Wood Farm Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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David Lewin Headteacher Wood Farm Primary School Titup Hall Drive Headington Oxford Oxfordshire OX3 8QQ

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 9 May 2017, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since your school was judged to be good in June 2012.

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

Your dedicated leadership inspires all those around you to work tirelessly for the best for all pupils at Wood Farm. Your leadership team supports you well, so that the school has improved significantly since your last inspection. The determination of all staff ensures that pupils, some of whom have very low starting points, achieve well. Staff respect the clear vision you communicate, and feel motivated and respected by leaders. As one commented in Ofsted’s staff questionnaire, ‘I feel proud to work in this school and be part of its growing success.’

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

Pupils enjoy learning at Wood Farm. They told me that lessons are, ‘not too easy, not too difficult, but challenging’. They said that teachers are, ‘always there to help’, and that the school is, ‘friendly, no matter who you are’. Most parents are supportive of the school. Some I spoke to on the playground expressed how the teachers are approachable and supportive. One commented, ‘I think the teachers do an amazing job and I would recommend anyone living locally to choose this school.’

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

Since the last inspection you have tackled successfully those areas which inspectors asked you to address. You ensure that pupils have a wide range of opportunities to write at length. As a result, pupils’ writing has improved. You have also made considerable efforts to improve pupils’ outcomes in mathematics. Leaders have carefully adapted the curriculum and how subjects are taught to ensure that all pupils can achieve well.

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

Current pupils typically achieve well in a range of subjects, including those who join the school with low starting points. By the end of key stage 1, the majority of pupils achieve the expected standard for their age in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics. Children in key stage 2 also make effective progress, and some exceed expectations for their age. In the 2016 end-of-key-stage-2 assessments pupils achieved particularly well in mathematics, including some who were disadvantaged. Leaders pay close attention to this group of pupils. Their very high aspirations, to ensure all can achieve well, ensure differences between the achievement of disadvantaged pupils and others are now diminishing.

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

You have an accurate evaluation of what the school does well, and what could be even better. You are rightly ambitious to ensure that teaching and the assistance provided by teaching assistants are consistently highly effective, building on the strong practice already evident in the school. You are aware that the progress pupils make sometimes slows because pupils are not always actively engaged in learning activities. You are also keen to build upon the recent success in improving pupils’ rates of attendance. You are rightly mindful to support improvements in pupils’ outcomes, particularly of those who are disadvantaged, by ensuring they rarely miss any days of school.

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

You ensure that systems to keep children safe are robust. Records are detailed and accurate and of a high quality. Leaders ensure that when recruiting new staff all appropriate checks are made. The school’s single central record of checks on staff is reviewed regularly by governors. It meets statutory requirements.

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

You ensure that there is a strong safeguarding ethos at Wood Farm. Staff receive regular training that keeps them up to date with any new child safety developments. You work closely with other agencies to keep children safe. If necessary, you do not shy away from challenging other professionals to ensure the best support for your pupils.

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Short inspection of Wood Farm Primary School

Pupils know how to keep themselves safe. For example, younger pupils told me the importance of keeping doors and gates shut. Older pupils talked with confidence about keeping safe online. They know not to share any personal information, and to tell an adult if they see anything on the internet that worries them.

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Inspection findings

 During the inspection, we agreed to focus on the effectiveness of leadership in four main areas at Wood Farm. The first was how leaders ensure that pupils make sustained progress in mathematics, and that learning is suitably challenging for all pupils. We also looked at how effectively leaders ensure that children achieve well in the early years. We also focused on how effectively the pupil premium funding is used to improve outcomes for disadvantaged pupils. The final area we addressed was how successfully leaders ensure that poor attendance does not hinder the achievements of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged.  Strong leadership has ensured that the school has improved considerably since the last inspection. Your accurate and rigorous evaluation of the school’s effectiveness enables you to focus precisely on improving teaching and learning. You ensure that everyone is provided with high-quality support to improve the

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Inspection findings

impact they have on pupils’ outcomes. As a result, Wood Farm is moving from strength to strength.  Teachers use their good subject knowledge to plan learning activities that usually ensure that pupils make more rapid progress. For example, in one Year 3 lesson the class teacher skilfully wove key mathematical concepts into a quick-fire mental-mathematics warm-up activity. Pupils grappled with the challenging questions and deepened their understanding of the meaning of a range of mathematical vocabulary. That said, some pupils lack the self-discipline to work effectively, either independently or in small groups. Sometimes when this happens, teachers and teaching assistants do not respond consistently to refocus these pupils to learn effectively. As a result, some learning time is missed.  Mathematics lessons provide pupils with effective challenge. For example, in Year 4 pupils tackled activities of varying difficulty as they learned about place value

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Inspection findings

and number values. Pupils enjoy working at greater depths of understanding. This was demonstrated when one pupil commented to his work partner, ‘Let’s do the more difficult questions. They’re much more fun!’  The early years setting provides wide opportunities for children to learn across the areas of learning. For example, a group of children were enjoying practising their handwriting, and worked quietly and carefully to produce accurate letter formations.  Children develop their early writing skills well in the early years. For example, a group of children were writing together a letter to ‘Humpty Dumpty’. The class teacher provided high-quality guidance that developed children’s ability to space their words appropriately, and extend their knowledge of letters and the sounds they represent. Pupils went on to practise writing letters independently, successfully demonstrating what they had just learned.

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Inspection findings

 Disadvantaged pupils receive tailored support to achieve well. Leaders have high aspirations for this group of pupils and work diligently to identify and tackle successfully the particular barriers to learning they face. For example, teachers regularly review their planning and adapt it according to the needs of disadvantaged pupils. When needed, additional teaching is provided to help these pupils make effective progress. As such, the pupil premium funding is spent well.  Pupils’ attendance is improving well. Leaders have high expectations and communicate these effectively to pupils and parents. For example, leaders have recently adopted a more stringent approach to discouraging term-time absences. As a result, rates of absence, particularly among disadvantaged pupils, are improving, but you know that more still needs to be achieved.  Pupils know that attending school regularly is important. Leaders instil this

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Inspection findings

message through effective use of rewards, certificates and whole-school assemblies. One pupil told me, ‘It’s important to come to school else I won’t be able to get a good job when I’m older.’

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 teaching, and the support provided by teaching assistants, is consistently highly effective  pupils are consistently self-disciplined in lessons so that they remain actively engaged in their learning  pupils’ attendance, including that of disadvantaged pupils, continues to rise.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Oxfordshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

I observed learning across the early years and key stage 2 jointly with the headteacher. I spoke to pupils, and looked at work in their exercise books. Meetings were held with senior leaders and the vice-chair of the governing body. I also spoke on the telephone with a representative from the local authority. I took into account 30 responses to the Ofsted pupil questionnaire. I also took into account 13 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including 13 written comments. I analysed 23 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire. A range of documents was reviewed, including: the school’s development plan, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness, the school’s single central record of checks made on staff, leaders’ assessments of the quality of teaching and learning, the local authority’s reports, and records concerning pupils’ behaviour and attendance.

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