Oakwood Primary School

Oakwood Primary School Cotswold Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, GL52 5HD

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ progress and achievement are not yet good throughout the school.  In some lessons, the pace of learning is too slow and opportunities are missed to allow pupils to share their thinking.  Attainment and progress in mathematics are weaker than in other subjects.  Some teachers do not plan lessons that fully meet the needs of all pupils, particularly those with special educational needs.  Marking is inconsistent across the school and pupils are not as fully engaged as they should be in reflecting on and improving their work.  Middle leaders do not always take sufficient responsibility for monitoring the progress of pupils in their areas.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children benefit from the good start they receive in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  Positive relationships are evident across the school and are modelled well by all adults.  Pupils behave well, are happy and feel safe in the secure environment that the school provides.  Senior leaders and governors are focused well on securing rapid improvements for the school. Governors understand very well how well the school is performing.  The school uses its many external partners effectively for the benefit of pupils and staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 21 lessons or parts of lessons.  They talked to pupils about their work and listened to pupils read.  Inspectors held discussions with school leaders, staff, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and reviewed documentation, including improvement plans, the systems for tracking pupils’ progress, the arrangements for safeguarding pupils and samples of pupils’ work. They heard groups of pupils read and spoke with others about behaviour and safety arrangements at the school.  There were insufficient responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) but inspectors took into account views expressed by staff in the staff questionnaire and talked to parents and carers at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

Marion Hobbs, Lead inspector Additional inspector David Beddard Additional inspector Patricia Wright Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 Oakwood is a larger than average sized primary school. It became a Trust school in April 2011 and moved to new purpose-built premises in July 2011.  The majority of pupils come from a White British background.  The proportion of pupils who start at the school speaking English as an additional language is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is well above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium (additional government funding in this school for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals or in local authority care) is well above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve teaching so that it is consistently good or better by:  strengthening the planning of lessons so that work is set appropriately for pupils of different abilities so all groups of pupils to achieve well  developing the opportunities for teachers to share the elements of good practice that already exist within the school  improving the quality of marking so it shows pupils how they can improve their work  ensuring that all lessons move with pace and keep pupils interested.  Improve achievement for all pupils by :  employing more effective strategies, especially to motivate girls, in order to improve their use of mathematics skills  ensuring that provision for pupils requiring additional support is more closely matched to their individual needs.  Improve the effectiveness of the middle leaders by:  providing even more opportunities for them to take greater responsibility for monitoring pupils’

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

achievement and progress in their areas and building on the good practice already in the school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement is not yet good because not all pupils make the rates of progress that they are capable of.  The attainment of Year 1 pupils in the national screening check for reading in 2012 was well below the national average. However, the school has taken effective actions to provide stronger support in the teaching of letters and sounds (phonics) and this is already having a positive impact on pupils’ learning.  Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 1 is below the level expected nationally.  The proportions of pupils supported at school action and school action plus achieve significantly below their peers nationally although the school is working hard to rectify this through targeted support for individuals.  Progress in mathematics lags behind that of English in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. Senior leaders are addressing this robustly through a range of interventions for identified groups and in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

finding ways of engaging girls in mathematics, but these actions have yet to make a significant impact on results. The school’s tracking shows that pupils are already on track to do much better in the end of key stage tests than they did last year with results likely to be broadly average in English and slightly below this in mathematics.  Pupils start at the school with skills well below the levels expected for their age. They make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage with the result that a high proportion leave this phase in line with children of the same age nationally.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively throughout the school to support the particular needs of individual and groups of pupils and pupils in this group make the same progress and achieve in line with others of the same age in the school as measured by their average point scores at the end of Year 6. Teaching assistants are deployed well to work with small groups to enable

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

them to make the progress they need in order to be in line with their peers.  Most pupils enjoy reading and achieve well. Pupils talked enthusiastically about their personal reading books and the well-stocked school library that is an attractive space to support the enjoyment of reading for pleasure.  Parents and carers spoken to at the start of the school day are very pleased with the support their children receive and feel that they make good progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching is not yet good because there are inconsistencies in the quality of teaching in terms of the pace of learning and the impact of marking in showing pupils how to make improvements. As a result the achievement of pupils over time is not as good as it should be. Not all pupils are making good progress in their learning. However, considerable improvement has been made as a result of strengths in leadership and management and the quality of teaching is being systematically raised.  Planning of work at different ability levels to meet the needs of all groups of pupils is not yet embedded across the school. This is understood by senior leaders and they are addressing this aspect of provision as a matter of urgency through training for all staff. As a result an increasing number of lessons are good or outstanding.  There are not enough opportunities for teachers to observe and learn from the examples of very

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

best practice in the school. This is being addressed to make the most of good practice.  Teaching assistants are used effectively to provide additional support for those pupils eligible for the pupil premium and this makes sure they make the same progress as others in the school and sometimes do better than this.  The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a good start to pupils’ learning on entry to the school. Parents and carers spoken to at the start of the school day were very confident about the quality of teaching in the school and the progress their children were making.  When teaching is good, questioning and opportunities for pupils to voice their independent thinking are evident. This was seen in a Year 5 class where pupils were exploring the features of different kinds of newspapers.  In a distinct improvement over previous years reading is taught effectively. Teachers provide interesting opportunities for pupils to read, both for enjoyment and to find information to

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

support their topic work. Good use is made of portable laptop computers across the school to allow pupils to carry out research online.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and generally behave well in lessons. They enjoy the wide range of after-school activities and visits to places of interest that help them in their broader learning.  Pupils enjoy coming to school and delighted in telling inspectors about the birthday celebrations when pupils whose birthdays fall in that week are given a specially wrapped gift.  Behaviour in and around the school is generally good. All adults model positive relationships very well and this provides a strong structure for pupils.  The school ensures there are equal opportunities for all pupils and that there is no discrimination. Pastoral support workers and the home-school liaison officer are highly effective in the work they do with families experiencing difficulties to help them engage with the school. Social and emotional needs are handled with sensitivity and this supports better rates of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

attendance for pupils whose circumstances make them more vulnerable.  Pupils have a good awareness of different forms of bullying. There are few incidents of bullying and these are dealt with effectively. Pupils are confident that they can talk to an adult if they have any concern and that matters will be dealt with promptly.  Pupils say they feel safe at school and understand how to keep themselves safe, including e safety.  Attendance is still below the national average but is improving rapidly owing to the increasingly effective ways that the school is working with the community to build trust and engagement.

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The leadership and management are good

 All senior leaders and members of the governing body are working effectively to see the school move forwards quickly. The strategies undertaken are beginning to have a positive impact on outcomes for all pupils. Although there is still more to do, this represents significant improvement, for example in developing the quality of teaching and learning  The headteacher and deputy headteacher understand fully the needs of the school and set high expectations for all staff through their own vision and through the performance management cycle that is tied to school targets and outcomes for pupils.  Teachers’ professional development is linked closely to school improvement and the school makes very effective use of its partners to ensure that training needs are fully met.  The curriculum provides well for the needs of all groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. The topic-based approach allows pupils to use their

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The leadership and management are good

curiosity and imagination, for example through themes such as ‘If I were a Victorian inventor’ or ‘Time Travel’. Pupils talk positively about learning in this way and feel it helps them prepare for the next stage of their education by encouraging them to think for themselves.  The school works well with all parents and carers, and especially with those who might find working with the school difficult, to support good rates of attendance and progress for pupils.  The school meets the statutory requirements for safeguarding.  The school budget is well managed by the governing body to ensure that the needs of all groups of pupils are supported appropriately.  The governance of the school:  Governors understand the needs of the school, basing their evaluation on the consideration of national data for pupils’ attainment and progress. They provide robust support and challenge to help the school secure rapid improvement. They are an experienced group and are fully

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The leadership and management are good

aware of their roles and responsibilities. They take advantage of training provided by the local authority as needed and work very effectively with partners to provide for the school’s needs. A good example of this is the recently commissioned and completed external review of the school’s teaching and learning that is now being used by governors to drive further improvement for the school. Governors visit the school regularly to monitor and evaluate the school’s work. They work with the local authority adviser to set the headteacher’s performance management targets and make sure that teachers’ salary progression is linked to pupils’ achievement. They allocate the school’s finances effectively, including the use of the pupil premium. The governing body carries out its statutory duties strongly, ensuring for example, that procedures for safeguarding pupils are managed well, reviewed regularly and fully meet

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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 135857 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 406637

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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 292 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Reverend Stephen Eldridge Headteacher Charles Welsh Date of previous school inspection 8–9 June 2011 Telephone number 01242 715775 Fax number 01242 514047 Email address admin@oakwood.gloucs.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

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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