Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School

Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School Staplehurst, Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 8DB

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Strong leadership by the headteacher and the senior team ensure that there is a clear vision for the school. All staff share a commitment to raise achievement and to do the best for all pupils in their care.  The governing body provides effective support. They have ensured that the process of appointing and supporting a new headteacher has been managed smoothly.  Leaders have worked effectively to ensure that standards of teaching and learning have improved in the last year.  Teaching is now good. Teachers work together effectively to plan activities, which engage pupils’ interests so that they enjoy learning and make good progress.  Teachers check pupils’ progress regularly and carefully, ensuring that their needs are met.  Pupils’ achievement has improved since the last inspection. Progress is good and no group of pupils lags behind others.  Leadership and teaching in the early years is good so that pupils are well prepared to sustain good

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This is a good school

progress in Year 1.  Pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare are good. They are polite and considerate. They work well together and enjoy learning.  Pupils are safe and well cared for. Safeguarding procedures are robust.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Aspects of the school environment, including the open-plan area for Years 1 to 4 and the limitations of the outdoor area for the reception classes, inhibit pupils learning, preventing them from engaging in a full range of activities.  More-able pupils do not always make rapid progress from their starting points.  Achievement in writing, although improving, does not yet match that in reading and mathematics.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that higher-ability pupils make better progress by: – teachers assessing their progress carefully and planning activities so that they build upon what they have already achieved – giving them feedback on their work, ensuring that they are aware of the next steps they need to take in order to progress to higher levels.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the teaching of writing by: – ensuring that pupils are encouraged to write more extensively in all subjects – correcting errors of grammar, spelling and punctuation so that they are not repeated.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the environment for learning by : – making the outdoor environment for the reception classes more attractive and stimulating so that pupils can extend their learning with greater opportunities and challenges – improving the teaching areas for pupils in Years 1 to 4 so that they are able to concentrate and to engage in learning activities without disruption from other classes.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The headteacher leads the school with vision and determination. She is well respected by staff, who value the way in which she shares her ambition to raise achievement for all pupils.  The transition to a new leadership structure over the last year has been managed well. The executive headteacher who was appointed in January 2015 made significant changes, which began a path of school improvement that was sustained by the permanent head when she was appointed in the summer term.  The senior leadership team has been restructured since the previous inspection. Leaders have clearly defined roles and all share responsibility for improving the quality of teaching and learning. The headteacher is ably supported by the deputy headteacher and by the assistant headteacher who has responsibility for the early years. A higher-level teaching assistant is also a member of the senior team, ensuring that support staff are involved in planning.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders have high expectations of staff and provide effective support and encouragement. Teachers appreciate that they are responsible for the progress of pupils in their care and respond positively to a rigorous programme of checks on standards of teaching. A well-planned programme of training ensures that teachers improve their practice and can learn from each other.  Leaders have a clear awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Plans make it clear what actions are needed, what outcomes should be and how their effectiveness will be measured.  The management of staff performance is effective. Teachers are set clear targets linked to school priorities. They know they will be held to account and respond positively to the advice and support offered by leaders. New staff have been helped to settle quickly and have contributed to the improved quality of teaching.  Leadership of the provision for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is effective.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Support in the classroom and outside it is of high quality, ensuring that the progress of these pupils is good. The high quality of support provided by teaching assistants is a strength of the school; their work is managed effectively by a higher-level teaching assistant, who is a member of the senior leadership team.  Pupils are well cared for and all staff are committed to ensuring the well-being of pupils. A family support worker is well respected by pupils and parents and provides effective support for pupils with behaviour difficulties and for families with a range of difficulties.  Leaders ensure that all pupils have equal opportunities. Pupil premium funding is used effectively and its impact is monitored carefully to ensure value for money. Eligible pupils receive targeted support and make good progress.  The sports premium is used very effectively. A full-time physical education teacher is employed, ensuring

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

that pupils receive specialist teaching of high quality. He also works alongside class teachers, helping them to improve their teaching. Coaches are also employed to add to the after-school activities.  Subject leaders for mathematics and English are dedicated and committed to improving the standards of teaching and learning. They work well with other leaders in monitoring and supporting teachers and are fully involved in joint planning. They are aware of the strengths and weaknesses in the teaching of their subjects and of what needs to be done to improve standards.  The school works well with parents to support pupils’ learning and well-being. Parents spoken to during the inspection were full of praise for the care which their children receive, and several commented positively about the new leadership and its effects on behaviour and achievement. The school website is well structured and gives parents a comprehensive range of information.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The curriculum is well planned. Although it is broad and balanced, older pupils said that they would prefer more time spent on non-core subjects such as science, art and French, as they felt that this would help them in making the move to secondary school. The curriculum is greatly enhanced by events such as the Victorian day for younger pupils, which took place during the inspection.  British values are promoted effectively. Pupils have a good understanding of democracy, which was reinforced when the local MP visited the school and spoke to pupils. The ‘Pupil Voice’ meetings, which involve representatives from each class, ensure that pupils’ views are taken into account.  The local authority has worked closely with the school since the previous inspection. They brokered the appointment of the executive headteacher who worked in the school from January to July 2015. This appointment was very effective, supporting the school through a difficult period. Since the appointment of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

the permanent headteacher, the local authority have monitored the school carefully and state that there has been significant improvement. Although local authority advisors will continue to support the school in specific areas, they feel that the leadership of the school now has the skill to secure improvement with ‘lighter touch’ support.  The governance of the school – The local authority arranged a review of governance following the previous inspection. This has led to important changes in the governing body’s work. – Governors have played a significant role in supporting the school’s improvement. They oversaw significant changes in leadership including the appointment of an executive headteacher and the current permanent headteacher. – Governors have worked with school leaders to develop a culture of high aspirations. Their understanding of information about pupils’ progress has improved and they challenge and support the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

leadership effectively. – Governors know the school well and visit regularly, seeking evidence by talking to teachers, parents and pupils. Governors have key roles, focusing on aspects of the school’s work; they review policies regularly and ensure that they are applied in practice. – The budget is managed effectively. Governors are aware of how additional funding is allocated and ensure that pupils benefit from it.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Effective teaching ensures that pupils make good progress in English and mathematics. Teaching is improving because teachers welcome advice and work together successfully to improve their practice.  Relationships between staff and pupils are consistently strong. Pupils respect and get on well with their teachers and are keen to learn, asking questions when they are not sure in order to deepen their understanding. Speaking and listening skills are well developed and pupils listen to teachers and to each other carefully.  Teachers plan work thoroughly so that pupils enjoy their work and are challenged to improve. During the inspection, teachers of Year 1 and Year 2 pupils organised a Victorian Day. Pupils dressed as Victorian children and constructed toys which 19th-century children would have played with, using their artistic and practical skills. They greatly enjoyed playing with the toys and an outside activity in which they enjoyed

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

hopscotch and skipping. During the day, they developed their writing skills, recording and evaluating their experience.  Teachers make good use of information to plan work, which is usually at the right level of challenge. Sometimes, more-able pupils are given work that is too easy and they are not given opportunities to deepen their understanding.  Teachers follow the school’s marking policy. Pupils are encouraged to complete ‘bubble tasks’ which are designed to take them on to the next step in their learning. Pupils usually respond to these challenges but in some classes the tasks are not set regularly and pupils do not always complete them. Errors of spelling, punctuation and grammar are not always corrected so that pupils can avoid repeating them.  The teaching of writing is improving and standards have risen since the previous inspection. However, achievement in writing still lags behind that in reading and mathematics, as poor teaching in the past

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

means that many pupils need to catch up and develop basic skills. Pupils’ work seen by inspectors shows that teaching in this area has improved rapidly and pupils’ work has improved consistently during the last year.  Reading is taught well. The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they make) has improved and the school’s results in the national phonics check were above the national average. Pupils enjoy reading and are encouraged to develop their reading skills through guided reading lessons. Pupils read confidently to inspectors and said that they enjoy reading.  Classrooms are well organised and displays are stimulating and help pupils to learn. Several classes are based in an open-plan area, however, and this has a significant negative impact on learning. Noise from one class can badly affect pupils’ concentration. Teachers are prevented from planning some activities because of the effect on classes next to them. During the inspection, in a French lesson pupils greatly

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

enjoyed finding other pupils with the same pet, moving around the classroom, an activity that was only possible because the next classroom was empty at the time.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils who spoke to inspectors said that they were proud of their school and enjoy their lessons. They display very good attitudes to learning and are keen to succeed. Books and other work are well presented and pupils are keen to show what they can do and how they have improved their work . Pupils who attend the breakfast and after-school clubs are well supervised and enjoy playing and working together.  Pupils understand about different types of bullying and how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. They said that there is very little bullying and when it occurs it is dealt with effectively.  Pupils behave responsibly around the school and when playing at break and lunchtime. Older pupils act as peer mentors and are available to help younger ones who need advice or assistance. They explained to inspectors that they are trained to seek adult help if they encounter a serious problem.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils are confident that they will receive sympathetic adult help when they have problems. They spoke highly of the family support worker and the way in which she works with pupils who have behaviour difficulties or problems at home .

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  The school’s behaviour policy is effective and is well understood by pupils. Rewards encourage good behaviour and stronger punishments are hardly ever needed.  School records show that behaviour is typically good and has improved consistently during the last year. All staff and most parents who completed the online Parent View questionnaire agree that behaviour is good. However, a few parents expressed concerns about bullying.  Pupils are polite and courteous to each other, to adults and to visitors to the school. They say that lessons are hardly ever disturbed by poor behaviour and explained that incidents are dealt with quickly and effectively when they occur.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils’ achievement has improved since the last inspection. All groups of pupils now make good progress in a range of subjects, including in English and mathematics.  The proportion of children who reached a good level of development at the end of the Reception year rose significantly in 2015 and now matches the national average.  Results in the Year 1 phonics check are above the national average. This is because of good-quality teaching by staff who have been trained well.  Teacher assessments of attainment at Key Stage 1 in 2015 were below the national average, except in mathematics. Standards in reading and writing dropped below the national average, having been above in the previous year. This drop in standards was the result of poor teaching. Teaching has now improved significantly and as a result, pupils’ achievement is now good, with a significant proportion of pupils making above expected progress.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 In Key Stage 2, attainment matched the national average in reading, was slightly below the national average in mathematics and writing but was significantly below in English punctuation, spelling and grammar. This was a significant improvement on the previous year and the proportion of pupils making expected progress was above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Inspectors found that standards in the current term are much improved and pupils’ work shows evidence of accelerated progress. The proportion of pupils making above expected progress is increasing in all years and especially in Years 5 and 6.  Standards of writing have lagged behind those in reading and mathematics. The school is aware of this and has made the teaching of writing a key focus. Pupils’ writing is improving because teachers are giving them opportunities to write extensively and with imagination. However, teachers do not always correct

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Outcomes for pupils are good

errors in spelling punctuation and grammar carefully, leading to pupils sometimes repeating errors.  The gap between disadvantaged pupils closed significantly at Key Stage 2 because of the good support they receive. At the end of Key Stage 1 in 2015, the gap between disadvantaged pupils and others widened. This was the result of poor teaching. Much improved teaching and carefully targeted support has resulted in this gap closing rapidly.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because their progress is checked carefully and they receive high-quality support from teachers and teaching assistants.  In some classes, the most-able pupils make good progress because they are encouraged to extend their learning from their previous starting points. However, this is not always the case and sometimes teachers do not give these pupils work which stimulates and challenges them to move upward from their starting

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Outcomes for pupils are good

points.  Pupils who need to catch up make good progress. This is because teachers and leaders check all pupils progress carefully, ensuring that any who fall behind are identified at an early stage so that they can be helped to catch up.

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Early years provision is good

 Children in the nursery run by the school make good progress and enter the reception with skills which are similar to those expected for their age. Children who enter from other settings are less well prepared for school and take time to catch up. Parents spoke highly of the care which their children receive and are encouraged to be involved in their children’s learning.  Children in reception make good progress and the proportion reaching a good level of development now matches national averages. Consequently they are well prepared to continue to make good progress in Year 1.  Provision in classrooms is good and teachers make the most of the space and facilities. They ensure that children have access to a range of learning opportunities which develop their interests and skill well and enable them to work well individually or in pairs and groups. The outside area is not inviting, however; the lack of equipment means that there are limited opportunities for learning and play. When given the

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Early years provision is good

opportunity to choose, relatively few children choose to use the outside area as the environment does not attract or inspire them.  Children behave very well. They make good progress in developing social skills and they work and play together harmoniously. They show consideration to each other and develop relationships of trust and respect for the adults who care for them.  The leadership and management of the early years are good. A new leader was appointed this term and she has the vision and expertise to recognise the strengths and weaknesses of the setting and to take the right action to improve standards further. Adults work well together, providing a safe and secure environment where children can thrive and grow in confidence. Additional funding is used well so that disadvantaged children do as well as others. Through close observation and by talking to children, adults have a good awareness of children’s progress. They make sure that children are well prepared for the

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School details

Unique reference number 109922 Local authority Bracknell Forest Inspection number 1002404

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School details

This inspection 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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 378 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair David Stacey Headteacher Joanna Lagares Telephone number 01344 421117 Website www.woodenhill.bracknell-forest.sch.uk Email address secretary@office.woodenhill.bracknell-forest.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 23–24 October 2013

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Information about this school

 Wooden Hill Primary and Nursery School is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There have been significant changes in leadership in the last year. After the previous headteacher left in December 2014, an executive headteacher was appointed for the spring term. In the summer term, a permanent headteacher was appointed and she was able to work alongside the executive headteacher before taking over full time in September 2015.  The school has an on-site nursery, which is managed by the governors. Pupils in the early years are taught in two full-time reception classes.  Most pupils come from White British backgrounds and others come from a range of minority ethnic backgrounds, the largest of which is Black African.  The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is well below the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is close to the national

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Information about this school

average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium (those known to be eligible for free school meals or in the care of the local authority) is below the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 18 lessons or parts of lessons, two of which were conducted jointly with senior leaders.  Meetings were held with governors, a local authority representative, school leaders, staff and pupils.  Inspectors spoke to a number of parents before school and took into account 80 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View).  A range of information was looked at, including governors’ minutes, records of teaching observations, school achievement and attendance information and information on behaviour and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

John Worgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Linda Jacobs Ofsted Inspector Hilary Goddard Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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