Woodfield Primary School

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

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Mathew Atkinson Acting Executive Headteacher Woodfield Primary School Woodfield Road Harrogate North Yorkshire HG1 4HZ

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Woodfield Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 16 and 17 November 2021, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the 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 since the school’s previous monitoring inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Woodfield Primary School

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection that took place in January 2020. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Woodfield Primary School

This was the second routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. I discussed the ongoing impact of the pandemic with you and have taken that into account in my evaluation.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Woodfield 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

towards the removal of special measures.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

The school’s improvement plan is fit for purpose.

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The school may appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring

inspection. I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for North Yorkshire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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Context

Since the most recent monitoring inspection in June 2021, one teacher has left the school and one teacher has joined. This new member of staff has responsibility for all subjects in the school’s curriculum. Because of the falling number of pupils on the school’s roll, the number of classes has been further reduced. There are now three classes in the morning and two classes in the afternoon.

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Context

There has been significant change to the governing body since the previous monitoring inspection. Six members of the governing body have left and three new governors have joined, including an experienced governor who has been nominated as the chair of governors. The new chair of the governing body took up post in October 2021.

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Context

At the time of this monitoring inspection, the governing body was consulting with parents about the technical closure of the school in August 2022 and amalgamating with a nearby school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The acting executive headteacher and acting head of school have a clear view of the steps required to continue to improve the school. They are working strategically and with determination to make the changes required. The most recent school development plan precisely identifies the actions needed to make the biggest difference to pupils. The plan is comprehensive and detailed. Leaders, including governors, have considered how improvement actions will be evaluated to ensure that they have a positive impact on the quality of education the school provides.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The effectiveness of the governing body is improving. Governors have established systems to strengthen their ability to hold school leaders to account effectively. This work is in the early stages. The governing body has created an action plan which details how they will improve their own effectiveness. They have audited their skillset and ensured that new governors complement the skills of existing members. Since the previous monitoring inspection, members of the governing body have begun to visit the school. Following their visits, governors report back to the full governing body about what they have found. As a result, the governing body is developing a better understanding of the impact of leaders’ actions to improve the school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Leaders have secured improvements in reading, particularly to the support available for struggling readers. Staff have received training from the reading leader to improve the effectiveness of one-to-one reading and catch-up sessions. The reading leader has undertaken some monitoring to ensure that staff are using the strategies that they learned from the training. Staff now use effective strategies to help pupils blend the sounds that they know to read words and books. As a result, pupils are developing fluency and confidence in reading and the weakest readers are beginning to catch up. Leaders have ensured that the implementation of the curriculum for mathematics continues to be effective. A specialist leader of education has worked with teachers to ensure that they have the subject knowledge needed to teach mathematics well. Teachers plan sequences of lessons which build on what pupils already know. Pupils can explain

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

their mathematical thinking. They show positive attitudes to learning in mathematics lessons. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support to enable them to access the full curriculum for mathematics.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the last monitoring inspection, leaders have developed detailed curriculum plans for some subjects, such as history and geography, for the autumn term. These provide clarity for teachers about the specific subject knowledge that pupils should know and remember. Teachers now check that pupils have remembered the subject content that they have been taught. Older pupils who spoke to the inspector could talk about some of the important knowledge that they had remembered from previous history lessons about the Anglo-Saxons.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Curriculum plans for science do not identify the specific subject knowledge that pupils should learn in each unit of work. There are notable gaps in pupils’ science learning. Pupils are not learning the full content of the national curriculum for science. Leaders have plans in place to develop the curriculum in science ready for the spring term.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The improvements to the support for pupils with SEND have continued. Staff provide well for these pupils. Since the previous inspection, the school’s special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) has achieved the national SENCo qualification. She has undertaken monitoring to ensure that teachers support pupils effectively. Leaders have also arranged for external specialist teachers to work with staff to strengthen the support for some pupils with SEND. This has resulted in improvements in some pupils’ ability to manage their own behaviour and their engagement in lessons. Governors are fulfilling their duty to assure themselves about the quality of provision for pupils with SEND. A governor has met with the SENCo to understand the impact of the support for pupils with SEND and reported her findings back to the full governing body.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Leaders have strengthened the support for pupils who are eligible for pupil premium funding. Planned actions to support these pupils are documented in a comprehensive pupil premium strategy. The progress and attendance of this group of pupils are reviewed in regular meetings. Additional support is put in place if required. Governors are increasingly aware of how pupil premium funding is spent and the impact it has for disadvantaged pupils. Governors have reviewed the plan in a full governing body meeting and have a visit arranged to check on the impact of the support for disadvantaged pupils.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Leaders have established further opportunities to develop pupils’ wider talents and interests. The number of after-school clubs available has increased since the previous monitoring inspection. Leaders encourage disadvantaged pupils to attend after-school clubs to widen their cultural experience.

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Additional support

Specialist leaders of education from a local teaching school have worked with teachers to support the implementation of the curriculum for mathematics. Staff in the early years have also worked with a specialist leader of education to plan the curriculum and ensure it meets the aims of the new statutory framework for the early years.

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Additional support

The local authority has supported the school with the appointment of new governors to add skills and knowledge to the governing body. The local authority has also reviewed the school’s development plan.

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Evidence

The inspector observed the school’s work and met with the acting executive headteacher and acting head of school. The inspector also spoke with a range of different staff. The inspector held discussions with three members of the governing body and with a representative of the local authority.

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Evidence

The inspector scrutinised documents, including the school’s development plan, minutes from governors’ meetings, behaviour and attendance records and curriculum plans. The inspector also visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke to a group of pupils. The inspector considered eight responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff. The inspector spoke to some parents on the playground and considered 15 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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