.2% 5.2% Close to average

p.14

national average

2023/24 (3 term) 5.0% 5.5% Close to average

p.14

national average

2022/23 (3 term) 6.2% 5.9% Close to average

p.14

Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

p.14

national average

2024/25 (2 term) 14.1% 13.3% Close to average

p.14

national average

2023/24 (3 term) 16.4% 14.6% Close to average

p.14

national average

2022/23 (3 term) 19.8% 16.2% Close to average

p.14

Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

p.14

Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

p.14

Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

p.15

Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

p.15

Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

p.15

Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

p.15

Urgent improvement

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.15

Urgent improvement

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.15

Urgent improvement

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.15

Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.15