Redwood Park Academy
Wembley Grove, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 2RYOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Redwood Park Academy is a special school in Portsmouth for ages 11 to 16. It is one of the 65 schools in Portsmouth. Its latest Ofsted rating is Outstanding, from an inspection in November 2019.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 19 November 2019, report published 5 December 2019
- Overall effectiveness
- Outstanding
- Quality of education
- Outstanding
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 23 April 2025
Pupils at Redwood Park love coming to school. They like the kind and happy atmosphere. The school is a calm place to learn because pupils behave extremely well. Staff are positive, friendly and caring. They understand pupils' needs and know how to help pupils get back on track if they occasionally become distressed. Pupils know how to seek help if they are worried about anything. This helps them to feel safe. Pupils are eager to be able to do more for themselves. During their time at the school, pupils improve their communication skills, gain confidence and become more independent. They enjoy attending the many clubs and activities that the school offers, both on site and in the local community. For example, pupils visit the sea front, learn how to kayak and how to spend money in shops. In the last couple of years, there has been some changes to how the school is organised. This is because some aspects of the school were not working as well as they might. Much has already improved. The school is more ambitious for pupils' achievement. Leaders and staff are working hard to make sure that these ambitions are realised consistently well.
What the school should improve
- Support for the weakest readers is not organised as well as it could be. Activities are not consistently well matched to what pupils need to learn. The books pupils use to practise reading are not always matched precisely enough to the sounds that they are learning. Pupils do not practise reading the sounds they know regularly enough. As a result, some pupils who have gaps in their phonics knowledge do not make the improvements they should. The school should make sure that the school's chosen approach to teaching phonics is thoroughly understood and followed, including that pupils have regular access to books that are well matched to the phonics they are learning.
- Sometimes, activities are not designed well enough to help pupils achieve the raised ambition of the academic curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as much as they could. The school, supported by the trust, should make sure that staff are well supported to deliver the ambition of the curriculum.
Pupil numbers and mix
168 pupils on roll, with places for 155
Schools near Redwood Park Academy
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cliffdale Primary Academy | 1 mile | Report card: Strong standard | 0% met the expected standard |
| The Wymering School | 1 mile | Report card: Expected standard to strong standard | Attainment 8: 0.7 |
| The Harbour School | 2 miles | Report card: Urgent improvement to needs attention | Attainment 8: 3.0 |
| Riverside Community Special School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Good | 0% met the expected standard |
| Mary Rose Academy | 3 miles | Report card: Strong standard to exceptional | 0% met the expected standard |
School details
- School type
- Academy special sponsor led
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- SOLENT ACADEMIES TRUST
- Age range
- 11 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Louise Quaid
- Phone
- 02392377500
- Address
- Wembley Grove, Cosham, Portsmouth, PO6 2RY
- Local authority
- Portsmouth
- URN
- 143828
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.