Woodgate Primary School

Woodgate Primary School Lutley Grove, Bartley Green, Birmingham, B32 3PN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress because teaching is good.  Pupils enjoy learning. They say they are safe at school and that bullying is rare and dealt with well.  Pupils’ behaviour is good and they treat each other and adults with consideration and respect.  The school knows where it has weaknesses and deals with them well.  The acting headteacher, governing body and other leaders steer the school well in its efforts to improve. They provide good training to staff to make sure that teaching is firmly good.  Leaders have acted rapidly to make sure that the absence of the headteacher and other staff does not affect how well the school works.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, work is not demanding or fast paced.  Teachers’ questioning is not always searching enough and pupils do not have opportunities to discuss their understanding and knowledge of what they are learning.  Teachers’ marking does not always give pupils clear guidance on how to improve their work, or make sure they follow guidance when it is given.  Some younger pupils do not settle down fast enough to listen to their teachers.  Not all pupils explain themselves as well in their writing as they do in their speech.  Good teachers do not see enough examples of outstanding teaching to help them improve their own teaching to that level.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 teachers in 27 lessons or parts of lessons. Seven of these were paired observation with senior leaders to check that they evaluate teaching accurately. Inspectors also listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with the acting headteacher, other staff and pupils, and with members of the governing body. Inspectors also spoke to parents bringing their children to school and to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors examined documents about the school’s work, including information about the achievement of pupils, development planning and the school’s self-evaluation.  Year 6 test results for 2012 were not available at the time of the inspection. Inspectors therefore looked very closely at the school’s information about pupils’ progress, and pupils’ progress in lessons and in their work.  They took account of the 23 responses to the Parent View online questionnaire, and also

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Information about this inspection

examined the school’s recent survey of parents’ views.

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Inspection team

Edward Wheatley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jennifer Taylor Additional Inspector Alan Brewerton Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than most primary schools.  Most pupils are White British. A very small number of pupils are at the early stage of learning English.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is broadly average, as the proportion supported act school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs. A very small number of these pupils have hearing impairment and are helped by artificial hearing aids.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is well above average. This is additional government funding for children looked after by the local authority, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those with a parent in the armed services.  All pupils are educated on site. The school does not use any alternative provision to support its pupils.  There is a privately managed and run breakfast club and after-school club. These are separately

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Information about this school

inspected.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in English and mathematics.  The headteacher and another school leader were not at the school at the time of the inspection. The deputy headteacher was the acting headteacher, with support from the headteacher of a local academy who is a National Leader of Education.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding by making sure that:  work is always demanding and fast paced  questioning is searching and there are opportunities for pupils to improve their understanding through discussion about what they learn in lessons  pupils have opportunities to write in detail about their understanding and knowledge  younger pupils settle quickly when they should be listening to what their teachers say  teachers give pupils clear guidance on how to improve their work, and make sure that pupils follow the advice they are given  teachers have opportunities to see what outstanding teaching looks like.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Questions have been raised about the accuracy of previous test results so inspectors focused on standards of work and progress made by pupils currently in the school. Pupils are making good progress in lessons. They start school with below-average attainment and standards in Year 6 are average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children in the Reception classes make good progress. They join Reception with lower than expected skills and, by the time they are ready to join Year 1, most have achieved the skills expected for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Past weaknesses that pupils had in linking sounds and letters (phonics) have been addressed and pupils read unfamiliar words competently. The net result is that reading skills are broadly average, and much improved on the poor results in the 2012 Year 1 phonics screening. The least able readers struggle a little to see the links between sounds and letters but are determined to use what they have been taught to help them read.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards in writing are broadly average. While most pupils use a wide vocabulary in both speech and writing, some pupils do not produce long pieces of writing with the same confident use of complex sentences that they use when they speak.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils have broadly average mathematical skills. They carry out mental calculations confidently because they practise them regularly. They take pride in being accurate in any form of calculation and check their answers with each other when they have the opportunity.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including those with hearing difficulties, make good progress. This is because teachers and classroom assistants provide accurate support, and also expect pupils to work independently to gain confidence in their own ability to do well.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The small number of pupils at the early stage of learning English make good progress because the school uses the staff it has well to support these pupils and help them to quickly gain English language skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils eligible for the pupil premium funding make good progress. Funding is used well to provide books, computer-based reading materials and teaching support for individual pupils. These pupils started with standards below those of similar pupils nationally. By Year 6, they reach higher than average levels compared with similar pupils, and are about one term behind other pupils in the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good. Most of the time teachers provide work that is carefully matched to pupils’ abilities and based on accurate assessment of pupils’ progress. Extension activities, such as extra writing and reading, help the most able pupils to make good progress. Staff provide good support for pupils who learn more slowly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ questioning is often searching, and makes pupils think carefully before answering so that they explain their ideas accurately. For example, in a Year 6 English lesson, pupils learned about using ‘flashback’ very effectively. The teacher questioned pupils carefully about where in their writing pupils would use flashbacks, what tense they would use, and how they would select interesting vocabulary to make their writing attract the attention of a reader. Pupils responded well, and were careful in planning and producing work of high quality.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lesson are usually well planned and with plenty of time for pupils to practise what they learn, and to talk about their work with each other. Discussion and collaboration is encouraged in most lessons and this plays an important part in helping pupils to explain themselves well, particularly when they talk about their knowledge and understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking usually gives pupils a good idea about how well they are doing and how they can improve their work. Pupils mostly follow the guidance given, and make a note in their exercise books to show they have done as they were asked. Most pupils know what their targets are, and are keen to reach them.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most subjects, teachers make sure that pupils practise their English, mathematics and computer skills. Subjects link together well and are planned to include topics that fascinate pupils, and to provide opportunities to work together, to support each other and to share ideas and arrive at agreed findings. This promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 As a rule, teachers make sure that pupils behave well, and they make it clear how they expect pupils to behave. However, they are not always insistent enough that young pupils should sit still, leave pencils and paper alone, and not move their chairs around when adults are talking to the whole class.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Reception classes is good. Children are encouraged to make choices about activities themselves, and adults make sure that there are many well-planned approaches to providing opportunities for children to talk, to calculate, and to play and work together. Staff use the outside area well to extend pupils’ opportunities to learn new skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Occasionally, work is not demanding or fast enough for pupils, and there are too few opportunities for pupils to discuss their ideas with each other, in order to be able to explain their understanding and knowledge clearly. Opportunities are sometimes missed to encourage pupils to write at length about their understanding and knowledge..

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The quality of teaching is good

 Some teachers’ marking is not always clear and to the point about how pupils can improve their work, and teachers do not always make sure pupils follow any guidance they give them on how to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well and levels of exclusion are low. Pupils know how they are expected to behave.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Relationships are good; pupils and adults respect each other and get on well together, whatever backgrounds they come from. Pupils are considerate towards each other and very friendly towards visitors. They say they that what they learn about relationships in personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons helps them understand about how they treat other people.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have good attitudes towards learning. Older pupils in particular are attentive and concentrate well, although younger pupils are sometimes slow to settle in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know about different forms of bullying. They say it is rare, and is dealt with well by adults. The last bullying incident they remembered was two years ago. Pupils have a good understanding about what is right and wrong.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils know how to stay safe. In practical lessons, they behave safely and considerately towards each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils take on responsibilities readily and carry them out well. For example, some older pupils are trained ‘reading teachers’ and regularly listen to younger pupils read.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attendance is broadly average, having improved over recent years. It dipped recently when the school lost the staff who followed up absence but has started to improve again now that new staff have been appointed to carry out checks as before.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school reacted quickly to the unexpected absence of the headteacher and other members of staff. It has worked closely with the local authority and is effectively supported by the headteacher from the local academy. As a result, there has been a smooth continuation of the school’s work under the leadership of the acting headteacher.

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The leadership and management are good

 The acting headteacher provides good direction for the school to improve. Staff work well together and are focused on maintaining and improving the quality of education for pupils. The school has a good understanding of where it has weaknesses and is working determinedly to deal with them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has dealt well with inadequate teaching, and provides good coaching to maintain improvements. Teachers have targets to help them improve their work, and these are directly linked to pupils’ progress and the school’s priorities for improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority provides good support and has been effective in supporting the school over leadership issues. The school is establishing links with other schools to help it improve teaching to outstanding, but these are at an early stage. Too few good teachers have had the opportunity to see what outstanding teaching looks like in order to improve their own practice rapidly to that level.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school organises the subjects it teaches well. Links between subjects are good and are well supported by a wide range of trips and visitors, some of which pupils find fascinating. For example, pupils were captivated by their visit to an aircraft museum. The visits and visitors, PSHE, assemblies, music, and artwork around school contribute effectively to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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The leadership and management are good

 No form of discrimination is tolerated, and the school strives to ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities to do well. All groups of pupils make good progress, teaching has improved and pupils’ attendance has risen. The school has dealt quickly with disruption to leadership. This shows the school’s capacity for further improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 Parents and carers are generally pleased with the school, and the school’s own survey of parents’ views reflects this. Links with homes are good, and parents and carers are welcomed into the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body supports the school well. It keeps its members up to date and mostly well trained in the skills and information they need to help the school. It knows about how well pupils perform compared with other pupils nationally, and checks that the school spends its funds on raising standards. For example, it checks that pupil premium funds are spent effectively on speeding up the progress of eligible pupils. It asks searching questions about the quality of teaching. It ensures that teachers’ salaries are linked to how well teachers meet their targets in terms of pupils’ progress and the school’s priorities for development. The governing body ensures that safeguarding requirements are met and that the school’s procedures for checking the suitability of staff it appoints are thorough.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 103310 Local authority Birmingham Inspection number 400608

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 352 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Yardley Headteacher Debbie Colley (Acting) Date of previous school inspection 26 May 2012 Telephone number 0121 464 2315 Fax number 0121 464 2238 Email address head@woodgate.bham.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

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. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

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School details

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

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