Oak Wood Primary School

Oak Wood Primary School Morris Drive, Nuneaton, CV11 4QH

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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 academic progress as they enjoy their lessons and teaching is good.  Teaching has many strengths, with staff having high expectations of pupils, supported by specialist instructors for physical education and music.  Pupils’ behaviour is particularly well managed by staff. They make impressive improvements in their conduct due to the skilled approaches of the staff, especially with the pupils who have more complex needs.  Safety has a high priority in the school with both parents and pupils confirming this.  The headteacher, leadership team and governing body work well together to ensure that teaching is good and improving. They know what needs to be done to make the school even better.  The pupils enjoy their learning through a creative approach with opportunities for exploratory and investigative learning. They appreciate learning in the community and particularly liked the visiting theatre group.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is developed extremely well through the curriculum.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils are not always clear about the precise next steps they need to take in their learning.  The thorough information from annual assessments is not consistently used in lessons to ensure that learning is related to individual progress and on occasions this limits progress.  Marking is inconsistent and does not always give the pupils the information they need to improve.  Leaders and managers do not always follow through identified improvements.  Teaching is inconsistent and sometimes lacks flair or clear learning targets. In these lessons pupils are not as engaged in learning.  The lack of a cohesive policy for the teaching of reading sometimes restricts progress. Pupils are not always clear how they can improve their reading.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons during the two days. A large majority of these lessons were joint observations with the senior leadership team.  Discussions were held with the headteacher, senior leaders, governors, staff and pupils.  The inspection team looked at a range of documentation including information on pupil progress, the school’s plans for improvement, parental and pupil surveys, pupil’s books and listened to pupil’s read.  There were insufficient responses from the online questionnaire (Parent View.) One parent wrote directly to the team praising the work of the school.  Joint meetings were held with governors, the senior leadership team and the inspectors of the secondary school to discuss the impact of the recent multi agency academy trust.

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Inspection team

Rosemary Mackenzie, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Hilary Green Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Oak Wood Primary and Secondary schools share the same building and have one headteacher and governing body. The senior leadership team works closely together across the two schools.  The school mainly educates pupils with severe and complex learning difficulties and many also have associated needs such as autism and speech and language. All pupils in the main school have a statement of educational needs. When they first arrive most of the nursery pupils are being assessed for a statement.  Oak Wood Primary School converted to become a multi-academy trust with Oak Wood Secondary School in April 2013. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good.  Classes are organised by age with some streaming for the most able and for pupils with more complex needs.  The school has a higher than average proportion of pupils who are eligible for additional

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Information about this school

funding, (pupil premium) to support the learning of disadvantaged pupils.  There are more boys than girls; this is typical for a school of this type.  The school does not access any alternative provision.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning so that all teaching is at least good by:  making sure that the targets teachers set out at the beginning of lessons are personalised and clear for each pupil so that each pupil make as much progress as they can  having a consistent approach to marking so that pupils know what they need to do next  ensuring that planning is has clear targets for learning and that assessment is consistently linked to lesson planning so that all staff work together to improve progress  making sure that there is a whole school approach to reading which focuses on key skills and ensures that all staff and pupils know how to improve their reading.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that all areas identified for improvement are consistently followed through rigorously so that the quality of teaching and learning is even better.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress from low starting points. The school’ s increasingly accurate assessments on entry and when they move from Reception class into Key Stage 1 show that many pupils make –than-expected progress, especially in Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of pupils who have different learning disabilities such as autism is carefully checked. All pupils regardless of their background or special educational needs make equally good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school identified a dip in girls’ progress and amended lessons to engage girls. There are now no significant differences in the progress made by boys or girls. Most pupils enjoy lessons.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 They enjoy learning through play and investigation with some pupils successfully working in partnership or small groups. In one lesson, for example, a group of pupils worked co-operatively and intently explaining to one another how to follow the programme.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are supported by initiatives funded by the pupil premium make at least good progress. They enjoyed making music to stories with instruments, listening and following the music carefully.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Records show that pupils in the Early Years Foundation Stage develop their communication and learning skills rapidly and make good progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Assessments are now sound and have been carefully checked against those of other schools and across the school.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The two schools work together, as a multi-academy trust, to agree pupils’ learning levels and train together. This has improved assessment and the quality of teaching and learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations in both academic performance and behaviour. Classes are calm and orderly with vibrant displays reflecting learning. However in a small minority of lessons there is some practice that requires improvement.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons teachers systematically check pupils’ understanding and planning is clearly linked to individual learning needs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teachers use questioning well and carefully observe pupils to provide learning that meets their individual needs. However assessment is not always clear in planning nor is careful questioning related to assessment an integral part of all lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Learning is enhanced by the creative and exploratory approaches with staff being very skilled at helping the most complex pupils to access lessons.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and other adults create a positive climate for learning that engages and interests pupils. In one lesson pupils were finding ducks in sand and were highly motivated to count and recognise numbers; in another pupils talked very enthusiastically about a visiting theatre group. Pupils were very excited preparing for sports day in their PE lesson where they showed very high levels of concentration and participation.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is good in most subjects with most pupils making good progress over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The pupils in the multi academy trust share the facilities across the two schools and the leadership team has developed a common approach to teaching and assessment.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attitudes to learning are consistently positive. The skilled approaches of staff ensure that pupils with complex learning needs are able to join in lessons. They show enjoyment when they are learning together and through exploration.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons is good including within the lessons where teaching was less effective. They arrive and leave in a calm manner and are carefully supervised.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are kept safe with very effective and thorough systems and policies. They report that they are well cared for, feel safe and that there is no bullying in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 There is a positive culture of mutual respect across the school. Staff work closely together to help pupils with the most complex communication and behaviour needs to settle down quickly in lessons and learn.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attendance is average and there are no exclusions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils feel safe and confident as they enter and transfer to the secondary school. The joint leadership team supervises the excellent arrangements for transition between the two schools.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, governors and senior leaders have a clear vision for the school and the opportunities presented by the multi-academy trust and are passionate about pupils achieving the best they can. All key issues from the previous inspection have been addressed.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership team has the support of staff and parents who report that the school is well run. One parent wrote, ‘Our son has been at Oakwood for four years and it has been a wonderful experience for him and us… he has been taken to fantastic swimming lessons and had exciting activities based on themes such as the Olympic games last year’.

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The leadership and management are good

 The pupil premium has been spent appropriately on providing additional one-to-one and small- group teaching support, training for additional speech and language support, music, a summer play scheme and outdoor activities. This has helped pupils to make at least good progress and improved their access to learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The spiritual, moral, social and cultural education of the pupils is developed very well. Pupils appreciate the opportunities to learn outdoors, in the community and to play instruments. They enjoy tree hugging and the Yoga sessions that are shared with a local primary school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Targets set for teachers have helped to improve teaching and the learning environment across the school. Teaching has been appropriately checked and there is an appropriate relationship between the quality of teaching and pay.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has strong careful procedures to see that pupils are protected and safe. Staff work closely with other agencies.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school offers the pupils a wide range of learning experiences through a creative curriculum with subject links closely identified. They particularly enjoy the exploratory play based approach that promotes independent and collaborative learning.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has effective self evaluation and knows its strengths and weaknesses well however leaders at all levels need to ensure that all identified improvements are fully implemented and embedded in the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership team work well together identifying improvements across the two schools. They have a clear vision for the future of the multi academy trust.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body contributes well to the leadership and management of the school and ensures that there is effective challenge. It has promoted shared working across both schools and led the conversion to the multi-academy trust. They know exactly how the additional funding for pupils has been spent and understand the impact it is making. They have a clear understanding of their role in safeguarding and recruitment. They understand the linkage between pay and performance for teachers and are clear on the steps the school is making to improve teaching. They are well informed and have the necessary skills to provide effective leadership of the school and lead the multi-academy trust.

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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 139468 Local authority Warwickshire Inspection number 422424

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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 Academy special School category Community special Age range of pupils 2–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 108 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Bob Gilbert Headteacher Kevin Latham Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 024 76740907 Fax number 024 76740907 Email address admin7002@oakwoodschools.co.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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