Woodstock School

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

p.1

Mrs Kaye Palmer-Greene Executive Principal Woodstock School Rectory Gardens Henbury Bristol Avon BS10 7AH

p.1

Short inspection of Woodstock School

Following my visit to the school on 5 March 2019 with Andrew Buckton, 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 April 2015.

p.1

Short inspection of Woodstock School

You and your leadership team have maintained the good quality of education in the school since the previous inspection, taking effective action to address the areas for improvement identified in the inspection report. Having taken on the leadership of the school in your role as executive principal for the Woodway Federation, you have had to make some difficult decisions to ensure that the school operates within its budget. You have achieved this well, while introducing many changes to the benefit of pupils. This includes setting up a new team called The Hub, which provides bespoke support for pupils’ communication, social, emotional and mental health needs. You have also introduced a broader curriculum to meet the needs of your pupils.

p.1

Short inspection of Woodstock School

Staff build strong relationships with pupils. This contributes significantly to the very positive atmosphere in the school. Pupils’ work in a wide range of subjects and activities is colourfully displayed in corridors and on staircases, celebrating their achievements. There is a clear emphasis in all of the school’s work on helping pupils to learn to manage their feelings and emotions so that they can make good progress in their learning. A pupil explained that he had learned that there is always a way back after things have been difficult.

p.1

Short inspection of Woodstock School

Pupils and parents value the work of the school, and the impact it has on pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils say they have made big improvements in their reading and writing since starting at the school. Parents are very positive about the school, describing the good progress their children make and their appreciation for the work that teachers do.

p.1

Short inspection of Woodstock School

When we observed lessons and looked in pupils’ books, we saw that pupils are set challenging work. Teachers ask questions regularly to check that every pupil understands what they are learning. Teachers then revisit a point that has been misunderstood, or increase the level of challenge. As a result, pupils make good progress towards their targets.

p.2

Short inspection of Woodstock School

You have developed the way that you assess and check pupils’ academic progress and behaviour. You have also introduced ways to identify which particular aspects of pupils’ social and emotional development need most attention. Leaders and governors use this information to understand the strengths of the school and to plan improvements. However, assessment and monitoring information is not analysed consistently to inform day-to-day planning.

p.2

Short inspection of Woodstock School

Leaders and governors ensure that pupils’ safety and welfare are high priorities. They ensure that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Your approach to recording, reporting and monitoring any concerns is very effective. The appointment of a parent liaison officer has improved relations and communication between home and school. This has contributed well to staff working with parents to address any concerns.

p.2

Short inspection of Woodstock School

Safeguarding leaders and staff from The Hub meet regularly. These meetings help to identify pupils whose behaviour is communicating a possible safeguarding issue. Staff are well trained and know how to respond to concerns about pupils’ care and welfare. Recruitment procedures meet statutory requirements. Pupils say that they feel safe. Pupils have confidence that staff will keep them safe when other pupils are unsettled.

p.2

Inspection findings

 At the start of the day we agreed on areas we would focus on during the inspection. The first area we looked at was how well you ensure that the curriculum is well matched to the needs of all groups of pupils. You have recently introduced a new approach to the curriculum, with many subjects being taught together in topic themes. Pupils are now learning a broad range of subjects that both interest them and help them develop relevant skills and knowledge. However, you have not yet evaluated the impact of the changes on the progress that pupils make across the whole curriculum.  Staff use the objectives in individual pupils’ education, health and care plans well to set appropriate learning targets. Teachers then use the curriculum to help pupils meet their targets, especially by tailoring support for pupils’ speech and language, and social and emotional development.  We also focused on how effective teaching is in ensuring that pupils make strong

p.2

Inspection findings

progress in English and mathematics. This was one of the areas for improvement from the last inspection. Our analysis of pupils’ work showed that progress is good in both of these subjects. Teachers use a consistent approach to lesson planning that builds on prior learning. Pupils understand this, and most are able to work their way through the different levels of challenge that are set. Teachers highlight key vocabulary regularly. This helps pupils develop their language skills. As a result of this approach, pupils make good progress.  For many pupils, writing is their weakest area. You have introduced an approach that is helping pupils to catch up. Teachers plan sequences of learning that help pupils think about and develop their writing. We saw some good-quality work that had resulted from this approach, including some haiku poems that pupils had written.  Pupils use practical resources well during mathematics lessons. This helps them

p.2

Inspection findings

visualise the mental mathematics problems which teachers set for them. Although most pupils find the work hard, they are able to persevere and work out the correct answer. Support staff are highly effective and skilled. They provide support for those pupils who need it, while allowing other pupils to work independently.  Our third focus was on how well leaders and staff manage behaviour. Throughout the inspection pupils behaved extremely well. In lessons, they were very keen to succeed, and showed enjoyment in what they were learning. During playtimes and lunchtime, they played together very well.  Since you established The Hub, there has been a significant reduction in exclusions and behaviour incidents. This has gone hand-in-hand with improved levels of engagement in learning. Staff combine very high expectations of behaviour with the ability to spot pupils who need additional support. Support staff and teachers are skilled at intervening at these times. This helps pupils to

p.3

Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

p.3

Next steps for the school

 assessment is used well to inform the day-to-day planning for individual pupils  the impact of the new curriculum is evaluated to check that pupils make the best possible progress in all subjects.

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 Bristol City. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

p.3

Information about the inspection

We held meetings with you and your senior leadership team to discuss the school’s current self-evaluation and what work you had carried out to improve the school. We met with other school leaders to discuss the curriculum, behaviour, progress, and attendance. We met with a large group of staff and members of the school council. We looked at examples of pupils’ work, and school records. Several members of staff were involved in discussing safeguarding arrangements. Together, we looked at various documents, including the single central record and your system for recording safeguarding concerns. We examined a variety of documents, including school policies and your school improvement plan and self-evaluation form. We visited lessons and observed breaktime and lunchtime, where we carried out observations and talked to pupils. A meeting was held with two members of the governing body. Another meeting was held with a representative from the local

p.4

Information about the inspection

We considered 29 responses to the pupil survey, 12 responses to the staff survey, and 12 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. We spoke to parents during the inspection, and took into account the views of a parent who contacted Ofsted directly.

p.4