Woodland Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Woodland Community Primary School Regent Street, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 3BX

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Outcome

Woodland Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a caring and nurturing school. Pupils feel safe and happy. They have excellent relationships with staff. They say that their teachers are kind and friendly and always have time to listen to them. In and around school, pupils behave well. They smile, walk sensibly and hold doors open for other people. The pupils we spoke to said that bullying does not happen. They know that, if it did, staff would sort it out straight away.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their learning. This is because teachers plan activities that are interesting and challenging. Pupils work hard in lessons, either on their own or when they work together. New pupils to school settle quickly because pupils and staff welcome them into the ‘Woodland family’. Staff have high expectations for pupils. Pupils try their best to reach these.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value the responsibilities that they are given, for example being a woodland ranger, play leader or school councillor. They enjoy the way that they help make the school a good place to be. Pupils take part in a wide range of sporting activities and they are proud to represent their school in competitions.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school is led well by knowledgeable and experienced leaders. Governors know the school and the local community well. They visit often to check on how the school is doing. Leaders and staff have made changes to the curriculum so that it is well balanced and interesting. They have made sure that it is clear what pupils will know at certain points in their education. This helps pupils to make links in their learning and build up their knowledge over time.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers use assessment information to match work to pupils’ abilities. This ensures that they meet the needs of all pupils, especially pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. They are supported well and learn alongside their classmates. These pupils are welcomed into all the school has to offer. 15–16 October 2019

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Leaders make sure that pupils develop a love of reading. They have invested in a well- resourced school library. Families can use the library after school with their children. Recent changes to the teaching of reading have had a positive impact on pupils’ achievement. Leaders have selected well-known children’s books and stories. These form the basis of many activities across the school. Pupils talk with excitement about a range of books. They can explain what their favourites are and why.

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At the start of Reception, children begin to learn phonics. Leaders check the progress that pupils are making. Pupils who need to catch up get extra help. Most pupils meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. However, some younger pupils find reading difficult. This is because their reading books are not matched to the sounds that they are learning.

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The teaching of mathematics is a strength and pupils achieve well. Teachers are skilled in teaching this subject. They plan work which builds on what pupils already know. They are quick to identify any pupils who need more support to catch up. Pupils enjoy mathematics because teachers make activities interesting and challenging. Pupils are keen to take risks and learn from their mistakes.

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The science curriculum is well planned. Leaders make clear what pupils should learn each year. Pupils behave well in their science lessons. They enjoy discussing and working together. Pupils take pride in their work and present their findings well. Teachers have recently improved the way that they check what pupils already know and can do in science. They use this information to plan the next lessons. Discussions with some pupils showed that they do not always remember what they have learned before. Leaders are making sure that they fill these gaps in pupils’ learning. Improvements can be seen in the work that pupils are now producing.

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Children settle well into Reception because they are well cared for and feel happy. The environment, both inside and outside, is attractive and well resourced. Teachers give high priority to children’s early mathematics, language and communication skills. Children make strong progress and are prepared well for Year 1.

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Behaviour in and around the school is good. Pupils are caring, kind and considerate to others. They listen to adults and quickly get on with their learning. There is little disruption to learning.

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Staff enjoy working at this school. They feel supported by leaders and are rarely absent from work. Despite this, there are some staff that say their workload is challenging. They feel that this affects their well-being. Leaders have started to review the systems and procedures across the school to help manage teachers’ workload. They are keen to support staff in this area. 15–16 October 2019

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Systems for staff to report concerns are straightforward and are understood by staff. The person responsible for safeguarding is quick to follow up any concerns. Leaders make sure that all staff get regular safeguarding training. This helps them to be up to date with the most recent guidance.

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Safeguarding

Staff know pupils well and are quick to pick up if they have any worries or concerns. Teachers provide training for pupils relating to keeping safe when they are online or in the community. Evidence shows that staff recruited to work in school are checked to ensure that they pose no threat to pupils. Leaders work well with other professionals to ensure that pupils are kept safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have taken effective steps to implement an ambitious and balanced curriculum. The way that pupils are taught is well planned and sequenced in science. However, because the changes made are quite recent, there are still some gaps in pupils’ learning. This is also the case in other subjects. Leaders need to make sure that recent changes become normal practice so that pupils will know and remember more.  Teachers give pupils reading books which are sometimes too difficult for them to read. Teachers need to make sure that reading books are well matched to the phonics that pupils are learning in class. This will help to further develop pupils’ early reading.  Leaders have started to review ways in which they can reduce teacher workload. However, as this is still in its infancy, it has not yet had an impact on improving workload for some staff. Leaders should continue to review systems and processes so that teacher workload is

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 22–23 April 2015. 15–16 October 2019

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How can I feed back my views?

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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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. 15–16 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087679 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22–23 April 2015

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Information about this school

 There have been no significant changes since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, I spoke with pupils, both formally and informally, about their learning and about school life. I spoke with five governors, including the chair of the governing body. I also spoke to a representative from the local authority, the headteacher, other senior leaders and members of staff.  I reviewed a range of documentation, including documentation about attendance, safeguarding and checks undertaken on newly appointed staff. I spoke with the person responsible for safeguarding to discuss how pupils are kept safe.  I considered the 69 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, the 39 responses to the online staff survey and the 49 responses to the pupils’ survey.  I looked in depth at reading, mathematics and science. This entailed discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons, looking at examples of children’s work, discussions with teachers and children, and listening to children read.

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Inspection team

Julie Barlow, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 15–16 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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