Woodley Primary School

Woodley Primary School Inspection report

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Age group 3–11 Inspection date(s) 10–11 May 2012 Inspection number 381739 Unique Reference Number 134779 Local authority Stockport Inspection number 381739 Inspection dates 10–11 May 2012 Lead inspector Louise Murphy

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 402 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Greenhalgh Headteacher Liz Richardson Date of previous school inspection 9 March 2009 School address Sherwood Road Woodley Stockport SK6 1LH Telephone number 0161 4306609 Fax number 0161 4941304 Email address headteacher@woodley-pri.stockport.sch.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

Louise Murphy David Law Additional Inspector Additional Inspector Clarice Nelson-Rowe Additional Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspectors visited 20 lessons and parts of lessons taught by 15 teachers. Inspectors made several short visits to other lessons. This included sessions developing pupils’ understanding of the links between letters and sounds and guided reading sessions. Pupils from Key Stage 1 read to inspectors. Meetings were held with groups of pupils, members of the governing body and staff. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in their books and around the school. A number of documents including school improvement and progress tracking documentation, minutes of the governing body, headteacher reports and records of attendance and safeguarding were examined. Pupil and staff questionnaires were considered together with responses from 177 parents and carers.

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Information about the school

Woodley Primary is larger than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. Most pupils are White British with a very small proportion from other minority ethnic backgrounds and most have English as their first language. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus and those with a statement of special educational needs is below average. The school meets the current floor standards which are the minimum standards expected by the government for attainment and progress.

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Information about the school

Since its last inspection, the school has had changes to the senior leadership team including a new headteacher and Key Stage 1 leader appointed in 2010.

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Information about the school

The school hosts an after-school and breakfast-club provision that is not managed by the governing body. This is subject to a separate inspection.

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Information about the school

The school has achieved the Fairtrade School Award, Basic Skills Mark, Primary Science and Geography Marks, International School and Olympic Get Set Awards. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key Findings

 Woodley Primary is a good school that provides a welcoming and friendly environment in which to learn. It is not outstanding because although teaching is good overall, a small proportion of teaching is less effective.

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Key Findings

 Achievement is good. Children get off to a good start in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Pupils make good progress and attainment is broadly average by the end of Year 6.

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Key Findings

 Teaching is of good quality. There is a positive climate for learning across the school, including in the nursery. Pupils say that they enjoy learning because teachers make it fun and activities usually provide a good level of challenge. Teaching of letters and sounds is effective and as a result, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils are fluent and enthusiastic readers. In a few lessons, the pace of learning slows because tasks are not well matched to pupil ability and pupils’ targets for improvement are not always clear enough.

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Key Findings

 Pupils are well behaved, polite and considerate of others. Attendance is above average and the majority of pupils arrive on time. Pupils have very positive attitudes toward learning and work very well in pairs and small groups supporting each other to complete tasks.

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Key Findings

 Leadership and management are good. The headteacher has a strong sense of purpose and her ambition for the school is shared by staff and the governing body. Effective procedures for the management of performance ensure that professional development is targeted well. Systems for reviewing teaching and learning and pupil progress are having a positive impact on curriculum development and pupil achievement. However, the monitoring of teaching lacks rigour and, consequently, variations in the quality of teaching and learning remain. The school provides well for the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so it is consistently good or better by:  always matching work to pupils’ needs  ensuring that pupils’ targets for improvement are precise and pupils always know how to improve their work  sharing effective practice from the best teaching.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sharpen monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning so that any unevenness in teaching or pupil achievement is tackled quickly. 

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils achieve well and make good progress in most classes. The pace of learning is brisker in nursery than in reception and is a little variable in lower Key Stage 2. However, in all classes, pupils’ attitudes are very positive and they enjoy learning. Staff prioritise the teaching of letters and sounds and by the end of Key Stage 1, pupils’ attainment in reading is broadly average. They read with understanding, are able to explain what has happened and predict what will happen next. By the end of Year 6, attainment in reading is average. Many pupils are reading long novels; they are enthusiastic readers, keen to talk about the type of book that they prefer and the authors that they find engaging. The many opportunities provided to encourage pupils to discuss their ideas with others is helping to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning. For example, groups of Year 5 pupils confidently discussed the effects of drugs. They were able to support each other to develop some

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Achievement of pupils

mature ideas such as, one group differentiated legal from illegal drugs and a second group came up with, ‘Illegal drugs make you a danger to the public.’

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Achievement of pupils

Children join the nursery with skills that vary from year to year. For example, skills in reading, writing and calculation are, for some cohorts, below age related expectations. Children make good progress and quickly acquire independence and curiosity; they listen well and follow instructions. When they leave the Early Years Foundation Stage many children are now attaining above age-related expectation, although this does vary relative to children’s starting points. Pupils’ make good progress overall. Current attainment at the end of Year 6 is broadly average in English and mathematics. This represents good achievement and progress, relative to these pupils’ starting points.

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Achievement of pupils

Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of the targeted support that they receive from teachers and teaching assistants. There is no significant difference between the achievement and the quality of learning of different groups. Inspection findings support the views of most parents and carers that their children make good progress.

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Quality of teaching

Much of the teaching is good and effectively promotes good learning. Teachers have high expectations and explain things well. They use questioning successfully to gauge pupils’ understanding and help plan next steps for learning. Relationships between teachers and pupils are a strength. During one Year 5 mathematics lesson, pupils acquired an excellent grasp of mathematical vocabulary which they confidently used during discussions. This was achieved because the class teacher had good subject knowledge which enabled her to explain the concept of equivalent fractions using appropriate mathematical language in a way that pupils could readily understand.

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Quality of teaching

Pupils in Key Stage 2 work in ability groups for mathematics and a range of activities are effectively adapted to meet the needs of the different groups. More-able pupils complete ‘maths challenges’ and ‘super maths challenges’ and disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are supported well by teaching assistants. Well-structured teaching enables pupils to write for a range of purposes in different styles with mostly accurate grammar, punctuation and spelling. However, there are times when pupils across the same year group complete the same writing activity, regardless of ability. In such lessons, pupils’ progress slows because the learning activities are not adapted well enough to meet the full range of pupils’ needs. This reduces the progress made on occasion.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers assess pupil’s work regularly and have conversations with pupils to encourage them to contribute to setting their own targets for improvement. However, these targets are not always precise or consistently available for pupils to refer to. Consequently, some pupils are not clear on what they need to do to reach the next level in their learning.

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Quality of teaching

Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted successfully across the school. Staff create a positive climate for learning and establish constructive relationships. Good opportunities are provided for pupils to learn cooperatively. In one lesson, pupils identified moral themes from fables and were able to link them to their own lives. For example, they reflected that it is important to be kind to others and they will be kind to you. Visitors to the school also make a valuable contribution. For example, a paraolympian guest was described by pupils as, ‘inspiring everyone even though she had a disability.’

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Quality of teaching

The majority of parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire believe that teaching is good and this was confirmed by inspection findings.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Behaviour is good overall and in some lessons outstanding. The good attitude of pupils to learning is an important factor in their enjoyment of school and good achievement. Pupils are proud to contribute to school life and enjoy taking on responsibilities around the school. For example, taking charge of music and equipment during assembly and acting as play leaders to support younger pupils. Pupils contribute fully to many aspects of school life. For example, the school council, eco-team and fair trade team report directly to pupils, staff and governors about issues that they are involved with.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils feel safe in school because they know that adults care for them. During play and lunch times, when Key Stage 1 pupils make effective use of games and equipment, they are well supported by play leaders. Key Stage 2 pupils rotate daily around zoned areas consisting of active and quiet zones, using board games. The active zone is supervised by a teaching assistant. The good organisation creates a positive play environment and underpins their good behaviour.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Records show that there have been no pupils excluded from the school and the overwhelming majority of parents and carers who responded to the Ofsted questionnaire agree that the school sets high standards for behaviour and safety. However, a small number expressed a concern about disruption to learning in lessons and how bullying was dealt with. All pupils questioned knew what different forms bullying could take, including cyber-bullying. They felt that bullying was very rare in school and if it did occur, then adults in school would deal with it effectively. A visitor with a physical disability spoke to the pupils during Anti-Bullying Week. She explained to pupils how she dealt with bullying when she was growing up and how she coped with it. This left a lasting impression on pupils and deepened their understanding of how hurtful bullying can be.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance was an area for improvement at the previous inspection and following a drive to improve attendance and punctuality, attendance is now above average and the majority of pupils arrive at school on time.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher provides effective leadership with the support of a well-informed governing body and an able senior leadership team. Senior leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths of the school and priorities for development. The headteacher has successfully driven improvements from the previous inspection. Teamwork is strong and staff morale is high because all staff know that their views and opinions are valued. The school has good capacity to sustain improvement.

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Leadership and management

Senior leaders take part in recently established pupil progress review meetings to consider the progress of individual pupils and provide interventions when required. As a result, teaching assistants have received professional development in order to provide better support in English and mathematics; this has helped disabled pupils and those with special educational needs to make good progress. There are suitably planned arrangements for staff development and these are linked well to whole-school development priorities. For example, training in understanding data and how this can support pupil progress and developing skills in moderating writing. Subject leaders are becoming increasingly involved in monitoring teaching. Senior leaders do not always use the range of information available to them from assessment, lesson observation and scrutiny of pupil work, rigorously enough to ensure that all teaching is of a good quality or better. Opportunities to share the best

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Leadership and management

teaching practice in school are not utilised fully.

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Leadership and management

Leaders and managers have developed a balanced and interesting curriculum. There are good links between subjects which add meaning and relevance to pupil learning. For example, pupils made a puppet in design and technology but wrote instructions on how to make it as part of a literacy lesson. An interesting range of clubs take place both after and before school such as, karate, netball, pottery and African drumming. Pupils enthusiastically talk of the visits that they have made with the school to Castleton and Manchester History Museum. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. The school has close links with the local community and with a Rwandan community and effectively fosters qualities such as cooperation, consideration, responsibility and respect for others.

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Leadership and management

Safeguarding procedures meet all statutory requirements. There are effective policies and procedures to protect pupils. Equality of opportunity is well promoted as pupils have equal access to good teaching and school activities.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils' needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ).

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils' work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school's efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school's overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils' attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Woodley Primary School, Stockport SK6 1LH

Thank you for making us so welcome when we came to visit your school. We were pleased to hear about the many positive things you had to say about the school. Thank you to those who completed questionnaires.

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Inspection of Woodley Primary School, Stockport SK6 1LH

Yours is a good school. Your teachers work hard to make lessons interesting and they plan many exciting activities for you. This helps you to make good progress in your learning.

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Inspection of Woodley Primary School, Stockport SK6 1LH

You told us that your school is a happy place and that the adults look after you well and listen to you. We agree with you and so do your parents and carers. We were impressed at how well you get on together and help each other. Your behaviour is good and you feel safe in school. We think that your headteacher leads the school well and she is greatly helped by all the staff and governors.

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Inspection of Woodley Primary School, Stockport SK6 1LH

Even in a good school like yours, there are things to improve. We have asked your teachers to make sure that you are all fully aware of the targets that they give you for your next steps in learning. We have also asked that they make sure that all of the work that they give you is matched to your ability. Finally, we have asked that all your teachers make sure that they check each other’s teaching and your progress in the subjects that they are responsible for. You can help by always letting your teachers know what you do and do not understand.

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Inspection of Woodley Primary School, Stockport SK6 1LH

Thank you for taking time to talk to us and we hope that you continue to enjoy your education.

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Inspection of Woodley Primary School, Stockport SK6 1LH

Louise Murphy Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted's website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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