Woodfield

Woodfield Stoneleigh Road, Coventry, CV4 7AB

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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 Requires improvement 3

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

 The senior leadership team have not brought about consistently good or better teaching in the secondary part of the school.  The senior leadership team do not analyse school information on pupils’ progress in enough depth to ensure a rapid response to any underachievement.  The proportion of pupils making expected progress in English and mathematics is too low.  The other adults who support learning are too often relied upon to deal with minor behavioural issues rather than concentrating on supporting pupils’ learning.  The quality of teaching in mathematics is not consistently good.  Pupils are provided with good explanations as to how to improve their work but do not always have chance to do so.

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The school has the following strengths

 Achievement is rising across the school and is at least good in the primary school.  The systems for tracking, monitoring and recording of pupils’ progress are robust in the primary school.  The non-core subjects such as art, technology and food technology are particular strengths of the school.  Older pupils enjoy the wide range of subjects available to them, especially the work and vocational courses.  The school keeps pupils safe. Pupils make good progress in learning to manage their behaviour.  Governance has improved considerably and provides robust challenge and support to the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 12 lessons or parts of lessons, eight of which were observed jointly with the two assistant headteachers on each site.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the Vice Chair of the Governing Body and one other governor, senior members of staff and with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also heard several pupils read during lessons.  There were 16 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View). There were 18 replies to the staff questionnaire.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of information regarding the safeguarding of pupils, attendance, school improvement and self-evaluation documentation, performance management records, minutes of governors meetings, records relating to the progress of pupils, pupil premium, primary sports funding and Year 7 catch-up funding records and those related to behaviour and safety.

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Inspection team

Ronald Hall, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Nicola Hart Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Woodfield School is a smaller than average-sized school based on two sites. These are a primary site and a secondary site four miles apart.  The school has six primary classes catering for pupils from five to 11 years of age and eight secondary classes catering for pupils 11 to 16 years of age. All pupils have a statement of special educational needs.  The school’s designation is for pupils with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. However, it is increasingly taking pupils with multiple learning difficulties such as attention deficit disorders, autism and Asperger’s.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils with English as an additional language is well below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for children in the care of the local authority and those pupils known to be eligible for free school

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Information about this school

meals, is well above average.  The older pupils experience work-related opportunities at ‘Learnfit’ in , Coombe Abbey Country Park Coventry and some older pupils attend Cardinal Wiseman Secondary School in Coventry.  More pupils than average start or leave the school at other than the usual times.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, particularly for secondary-aged pupils, by: - making sure that explanations and discussions build on what pupils already know and can do - sharing and developing the best practice in the school with all staff - providing pupils with greater opportunities to improve their work - making sure that all other adults who support learning are involved in developing pupils’ learning rather than dealing with behavioural issues - ensuring that senior leaders systematically monitor and develop the quality of teaching and pupils’ learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise achievement in mathematics and English for secondary-aged pupils by ensuring that: - teachers’ expectations are consistently high and that pupils are always suitably challenged to achieve their best - gaps in pupils’ previous learning are closed so that pupils can make more rapid progress - staff provide pupils with clear guidance as to what they should do next to improve their learning - pupils have time to improve their work by paying close attention to this guidance so that they can achieve even more.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management further through the greater analysis of school information on pupils’ progress to ensure that any underachievement can be tackled quicker.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement for all pupils is rising rapidly, particularly on the primary site. However, due to poor teaching in English and mathematics in the past, the proportion of secondary-aged pupils not making the expected progress is too high. As a result of staff changes in the English department this year, progress rates have rapidly increased in this subject. In contrast teaching in mathematics is still not consistently good or better and so progress rates are slower.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils on the primary site all make at least good progress and some make outstanding progress. This is due to the consistently good teaching in this phase. Pupils rapidly learn how to control their behaviour and develop positive learning attitudes. Pupils who enter the school at times other than those expected often make accelerated progress, especially in their social, emotional and personal development. This is due to the excellent relationships pupils have with the staff.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Although progress in English and mathematics is not yet good for secondary-aged pupils, in science they make good and at times better progress. However, it is in the other subjects that many pupils excel and especially subjects like art, technology and food technology. Pupils were observed making cakes from recipes but then adapting them. Throughout the lesson pupils were relating their work to healthy lifestyles and following safety guidelines, as well as clearly enjoying their work.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In a technology lesson pupils with multiple learning difficulties were confidently creating a wide range of joins, and designing and creating objects. Their use of the tools and machinery was exemplary and all were highly positive about their work. Several pupils were also seen supporting their peers and providing guidance as to how to use machinery.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 School information, which has been moderated by the local authority, shows that on the primary site rapidly increasing numbers of pupils are, from very low starting points, reaching and exceeding the levels expected for their ages. On the secondary site, this information shows that there has been improvement, especially in English, but less so in mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Year 11 pupils now have a much wider range of subjects available to them and increasing numbers are taking GCSE qualifications to a higher level than previously. Alongside these qualifications, they are also taking and achieving a wider range of vocational and work-related qualifications. Pupils say they really enjoy these courses and feel that they give them a clearer plan for their futures.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Across the school, progress in reading and spelling is improving rapidly. This is due to greater training for staff in the teaching of reading as well as the purchase of resources to better engage the boys in reading. Pupils enjoy reading in a variety of situations and many say they now read for pleasure as well as school work. Reading and spelling ages are rising by up to two years in every six months.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who receive support through the pupil premium grant or the Year 7 catch-up funding make good progress. In the primary school, pupils leave with skills approximately six to twelve months behind their peers in school. However, those pupils who progress through both the primary and secondary departments leave in Year 11 with skills in line with their peers in school.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Teachers generally provide good written and verbal feedback to pupils about their work, which pupils say they find very useful and constructive. However, pupils also felt that teachers do not always give them the opportunity to improve their work. Scrutiny of work and pupils’ books during the inspection supports this view and shows that, on occasions, this has slowed pupils’ progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection. On the primary site it is consistently good, leading to good or better progress rates. On the secondary site, teaching is still not consistently good although there is some outstanding teaching.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of English has improved markedly and so progress is rising rapidly. However, the teaching of mathematics is not yet consistently good or better and so progress is slower. This was seen in a Year 7 mathematics lesson where a lack of challenge meant that pupils rapidly went off task. Expectations were not high enough; the teacher’s explanation and discussion were insufficient to allow the pupils to make progress. A scrutiny of books showed that although some progress was being made over time, pupils were not really being stretched to their fullest potential.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The other adults who support learning are generally used effectively across the school, but some teachers rely on them to tackle behavioural issues. This means that support staff are not supporting the pupils’ learning, which in turn results in slower progress. However, where they are used effectively support staff demonstrate good questioning and discussion skills. This helps pupils to improve both in their academic progress and personal, social and emotional development.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Staff quickly develop strong relationships with the pupils, who were very keen to tell the inspectors how good they thought their teachers were. As one primary pupil exclaimed, ‘They don’t get paid enough for what they do. We can be real pains but they still look after and care for us.’ Others stated that they felt the teachers wanted them to do well and this encouraged them to try to improve further.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where ongoing checks of pupils’ progress are used well, teachers quickly change and adapt their work to challenge pupils. When pupils were struggling with the doubling of numbers, the teacher rapidly changed her approach so that pupils were able to understand and make good progress, as well as taking pride in doing so.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers’ questioning and discussion skills are good and they all have good subject knowledge. Adults use a good range of subject language; observations and discussions with pupils indicate that this is typical. Pupils also use good and at times excellent subject language in explaining their thinking. In a science lesson observed, pupils used terms such as respiratory system, central nervous system and referred to a wide range of physiological parts of the human anatomy.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers keep a careful check on the progress of pupils who attend external provision. Close links with the providers make sure that pupil progress is monitored weekly and behavioural development is well logged. This ensures that the pupils’ progress is continuous across the school and all elements of their learning are tightly connected together.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This is due to the excellent relationships the staff quickly build with the pupils. There are occasional instances of poor behaviour; pupils say, ‘These are dealt with fairly and quickly and we always know how to be better next time.’ School records are thoroughly completed and new systems have been introduced, which also closely monitor the good behaviour of pupils when attending external provision. Scrutiny of these records shows a fall in exclusions and incidents, and rising attendance.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In discussion, pupils said how much they enjoy coming to school as staff have shown them that learning can be fun, interesting and that to succeed they need to do well. They explained that staff help them become more confident, restore their self-esteem and promote their enthusiasm to do as well as they can. Several pupils on the secondary site stated, ‘We have only been here a few weeks and yet the school has helped us to change our behaviour.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Where teaching is at its very best, pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. In these lessons, pupils’ rates of progress are rapid and there is a highly positive attitude to learning. Where teaching is not as good, some pupils lose concentration, go off task and disrupt the learning of others. However, pupils are also conscious of the needs of others; many stated that they understood that their peers, like them, had issues and some took longer than others to deal with them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. All safeguarding aspects meet current requirements. The buildings and sites of both schools are in good condition and are secure. Staff, pupils and parents rightly feel the school is a safe place. Members of the governing body regularly check both sites, scrutinise policies and procedures, and make sure they are carried out fully. All risk assessments are checked rigorously and pupils are involved in this process.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Discussions with younger pupils provided a highly mature view of how staff keep them safe. Pupils said that they were taught about e-safety, the types of bullying and how to stay safe outside of school. They also stated: ‘Sometimes our teachers have to physically restrain us, but they do this to keep us safe from ourselves and others. We know we will be safe, no matter how angry we are.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The older pupils have an excellent understanding of internet safety and the various forms of bullying. In discussion, they were adamant that there was little to no bullying and certainly no racial and or homophobic bullying. They also demonstrated an excellent understanding of how to stay safe and healthy generally. Many said that the physical education programme run by the school had encouraged them to participate in physical activities out of school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 School information shows that attendance is a little higher than similar schools nationally and is improving. The school has worked hard to link up with external agencies to work alongside families in order to support their children’s education. This has resulted in more positive attitudes in the pupils. As one pupil commented: ‘Before I came here I never went to school and, if I did, I was always kicked straight out. I want to come here. I’m here all the time and in my lessons.’

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management is not yet good because the initiatives put into place to improve some aspects of the school have not as yet had the time to have a positive effect on the progress of pupils in all subjects. The senior leadership team has created a robust and well- monitored school development plan based on accurate self-evaluation. Leaders and managers at all levels have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The senior leadership team has improved the school since the last inspection. They have eliminated the historic poor teaching in English through the appointment of a new teacher and ensured good teaching on the primary site. Although teaching has improved on the secondary site, it is still inconsistent, particularly in the teaching of mathematics. This is because the senior leadership team have not tackled this issue quickly enough.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The tracking, monitoring and recording systems of the school are robust, including for those pupils attending alternative provision. Teachers, senior leaders and managers in the primary school use the information they provide to plan for future learning. However, the senior leadership team does not scrutinise the information on secondary pupils’ progress in enough depth. This, in turn, means that any underachievement is not always picked up quickly enough and so the progress for some pupils is not what it should be.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Since the last inspection, the leadership team has become more robust and roles are distributed across the school. This has united the two school sites into one school and makes sure that improvements are taking place. The number of subjects taught on both sites has increased. Older pupils now have a wide range of choices for their GCSE programmes and to help them develop their work and vocational skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 All safeguarding aspects meet current requirements and the senior leadership team, alongside the governing body, ensures the school is a safe and secure place to learn and work. As behaviour management systems further improve pupils’ behaviour, there are fewer physical interventions and instances of poor behaviour, which create possible safeguarding concerns. Parents are rightly positive about the school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The senior leadership team and governors have recently introduced new performance management systems. They hold all staff to account for the performance of the pupils and the overall effectiveness of the school. These systems closely link the professional development of the staff to their pay and progression, resulting in the improvements in teaching

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The positive results in the primary school and the improvements in the subjects taught in both schools, linked to the rapid improvements in attendance, help to demonstrate the leadership’s capacity to improve. This is further reinforced by the sharp improvements in behaviour across the school and the pupils’ positive attitudes to school. The core subjects are enhanced well by a range of residential and other visits and external activities, which promotes the pupils’ social, moral, spiritual and cultural development well.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents’ responses to the inspection questionnaire were generally very favourable, although some parents felt that the school did not provide enough homework.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The senior leadership team uses the pupil premium, Year 7 catch-up and primary school sport funding very effectively. These funds are used to enhance equal opportunities for all the pupils in the school. They provide specialist support teachers, ensure all pupils can participate in all aspects of the school, and ensure that eligible pupils have a good breakfast every day. The sport funding is also used to further develop the sports teaching and to purchase a wider range of equipment.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The local authority provides good support to the school. It has helped it to create a robust improvement plan, developed the governing body and monitored school improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has become much more robust since the last inspection. Further training has ensured that they have the skills and understanding to challenge and support the school effectively. Therefore, governance of the school is good and provides effective challenge to the school. Governors visit the school regularly, analyse the information on pupils’ progress effectively and cross-reference all information with what they observe in lessons and around both school sites. The governing body carries out its statutory duties effectively and, through training, ensure that safeguarding across the school meets requirements. Members of the governing body also hold all staff fully responsible and link this to their pay and professional development.

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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 131574 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 442583

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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 Special School category Community special Age range of pupils 5–16 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 145 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Pauline Luckett Headteacher Mick Chilvers Date of previous school inspection 25 September 2012 Telephone number 024 7641 8755 Fax number 024 76469866 Email address admin@woodfield.coventry.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 and 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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