Woodlands Primary School

Woodlands Primary School Winding Way, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP2 9DY

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders’ evaluations of the quality of teaching are overly generous. Leaders do not tackle weaknesses quickly enough to raise standards.  Leaders do not evaluate the impact of their improvement plans closely enough. This is because there is too little planned oversight of the school’s work.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are not always high enough. This means that pupils, especially the most able, do not reach the standards they should in reading, writing and mathematics.  Leaders do not use the pupil premium funding effectively to raise standards for disadvantaged pupils in key stage 1 and in the early years.  Teachers do not consistently use assessment information well enough to ensure that learning is precisely matched to the needs of the pupils, including in the early years.  The curriculum is not taught in sufficient depth to ensure that pupils can make the best possible progress in a wide range of subjects.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Governors have not held leaders to account for the progress of all pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school serves at the heart of the community and is held in high regard by pupils, staff, parents and carers.  Staff and governors are passionate, committed and highly motivated. They have worked hard to ensure that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well catered for.  Pupils are well behaved in and around school. They are polite and respectful towards each other and adults.  Leaders give safeguarding high priority, which is effective. A strong pastoral team supports pupils from complex and disadvantaged backgrounds. Pupils feel safe and well cared for.  Phonics is taught effectively, including in the early years.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management by ensuring that: – senior leaders and governors gain an accurate understanding of the quality of education and use this information to bring about rapid improvements to the quality of teaching – middle leaders evaluate the effectiveness of teaching in their areas of responsibility and provide support that leads to improvement – leaders make effective use of the pupil premium funding to raise the achievement of disadvantaged pupils, particularly in the early years and key stage 1 – leaders review the breadth of the curriculum so that pupils acquire the knowledge, understanding and skills expected for their age in a wide range of subjects.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and raise pupils’ achievement by ensuring that: – staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve and teaching demands the highest standards of pupils across all subjects – teachers make effective use of their assessments to inform teaching and ensure that planned activities precisely match pupils’ needs, particularly for the most able – teachers continue to develop pupils’ vocabulary and comprehension skills across the school.

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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 may be improved.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders do not have an accurate view of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school. Consequently, weaker teaching has not been tackled. This has led to pupils not making consistently good progress.  There is too little strategic oversight of the school’s work. This is seen, for example, in weaknesses on checks of the quality of teaching and analysis of information about exclusions.  Leaders have not robustly monitored the breadth of the curriculum. Tasks in geography and history, for example, are frequently less demanding of pupils than those in English and mathematics. As a result of this, standards of achievement across the different subjects are highly variable.  Leaders have made some improvements since the last inspection, notably by introducing a more rigorous school development plan. However, leaders’ plans have not had enough time to make a difference to pupils’ achievement.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 The leadership of reading has led to improvements in practice, particularly in key stage 2. Here, there is a clear focus on developing pupils’ vocabulary and comprehension skills. However, changes in practice are not yet established in key stage 1.  Leaders have developed a strong and trusting relationship with the local community. Pupils, parents and staff are positive about the school and feel well supported.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is well catered for. Leaders recognise that many pupils come from complex or disadvantaged backgrounds, and so ensure that all pupils are provided with a wide range of experiences. For example, pupils participate in drama workshops and perform at the Salisbury Playhouse Theatre. This results in pupils acquiring cultural knowledge.  Leaders make effective use of the sport premium to encourage pupils to participate in physical activities and adopt healthy lifestyles. An external coach provides additional

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

sporting opportunities and also supports teachers to develop their knowledge and skills of teaching different sports.  Leaders use pupil premium funding to provide additional support to disadvantaged pupils. For example, additional teaching assistants have supported pupils in Year 6. However, this support is not enabling disadvantaged pupils in early years and key stage 1 to make good progress.  The leadership of provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is effective. There are clear systems to ensure that the needs of these pupils are identified accurately and the right provision is put in place. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to ensure that pupils receive the support they need.  Leaders show concern for the well-being of the staff and take their workload into account to avoid placing unnecessary burdens on them. Staff recognise this and feel

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

well supported by leaders; they enjoy working at the school.

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Governance of the school

 Governors have been too accepting of the information provided by school leaders and are not able to describe the impact of school improvement initiatives.  Governors understand the school’s context and the challenges this brings; they are passionate about and committed to the pupils. For example, governors know that reading needs to improve across the school and so regularly volunteer to hear pupils read.  Governors lack a clear overview of the work of the school. As a result, they have not held leaders to account for the progress of all groups of pupils.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.  Leaders are diligent in their safeguarding duties. Their records for checking staff, including vetting them before they are appointed, are robust. Training for all staff meets statutory requirements. In addition, leaders ensure that all members of staff receive training about relevant issues. As a result, staff have a secure understanding of how to respond to any concerns they have about pupils.  Leaders work effectively with other professional agencies and experts to ensure that pupils receive the support and help they need to be kept safe. Leaders are vigilant and respond swiftly where they have concerns.  Pupils report that they feel safe and trust staff to resolve any issues or concerns they have. Pupils say that bullying is rare and that teachers deal with incidents swiftly. The counsellor and family support worker help pupils, including those who are vulnerable,

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teachers do not routinely provide pupils with sufficiently challenging work. Pupils often complete the same work regardless of their different starting points. Too few pupils reach the standards they should in reading, writing and mathematics, especially the most able pupils.  The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is too variable across the school. This means that pupils do not make consistently good progress.  Teachers do not use assessment information well enough to ensure that learning is precisely matched to pupils’ needs. At times, pupils find the work too easy or too difficult and wait for an adult to support their learning. This results in lost learning time.  Teaching in a range of subjects lacks sufficient quality and depth to ensure that all groups of pupils can make the best possible progress across the curriculum. This is because learning activities are less demanding in subjects other than English and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

mathematics.  All pupils in Year 4 learn to play the violin and can attend the after-school orchestra. Pupils enjoy this experience and participate with great enthusiasm.  Phonics is taught effectively. Reading books are well matched to pupils’ phonic ability; this helps pupils to practise their reading and tackle unfamiliar words.  Teachers use common approaches to teaching mathematics across key stage 2. They provide opportunities for pupils to develop problem solving and reasoning. In Years 5 and 6, teachers encourage pupils to justify and explain their chosen mathematical calculation methods. Mathematics teaching is not as effective in key stage 1 and so pupils make less progress in Years 1 and 2.  Leaders have prioritised pupils’ reading development. Teachers focus on developing pupils’ vocabulary. Pupils in key stage 2 are given opportunities to discuss their understanding of different texts and explain their reasoning. Consequently, reading

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

attainment at the end of key stage 2 is improving.  Teachers and teaching assistants have established positive relationships with pupils in lessons. Pupils feel well supported. They are encouraged to take risks in their learning. As a result, they are comfortable to share their ideas and offer answers to questions.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils say that they feel safe and talk about how to keep safe online. They can explain the rules for using computers at school and why these rules are important and help them to stay safe.  Pupils understand how to stay healthy and explain how they are encouraged to eat fruit and vegetables at lunchtime. Pupils enjoy the range of extra-curricular activities on offer, such as dance and dodgeball. Pupils enthusiastically describe whole-school events, such as the mini marathon and cycling proficiency. They appreciate the opportunity to complete their homework in the after-school club.  Pupils are keen to learn; they enjoy school and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their learning.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils are well supervised at breaktime and lunchtime. They behave in an orderly manner in the lunch hall and around the school. Pupils enjoy playing together outside.  Where teachers’ expectations are high, pupils take pride in their work and present it neatly.  Pupils say that bullying is rare and that teachers deal with incidents swiftly. They trust adults to resolve any concerns or issues. Parents and staff have no concerns about behaviour at school.  Pupils are polite and courteous; they listen carefully to one another and respect each other’s views. They show good manners in and around the school and are confident when talking to adults.  Attendance for all pupils has improved over time. The rate of pupils’ attendance is in line with the national average. Despite the school’s efforts, a minority of pupils are still persistently absent from school, and this has a negative impact on their progress.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Many pupils are behind in their learning and do not catch up quickly enough because teaching does not enable them to make sustained progress in a wide range of subjects.  The rate of progress of different groups of pupils and in different subjects is inconsistent. This is particularly so for pupils who need to catch up from low starting points. Historically, standards at the end of early years and key stage 1 have been low. Consequently, there remain a significant proportion of pupils who need to catch up across key stages 1 and 2. Many of these pupils are disadvantaged.  Teaching does not consistently challenge pupils. As a result of this, few of the school’s most-able pupils make strong progress or have high attainment. This is because they often complete work that is similar to that for pupils with much lower starting points.  In 2018, the proportions of pupils achieving standards appropriate for their age at the

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

end of early years and key stage 1 were below those of pupils nationally. The attainment for pupils at the end of key stage 2 has improved over recent years. In 2018, the proportions of pupils achieving standards appropriate for their age in writing and mathematics was broadly in line with pupils nationally, including for disadvantaged pupils. But pupils’ reading remains below the standards reached nationally.  The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has improved over recent years and was in line with the national average in 2018. Phonics is taught effectively across the school, but pupils, particularly in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2, do not have enough opportunities to write at length and apply their developing skills.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Children’s progress in the early years is variable because teachers do not set consistently high expectations for children.  Children start school with knowledge of reading, writing and number below that typically found for their age. However, teachers do not use assessment precisely enough to ensure that they match their teaching accurately to the needs of the children. This weakens their progress.  The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development at the end of the early years has been well below that of children nationally for the last three years, especially for disadvantaged children. Too few children are well prepared for key stage 1.  Leaders do not use pupil premium funding effectively. Consequently, too few disadvantaged children are helped to reach the standards expected for their age at the end of the early years.  Teachers read with children regularly and encourage parents to join with them in

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Early years provision Requires improvement

developing children’s early reading. Phonics teaching is effective. Children’s recently produced writing shows that some can apply their knowledge to write lists of words and simple sentences. Samples of children’s number work show that some children are able to combine two numbers to find the total. However, number activities do not always build effectively on what children show that they already know, understand and can do.  Children are well behaved; they respond quickly to adults’ instructions and know how to share. They play well together and are polite and considerate to each other. For example, children in Reception use finger puppets to retell a familiar story. They take turns and allow each other to speak.  Children in Nursery, including the youngest children, follow routines well. They understand what is expected of them, listen carefully to instructions and respond appropriately. For example, they take it in turns to use a magnifying glass to examine

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Early years provision Requires improvement

the bug hotel.  Staff provide children with many opportunities to develop their communication and social skills. For example, during snack time, children are encouraged to share fruit and talk to each other. Adults ask appropriate questions, model vocabulary and support children’s developing language.  The early years curriculum is broad and balanced. It provides exciting opportunities for children to learn, both indoors and outside, such as holding ducklings and participating in cooking activities.  Safeguarding is effective in the early years; all statutory welfare requirements are met.

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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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Email address head@woodlands.wilts.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 July 2018

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school with one class for each year group. There are currently 32 children registered for the Nursery.  The school was previously inspected in July 2018. This inspection outlined some key areas for leaders to address. It did not change the school’s overall effectiveness grade.  The majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is much higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND, including those with an education, health and care plan, is higher than the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils in lessons in all classes across the school, some of which were jointly observed with the headteacher.  Discussions took place with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, early years leader and with the leader of special educational needs and/or disabilities.  The lead inspector met with governors and spoke with a representative of the local education authority.  Inspectors spoke to two groups of pupils to seek their views about the school. The views of other pupils were gathered during lessons and at breaktimes. Inspectors took account of the responses of 71 pupils who completed Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors carried out scrutiny of the quality of pupils’ work in books across a range of subjects and year groups. Inspectors listened to pupils from Year 2 and Year 6 read.  Inspectors scrutinised a number of school documents, including the school’s self- evaluation, school improvement plan, records relating to behaviour, checks on teaching

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Information about this inspection

and learning, school performance information, pupils’ attendance and safeguarding.  Inspectors considered 19 responses to the online survey, Parent View, as well as three free-text responses. Questionnaire responses from 15 members of staff were also analysed.

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Inspection team

Geraldine Tidy, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Steve Smith Her Majesty’s 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

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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, 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.gov.uk/ofsted

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