Aldborough Primary in Seven Kings is graded Strong standard in all seven areas of its new-style Ofsted report card. Three more Redbridge primaries are out.
Aldborough Primary School in Seven Kings has been graded “Strong standard” in every one of the seven areas Ofsted now inspects. It is the school’s first report under the inspectorate’s new report cards, which replaced the single one-word judgement.
Ofsted published the report card on 8 September. The inspection took place on 9 June 2026.
The seven areas, all graded Strong standard, are:
- achievement
- attendance and behaviour
- curriculum and teaching
- early years
- inclusion
- leadership and governance
- personal development and wellbeing
Safeguarding standards were met. The school’s single next step is for leaders to “continue their highly effective work”.
Why inspectors rated it so highly
The grades rest heavily on results. The report card says pupils achieve “significantly above-average outcomes” in the Key Stage 2 tests in reading, writing and maths.
The Department for Education figures printed on the card back that up. In summer 2025, 90 per cent of Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in all three subjects combined. The national average was 62 per cent.
It was not always this far ahead. In 2023 the school’s combined figure was 66 per cent, against 60 per cent nationally, which Ofsted’s data panel classes as close to average. It rose to 83 per cent in 2024 and 90 per cent in 2025.
Inspectors singled out two groups:
- Disadvantaged pupils “attain better here in national assessments than their non-disadvantaged peers nationally”, the card says.
- Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities “also achieve highly due to the effective teaching and support that staff provide”.
On daily life, the report says pupils “display consistently high standards of behaviour” and “see the school as a supportive family”. They act as play buddies at breaktime and represent the school in sports teams that win local competitions.
Aldborough is part of the Loxford School Trust. Its headteacher is Abu Toki. The card records 365 pupils at the time of the inspection, against a capacity of 420. Its last full inspection, in June 2022, found it “continues to be a good school”.
How the new grades work
Ofsted now grades schools on a five-point scale in each area instead of giving one overall word. From the top, the grades are:
- Exceptional
- Strong standard
- Expected standard
- Needs attention
- Urgent improvement
“Expected standard” means a school is doing what is required of it. “Strong standard” means, in Ofsted’s words, that “leaders are working above the standard expected of them”.
Three more Redbridge primaries, and one independent school
Ofsted has published four other report cards for Redbridge schools since 1 September. All met the safeguarding standards.
| School | Where | Inspected | Grades |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary | Forest Road, Barkingside (IG6) | 7 July | Strong standard for attendance and behaviour; expected standard in five areas; early years needs attention |
| Coppice Primary | Manford Way, Hainault (IG7) | 7 July | Strong standard for personal development and wellbeing; expected standard in the other six |
| Manford Primary | Manford Way, Hainault (IG7) | 30 June | Expected standard in six areas; attendance and behaviour needs attention |
| Read Academy Education | Mansfield Road, Ilford (IG1), independent | 2 June | Strong standard for attendance and behaviour and for personal development; expected standard in the other five |
Coppice and Manford sit side by side on Manford Way in Hainault, in the north of the borough. Their postal addresses say Chigwell, but both are Redbridge schools.
Manford Primary’s attendance grade reflects its absence figures. Pupils missed 6.1 per cent of sessions in 2024/25, against 5.2 per cent nationally. Inspectors found that behaviour itself is “calm and considerate” and that pupils say bullying is rare. The report says attendance remains “a high priority for school leaders”.
Wohl Ilford Jewish Primary’s early years grade covers its Nursery and Reception classes. The report calls early years “a current focus for school improvement” and asks leaders to make sure recent changes “are sustained and embedded consistently”. Elsewhere the school does well. Its absence rate fell to 4.1 per cent in 2024/25, below the national 5.2 per cent. Inspectors said behaviour “in lessons and around the school is excellent”.
Ofsted says it carries out monitoring inspections of schools with any area graded “needs attention” or “urgent improvement”.
What it means for you
- If you are choosing a primary school for September 2027, Redbridge’s primary admissions round closes on 15 January 2027. Each report card is free to read in full on Ofsted’s site, including the attendance and results data inspectors used.
- The headline grade is no longer the whole story. Read the area that matters to you. A school can be strong on behaviour and still be working on early years.
- Parents of children at any of these schools can add their views at any time on Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors read those responses before they visit.
More on local schools: Ilford school term dates and falling rolls and school places in Redbridge.
Have your say