Woodstock Primary Academy

Inspection of Woodstock Primary Academy Hattern Avenue, Leicester, Leicestershire LE4 2GZ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 10–11 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this rapidly improving school. The new principal has made lots of improvements. These include making sure pupils are safe, behave well, and try their best. Pupils told us that if poor behaviour or bullying does happen then staff deal with it fairly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils like the wide range of clubs and trips on offer. These include different sports, music, singing and the arts. Year 6 pupils attend an annual overnight trip to London.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff are working hard to improve the attendance of pupils. Pupils’ attendance is much better than it was but there are still too many who do not attend often enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between the school and parents are improving all the time. Parents are positive about the school. Extra support is in place for any pupils or families who need it. One parent told us, ‘The school staff go above and beyond for our children.’

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better?

School leaders know what needs to be improved at the school. Some subjects, including history, geography and science, are not planned out well enough. It is not always clear how lessons link together so that pupils are able to know more and remember more. There is not yet a consistent way of teaching reading. More thought should be given to the teaching of relationships and sex education.

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better?

The principal and deputy principal lead the school well. They have plans in place to address weaknesses. Some aspects of the school are now strong. However, there has not been enough time for all their actions to have the required impact. Staff told us they feel valued and part of a team. They also said leaders consider their welfare and well-being.

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better?

Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are a strength. Pupils participate enthusiastically in activities. The school encourages pupils to be ‘respectful, resilient and ready to learn’. Almost all pupils are keen to learn. Disruption in lessons is rare.

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better?

The curriculum for pupils’ personal development is good. Pupils develop their social skills by playing and working alongside each other. Pupils also learn about faiths and cultures that are different to their own. Pupils like working towards their ‘acclaim passport’. This encourages them to try different activities.

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better?

Staff adapt the curriculum for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) exceptionally well. Staff have high expectations of what these pupils can achieve. Staff use the provision known as the ‘Nest’ very well. This allows pupils to receive specialist support in a nurturing and caring environment. This 10–11 September 2019

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aspect of the school’s work is very good.

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The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) and early reading is not as well organised as it should be. For example, not all staff have had the same training. Pupils’ reading books do not always match the letter sounds and words they have been learning. There is no whole-school approach to the teaching of early reading. In recent years not, enough pupils have achieved well in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

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End of key stage results are rising, but too many pupils leaving key stages 1 and 2 recently have not reached the expected national standards in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The quality of education in the early years is similar to that in the rest of the school. Relationships are positive between children and adults. There is a safe environment with appropriate teaching resources on offer. Children have recently been to a sea- life centre and a local farm. However, the planned lessons and activities are not always sequenced well enough. Sometimes children are given tasks that are too easy for them.

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The local governing body has a good range of skills and experience. They have received the training they need and understand their statutory duties. Along with the multi-academy trust, they hold leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Safeguarding leaders and all staff are appropriately trained. For example, they know how to spot the signs of neglect, abuse and female genital mutilation. All staff know how to record concerns about a child or family. Any such concerns are dealt with promptly. Records are thorough and kept securely. There are good links with outside agencies. These include the early help team, homestart, and the educational psychologist.

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Safeguarding

All necessary checks are made on adults before they are allowed to work or volunteer at the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The plans for foundation subjects do not provide enough detail to help teachers know what pupils need to learn. Leaders should ensure that plans make it clear how pupils will build on their knowledge and understanding each year.  Similarly, the curriculum in the early years is not coherently planned and sequenced as well as it should be. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum 10–11 September 2019

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builds on what children know and can do. It should ensure that activities are suitably demanding.  The plans to teach phonics and reading do not identify the sequences of learning necessary to ensure that all pupils achieve well. Leaders should ensure that all teachers receive the same training and that reading books connect closely to the phonics knowledge which pupils are being taught.  There is an effective curriculum for pupils’ personal development. However, leaders agree that the relationships and sex education aspects are missing. Leaders should ensure that this aspect of the curriculum is planned to provide pupils with the knowledge they need to understand the different forms that families can take.  Leaders have been effective in improving pupils’ rates of attendance. However, they still need to reduce the number of pupils who are persistently absent.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 10–11 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110101 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Learning Without Limits Academy Trust in November 2016.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors met with the principal and deputy principal and the leaders responsible for the early years; curriculum development; writing; reading; mathematics; and personal, social, health and economic education; two members of the governing body, including the chair; the chief executive of the trust; the family support worker; and a newly qualified teacher.  As part of the inspection, the team undertook deep dives into mathematics, phonics and reading, writing, science and history. A deep dive entails talking with the subject leader, visiting lessons, talking with pupils and teachers and examining work in pupils’ books, all from the same subject.  When inspecting safeguarding, the inspector met with the designated and deputy safeguarding leads and the family support worker. The safeguarding policy, 10–11 September 2019

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training records and examples of safeguarding concerns were scrutinised.  The inspection team examined a range of documentation including the school development plan, self-evaluation, curriculum plans and information concerning pupils’ attendance and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Peter Stonier, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jane Salt Ofsted Inspector 10–11 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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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