Woodseaves CE Primary Academy

Inspection of Woodseaves CE Primary Academy Dickey’s Lane, Woodseaves, Stafford, Staffordshire ST20 0LB

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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 Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good 1–2 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. Attendance is good. Pupils get on well with each other and with the adults. Parents appreciate the care given to their children. They say, ‘The pastoral care and sense of community at the school is strong, and children are well looked after.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils believe in themselves. They talk about their learning and things that are important to them in a grown-up way. Pupils told inspectors at many different times about the importance of the environment. We saw this sense of duty in action as pupils ‘saved the worms’ during playtime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk about being and feeling safe in school. They say that bullying is very rare. They are confident that adults deal with it if it does happen. Pupils can ask adults for help if they need it. They also said their friends help them too, saying, ‘We are one big family.’ Pupils have some understanding of risks in wider society.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The new headteacher is making a real difference. In a short space of time, she has brought about many improvements but there still is more to be done. Leaders know what is working well and what needs to improve. They have clear plans in place to make this happen. Staff morale is high. Teachers say, ‘We have the drive to do more and to do it better. We are excited about the future.’

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better?

Teaching in reading, writing and mathematics is not as good as it should be. In the past, leaders have not helped teachers to plan in a sequenced and structured way. As a result, pupils’ learning does not build on what they already know. Nor, does it make links about how it will help their future learning. This is beginning to improve. Since the headteacher joined the school in September 2019, clear progress can be seen. Work is already underway to sequence the curriculum, develop teachers’ subject knowledge and improve the learning for all pupils.

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better?

Reception children settle well in school. Children feel safe and valued. Children enjoy time to learn and play in their own classroom and outside spaces. They also come together at times, such as worship, as part of the whole school. Reception children begin to learn phonics (letters and the sounds they represent) as soon as they start school. Staff help children to have the skills they need to begin early reading. However, adults do not always give the most able children in Reception enough chances to decide how much to write or how to show what they know about numbers.

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better?

Most pupils learn to read well during key stage 1. Pupils who are falling behind and need the most help often work with adults who are not teachers. The support pupils receive out of class does not focus enough on their individual needs. In these sessions, pupils mess around and take too long to be ready to listen to the adult. This means that these pupils do not catch up quickly enough with their peers. 1–2 October 2019

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Pupils in different classes have different experiences of hearing teachers reading stories to them. In the classes where teachers do, pupils enjoy this. Pupils in Years 5 and 6 told inspectors that their new teacher is inspiring them to read books by new authors and new texts. They enjoy the challenge of being, ‘The best we can be.’ Pupils show respect for teachers and behave well in lessons.

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Pupils access a wide range of subjects. Pupils learn through interesting topics such as Vikings, Romans and castles. In history, geography and science teachers plan links between lessons. This helps pupils to apply their earlier learning across different subjects. They know and remember more over time.

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Leaders use sport premium funding well. Both sports coaches and teachers deliver physical education (PE). Pupils learn how be healthy in body and mind and develop resilience to cope with setbacks. Pupils learn a range of sports. They also join in competitions, including archery, football and netball. Pupils told inspectors that they want to use the gymnastic equipment in the hall more often.

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Leaders ensure that support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils is at the right level to help them to be successful in school. Leaders do not routinely check which pupils join in with after- school clubs, so some may miss out on opportunities.

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Pupils do not fully understand differences between their own community and wider Britain. They listen to visiting speakers and go on a range of visits and trips. However, these experiences are not helping pupils to develop and deepen their understanding. For example, pupils told inspectors that everyone must give a donation to a charity. They were not aware that not everyone can afford to do this. Pupils are proud of their new leadership roles, including head boy and girl and being elected for school and eco-council.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take their duty of keeping pupils safe very seriously. They complete all the checks needed to make sure staff are suitable to work with the pupils. Leaders get the right help for families and pupils to support them to be safe, healthy and well.

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Safeguarding

The new headteacher has helped staff and governors to know of the many issues that children face today. Training has supported staff to refer any concerns at an early stage. Staff know what they need to do to report concerns for a child’s well- being or safety. 1–2 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has gone through a period of turbulence in leadership and staffing over recent years. This has resulted in a decline in standards. Leaders at all levels should ensure that leadership systems build upon the curriculum plans and staff training recently implemented and are not over-reliant on one person to ensure that the school offers a consistently good quality of education.  Teaching in reading, writing and mathematics is not yet strong enough. Consequently, pupils have gaps in their learning and are not secure in the ability to apply what they are taught in these subjects. Leaders need to make sure that the curriculum is planned so that teachers know how to build pupils’ knowledge sequentially, over time, allowing them to learn more and remember more.  Leaders have not supported subject leaders, especially in the core subjects of reading, writing and mathematics, to develop the necessary leadership skills to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

improve learning in their subjects. As a result, pupils’ skills are not as strong as they need to be. Leaders need to ensure that all staff benefit from continual professional development.  Pupils who are falling behind do not receive the help they need to rapidly catch up. The most able Reception pupils do not receive the challenge that will move their learning on further. Leaders should ensure that staff receive appropriate training to enable them to adapt the curriculum to plan to meet the needs of all pupils.  Pupils do not fully understand differences between their own community and wider Britain. They are not as prepared as they could be to value and respect similarities and differences to their own background. Leaders should consider how to make best use of opportunities across all subjects to fully prepare pupils for life in modern Britain.

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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. 1–2 October 2019

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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. 1–2 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111693 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 January 2018

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher started at the school in September 2019.  The school has a distinctive Christian ethos.  There has been significant staff turnover in key stage 2 since the last inspection.  A new chair and vice-chair of governors of the local governing body have been appointed in September 2019.  Woodseaves CE Primary Academy converted to become an academy school on 8 April 2015. It is one of three primary schools in the West Stafford Multi-Academy Trust which became the Shire Learning Trust on 15 April 2019.

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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 headteacher, deputy headteacher, school business manager, all class teachers, two governors and chair of the trustees.  We visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke to them about their experience of school. 1–2 October 2019

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 The inspection concentrated on the teaching of reading, writing, mathematics and PE.  The school’s records of safeguarding checks and referrals to the local authority were reviewed.  We spoke with staff about how they keep pupils safe. We also asked the pupils about how they keep themselves safe and what to do if they have concerns.  We observed pupils playing at breaktime and lunchtime.  One inspector spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised a number of documents, including those relating to the school’s self-evaluation, improvement plans and the school’s information on pupils’ recent attainment and progress.  Inspectors considered behaviour and attendance information and policies and procedures relating to pupils with SEND, pupil premium funding, safeguarding and child protection. The school’s website was also checked.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Foulkes, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Graeme Rudland Ofsted Inspector 1–2 October 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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