Woodingdean Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Woodingdean Primary School Warren Road, Woodingdean, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 6BB

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Outcome

Woodingdean Primary School continues to be a good school. However, the inspector has some concerns that standards may be declining, as set out below.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They speak confidently about their work. Pupils are attentive and respectful. They hold doors open for visitors. Pupils who have difficulty making the right choices about how to behave get a range of effective support. They take part in activities alongside their friends. Bullying is uncommon, and pupils know that staff deal with it promptly. Pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Some pupils have not always learned as well as they could in English and mathematics. For example, some older pupils are struggling to use phonics skills in their reading or have difficulty using their times tables to solve problems in mathematics. Leaders want all pupils to do well and have made changes to improve learning. However, these improvements are still new and only just beginning to have a positive impact.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff organise first-hand experiences to make learning meaningful for pupils. For example, Reception children had a live owl in school when they read ‘Owl Babies’. Year 5 visit the British Museum when learning about Ancient Egypt. Pupils appreciate that these activities help to make their learning purposeful.

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

Leaders and governors are keen for all pupils to achieve their full potential. Senior leaders are supporting subject leaders as they improve pupils’ learning. However, some subject leaders do not yet have all the necessary skills or subject knowledge to lead improvements. They have created plans to improve pupils’ progress, but these are too general to ensure that pupils remember the important things they need to develop their learning.

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

Leaders have put in place new strategies to help pupils read, write and use their mathematical understanding more effectively. For example, pupils are recapping learning 28–29 November 2019

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constantly to help them remember important mathematical facts and skills. They get challenging problems to solve more frequently. Pupils work together well and discuss their learning effectively. They are keen to learn. There are signs that pupils are thinking more deeply in English and mathematics. However, there is more to do to ensure that those who fall behind catch up quickly.

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Pupils enjoy reading. They take part in a range of activities such as the annual bedtime story event and reading to Ozzy, the school’s reading dog. Pupils are taught phonics in a logical order, beginning as soon as they start school. Leaders have bought new books to make sure that pupils can practise the sounds they are learning. Staff organise workshops for parents and carers to explain how pupils learn to read so that they can help at home. Any pupils who fall behind in learning their sounds get help to catch up quickly. In key stage 2, most staff teach reading with confidence and precision, because leaders have made sure that they have had the training they need.

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The school has a high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Many of these pupils have complex needs. Pupils with SEND get effective support to keep up and catch up. Staff give them extra help or appropriate resources so that they can learn alongside their classmates. Leaders ensure that these pupils take part in out-of-school activities to support their learning.

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Staff have updated the school’s curriculum with topics linked to the local area. The curriculum has a revised sequence of skills and knowledge. This helps pupils to build on their previous learning in a secure way. For example, pupils make rapid progress in physical education (PE). They learn and apply skills routinely in a wide range of sports. Staff are writing the plans to link the other subjects together with the chosen topics. Leaders plan to launch the revised curriculum fully in the spring term.

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Governors and leaders ensure that all pupils build their self-esteem and prepare to be good citizens. Pupils learn to care for others when raising money for charities such as ‘Children in Need’. Pupils develop social skills, winning and losing at a wide range of different sporting events. Pupils find out about different cultures when taking part in the Brighton and Hove Children’s Parade. Pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, benefit from attending a wide range of clubs. For example, pupils enjoy attending multi-sports and karate clubs. Parents and carers appreciate the huge range of learning opportunities provided. This is summed up by a parent who stated that ‘At Woodingdean, the whole child is nurtured’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are safe at this school. Staff take part in regular training and know what to do if they have concerns about a pupil’s safety. Leaders keep detailed records and make sure that concerns get dealt with quickly. Leaders work together effectively with local organisations to make sure that pupils, and their families, get help when needed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have considered particular risks in the local area. Online safety is a priority. Pupils 28–29 November 2019

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have responsibilities as ‘digital leaders’ to help their classmates stay safe online. There is a wide range of useful information on the school’s website for parents.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Senior leaders need to make sure that the wide range of strategies put in place to improve pupils’ learning in English and mathematics is embedded. Leaders should ensure that pupils who have fallen behind in their basic skills catch up quickly.  Senior leaders need to continue to develop some subject leaders. These leaders need further training to be able to lead improvements and help to develop plans that are sufficiently comprehensive to improve pupils’ learning.  Leaders are in the process of revising the curriculum so that it is appropriately ambitious for all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils. They need to ensure that the sequences of knowledge and skills are more comprehensively planned in all subjects.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in June 2012.

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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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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. 28–29 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111368 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Mrs Karen Meeres

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School details

Website www.woodingdean.brighton-hove.sch.uk

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Information about this school

 The school runs a breakfast club.  An after-school club is run by an external provider.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator (SENCo), the early years coordinator and the subject leaders for reading, phonics, mathematics and PE.  I met with the chair of governors and three other governors.  I scrutinised the single central record and other documents related to safeguarding. I talked to parents, staff and pupils. The responses to the online questionnaires were also considered.  I visited almost all classrooms, including those in the Reception Year. I observed pupils learning in class, on the playground, in the dining room and while moving around the school.  A wide range of documentation was scrutinised, including the school’s own evaluation and improvement plan, the headteacher’s reports and external reports. 28–29 November 2019

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 I did deep dives in reading, mathematics and PE. This involved talking to subject leaders, visiting lessons, looking at pupils’ work, hearing pupils read, and talking to pupils and teachers.

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Inspection team

Rosemary Addison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 28–29 November 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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