Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Ruby Grey Headteacher Woodland View Primary School Barker Street Huthwaite Sutton-in-Ashfield Nottinghamshire NG17 2LH

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Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 5 May 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Education, Children's Services and Skills to confirm the monitoring inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave during the inspection and for the time you made available to discuss the actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Primary School

The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and has taken place because the school has received three successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections.

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Primary School

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the 2020-21 COVID- 19 (coronavirus) pandemic. I discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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Primary School

Having considered the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

in order for the school to become a good school.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school should take further action to:

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

 provide staff with training in the school’s phonics programme and check that the staff are consistently using the agreed approach to teaching phonics  provide training for subject leaders so they can support teachers effectively and implement and monitor the delivery of the school’s new curriculum.

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Context

Leaders have continued to improve the school during the pandemic. However, it has affected the speed in which they have made some changes. Staff have been unable to attend courses or work with other schools. The school’s curriculum leader is new to her role.

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Main findings

Leaders have taken significant steps to improve the school’s curriculum. Following Ofsted’s additional monitoring inspection in January, leaders made the decision to review their recently designed curriculum. They realised that the curriculum did not include all the knowledge they wanted their pupils to learn. Leaders are planning a new, innovative and ambitious curriculum. Nevertheless, this change of thinking has understandably slowed the school’s progress.

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Main findings

Subject leaders are planning the new curriculum. They are working in teams to set out what knowledge pupils will learn and when. Leaders know that for this new curriculum to be successful, subject leaders will need to be confident and competent in leading their subject. Currently, some subject leaders do not have the expertise they need to provide effective subject leadership.

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Main findings

Leaders have introduced a new system to teach pupils to read. They have introduced this approach fully in the Reception class. Children are working through the phonics programme well. Most can remember all the sounds they should know. During the recent lockdown, staff collaborated with parents to check the sounds that children had remembered. When the school re-opened to all pupils in March, teachers knew what sounds children needed to learn next.

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Main findings

In Years 1 and 2, however, leaders decided not to fully introduce the new approach to teaching phonics. Some pupils receive a confusing blend of old and new approaches. Others are still taught using the school's old programme. Some staff have not received sufficient training to be able to teach phonics well. Leaders can spot weaknesses in teaching. However, they are not acting on these weaknesses with enough rigour. Staff do not get the feedback they need to improve their teaching of phonics in this part of the school.

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Main findings

The school’s special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) team is working with teachers to help them understand how they can best support pupils. The leader for pupils with SEND is checking that pupils are getting the right support. Governors understand the school’s priorities. They provide support and challenge for leaders. For example, during the recent change in curriculum design, governors checked that staff understood this shift in thinking. Governors know they will need to check that the new curriculum is introduced and monitored well. They know that subject leaders will need support to fulfil their roles effectively.

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Main findings

The school’s plans for improvement show the actions that leaders will need to take to improve the school. They have adapted these plans to include the recent change in curriculum design. Governors are using these plans to check the work of leaders.

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Additional support

The local authority has provided packages of support for the school. The school has used the support to improve the teaching of writing. They have also met with leaders to discuss the school’s actions to become a good school.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher, other senior leaders, pupils, staff, representatives of those responsible for governance and a representative of the local authority to discuss the actions taken since the last inspection. I also visited lessons, listened to pupils read, scrutinised curriculum documents and safeguarding records.

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Evidence

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children's services for Nottinghamshire County Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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