Woodeaton Manor School

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

p.1

Mrs Anne Pearce Headteacher Woodeaton Manor School Woodeaton Oxford Oxfordshire OX3 9TS

p.1

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

Following my visit to the school on 22 May 2018 with Hilary Goddard, Ofsted Inspector, 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 the school was judged to be good in November 2013.

p.1

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

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

p.1

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

Based on the evidence gathered during this short inspection, I am of the opinion that the school has demonstrated strong practice and marked improvement in specific areas. This may indicate that the school has improved significantly overall. Therefore, I am recommending that the school’s next inspection be a section 5 inspection.

p.1

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

You and your whole team are driven by a strong moral purpose. You truly believe that pupils at Woodeaton can and should have valuable and fulfilling adult lives. You ensure that pupils make exceptional progress with their social, emotional and mental health as well as with their academic studies. All at the school work closely and thoughtfully with families and external agencies to ensure that pupils develop strong self-esteem, confidence and the abilities they require to move successfully to their next steps.

p.1

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

You have achieved the areas for improvement identified in the previous inspection. Teaching supports pupils to make very rapid academic progress alongside their strong pastoral progress. Teaching is well planned, and teachers use their excellent knowledge and understanding of pupils in order to meet their needs and provide a strong level of challenge. Teachers and teaching assistants communicate exceptionally well with pupils to ensure that they understand what they are learning. They ensure that pupils develop their abilities to apply their learning to different contexts successfully.

p.1

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

Staff thoughtfully review and evaluate the impact of their work through weekly telephone calls with parents and carers and daily conversations as a group of staff. Provision is adapted quickly and successfully to meet the specific needs of each pupil. However, you are aware that your formal monitoring and evaluation of this work can be strengthened in order to measure the impact of your work more clearly.

p.2

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

Pupils are very happy at Woodeaton. Many who spoke to inspectors reflected on how much ‘better’ their lives are since starting here. They benefit greatly from the vast array of extra-curricular activities including sharing meals with their peers and teachers, trips and residential visits. They are supported exceptionally well in order to adapt to high expectations of social behaviour. Pupils enjoy this time and can see how it supports them. They particularly like the way that all staff will listen to them and help them to put things right when they make mistakes.

p.2

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

The overwhelming majority of parents and carers are also very pleased with the provision at Woodeaton. Typical comments reflected on the support that you provide for the whole family, not just your pupils. For example, one parent wrote that ‘the school has made the world of difference to our son and family’. Another commented: ‘All the staff are amazing and caring. They help with home life as well as school life. I’m so lucky to have got my son into Woodeaton Manor. I don’t know where we’d be otherwise.’

p.2

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

Senior leaders have ensured that the school has strong safeguarding arrangements and that all adults and pupils understand the systems to manage safeguarding and use them well. All adults and pupils who spoke to inspectors or answered Ofsted’s online questionnaires are confident that pupils are safe. Staff at the school have a keen understanding of what to look out for and how to report even the smallest worry. Records are kept carefully, and any required referrals are made and followed up relentlessly.

p.2

Short inspection of Woodeaton Manor School

All adults benefit from extensive training to keep their safeguarding knowledge and skills up to date. Leaders set regular quizzes to ensure that adults are aware of potential risks to pupils and keep safeguarding always at the forefront of their work. They understand the local and social pressures on young people. They teach pupils to identify, manage and avoid potential risks, including those found online.

p.2

Inspection findings

 Leaders’ high aspirations for pupils underpin the curriculum. The curriculum is carefully balanced to meet pupils’ complex social, emotional and mental health needs as well as to support their academic progress. Teachers have a precise knowledge of pupils’ individual needs and create specially tailored programmes of study for pupils so that they make rapid progress in their personal and social skills as well as their academic learning. Consideration of pupils’ next steps is threaded through their ongoing learning and all pupils move on to further study successfully.  Many pupils who attend Woodeaton have had unsuccessful experiences in their previous schools and some had not attended school regularly for some time prior to joining. The school’s excellent transition arrangements enable pupils to settle quickly when they join the school and re-engage with learning. Pupils regain their self-esteem and learn to regulate their own behaviour, enabling them to access

p.2

Inspection findings

the high-quality education on offer at the school. As a result of the school’s individually tailored curriculum, alongside the high quality of teaching and support, pupils at Woodeaton thrive.  Governors share leaders’ determination to provide the best possible for Woodeaton’s pupils and families. They have a very good understanding of the emotional and academic needs of the pupils. They are similarly determined to make sure that expectations are high, and aspirations are realised. They hold leaders to account through robust conversations and frequent visits to the school. However, they are aware that they need to improve the recording of their strategic work so that they can more clearly demonstrate its impact, including how they hold leaders to account for the use of additional funding.

p.3

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.3

Next steps for the school

 monitoring and evaluation documentation is streamlined so that there is more clarity about the impact of their actions.

p.3

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.

p.3

Information about the inspection

During this inspection, my colleague and I met with you and the headteacher elect along with other members of the school leadership team. I also met with members of the school staff and members of the governing body. I held a telephone call with your local authority adviser. Together with you and the headteacher elect, we planned the key lines of enquiry for the inspection. We visited a range of classes covering all year groups, to observe pupils’ learning, speak with them, and look at their books. Many of these observations were conducted jointly with a member of the leadership team. We also met a group of pupils formally. We considered 24 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including 16 written contributions by parents. We took account of six responses to the online staff questionnaire. We looked at a range of documentation, including information about the work of governors, safeguarding, attendance and behaviour. We also scrutinised

p.3

Information about the inspection

and discussed the school’s tracking of pupils’ progress and attainment, and the school’s self-evaluation and plans for improvement.

p.4