Setting

Diane Lawry Executive Headteacher Woodcroft Primary School 37 Woodcroft Lane Waterlooville Hampshire PO8 9QD

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Woodcroft Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 2 and 3 May 2012, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Woodcroft Primary School

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in July 2011. The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached and the main judgements are set out below.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Woodcroft Primary School

Progress since being subject to special measures – good

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Woodcroft Primary School

Progress since previous monitoring inspection – good

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Woodcroft Primary School

Newly qualified teachers may be appointed.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Woodcroft Primary School

This letter and monitoring inspection report will be posted on the Ofsted website. I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Hampshire.

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Annex

Tribal 1–4 Portland Square BRISTOL BS2 8RR T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0845 123 6001 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Direct email : rebecca.jackson@tribalgroup.com

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place in July 2011

 Raise attainment in reading, writing and mathematics so that by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, levels are at least in line with national averages by:  providing a curriculum that is tailored to the needs and interests of pupils and includes more opportunities, across the curriculum, for pupils to write  raising teachers' expectations of what pupils can achieve and setting more challenging targets  making better use of data and assessment information to help drive and embed improvements.

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place in July 2011

 Increase the proportion of teaching and learning that is good or better by ensuring that:  when planning lessons, teachers take full account of pupils' prior learning and different abilities  lesson plans include a clearly indentified progression of skills, especially for the more-able  teaching and support staff are well informed about how best to meet the individual needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs  teachers assess pupils' progress during the course of lessons and amend their teaching accordingly to maintain a good pace of learning  lessons include a good range of visual clues and a stronger emphasis on new and unfamiliar vocabulary  all lessons are taught in a meaningful and purposeful context.

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place in July 2011

 Raise levels of attendance so they are at least in line with the national average by:  working more closely with parents and carers to help them understand the impact that unnecessary absence has on the education and well-being of their children.

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place in July 2011

 Improve the behaviour of pupils and the extent to which they feel safe in school by:  ensuring staff respond quickly and effectively to pupils' concerns and anxieties in lessons and around the school site  following up issues and the extent to which they have been successfully resolved  reviewing the behaviour log at regular intervals to identify any patterns of behaviour that require more rigorous intervention and support  ensuring that all pupils know what to do when they feel unable to resolve disputes for themselves, and increasing their confidence in staff to help when needed  raising the confidence of parents and carers about the extent to which the school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour.

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place in July 2011

 Develop leadership and management across the school by ensuring that:  action and improvement plans reflect the school's priorities and include measurable success criteria and a clear focus on outcomes for learners  levels of attainment and the progress made by different groups of pupils are tracked and reported on by leaders and managers in their areas of responsibility  leaders, managers and staff are held to account for the progress made by pupils  all statutory requirements are met including evaluating the impact of the school's policy for equality of opportunity and communicating findings to staff, parents, carers and the Interim Executive Board  evaluations are rooted in secure evidence and provide precise information about the impact of the school's work on different groups of pupils.

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Evidence

The inspector observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the executive headteacher, head of school, middle leaders, other members of staff, parents and carers, the Chair of the Governing Body, representatives from the local authority and groups of pupils.

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Context

Woodcroft is now part of a federation with Mill Hill School in Waterlooville. An executive headteacher provides leadership for the federation; this post has now been made permanent. The executive headteacher typically spends half of the week at Woodcroft. Day-to-day leadership is provided by a head of school. A deputy headteacher has been seconded from a local school to undertake this role; the governing body is currently advertising for a permanent replacement. The head of school was absent from the school for most of the spring term.

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Context

The school is fully staffed. One teacher left at the end of last term. His class is now being taught by a teacher who was already working at the school.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is rising as pupils increasingly make better progress. Pupils were making at least satisfactory progress in all of the lessons observed during the inspection; in a number of cases, they made good progress. However, although it is rising, pupils’ attainment across the school is generally low.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

The school tracks pupils’ achievement carefully. The data from this tracking show that many pupils have made significant progress over the past two terms. In some cases, pupils made more progress last term than they did in the autumn term. This was particularly the case in reading, where staff now provide carefully targeted individual support for weaker readers. Pupils in Year 2 and Year 6, who will take national tests and assessments this year, are on track to achieve more than pupils who took them last year; this is particularly the case in mathematics in Year 6.

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Achievement of pupils at the school

Although all pupils now make better progress, higher-ability pupils often make less progress than others. Pupils’ speaking and listening skills are improving, although many pupils still do not speak fluently. Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement.  Raise attainment in reading, writing and mathematics so that by the end of Year 2 and Year 6, levels are at least in line with national averages – satisfactory

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The quality of teaching

Teaching has improved significantly over the past term. Teaching was at least securely satisfactory in all of the lessons seen during the visit. It was good in a number of lessons. The Early Years Foundation Stage continues to be an area of strength.

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The quality of teaching

Teachers have high expectations of their pupils. They take greater account of pupils’ abilities when they plan their lessons. As a result, pupils say that their lessons are now more challenging, although some higher-ability pupils feel that work is still sometimes too easy. Teachers’ planning takes account of the particular needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Teaching assistants continue to provide effective support in and out of class. Lessons provide pupils with more opportunities to develop their speaking and listening skills. There are, for example, more opportunities for pupils to discuss things with each other and teachers push pupils to answer questions more fully. As a result, pupils’ speaking and listening skills are improving.

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The quality of teaching

Leaders have worked on the areas of weakness in teaching identified at the time of the last visit and all have improved significantly. Activities are more interesting for pupils and more closely matched to the lesson’s aims. Most lessons now move at a swift pace, although teachers sometimes continue with a particular activity for longer than they need to: this reduces the progress that pupils make. Teachers now do more to help pupils to understand what they are trying to achieve during the lesson. However, teachers sometimes make too little reference to this information during the lesson to remind pupils of the lesson’s aim or to check how much they have learned.

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The quality of teaching

Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement.  Increase the proportion of teaching or learning that is good or better – good

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour has improved significantly. This is something that parents, carers and pupils all recognise and appreciate. Pupils say that lesson disruption is now much less common. Behaviour incidents are tracked carefully to look for patterns or concerns. The number of pupils removed from lessons for misbehaviour has dropped sharply. Expectations of behaviour are high, but a range of effective support is in place to help pupils to meet these expectations. Individual behaviour plans for pupils with patterns of poor behaviour play a particularly valuable role in directing support. There have been significant improvements in pupils’ enthusiasm, attitudes and concentration. However, some pupils tend to lose attention quite easily.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils spoken to during the inspection said that they feel safe in school and everyone said that they would have someone to go to if they had a problem. Pupils said that staff work hard to resolve any disagreements or problems between pupils, although a few of the younger pupils said that these problems can occasionally persist for a while. Pupils across the school are now together in one playground; older and younger pupils were previously separated. This change has been well received. Younger pupils said that it has improved relationships across the school and that this makes them feel safer.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Overall attendance figures are gradually improving, but are still below average. Pupils’ attendance is tracked carefully to spot any patterns or dips. A range of well- considered strategies is being used to reduce absence and the school is working in close partnership with parents and carers. The proportions of pupils with 100% and 85% and above attendance have improved this year. In most cases, monthly attendance levels have exceeded those for the corresponding month last year.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Progress since the last monitoring visit on the areas for improvement.  Improving the behaviour of pupils and the extent to which they feel safe in school – good  Raising levels of attendance so that they are at least in line with national averages – satisfactory

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The head of school and executive headteacher provide clear and very effective leadership for the school. They have the confidence of parents and carers, staff and pupils. Staff morale is high and teamwork is strong, with the school’s improvement not simply dependent on one or two leaders. Members of the wider leadership team are now more involved in monitoring the school’s work; they have been well prepared for this role. Staff across the school readily take on greater responsibility. It is notable that the school’s improvement continued despite the prolonged absence of the head of school. The federation’s plans for development are very useful working documents; they are reviewed carefully and honestly to evaluate the impact of the school’s actions.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Senior leaders’ main focus has rightly been on improving teaching. Much is expected of teachers and poor performance is dealt with rigorously. However, teachers are provided with a range of very valuable training and support to help them to improve. The positive impact of this work is clear. Good systems are now in place to track pupils’ achievement. Teachers’ judgements about pupils’ levels are moderated rigorously to ensure that they are accurate. Data about pupils’ achievement are analysed carefully to check the progress of different groups of pupils, such as eligibility for free school meals, although the system does not currently separate pupils easily by ability. The achievement of pupils in each class is reviewed each half term in a pupil progress meeting. A range of staff attend these meetings, including support staff, for example the home-school link worker. This is a very positive feature because it enables the school to consider a wide range

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

of strategies and actions if a pupil is underachieving. The school works very closely with its parents and carers and provides a range of support for families that need it.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

The governing body has a clear view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Good work is being done to develop the effectiveness of the federation’s governing body.

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The quality of leadership in and management of the school

Progress since the last monitoring visit on the areas for improvement.  Develop leadership and management across the school – good

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External support

A wide range of useful support is being provided by the local authority. This has included, for example, intensive and very well-focused support to improve mathematics teaching. There is more extensive joint working with the federation’s other school. The school’s progress is being intensively and thoroughly monitored by local authority officers; the local authority’s reports are detailed and clear. However, given the school’s accelerating improvement and strengthening capacity, such intensive monitoring is no longer necessary.

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Priorities for further improvement

 Ensure that higher ability pupils are fully challenged in lessons and make as much progress as other pupils.

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