Woodgate Primary School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 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 Requires improvement 3

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

 The headteacher is aware of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. However, improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement have been inconsistent. This has been due to considerable staffing changes.  Leaders have not carefully tracked the progress of pupils in the different year groups. Governors and senior leaders have used different systems to monitor pupils’ progress which has led to some confusion.  The new middle leaders have not yet taken full responsibility for the progress of pupils.  Governors have not fully assessed the impact of pupil premium funding on achievement. They have not ensured that the school’s website provides enough information to parents on the pupil premium.  Teaching has not been good enough to ensure that pupils make consistently good progress.  Teachers do not always have the highest expectations or provide work that is of just the right level of difficulty. Pupils do not write enough longer

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

pieces of work. In mathematics, they do not have enough chances to apply their skills in different situations.  Those who are most able are not always fully challenged, particularly in writing and mathematics at Key Stage 2.  Children in the early years provision are not always provided with varied and stimulating activities. Teachers are not always clear about what they want children to learn.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs do not make the progress they should. This is because leaders do not monitor the impact of additional support on pupils’ progress.

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The school has the following strengths

 The new leadership team now has a greater capacity to drive through improvements. Already work in pupils’ books shows improvements in achievement.  The teaching of phonics (linking of sounds and letters) has improved since the last inspection.  In Key Stage 1 pupils achieve broadly average standards in reading, writing and mathematics.  Pupils are well behaved and follow teachers’ instructions carefully. Pupils are kept safe in school and report that they like the strong ethos of care and support.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well promoted.  Parents are very supportive of the school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed learning in nine lessons and part lessons, most of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector heard pupils in Years 2 and 6 read.  Pupils’ work in every year group was examined.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils, the Chair of the Governing Body and several other governors and members of the school staff. A meeting was held with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of 16 responses to the on-line questionnaire, Parent View. She also examined responses from the school’s own parent questionnaire. The inspector spoke to parents at the end of the school day.  A large range of documents and policies were examined, including the school’s own information on pupils’ current progress and documents checking the quality of teaching and learning. The inspector also examined records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Information about this inspection

 The views of staff were analysed through the 18 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Bowes, Lead Inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is lower than the national average. This is additional government funding provided to support pupils who are eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is similar to the national average.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. Very few speak English as an additional language.  Over half of the teaching staff have joined the school since the last inspection. Leaders responsible for English, mathematics, early years and special educational needs are new.  The early years provision consists of a full-time Reception within a mixed age class of Key Stage 1 pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that all pupils make at least good progress by ensuring that:  teachers have the highest expectations and always provide work that is set at the right level of difficulty  teachers fully challenge the most able pupils, particularly in writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2  pupils have more chances to write at length  there are more opportunities for pupils to use the skills they have been taught to tackle and solve mathematical problems  children in the early years provision are always provided with varied and stimulating activities and that teachers are clear about what they want children to learn from these activities  teachers carefully monitor the impact of additional support on the progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management on pupils’ achievement by:  strengthening the role of the new middle leaders so that they take responsibility for the quality of teaching and the progress of pupils in their subjects  ensuring all leaders and governors use the same system to track pupils’ progress in all year groups  ensuring the school’s website provides clear information to parents about how the governing body assesses the impact of the pupil premium funding on achievement.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management can be improved.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The impact of the headteacher in creating a culture of good teaching and achievement has been slow, due to a period of considerable staffing instability. This has had an adverse effect on standards, particularly at Key Stage 2. However, the headteacher has an accurate view of the school’s strengths and areas the school needs to develop. Leadership is starting to improve the quality of teaching and as a result pupils are now making better progress. Pupils’ behaviour continues to be good.  The new leadership team have the capacity to continue to make improvements and standards in Key Stage 1 have already improved. Work in pupils’ books indicates that achievement across the school is now rising. The teaching of phonics has improved since the last inspection.  Middle leaders who are new are still developing their roles and are not as effective as they could be. At present, they do not take full responsibility for the progress that pupils make in the areas for which they

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The leadership and management requires improvement

are accountable. Therefore they have made a limited contribution, so far, to improving the school.  The effectiveness of the school’s monitoring of the progress that pupils make has been hampered by the fact that leaders and governors use two different systems. At present, there is some confusion and, while the progress of individual pupils is tracked overall from when they joined the school, neither system fully tracks the progress of pupils in each different year group.  The impact of the support from the local authority has also been impeded by the school’s staff turnover; most of the staff that were given additional training have left. However, effective support continues, with regular visits and helpful guidance to assist the school’s journey of improvement. This school has links with a number of other schools, both local and further afield. These links are very productive and the schools regularly participate in joint training.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Additional government funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively to provide extra help for individual pupils. However, the number of pupils is very small, therefore reliable comparisons cannot be made between their progress and the progress of other pupils.  The sports funding is used well to employ specialist teachers and coaches to work alongside teachers. Pupils report that they really enjoy their swimming lessons. There are various clubs that encourage sporting activities and the result is that there are greater opportunities for pupils to compete with local schools. These opportunities have increased pupils’ well-being and their enjoyment of sport.  The curriculum has been developed with an aim of developing pupils’ needs and interests. Learning is enhanced by a range of visits and visitors. Pupils report that they enjoy learning French. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They know

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The leadership and management requires improvement

about the democratic system and the importance of tolerance and respect for those of different faiths and religions. All pupils have been given a clear understanding of the rule of law, and this has been enhanced by visits from the local police.  The school is committed to promoting equality of opportunity. Discrimination of any kind is not tolerated and the school fosters very good relations between staff and pupils.  Parents are very supportive of the school; they and other volunteers often come in and read to pupils and help in numerous other ways. All parents who were spoken to at the end of the school day praised the strong sense of community and the care that their children received. Almost all parents who responded to Parent View would recommend the school to another parent.  The school effectively meets statutory requirements in respect of its safeguarding procedures. Arrangements for ensuring the protection of pupils are very strong.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Governors are aware of how the school is doing when compared with other schools nationally. However, due to the fact that governors use a separate internal system for tracking pupils’ progress, which does not always tally with the information the school holds, some confusions between senior leaders and governors can occur regarding pupil performance. As a result governors do not fully hold the school to account.  Governors are very supportive of the school and visit it regularly. They know about the quality of teaching and the link between teachers’ pay and performance. They understand what needs to be done should they need to tackle any underperformance.  While governors have reported on the pupil premium expenditure on the school’s website, the information does not clearly inform parents about the impact of the funding on the achievement of eligible pupils.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils behave well both in class and around the school.  Pupils are kind to each other. The moral development of pupils is strong; they all know the difference between right and wrong.  In lessons, pupils listen attentively to the teacher’s instructions and usually demonstrate positive attitudes to their learning, even when a task does not fully challenge them. Books are neat and well presented and pupils are keen for their teachers to be proud of them.  Pupils respond quickly to any requests made by staff and this is reflected in the constructive relationships that pupils have with all adults in the school. As one pupil said, ‘We are all like a family here and I really like that.’  Pupils accept responsibility well. School prefects ensure that pupils move around the school in an orderly way. The school council makes mature suggestions aimed at supporting charities and improving the

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Behaviour

playground.  Opportunities to develop cultural awareness are numerous; examples include the Egyptian drumming workshop. A partnership with other schools has developed artistic and dancing talents.  Social development is well promoted. Pupils have opportunities to socialise with pupils from a variety of different social, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good.  Pupils say that they feel safe and happy. They say that teachers ’do all they can to make us feel safe’.  Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe when using the internet and when travelling to and from school. In the school hall, the ’Happy Tree’ celebrates how pupils have made a difference to the lives of others. One example of this was how junior road safety officers had advised others about how to stay safe on the roads.  Pupils know about the different forms of bullying and the actions they should take should they have any concerns. They report that there are no incidents of bullying because ‘we all get on so well.’

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement because expectations are not high enough to ensure that all pupils make consistently good progress.  Pupils’ achievement has been adversely affected because teachers do not always provide work that is set at the right level of difficulty. This means that pupils sometimes receive work that is either too easy or too hard. This affects the progress of all pupils.  The impact of teaching on literacy is inconsistent. This is because in most classes, teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to write longer pieces of work.  The impact of teaching on mathematics has also been inconsistent. This is because there are not enough opportunities for pupils to use the skills they have been taught to tackle mathematical problems in real-life situations.  Despite some remaining weaknesses, the pace of learning has improved since the last inspection. More effective teaching of phonics has ensured that a greater proportion than the national average now achieve

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics reading check.  Teachers mark pupils work regularly. Written comments carefully explain what pupils are doing well and what they need to do to improve.  Teaching assistants have received training with the partnership of schools in literacy and mathematics. This has enabled them to be better equipped to work with different groups of pupils.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because the rates of progress pupils make as they move through the school are inconsistent. In 2014, the proportions of pupils making steady progress in reading, writing and mathematics were below national averages.  Typically pupils attain broadly in line with the national averages at the end of Key Stage 2.  Those who are most able do not achieve as well as they should, particularly in writing and mathematics at Key Stage 2. In 2014, no pupils reached the higher Level 5 in writing and only a few reached Level 5 in mathematics. This is because pupils are not always fully challenged by teachers to extend and deepen their learning.  The few disabled pupils or those with special educational needs make inconsistent progress when compared with their peers. This is because teachers do not monitor their progress carefully enough, nor do they track whether any additional support these pupils receive is having a positive impact on their

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

achievement.  There are too few pupils eligible for pupil premium funding to report their attainment without them being identified. However, when compared with other pupils in the school in the different year groups, these pupils make similarly inconsistent progress.  Although there are still inconsistencies in teaching and progress, current data indicates that there are some improvements and work in books shows that current standards are rising.  Results at Key Stage 1 have improved in recent years and in 2014 were in line the national average.

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The early years provision requires improvement

 Teaching in the early years provision requires improvement because teachers do not have high enough expectations regarding what children can achieve. Activities provided are not always varied and interesting and teachers do not always challenge children sufficiently. Teachers are also sometimes unclear about what they want children to learn from planned activities. This has an impact on the amount of progress that children can make.  Achievement for children in the early years has been variable. Extensive additional support from the local authority has ensured that achievement is improving and last year the majority of the pupils reached a good level of development, however progress is still not consistently good.  Children settle into the early years class well. Parents are very supportive of the school and say that staff know their children very well. They say the school ensures that their children feel safe and confident to

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The early years provision requires improvement

ask an adult for help. There are clear arrangements for when children start school and, as a result, children behave well and quickly develop good attitudes to their learning. For example, they are encouraged to share equipment and work cooperatively together. In this respect, they are well prepared for Year 1.  The very new early years leader is still developing her role. She has plans to improve the provision however as yet it is too early to see any impact. All staff in the early years provision work closely with parents.

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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 125936 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 462354

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 66 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ken Turnbull Headteacher Verena Powell Date of previous school inspection 16 February 2011 Telephone number 01444 461329 Fax number 01444 461696 Email address office@warninglid.w-sussex.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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