Woolley Wood School

Woolley Wood School Chaucer Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S5 9QN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The vast majority of pupils make good progress. They are well prepared for the next stage in their education as a result of their good gains in communication skills.  All pupils benefit from high levels of care for their physical and health needs. This makes a significant contribution to pupils’ achievement, both in school subjects and to their personal development.  Good teaching overall has been maintained since the previous inspection. Pupils work hard because they enjoy their learning. Occasionally pupils make outstanding progress.  Pupils try very hard to live up to the high expectations set for them by the staff consequently behaviour is usually impeccable.  Pupils feel safe and well cared for by approaching staff and smiling when they come into school. This is because staff ensure that each pupil’s individual needs are known and met very well.  Children in the early years make a good start to their learning. This is because staff work well as a

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

team to promote physical development. Children have the opportunity to experience learning alongside their mainstream peers.  The leadership has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Leaders have clear plans to ensure that everyone is clear about the value of their role in improving pupil’s achievement.  All staff are given clear information about how to improve their teaching. This is improving the quality of teaching rapidly.  The governing body makes an excellent contribution to leadership because governors have been well led over time and ensure they hold leaders stringently to account for the work of the school.  Pupils benefit from partnership with the co-located mainstream school. This makes a good contribution to pupils’ achievement in personal development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils with profound learning difficulties have, in the past, not made quite as much progress as other pupils.  Information from checks on how well pupils are doing is not always used to identify what is planned for them to do next.  The role of middle leaders, including that of the early years, is not yet fully developed to enable them to have a full overview of achievement in their areas or subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed several lessons, some of which were with the headteacher.  The inspectors looked at pupils’ individual learning and behaviour plans.  Meetings were held with key staff, four members of the governing body and discussions were held with support staff. A telephone call was held with a member of the local authority.  The inspectors took into account 34 questionnaires from staff and 11 responses to the on-line parent questionnaire (Parent View).  The inspector looked at a range of documents, including plans for improvement, records of the school’s checks on pupils’ and teachers’ performance, safeguarding and attendance documents, minutes of meetings of the governing body and school policies.

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Inspection team

Pauline Hilling-Smith, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 All pupils have severe or profound learning difficulties and additionally many have autism or complex medical conditions.  Almost all have a statement of special educational need or education, health and care plan or are in the process of being formally assessed for a plan.  There is a well above average proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged, those supported through the pupil premium. The pupil premium is funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average.  This school is co-located with Mansel Primary School.  Children can attend from the age of two years. Currently approximately a third of the children in the early years are of nursery age and attend part-time. Those in the Reception Year attend full time.  The headteacher was appointed in January 2014.

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Information about this school

 The deputy headteacher was appointed from within the staff in September 2014.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the overall quality of teaching to outstanding, especially for pupils with profound learning difficulties, in order to raise achievement even further by always ensuring that: - information gathered from the assessment of pupils’ progress is always used to inform what pupils are asked to do next - targets set for pupils’ achievement are always sufficiently challenging - the outstanding practice evident in the school is more widely shared - all staff are well trained in teaching phonics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by: - strengthening the role of middle leaders, including that of early years, so that they have a clear focus on and an overview of achievement in their subjects or areas - further refining data so that it gives even clearer information on the progress of groups of pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 After a period of uncertainty, the new headteacher has established a happy and highly motivated team of staff who are driving the school forward at a rapid pace. His high expectations, together with the creation and development of teams of staff to put the vision into place, enable him to be a very effective leader. He is ably supported by the deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher and these partnerships have been pivotal in bringing about swift school improvement to restore the performance of the school to a good level.  The leadership of teaching and performance is effective. Procedures to check the quality of teaching are extensive and detailed and lead to sharply-focused plans for improvement. They enable senior leaders to provide detailed coaching to support teachers in improving their practice. There is a good link between teachers' performance and their progression along the pay scales.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has an accurate view of its own performance. Improvement plans are very effective because they are based on a thorough review of the school’s strengths and areas to develop. This means the headteacher knows the role of the middle leaders needs to develop further so they can contribute more to improving achievement.  The school’s system for keeping an eye on how well pupils are doing is robust because it is based on sound assessment. Data collection is very well organised and shows the progress of groups. However, the headteacher acknowledges that the data needs to be presented in even more detail to ensure targets set are always as challenging as they can be.  Staff work very well together in classroom teams, sharing their ideas about the best ways to ensure each pupil achieves at least well.  Leaders ensure funding, such as the pupil premium, is used to good effect by providing additional

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The leadership and management are good

opportunities for therapy for eligible pupils. The primary school sports funding is used effectively to provide additional movement classes for pupils, including training for staff to work effectively and safely with individual pupils. It is clear the funding is making a positive difference.  Leaders take good care in considering how pupils can be included in as many experiences as possible. This results in all pupils having exactly the right provision to ensure equality of opportunity, the development of good relations and the tackling of discrimination. The partnership with the co-located primary school makes a significant contribution to this area of the school’s work.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good because pupils are able to reflect during high quality musical experiences and enjoy warm relationships. A well-planned series of assemblies places a sharp focus on the understanding of British values and how to be a positive young citizen in modern

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The leadership and management are good

Britain.  The school’s range of subjects and other activities meet the needs of pupils well. The curriculum gives priority to meeting the health, physical, communication and learning needs of the pupils.  Partnerships are very well developed, for example, that with health service personnel makes a significant contribution to pupils’ well-being. Leaders evaluate attendance data and behaviour logs very closely to ensure everyone has an in depth understanding of the impact of pupil’s complex medical needs on their achievement.  Arrangements for safeguarding meet statutory requirements. Procedures are well embedded and highly robust and are as such highly effective.  The local authority provides appropriate light touch support.  Partnership with parents is excellent as a result of trusting and very positive relationships and good communication between home and school.  All parents who responded on Parent View would recommend the school to another parent.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: - The governing body contributes exceptionally well to the leadership of the school because it has been very well led over a long period of time. Members have a very clear vision for the school and are highly committed. They spend considerable time attending school training and visiting the school to look at policies, consider data and to have discussions with staff. They benefit from the considerable expertise of the vice-chair who is a local leader of governance. They gain first-hand evidence through the involvement they have with pupils, parents and staff. They hold leaders and the local authority stringently to account for the progress of the pupils and school improvement. Governors manage the budget very effectively and make sure that all safeguarding procedures are very rigorous and fully meet requirements. They are clear about how the pupil premium is spent and can identify the positive effect

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The leadership and management are good

this is having on eligible pupils. Governors are fully included in information about how well teachers are performing and know about the quality of teaching and performance and how this links to increases in salary.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  The atmosphere in school is very welcoming. Pupils care about each other because they know adults care for each other and for them. This makes a significant contribution to achievement because pupils’ attitudes are very positive.  Pupils behave impeccably at all times during the school day. They respond very swiftly to any additional advice given by staff and seek assurances that they are doing what has been asked of them.  Staff chat to pupils when they enter the school in the morning and pupils respond as well as they can. Pupils walk in in a very calm and adult manner and many are keen to ‘shake off’ the long bus journey during the short physical activity session which gets the day off to a lively start.  At breaktime and lunchtime pupils sit together and enjoy each other’s company. Some pupils join in lunchtime with their mainstream peers in the adjoining dining hall and their behaviour and attitudes are a

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Behaviour

credit to the school.  Relationships between staff and pupils are always warm and professional. Adults make sure that pupils are ready to learn by ensuring they understand what is going to happen next on the timetable. An opportunity to communicate success and celebrate achievements is at the heart of the work of the school.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Safeguarding practice is well very understood by all staff. Any concerns are promptly notified to the appropriate agencies. Staff have a very good understanding of the individual needs of each pupil.  The school’s transport systems are well organised and are thus very safe. Staff are very well trained and this ensures that pupils’ health and physical needs are attended to with great expertise and dignity.  Pupils learn to keep themselves and others safe when they think about stranger danger or when they are involved in learning experiences in the community, for example when crossing the road.  Leaders are vigilant in ensuring that full checks on the safety of premises are regularly undertaken and any issues are promptly acted upon.  Attendance is broadly average, as pupils attend whenever possible.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching overall has been maintained since the last inspection. Currently, the quality of teaching is improving rapidly as a result of the now very closely-tailored training for staff. Teaching typically enables most pupils to make good progress and occasionally to make outstanding progress in communication, movement and personal development.  Pupils’ learning in literacy, reading and mathematics is good because staff use a wide range of appropriate methods of communication to enable pupils to achieve well.  All classrooms are set out carefully and contain a wide range of well-resourced, motivating learning areas and opportunities with which the pupils readily engage. Teachers ensure resources in each area promote pupils’ at least good progress. All staff extend pupils’ learning well through questioning.  Teachers do not always effectively use what they already know about pupils’ prior attainment to plan

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The quality of teaching is good

activities that enable pupils to make the best possible progress. Occasionally, teachers set work that is too easy or fail to recognise quickly enough that some pupils need to move on more quickly.  In the past, pupils with profound learning difficulties have made slightly less progress than their peers, as a result of less effective communication. Now, however, the rapidly developing system of communicating with pupils with profound difficulties, through intensive observation of pupils’ responses, is having a much more positive impact on the learning of these pupils.  The use of symbols to develop early reading skills is well organised and effective. Pupils are able to increasingly understand that pictures and symbols give them information and staff and pupils enjoy reading together and sharing books. However, staff are not always skilled in the teaching of phonics (the letters sounds make) and progress in reading slows as a result.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of mathematics is good because resources are used well to develop mastery of the number system and also to enable pupils to enjoy the beauty of patterns and shapes in the natural world.  Information and communication technology (ICT) is used well to encourage pupils to move in order to control their environment. For example, pupils reach out to switch lights or a fan on and off, or use computer screens which enable pupils to be fully involved in the activities planned for them and maintain their interest.  Teaching assistants contribute well to pupils’ achievement through good support, for example, by working closely with individual pupils. This has a good effect on pupils’ achievement.  The school is continuously improving teaching, for example, by encouraging teachers to develop considerable skill in a particular area or subject. However, these advanced skills are not fully shared

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The quality of teaching is good

amongst all staff.  Parents agree strongly that their children are well taught and are particularly pleased by their progress in personal development and communication skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most pupils are working at levels lower than expected nationally when they join the school as a result of their disabilities and special educational needs. The vast majority of pupils make good progress. The proportion of pupils who make better than expected progress compares favourably with that found nationally for pupils with similar starting points  Pupils make good progress in their communication and personal skills as a result of the emphasis placed on these areas and the expertise of staff. Pupils’ progress in communication has accelerated rapidly over the last year and this has had a good impact on achievement overall.  Good achievement overall has been maintained since the previous inspection. Data in 2014 show that there has been an improvement in achievement in English and mathematics and science since 2013. This is particularly marked in science.  Pupils with physical difficulties have made consistently good progress in developing movement since the

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The achievement of pupils is good

previous inspection. This is because the school has maintained provision in hydrotherapy and rebound therapy (movement on the trampoline) and recently extended provision for movement in the curriculum.  Primary school sports funding is used to good effect to enable more pupils to be involved in movement therapy.  Pupils make good progress in reading because the teaching of symbols and reading is carefully targeted on individual pupils’ needs. However, pupils do not always make good progress in phonics (the sounds that letters make) because staff are not as well trained to teach these skills.  Most groups of pupils make equally good progress. For instance, girls do just as well as the boys, and disadvantaged pupils, learn at the same good rate as other pupils. This is because there is an individual approach to meeting all pupils’ varying and complex needs. However, in 2013 pupils with profound learning difficulties did slightly less well overall than their peers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of the most able pupils is at least good. Occasionally, however, they make less good progress when they are not challenged sufficiently or consistently. The vast majority of parents who responded on Parent View strongly agree that pupils make good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 Since the promotion of the early years leader to deputy headteacher, leadership of this area is in transition. Consequently, there has been a less sharp focus on improvement. However, overall good leadership overtime ensures that children still achieve well and that good teaching is maintained.  Teamwork, including very good communication, is a considerable strength in teaching.  A few pupils attend the early years provision to assess their future needs. Reports and assessments are of good quality and ensure that the next stage of education for each child is appropriate, whether within this school or elsewhere.  There are good links with the mainstream early years provision in the adjoining classrooms. This means that there are opportunities for children to learn alongside their mainstream peers and this contributes well to their achievement.  Behaviour of children in the early years is excellent. The safety and welfare of the children is always given

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The early years provision is good

a high priority. As a result, parents are very confident to leave their children in the care of the staff.  Partnership with parents is a strength and photographs and children’s work sent home are much appreciated by families.  Leadership of the early years successfully ensures that the entitlement to an age-appropriate experience is in place. Appropriate emphasis is given to progress in communication, personal development and physical skills.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 107180 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 449515

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 92 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ann Kilby Headteacher David Whitehead Date of previous school inspection 1 May 2012 Telephone number 0114 232 7160 Fax number 0114 232 7161 Email address enquiries@woolleywood.sheffield.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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