Redstone Academy for Boys

Overview

Pupils at Redstone Academy for Boys “flourish” within a culture defined by “mutual respect” and a strong sense of belonging, described by students as feeling like ‘a family’. The school has improved significantly since its previous inspection, with leaders prioritising both academic achievement and personal growth to help pupils become “reflective, responsible and mature young adults”.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate “Outstanding” behaviour and attitudes, attending school well and tackling learning challenges with “enthusiasm”.
• The curriculum is “planned carefully” with defined knowledge that builds logically on prior learning, supported by teachers who generally possess “strong subject knowledge”.
• Personal development is a “key pillar” of school life, with pupils developing a “deep understanding of fundamental British values” and engaging in community-focused activities.
• Leaders effectively identify pupils’ starting points and additional needs, ensuring that those with special educational needs and/or disabilities make “sound progress”.

Areas to improve

• Leaders lack a “clear understanding of the gaps in pupils’ reading abilities,” meaning struggling readers do not receive the “targeted support they need” to become fluent quickly enough.
• In a “small number of subjects,” teachers lack sufficient subject knowledge, leading to lessons that do not support curriculum aims and causing “misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge”.
• The school’s oversight “lacks rigour in some aspects,” failing to identify inconsistencies in curriculum delivery or errors in register coding, which prevents leaders from focusing on areas requiring the “greatest attention”.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”