Woods Loke Community Primary School

Woods Loke Community Primary School Butley Drive, Oulton Broad, Lowestoft, NR32 3EB

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Overall effectiveness

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

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

 Overall leadership requires improvement because senior leaders, including governors, have not taken a rigorous approach to improving teaching, learning and achievement. Governors have not held the headteacher fully to account in this regard.  Not all subject leaders are consistent in driving improvements to the quality of teaching to bring about necessary improvement.  The quality of teaching is variable because pupils are not always given work that stretches them.  Leaders do not use information from assessment to track and monitor the progress of the most-able pupils. Consequently, some of the activities and lessons planned for these pupils do not provide sufficient challenge.  Although achievement is improving, results in 2014 in both Key Stages 1 and 2 were below average.  The quality of feedback in lessons and in books is inconsistent across the school. Pupils are not always given advice that leads to the improvement of their

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The school has the following strengths

 Children are making rapid progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage because leadership is rigorous and the quality of teaching has rapidly improved.  Most recent strategies to develop pupils’ positive behaviour and attitudes to learning. Pupils work hard and are motivated to learn.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. School leaders take the appropriate action to ensure all pupils are kept safe and secure.  Current assessment information for pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 shows their progress is improving.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspection team observed 27 lessons or parts of lessons. Inspectors made joint observations with senior leaders in seven classes.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, middle leaders and four members of the governing body including the Chair. The lead inspector also had a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors held meetings with groups of pupils from Key Stage 1 and 2 to discuss their work and views about the school. Inspectors listened to pupils read and observed them at play and at lunchtimes. Inspectors also talked to pupils in lessons.  Inspectors took into account of 51 responses to Ofsted’s online parent questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors also spoke to 18 parents at the start of the school day.  All members of staff were invited to complete a questionnaire; 18 responses were received and analysed by inspectors.  The inspection team looked at a range of documentation including; samples of pupils work to evaluate

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Information about this inspection

their progress and the quality of teachers’ assessment and marking; progress and attainment data, the school’s impact report, the school development and evaluation plan, safeguarding information, behaviour and attendance records and governing body minutes.

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Inspection team

Dellis Smith, Lead inspector Seconded Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Carter-Tufnell Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Woods Loke School is larger than most primary schools.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium funding, which is additional funding for pupils who are eligible for free school meals or who are looked after by the local authority, is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, is above average.  Children in Reception attend full-time. Nursery children attend on a part-time basis.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and learning so that it is consistently good by ensuring that teachers:  make better use of assessment information to plan effectively for what pupils need to learn next  plan work that challenges the most-able pupils in lessons so that they can excel  provide clear feedback in lessons and when marking pupils’ work in their exercise books that shows pupils how to improve their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:  governors receive information about the quality of teaching, and the learning and achievement of all groups of pupils on a regular basis so that they can hold the school more effectively to account for its impact and effectiveness  senior leaders use the information gathered from assessment to track and monitor the achievement of the most able pupils  the monitoring skills of all subject leaders are developed so that they are as effective as the leaders of English and mathematics.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have not been fully effective in ensuring good progress across the school. Although pupils’ achievement has improved because of the actions senior leaders are now taking, results in 2014 were below national figures. Senior leaders in the past had not acted quickly enough to address weaknesses in teaching in order to raise standards. The governors have not been provided with the information they needed in order to challenge senior leaders regarding this aspect of its work

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 There are effective procedures in place for the performance management of teachers. However, the monitoring of teaching and learning in the past has not been rigorous enough in securing rapid improvements, particularly in eradicating ineffective teaching. The senior leadership team offers strong support and has now developed a robust system to eradicate weak teaching. This is beginning to have an impact.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Subject leaders do not have enough opportunity to observe and improve the quality teaching and learning in their subjects. As a result they have limited impact in leading their subject and are not able to secure the improvements necessary to quickly raise standards.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The tracking of pupil progress has improved. Half termly progress meetings to discuss attainment, progress and barriers to learning are helping to make staff more accountable for the achievement of their pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Self-evaluation by school leaders is accurate. Leaders know what they need to do in order to move the school forward. Recent support from the local authority has helped to focus school leaders in targeting areas for improvement. This has been particularly effective in securing improvements to the teaching of phonics (letters and sound they make).

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The curriculum is broad and balanced. It is developed around themes that enable pupils to gain a better understanding of themselves, the local community and the wider world in which they live. Pupils are taught how to apply the skills they have acquired in reading, writing and mathematics to other subjects in the curriculum. The thematic approach to the curriculum does not, however, provide enough opportunity for pupils to develop the skill of enquiry in science. School leaders are aware of this and are taking effective action to address the issue.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Social, moral, spiritual and cultural development is good. It is embedded in the curriculum and throughout the school. Displays show that pupils learn about a range of cultures and different religions. Pupils have a strong understanding of British values, including tolerance, the importance of the rule of law and democracy. They have a very clear sense of right and wrong and show mutual respect for others. School leaders do not tolerate discrimination.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The impact of pupil premium funding is monitored closely. The strong leadership of the special educational needs coordinator ensures this additional funding is effectively matched to pupils’ needs. Swift changes are made when pupils do not make improved progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has used the additional sports funding effectively to provide a range of sporting activities for pupils and extra training for staff. This has resulted in higher levels of participation in a range of activities. However, the impact of the funding is limited because it is not all used within the appropriate timescales.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has developed a positive relationship with parents. The majority of the parents spoken to during the inspection were happy with the school. A high proportion of those who completed the Ofsted online questionnaire ‘Parent View’ would recommend the school to others.  The governance of the school  As a result of regular meetings with the headteacher, governors have a clear view of the strengths and weakness of the school. They have a good understanding of the school’s current achievement data and are fully aware of how and why standards fell in 2014. They have been involved in working with schools locally to improve standards and, as a result, are asking more challenging questions of the headteacher. They were able to talk confidently to the inspectors about the actions leaders are taking to raise attainment and the impact of these actions.  Governors make sure that any increase in teachers’ pay is linked to performance but do not take

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The leadership and management requires improvement

effective action to ensure the headteacher addresses underperformance in teaching and learning as quickly as he should.  Governors have a clear overview of the school’s finances, including the impact of pupil premium and sports funding and how the money is spent, but have not challenged senior leaders about it not being spent fully.  Safeguarding procedures meet statutory requirements. Governors have benefited from recent training and have made sure that appropriate policies and procedures are in place and are implemented consistently throughout the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. There are positive relationships evident between adults and pupils. The behaviour policy is consistently implemented. As a result, pupils are polite and helpful and play together harmoniously.

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Behaviour

 Pupils enjoy school. They are punctual to lessons, and arrive with the necessary equipment and ready to learn. Attendance has improved over the last three years and is now similar to the national average. The school is working hard and successfully to improve attendance further.

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Behaviour

 Pupils move around the school sensibly and are well supervised throughout the day.

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Behaviour

 Pupils show good attitudes to learning. They are motivated and enthusiastic to learn. Pupils of all ages told inspectors that learning was fun. As one child in Year 6 put it ‘I enjoy maths because my teacher helps to make it interesting’. Pupils do not always take pride in the presentation of their work which is sometimes untidy.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. School leaders have worked hard to establish highly effective systems that keep pupils safe.

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Safety

 Pupils feel that adults listen to their concerns; effective action is taken where necessary to resolve issues.

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Safety

 Bullying at the school is not tolerated. Pupils understand the behaviour policy well. They say if there are incidences of bullying or unkind behaviour, these are dealt with. However, pupils said that, on occasions, they have to repeat their concerns before action is taken.

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Safety

 Parents agree that their children are safe at school. Parents say that the school responds well if they raise concerns and feel confident concerns will be addressed. Case studies show that the pastoral support worker ensures vulnerable pupils receive effective support to secure their well-being.

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Safety

 Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe. They know about e-safety, potential hazards to do with their health and about the school’s safety procedures, for example, the fire drill. There are effective systems for supervising pupils at play and lunch times.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement because teachers’ planning does not always take into account what pupils already know and need to learn next. As a result some pupils are not challenged to make the progress they should.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Mathematics teaching is not good enough because teachers’ subject knowledge is not always strong enough to make sure pupils understand what they need to learn. In some lessons, teachers’ expectations are too low, and pupils make insufficient progress. Conversely, in other lessons teachers have high expectations and good subject knowledge which ensures pupils have a clear understanding of what they are learning. Consequently, they are excited and eager to learn and are able to apply the skills taught well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils’ writing is developed well across different subjects in the curriculum. Inspectors looked at samples of writing across all phases. They found that pupils are given the opportunity to write in a range of genres but are not consistently challenged through marking to make improvements to their work.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The teaching of reading is good. Pupils read texts of increasing difficulty across many areas of the curriculum. Pupils reported that they enjoy reading and that they read on a regular basis. The well- planned guided reading sessions enable pupils to understand the meaning of what they are reading well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teachers teach phonics (the sounds that letters represent) well. Children in Reception use their knowledge of phonics to sound out and successfully identify new words. Pupils who struggle with reading in Year 1 use their knowledge of phonics well to help them read unfamiliar words with increasing levels of confidence.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 There are areas of strength in the quality of teaching across all year groups. Where expectations are high and subject knowledge is good, there is suitable challenge for the most-able pupils. However, this is not consistent across the school and too often the work set does not sufficiently challenge the most able.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The use of additional adults to support learning is effective. They have a positive relationship with pupils and as a result, pupils are motivated to learn.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because standards in English and mathematics have declined since the previous inspection. In 2014, standards in reading, writing and mathematics at Key Stage 1 were broadly in line with national figures, but results dipped to below average in writing. In Key Stage 2 national assessments pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics declined and was almost two terms behind other pupils nationally. Too many pupils did not make the expected levels of progress from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2014, a significant proportion of the most able pupils did not achieve a level 5 in reading and mathematics. The school’s tracking data show that pupils are on track to achieve much improved results this year. The scrutiny of pupils’ English and mathematics books confirms the school’s analysis.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 School leaders have taken effective action to address weaknesses in phonics and have adapted a more rigorous approach to the teaching of this element of pupils reading. In this respect, children in Reception are now well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The attainment of disadvantaged pupils is broadly in line with their classmates in reading, writing and mathematics. However, their attainment lags behind national figures because they are two terms behind other pupils nationally at Key Stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics. School leaders have taken effective action to address this and the information gathered from assessment shows that this is beginning to have an impact with the gaps narrowing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported throughout the school. Through focused interventions they make steady progress in reading writing and mathematics.

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The early years provision is good

 The leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage are good because leaders are rigorous in their determination to give every child the opportunity to succeed. Staff work together well as a team to ensure that children are safe, happy and well taught.

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The early years provision is good

 A high proportion of children start school with a level of development that is below to what is typically found at their age. Some children have language and communication skills well below what is typical for their age. The proportion reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception in 2014 is broadly in line with the national average.

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The early years provision is good

 Frequent and detailed assessment enables teachers to pitch work at the right level and to carefully plan the next steps in children’s learning. Well-targeted teaching meets the children’s needs, and pastoral support is strong. Assessment information shows that children, whatever their starting points or backgrounds, are making good progress in acquiring key skills and are becoming confident learners. This, combined with good phonics teaching, ensures that children are well prepared for work in Year 1.

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The early years provision is good

 The youngest children settle well into the routines of the Nursery. Children share resources and activities with delight and enthusiasm. In a one-to-one mathematics session the teacher used detailed analysis of a child’s previous learning to support her in understanding what different numbers mean. Counting with seeds and bulbs – a link to the term’s project about growing – kept the child involved and interested ensuring her good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 In both the Nursery and the Reception classes, teachers draw good links between early reading and early writing. They place a strong emphasis on improving children’s speaking and listening skills which helps them to be able to understand and explain new learning well. Staff use the regular opportunities for children to write in the Reception classes to ensure they learn the correct letter formation carefully. In a few instances, children are not well enough supported to develop the physical skills they need to be able to write letters accurately.

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The early years provision is good

 Because expectations are high, and all staff use effective strategies to encourage good behaviour, children in both the Nursery and Reception years listen attentively, concentrate well and share their learning with each other. Special events, such as reading with torches in a Gruffalo cave or watching tiny chicks hatch provide moments of awe and wonder which create a thirst for learning. The support adults give to children who have special educational needs is carefully planned. As a result, they make good progress and integrate well with their peers.

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The early years provision is good

 Staff provide a range of daily opportunities through which children can learn about the wider world and develop their wider skills. However, in some instances, because the materials provided are restrictive, these activities limit the extent to which children can fully express their imaginative and creative skills.

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The early years provision is good

 Parents play an important role in developing their child’s education in the early years. Individual learning journals include regular feedback from parents about their child’s learning and progress and parents are well supported to understand how they can help their child learn. During the inspection, one of the regular open afternoons was very well attended by parents who spent time working and playing with their children. All were happily enjoying a range of Easter activities.

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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 124641 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 463081

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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 Maintained Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 500 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Philip Humphrey Headteacher Mark Prentice Date of previous school inspection 29 January 2013 Telephone number 01502 561234 Fax number 01502 561234 Email address office@woodloke.suffolk.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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