Secondary school retains ‘outstanding’ Ofsted status after inspection

A secondary school with a ‘very ambitious curriculum’ where teachers know their pupils well has retained its ‘Outstanding’ Ofsted status following a recent visit from the education watchdog.

Redland Green School received praise from inspectors in a monitoring visit six years after the school achieved the top rating. However, the body did point out areas, including the ongoing assessment of pupils, which needed to be improved ahead of a full inspection in under two years.

Headteacher Louise Blundell told parents she was ‘very pleased’ with the result of the visit on March 15 and 16, and that work was already underway to strengthen ‘two areas of inconsistency’ highlighted.

The school, in Redland Court Road, is for children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,623 pupils on roll, including 469 in the sixth form.

What did the inspectors find?

*Pupils enjoy coming to school and behave well in lessons and at social times. They take responsiblity for themselves and others with leadership opportunities avaliable for sixth form mentors.

*They said the ‘curriculum is very ambitious’ with pupils remembering what they have learned and able to connect new knowledge to acheive understanding. The curriculum alos promotes diversity and equality.

*Teachers now pupils well, and how to help them learn which enables good progress. Formal assessments are carried out to check what pupils have learned.

*Leaders have a thorough carreers programme which despite the national lockdown has provided helpful guidance for pupils on their next options. As a result, few sixth-form students change course or leave the school before completing their programme of study and most go on to university, apprenticeships or employment.

*The workload for staff is manageable. Leaders provide a clear vision, which helps staff to prioritise their work and focus on what will have the most impact on pupils.

What does the school need to do better?

* All ongoing assessments need to lead to actions which help pupils learn more

* Ensure all staff understand what pupils need to learn in all subjects and when they need to learn it

What happens now?

As a result of the monitoring visit, the school keeps its ‘outstanding’ status.

However, because some areas ‘suggest’ the inspection grade from a full inspection might not be as high, a full inspection will take place within two years.

What has the school said

In an update to parents, headteacher Ms Blundell said: “I am very pleased to be able to tell you that Ofsted have, after a recent short inspection, confirmed our status as an Outstanding school.

“We are so proud to have retained our Outstanding status and also that, throughout the inspection, the team were able to identify the strength of the core values that run through our school.

“The inspection team highlighted many areas of strength within the school, despite the interruption the last two years have brought.

“The Ofsted team did importantly identify two areas of inconsistency for the school to explore and further develop to ensure that we remain Outstanding in future inspections.

“These areas for development are in line with our own self-evaluation, and as such, are areas the school is already continuing to strengthen ready for our next full inspection, which will be due within the next two years.“