Oxhey Wood Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Oxhey Wood Primary School Oxhey Drive, South Oxhey, Watford, Hertfordshire WD19 7SL

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 January 2022

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Outcome

Oxhey Wood Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Oxhey Wood Primary School are well looked after. They enjoy school life. They told the inspector that they have lots of friends and that pupils are rarely unkind. Bullying, for example, is sorted out quickly by staff and rarely reoccurs. Pupils of all ages play well with each other. Echoing the feelings of others, one pupil commented that ‘everyone is welcome here’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know that staff have high expectations of how they should behave. Pupils listen to teachers and enjoy their work. There are many rewards and prizes for pupils who consistently demonstrate positive attitudes and behaviour. Most pupils behave well. Pupils who find behaving well tricky have effective support and care to help them get their behaviour back on track.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a range of experiences outside the usual curriculum. Older pupils learn first aid and take part in the ‘mini police’ course. They are proud of responsibly leading the school council. All pupils are given the opportunity to participate in trips to the museum or the pantomime. Before the pandemic began, there were a wide variety of clubs. Many of these are beginning to return.

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

The headteacher and her team have ensured that pupils continue to receive a good quality of education and a positive school experience. Leaders have carefully considered the needs of all pupils at Oxhey Wood Primary and have created a community where everyone is included and valued.

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

From Nursery Year to Year 6, leaders have designed a curriculum that is broad and ambitious. Pupils access a range of subjects that match the national curriculum. Leaders regularly review and evaluate curriculum documents. Many subjects are carefully planned. Subject leaders have identified effectively the most important things that they want pupils to learn. This knowledge is ordered logically and revisited regularly so pupils build on 12 and 13 January 2022

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what they already know. In geography, for example, older pupils can compare and contrast features of Spain as they already know about Spain’s geographical location and its climate. The work on the curriculum is not finished. A small number of subject areas need further thought and refinement. This is because they have only recently been changed and have not had the chance to make a difference to pupils’ learning.

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Teachers know their subjects well. They choose in-class activities that support all pupils’ learning. Staff in early years, for example, regularly create opportunities for children to count and use number. Consequently, children are ready for more formal mathematics learning in Year 1. Pupils practise their mathematics facts regularly. By Year 6, pupils are confident mathematicians who know and can use different procedures for solving more complicated mathematical problems.

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Teachers use a range of assessments to support pupils’ learning effectively. They check pupils’ work regularly. Staff quickly spot mistakes or areas that pupils struggle with. Pupils then have further chances to improve their work and develop their understanding. Because the curriculum is planned and taught well, pupils achieve well in most aspects of their education.

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The reading curriculum helps pupils learn to read effectively. The programme carefully introduces new reading knowledge step by step. Children get regular practice with their phonics sounds. Pupils who fall behind with their reading are spotted quickly by staff. Helpful support and appropriately chosen books enable the weakest readers to catch up and read with increasing fluency.

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Leaders use a number of strategies to encourage a love of reading. All pupils are read to regularly by their teacher. Pupils are exposed to a range of new words. Stories are part of all pupils’ everyday experience. Older pupils told the inspector how they value their ‘reading passports’ and enjoy reading a range of interesting books. Pupils are excited about winning a book from the reading vending machine.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Their needs are accurately identified by leaders and known by all staff. As a result, teachers make helpful changes to their lessons to support these pupils. This helps most pupils with SEND to learn effectively in line with their peers.

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An effective personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) curriculum prepares pupils for the wider world. Pupils learn about how others are different to them, such as how people have different religious views or why others may behave differently to them. The PSHE curriculum is part of the school’s focus on high-quality pastoral care. It works alongside the new behaviour strategy that is in place. Behaviour incidents are reducing. Pupils generally behave well and learning is rarely disrupted.

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Leaders are mindful of staff workload and well-being. Leaders and trustees work together with staff to drive forward school improvement. 12 and 13 January 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture. Staff are appropriately trained to spot if a pupil is at risk of harm or neglect. The school has clear procedures for staff to report any concerns about pupils to the safeguarding teams. The procedures are well known and are used consistently by all staff. Safeguarding leaders keep detailed records of concerns about pupils. Their responses to safeguarding concerns are prompt and appropriate. Leaders work closely with external agencies to ensure pupils and their families get the help they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught, age-appropriately, about the risks they may encounter in the wider world. As a result, pupils have a secure understanding of how to stay safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A very small number of subjects have new curriculum plans that have recently been introduced. These plans are not fully implemented. In these subjects, some pupils do not remember all of the key knowledge that they have been taught. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum is consistently fully established across 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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Oxhey Wood Primary School, to be good in April 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 12 and 13 January 2022

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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If you are the school and you are 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. 12 and 13 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212032 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Oxhey Wood Primary School converted to become an academy in September 2017. When its predecessor school, with the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of the Agora Learning Partnership Trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school shares its headteacher and governing body with another nearby primary school.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector met subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at a sample of pupils’ work . 12 and 13 January 2022

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 The inspector viewed curriculum plans and pupils’ work in science, modern foreign languages and religious education.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the school’s single central record of recruitment checks. Additionally, he looked closely at safeguarding procedures and processes, including how the school manages safeguarding incidents. The inspector talked to trustees, governors, pupils and staff about safeguarding in the school.  The inspector held meetings with governors, the special educational needs coordinator and other senior leaders, including the headteacher and the chief executive officer.  The inspector considered 40 responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, including 14 free-text responses. The inspector also considered the 25 responses to Ofsted’s online staff questionnaire and the 31 responses to Ofsted’s pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Damian Loneragan, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 12 and 13 January 2022

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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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