Woodchurch CofE Primary School

Inspection of Woodchurch CofE Primary School Church Lane, Woodchurch, Wirral, Merseyside CH49 7LS

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement 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?

This is a truly inclusive school. Pupils’ personal development is a strength. Leaders and staff provide a wide range of support for pupils’ emotional, behavioural, mental and physical health and well-being.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high aspirations for their pupils. Pupils are proud to undertake responsibilities and develop their leadership potential, for example as playground leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy attending school. They like the trips that support their learning and build their understanding of their local community, for example by singing at local nursing homes. They take part in a wide range of extra-curricular activities, especially sports. Pupils value the opportunities to take part in competitions and are justifiably proud of their successes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that behaviour in classrooms is not always good. Chatter and poor attitudes to learning from some pupils disrupt the learning of others. However, they also told us that behaviour is better at lunchtimes and breaktimes. They said that bullying is rare and, when it does happen, staff deal with it successfully. All pupils who spoke with us said that they feel safe at the school.

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better?

Senior leaders and governors know the pupils well. They aim for pupils to become responsible citizens who play their part in their community. Senior leaders ensure that staff promote wonder, commitment and expectation – three words stated in the school aims. Staff are happy that leaders manage workload pressures on the staff team well. Leaders and staff get along positively with one another.

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better?

Recent disruptions in staffing have negatively affected the quality of pupils’ education. In the past, pupils did not achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. This was because of weak teaching and teachers’ low expectations of pupils. Recently, leaders have improved staff’s understanding of the curriculum. They have helped staff to have higher expectations of pupils. Teaching of the curriculum and staff’s management of pupils’ behaviour are improving. Current pupils in upper key stage 2 know and remember more of the essential information that they need in English and mathematics.

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better?

Leaders and staff plan the curriculum carefully in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers understand what pupils should know and be able to do in their classes. New learning for pupils builds on what they have learned before. However, leaders and teachers do not ensure that other subjects are well planned. While teachers know what they need to teach this term in these subjects, the curriculum is far less clear for the whole school year.

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better?

Younger pupils read simple texts accurately because they know the sounds that 1–2 October 2019

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letters make. Staff help older pupils to read by organising learning in a well-arranged order. Pupils draw on what they have learned to find important words in texts quickly and accurately. This helps them to answer questions about what they have read.

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Children get off to a strong start to their education in the early years. Leaders and staff find any gaps in children’s knowledge and understanding and plan the curriculum carefully. The curriculum for early reading and number work is highly effective. As a result, children learn well.

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Leaders and staff give great attention to pupils’ personal development. Their support for pupils with emotional and social needs is highly effective and a strength of the school. Staff have been well trained to meet the needs of these pupils. Teachers plan activities that will prepare pupils strongly for life in modern Britain.

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Staff do not manage pupils’ behaviour in classes consistently well across the school. This holds back some pupils’ learning. Leaders have set up a new system to manage pupils’ behaviour but it is too early to see the full benefit.

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Current pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged are supported well by staff. However, until recently, pupils with SEND have not been supported enough by staff. Consequently, these pupils have not made enough progress.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the pupils in detail and have clear procedures to keep them safe. Leaders train staff well on safeguarding. As a result, staff know how to spot any early signs that pupils may be at risk and know how to act on any concerns. Leaders have good relationships with health and social care professionals. This helps leaders to support pupils and their families.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe. The curriculum includes lessons about online safety and about safe, healthy living. Pupils’ access to the internet at school is securely filtered.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have developed a curriculum for reading, writing and mathematics that effectively builds on pupils’ prior knowledge and skills. However, in subjects other than English and mathematics, leaders’ planning does not sufficiently show the content or sequence of learning in the curriculum for each year group.  Leaders have introduced a new way to manage pupils’ behaviour. They should make certain that all teachers have the same high expectations for pupils’ 1–2 October 2019

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behaviour in their classrooms.  There has been a period of instability in staffing. This has led to some historic underachievement by pupils, particularly in lower key stage 2 and for those with SEND. Leaders should ensure that teaching of the curriculum is improved further so that all pupils at least reach the standards expected of them by the end of key stage 2.

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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. 1–2 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10087692 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 31 March–1 April 2015

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Information about this school

 There has been significant disruption in staffing since the previous inspection. During the inspection, the special educational needs coordinator was absent and her duties were carried out by the deputy headteacher.  The school provides a breakfast club, an after-school club and holiday-time provision.  The school received a section 48 inspection of religious education in June 2015.  The school was founded in 1665, which makes it one of the oldest schools in Wirral. The current school buildings were built in 1954, with several modern additions since.

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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

 We met with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. We held meetings with subject leaders and with the leaders for SEND and the early years. We also spoke with governors and officers from the local authority.  We spoke with leaders and pupils about their work in geography, writing, reading, 1–2 October 2019

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mathematics and physical education. We also visited lessons in these subjects and looked at pupils’ work.  We scrutinised the school’s recruitment checks on its staff. We spoke with leaders and staff about the school’s procedures and systems for protecting pupils from risk and checked samples of leaders’ records.  We also spoke with leaders about the school’s procedures and systems for checking pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  We spoke with pupils, both formally and informally. We listened to pupils read. We also watched them at playtime and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Ian Shackleton, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Tim Sherriff 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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