Reddal Hill Primary School

Strengths

• Warm and inclusive ethos helps pupils, including mid-year arrivals, settle quickly and feel safe.
• Pastoral support is a real strength, with calm care for pupils whose lives outside school are unsettled.
• Pupils behave well around school and in lessons, and bullying is rare.
• Pupils trust staff to listen and deal with concerns fairly.
• Rich personal development offer includes trips, clubs, sport, music, arts and leadership roles.
• PSHE and relationship education are taught coherently, with parents kept well informed.
• Pupils understand democracy, respect difference and learn about the wider world.
• Early years provision is carefully designed, with a strong focus on communication and language.
• Children in early years settle quickly, are well cared for and make a good start.
• Curriculum sequencing has improved, especially from early years into key stage 1 and beyond.
• Phonics work is helping pupils recognise sounds and apply them more securely in reading and spelling.
• Inclusion work identifies needs swiftly and draws on strong external expertise.
• Pupil premium funding is used thoughtfully to enhance learning and widen participation.
• Leaders know the school well, speak honestly about improvement and are focused on pupils with the greatest barriers.
• Governance has full membership and provides appropriate support and challenge.
• Staff feel valued, and leaders consider workload and professional learning carefully.
• Parents hold the school in high regard.

Areas for Improvement

• Too many pupils still do not reach expected standards by the time they leave school.
• Published outcomes remain below national averages overall and in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes remain below national averages, with a large disadvantage gap.
• Pupils with complex SEND and pupils who join at different points in the year are particularly affected.
• Teaching and assessment do not consistently fit pupils' starting points.
• Some pupils repeat work they have already mastered, while others find work too hard.
• Support for pupils with SEND and high mobility does not always translate into consistently effective classroom practice.
• Phonics implementation is improving but remains inconsistent across classes and early years.
• Attendance rates are not improving quickly enough.
• Persistent absence is well above national averages and too many pupils miss too much school.
• Leaders have not yet ensured improvements are consistent enough across the whole school.
• The school must ensure phonics, reading, writing and early mathematics are taught consistently well in every class.

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