Schools & FE · Report card

The Costello School

Inspected 10 Feb 2026 · published 21 Apr 2026 · URN 138287

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Stephen Cattell (lead), Clive Dunn, Marieke Forster, Nina Adamson, Rachel Cave

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Expected standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
10 Feb 2026
Inspectors verified
Clive Dunn, Marieke Forster, Nina Adamson, Rachel Cave, Stephen Cattell
Postcode verified
RG21 4AL
Name on report verified
The Costello School
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
138287

Page 1 of 14

Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourExpected
Curriculum and teachingExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingExpected

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+69Positivemore positive than 43% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praisepositiveeffectivehighly effectiveambitiousproudeffectivelyhigh-qualityinspirational

Criticismgapsnot high expectationsconcernsdeclininginconsistenciesnot consistentlylowsuspensions

How the report reads, start to finish

Every paragraph in order, sized by length. Tap one to see it on the page.

FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1353w+66
Leadership262w+89
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve36w−20

Strengths

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Concerns

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However, the school does not consistently identify precisely enough what a small number of pupils know and can do, and how well these gaps are being sharply addressed through targeted interventions. p.3

Next steps

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Leaders should further strengthen the school’s approach to identifying precisely what pupils, particularly those who need the most support, know and can do, to inform targeted support to address gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge of reading. p.5

What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 14
Words of findings: 1,702; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 41, typical 43
Average sentence: 15 words
Next steps: 1; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 6%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 47%Leadership 9%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 1%About the inspection 41%

Full report text

The Costello School

Address: Crossborough Hill, London Road, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 4AL Unique reference number (URN): 138287

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 Expected standard

Pupils achieve well across the curriculum. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make suitable progress through the curriculum from their individual starting points. In national examinations, pupils achieve close to national averages. This has improved over time. Disadvantaged pupils' achievement has also shown improvement over time. Typically, disadvantaged pupils are now also achieving close to national averages and better than disadvantaged pupils nationally.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

The work pupils produce demonstrates that they typically secure their knowledge and skills across the curriculum. In key stage 4, pupils use technical vocabulary confidently and accurately when talking about what they have learned. They feel ready for their examinations in the summer. Pupils have gained the knowledge and skills that they need to move on to further education or training by the end of Year 11.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have prioritised pupils' attendance. The systems for identifying pupils who may find it hard to attend are robust and highly effective. Leaders closely monitor trends in pupils' attendance and provide appropriate support where needed. They work closely with families and external agencies to tackle the reasons for low attendance for some pupils. Effective emotional and social support helps pupils who find it hard to attend to start the day purposefully. As a result of these approaches, attendance continues to improve, and persistent absenteeism is declining, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have established clear expectations for pupils' behaviour. These are well known by pupils and applied consistently by staff. As a result, behaviour has improved and suspensions have fallen sharply, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs/and disabilities. Leaders make thoughtful adaptations to the school's behaviour approaches for some pupils without lowering their high expectations.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

The school is a calm and highly orderly environment. Pupils are focused and highly engaged in their learning. Respect is central to the positive relationships that staff establish with pupils. Pupils do not tolerate any discriminatory language. They are confident that staff will act quickly to deal with any instances of bullying that may occur.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have a precise understanding of the strengths of teaching and the curriculum in the school. Through effective monitoring, leaders swiftly identify where inconsistencies exist. They prioritise professional learning to support staff to improve how well the curriculum is delivered. This includes developing consistent routines at the start of each lesson to maximise learning time.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have carefully designed an ambitious and broad curriculum. The curriculum is well planned across all subjects so pupils build important knowledge over time. This includes an aspirational outdoor curriculum. Pupils learn important social and life skills, and knowledge that complements the academic curriculum.

p.2

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have also developed a consistent approach to the structure of lessons. This typically enables teachers to regularly check what pupils know and understand. Pupils benefit from daily opportunities to remember what they have learned previously. This helps them to build secure knowledge as they progress through the school. Where teachers use learning checks with the most precision, they adapt the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities so they learn the curriculum well. However, more precision is needed to identify specific gaps a small number of pupils have in their foundational knowledge of reading. This includes for pupils where gaps in their phonics knowledge may remain a barrier to fluent reading.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have created a culture where pupils, including those who face vulnerabilities in their lives, feel well cared for. Pupils are proud to be themselves. They know that each pupil is valued as an individual.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders have developed a systematic approach to identifying which pupils need additional help to reduce individual barriers to their wellbeing, particularly disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. The Apollo nurture provision and Harriet wellbeing centre enables pupils to receive timely and effective support to access the curriculum and attend more regularly. Staff are well trained in the school's approach to identifying where pupils may need additional support.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders, with support from the trust, closely monitor the impact of their work to engage with and help pupils. This includes ensuring that additional funding, such as pupil premium, is used effectively. Where appropriate, leaders work closely with external agencies to provide any additional guidance or expertise that pupils may need. This includes the appropriate use of alternative provision for a small number of pupils. However, the school does not consistently identify precisely enough what a small number of pupils know and can do, and how well these gaps are being sharply addressed through targeted interventions.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders know the school extremely well. The trust has clear oversight of the school's work and holds it to account effectively. Leaders use their accurate understanding of what works well and where further improvement is needed to set clear priorities to further strengthen the school's provision. As a result, pupils benefit from a more consistent experience across the school. Leaders have taken effective action to develop a welcoming culture, where pupils get the help that they need to overcome barriers that they may face to their learning or wellbeing. This includes creating a robust attendance and teaching strategy that is having a positive impact on pupils' outcomes, both personally and academically. Leaders engage positively with parents and carers and the local community. This has supported with the recent improvements to attendance.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees and governors share leaders' high expectations for staff and pupils. Those responsible for governance fulfil their statutory duties and ensure that school leaders act in the best interests of all pupils. This includes having a detailed understanding of how pupil premium funding is used to fully benefit disadvantaged pupils. High-quality training supports governors to challenge and support leaders effectively.

p.3

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff are very positive about working at the school. They value the high-quality, research informed professional learning that has been prioritised for them. Staff value working with the trust to share expertise across the curriculum. Early career teachers benefit from targeted, individual support. Leaders are mindful of workload. Where change is needed in the school, leaders ensure that staff have the time and support that they require to implement new initiatives.

p.4