Schools & FE · Report card

Maltby Redwood AcademyOfsted report card, 15 Sept 2026

Inspected 15 Sept 2026 · URN 140583

Ofsted inspected Maltby Redwood Academy on 15 Sept 2026, led by Matthew Harrington. This is a report card inspection; the lowest area grade was Expected standard. Source: Ofsted (Open Government Licence v3).

Summary

Report card, graded by area · lowest ExpectedSafeguarding met

Matthew Harrington (lead), Claire Leech

What we read, and from where

Click a reading to see it highlighted in the report.

Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Expected standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Strong 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
15 Sept 2026
Inspectors verified
Claire Leech, Matthew Harrington
Postcode verified
S66 8DL
Name on report verified
Maltby Redwood Academy
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
140583

Page 1 of 16

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
Early yearsStrong
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.

+56Positivemore positive than 10% of report cards whose lowest area grade is Expected standard

StrongExpectedNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Reads more critically than most report cards whose lowest area grade is Expected standard.

Markers show where typical reports of each grade sit.

Praisehigh-qualitypositiveconsistentlyenjoyhigh expectationssuccessfullyeffectivelystrengths

Criticismconcernsnot consistentlyconcernpersistently absentlownot swiftlynot consistent

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

Findings1370w+45
Leadership256w+85
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve47w+67

Strengths

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Leaders are positive role models, demonstrating the school’s high expectations in their interactions within the school community. p.4
They enjoy earning points for demonstrating the school’s high expectations of their behaviour and conduct or for working hard in class. p.5
Leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, consistently share their ambition to provide a high-quality, inclusive education for pupils at the school. p.4
As a consequence of the high-quality provision, children are well prepared for moving into Year 1. p.5
It enables pupils to enjoy school within a nurturing environment. p.3

Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

Quoted from the report. Tap to see it on the page.

Leaders should ensure that pupils on bespoke learning pathways consistently benefit from a well-designed curriculum and high-quality provision that supports their education and personal development. p.6
Leaders should use the information they gather to evaluate the school’s performance and determine whether actions taken are having the intended impact. p.6

What the report dwells on

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

Leadership & governance41
“Leaders should ensure that pupils on bespoke learning pathways consistently benefit from a well-designed curriculum and high-quality provision that supports their education and personal development.” p.6
Curriculum19
“Leaders should ensure that pupils on bespoke learning pathways consistently benefit from a well-designed curriculum and high-quality provision that supports their education and personal development.” p.6
SEND & inclusion7
“Leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, consistently share their ambition to provide a high-quality, inclusive education for pupils at the school.” p.4
Behaviour7
“They enjoy earning points for demonstrating the school’s high expectations of their behaviour and conduct or for working hard in class.” p.5
Teaching & assessment6
“Leaders are positive role models, demonstrating the school’s high expectations in their interactions within the school community.” p.4
Progress & outcomes6
“Pupils continue to demonstrate a positive attitude to learning as they progress through the school.” p.5
Maths5
“Most pupils develop the skills in the early stages of reading, writing and mathematics that they need to access the curriculum successfully.” p.2
Personal development5
“Leaders should ensure that pupils on bespoke learning pathways consistently benefit from a well-designed curriculum and high-quality provision that supports their education and personal development.” p.6

Anatomy of the report

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

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,724; about usual (typical 1851)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 45, typical 44
Average sentence: 14 words
Next steps: 2; typical 2
Hedged sentences: 7%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 45%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 43%

Full report text

Maltby Redwood Academy

Address: Redwood Drive, Maltby, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S66 8DL Unique reference number (URN): 140583

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

Early years Strong standard

Leaders make careful decisions about how the early years’ curriculum is organised. They sequence the important knowledge and skills that children must develop. Staff ensure that the curriculum content is taught through a variety of purposeful and engaging activities. Children consistently demonstrate high levels of engagement for sustained periods. Children enjoy exploring new ideas and playing with their friends in the classroom and outside.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

Caring, well-trained staff get to know children well. Positive relationships form from an early stage. This supports children to develop a sense of belonging. Staff ensure that children with barriers to their learning are supported appropriately. As a consequence of the well- established routines, children settle into school very quickly. They benefit from the high- quality provision available to them.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

Staff skilfully support children in their learning. They promote the development of language and communication through high-quality interactions. This successfully enables children to learn the skills needed to speak about their thoughts and feelings.

p.2

Early years Strong standard

Leaders check that the early years provision meets the needs of all children. They carefully review the progress that children make. Where necessary, they adapt the curriculum to help all children succeed. As a result of these actions, children achieve well and are ready the next stage of learning.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

Most pupils develop the skills in the early stages of reading, writing and mathematics that they need to access the curriculum successfully. Leaders have implemented a systematic approach to developing pupils’ handwriting. While many pupils successfully form letters and write with confidence, this is not consistently demonstrated by pupils across the school. In some instances, pupils do write as neatly and efficiently as they should.

p.2

Achievement Expected standard

As pupils progress through the school, they typically gain the skills and knowledge they need to move onto the next stage of their learning. In recent years, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics is in line with pupils nationally. This is also the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are otherwise disadvantaged. As a consequence, pupils are usually prepared well for the next phase of their education.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have put in place systems to monitor pupils’ attendance. They promote the importance of being at school regularly and on time with pupils, parents and carers. Most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged, attend school regularly. While leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, routinely review the attendance of pupils across the school, they do not use the data they collect as incisively as they might. This means that trends and patterns in data are not identified by leaders as quickly as they could be. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent decreased in the last academic year, following an increase in previous years. Leaders are aware of these individual instances that contribute towards this pattern.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have ensured that there are clear expectations of behaviour that are known and understood by staff and pupils. They check that these expectations are followed consistently. They take action to address this when it is not the case. Pupils’ behaviour is calm and orderly around school. They are polite and courteous to staff, visitors and their peers. Incidents of bullying or discrimination are low and addressed swiftly by staff if concerns arise.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders design and implement a curriculum that helps pupils build their knowledge and skills sequentially. They ensure that pupils develop the skills that they need in reading, writing and mathematics from the beginning of their time at the school. These skills are carefully built up as pupils progress through the school. This helps pupils to access the curriculum successfully.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Typically, staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities effectively. Leaders ensure that staff receive appropriate specialist training to enable them to support pupils in the best way. Teachers use a range of resources to develop pupils’ learning appropriately. They usually make considered choices in adapting the learning for pupils with additional needs. This supports pupils to learn new concepts while developing skills in independence. Some pupils who study a bespoke curriculum do not consistently benefit from the learning opportunities provided. Where this is the case, teachers do not provide activities that match pupils’ individual needs accurately enough.

p.3

Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Over time, leaders have developed a well-established approach to the teaching of the curriculum across the school. Leaders check that this is implemented consistently. However, they do not rigorously evaluate their findings. As a consequence, shortfalls in the curriculum are not addressed as swiftly as they could be.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders establish effective processes to support the identification of pupils’ individual needs and potential barriers to them succeeding in their education and development. Leaders work with other professionals and outside agencies to provide bespoke support to pupils.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils access opportunities available to them in school. Leaders use current research to inform the decisions that they make. While leaders evaluate the impact of their actions to support these pupils, they do not consider carefully enough how pupils have benefitted from the use of pupil premium funding.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders’ ambition for pupils to be appropriately supported in their learning is seen in the Woodlands classroom. Here, pupils study a bespoke curriculum. Some pupils also access the Beech classroom for focused intervention and support. Pupils in these provisions are settled. They benefit from working in small groups and interacting with their peers. It enables pupils to enjoy school within a nurturing environment. Leaders do not monitor the impact of the curriculum for this small group of pupils rigorously enough. This prevents leaders from evaluating fully whether the curriculum and provision is meeting pupils’ needs precisely enough.

p.3

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders make appropriate use of alternative provision. They ensure that it meets the needs of pupils who attend.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

At the beginning of the academic year, the school’s trust merged with another. Trust leaders have managed this transition smoothly. It has enabled the school to continue to build upon its many strengths.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders maintain a visible presence in and around the school. This is valued by staff, pupils, parents and carers. Leaders are positive role models, demonstrating the school’s high expectations in their interactions within the school community.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders, including those with responsibility for governance, consistently share their ambition to provide a high-quality, inclusive education for pupils at the school. They are aware of the school’s strengths and areas for development. The local governing board maintain oversight of the standards achieved by pupils, provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and actions taken by leaders to keep pupils safe. They visit the school regularly to see the impact of actions taken to develop it. Leaders gather a range of information to support their work. Sometimes they do not use this information as incisively as they might. This reduces leaders’ ability to evaluate their actions fully. Additionally, it reduces leaders’ understanding of the factors that may contribute to bringing about further improvement.

p.4

Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff benefit from regular, high-quality professional learning opportunities to develop their practice. This is exemplified in the consistent approach to teaching and learning that leaders have developed over time. Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the actions leaders take to support their workload and wellbeing. This contributes towards the collegiate approach established in the school.

p.4