Woodvale Primary Academy

Inspection of Woodvale Primary Academy Crestwood Road, Lings Way, Northampton, Northamptonshire NN3 8JJ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management

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Requires improvement

Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that they are happy at this school. They feel safe, behave well and try their best. They feel that bullying does not happen often and that it is dealt with quickly if it does.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The new principal has made some positive changes. They know that there are further improvements to make. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils to do well. Pupils can go to ‘Maggie’s Room’, where an adult will support them if they need help to make friends. Pupils said, ‘I’m proud to be part of the school.’ Parents and carers are positive about the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the range of activities and clubs on offer, such as those for gymnastics, tag rugby, netball and orienteering. They recognise that visits, such as that to the National Space Centre, enrich their learning. Pupils appreciate the responsibility of roles such as being a school councillor or a librarian. They enjoy helping with the smooth running of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils come to school regularly. However, there are too many pupils who do not come to school as often as they should. Staff are working very hard with families and provide extra support to improve this.

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better?

The principal and deputy principal lead the school well. They know what needs to improve. They have made a start on improving the curriculum so that teachers can plan lessons that build on pupils’ previous learning in all subjects. Some of their actions are still in the early stages. Some subject plans, including those for science, religious education (RE), geography and history, are not yet fully in place. Although there are signs that pupils are achieving better in some subjects than they have in the past, they do not achieve as well as they could in all subjects.

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better?

Leaders have introduced a new approach to the teaching of mathematics. The plan sets out how pupils will build up their mathematical knowledge from one year to the next. Leaders have provided training for teachers so that they can sequence their mathematics lessons in line with the new approach. However, the plan is not yet fully in place across the whole school.

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better?

Leaders have provided teachers with training to enable them to teach reading, including phonics, more effectively. Teachers have also received training to enable them to check what pupils know and can do. However, the teaching of early reading is not as strong as it should be. Sometimes, teachers do not plan lessons that build on what pupils already know. Occasionally, the books that pupils read are not chosen carefully enough to match the sounds they have learned.

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better?

Leaders have made improving pupils’ writing a high priority. They have taken steps 19–20 November 2019

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to introduce a whole-school approach to teaching writing. Pupils have opportunities to write, using the grammar, punctuation, spelling and vocabulary they have learned. The new approach is not yet in place across the whole school.

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Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are strong. Almost all pupils are keen to learn. Disruption in class is rare because teachers have high expectations of pupils and most pupils live up to them. If the behaviour of pupils falls below the standard staff expect, they quickly and sensitively bring pupils back to task. Teachers provide a well-considered range of equipment to support pupils to learn.

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Pupils raise money for local charities. They appreciate the visits that their teachers arrange to places of worship. They are keen to learn more about views, beliefs and opinions that are different from their own. However, leaders have not planned the curriculum in sufficient detail to ensure that all pupils learn about life in modern Britain.

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The quality of education in early years is good. Relationships between adults and children are positive. The classroom and the outside area are attractively set out to encourage children to take part in the activities that adults provide. Adults plan a wide range of activities for children to learn across the curriculum. Children who learn at different rates are effectively supported and challenged to ensure that they progress well.

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The provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is good. Staff have high expectations of what these pupils can achieve and adapt their teaching to meet the needs of these pupils.

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Staff value the training that leaders provide for them. They say that they feel valued and that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and all staff are well trained in safeguarding. Leaders make appropriate checks to ensure that staff and volunteers are suitable to work with children. Staff know how to record any concerns they may have about a pupil’s welfare. They take prompt action to keep pupils safe. Safeguarding records are thorough and securely kept.

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Safeguarding

The school’s welfare team works effectively with outside agencies, such as social services and the educational welfare officer, to support pupils. Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. 19–20 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum plans for science and some foundation subjects do not contain enough detail for teachers to know what pupils need to learn and the order in which they must learn it. Lessons do not reliably build on what pupils already know and can do. Leaders must make sure that the curriculum plans for all subjects are well sequenced and followed by staff.  The plans to teach phonics and reading do not identify the sequences of learning to enable pupils to achieve well. Leaders should ensure that all teachers receive high-quality training to teach phonics well. Leaders should ensure that the books pupils are given to read match the phonics knowledge that pupils have been, and are being, taught. Leaders should ensure that children have the skills to understand fully what they are reading.  In key stage 2, leaders have begun to implement an integrated approach to writing by linking together vocabulary, grammar and key features of writing

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

genres. This has not been extended across the school and opportunities to write in other subjects are limited for some pupils. Leaders must now ensure that the approach to teaching writing is fully implemented across the school.  The mathematics curriculum is not yet fully developed. The plans to teach mathematics in an effective, sequential way are not consistent across the school so that pupils build on their learning. Leaders should ensure that the plans are fully in place across the school.  Leaders and staff do not provide enough opportunities to promote some aspects pupils’ personal development. Pupils are keen to learn more about beliefs and opinions that are different from their own. Leaders should ensure that a clear, age-appropriate programme is in place for pupils to learn about 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. 19–20 November 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. 19–20 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110075 Type of school Primary

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Information about this school

 The principal took up his post in September 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

 We met with the principal, the deputy principal and the leaders responsible for reading, writing, mathematics, phonics and early years. Meetings were also held with the family support team, the special educational needs coordinator, a newly qualified teacher and teacher returning to teaching.  We met with the chief executive officer of the trust and the trust’s educational adviser.  As part of the inspection, we undertook deep dives into mathematics, reading, writing and science. A deep dive entails talking with the subject leader, visiting lessons, talking with pupils, teachers and support staff and examining work in pupils’ books, all from the same subject.  When inspecting safeguarding, an inspector met with the designated and deputy safeguarding leads, members of the family support workers’ team, and a member 19–20 November 2019

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of the trust’s safeguarding team. The safeguarding policy, training records and examples of safeguarding concerns were scrutinised.  We examined a range of documentation, including the school improvement plan, self-evaluation, curriculum plans and information relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Liz Moore, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Lowther Ofsted Inspector 19–20 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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