Woodfield

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

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Nico De Groot Interim Headteacher Woodfield School Stoneleigh Road Coventry West Midlands CV4 7AB

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Serious weaknesses monitoring inspection of Woodfield School

Following my visit to your school on 19 January 2022, 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 to improve the school since the school’s previous monitoring inspection.

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Serious weaknesses monitoring inspection of Woodfield School

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to have serious weaknesses following the section 5 inspection that took place in March 2020. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The monitoring inspection report is attached.

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Serious weaknesses monitoring inspection of Woodfield 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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Serious weaknesses monitoring inspection of Woodfield 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 the serious weaknesses designation.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance are taking effective action

I am copying this letter to the chair of the interim executive board, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Coventry. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website. Yours sincerely

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Context

The school is split across three sites: Hawthorn Lane, Stoneleigh Road and the Woodlands site. Primary-age pupils attend the Stoneleigh Road site. Pupils in Year 7 and Year 8 attend the Woodlands site. Years 9 to 11 are based at the Hawthorne Lane site.

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Context

Since the last monitoring inspection, two curriculum leaders have joined the school. One has responsibility for mathematics and the other for history, geography and culture. Nine new learning mentors, with a range of expertise, have been appointed.

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Context

An interim executive board (IEB) is now responsible for the school’s governance. The IEB replaced the governing body in July 2021.

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Context

There has been a high level of staff absence, particularly on the Stoneleigh Road site, since the end of the autumn term. To manage this, leaders have redistributed some staff across the three sites. At the time of the inspection, one primary class was closed due to staff absence. These pupils were receiving remote education.

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designation

Since the last monitoring inspection, staff absence has been high. Despite this, the interim headteacher has maintained the trajectory of improvement shown at the previous monitoring inspection. He continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to providing a high-quality education for all pupils.

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designation

Leaders are developing the curriculum. They have appointed several new curriculum leaders. These leaders are responsible for ensuring that the curriculum builds pupils’ knowledge from Year 1 to Year 11. In addition, all staff have benefited from curriculum training. This has helped staff understand the features of effective curriculum planning. Leaders have prioritised the development of mathematics, English and physical education (PE). In these subjects, curriculum leaders are clear about the knowledge, vocabulary and skills that pupils need to learn at each stage. These curriculum leaders have also carefully considered how they will check whether pupils are remembering important content. The mathematics leader, for example, has designed ‘key questions’ for teachers to use in lessons to check on pupils’ understanding.

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designation

Leaders know that there is more to do to develop teachers’ subject knowledge. They are starting to create more opportunities for subject teachers to work together. Mathematics teachers, for instance, now meet on a weekly basis. As part of the meetings, teachers discuss the best ways to teach specific topics. This is helping teachers to develop their expertise and confidence. Leaders have decided to introduce a new reading scheme on the primary site. They have taken steps to ensure that staff at this site know how to teach reading well. Since the last monitoring inspection, leaders on the secondary site have used appropriate checks to identify pupils who need further help to read fluently. These checks have shown that some pupils have specific reading difficulties. Leaders have appointed two new members of staff with the expertise to support these pupils.

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designation

The curriculum across the school is becoming broader and more ambitious. Leaders are taking steps to ensure that all pupils learn a wide range of subjects. Pupils in Years 9 to 11, for instance, now study physics, chemistry and biology. Previously, they had only studied biology. Furthermore, the curriculum is being developed to allow pupils to have meaningful opportunities to participate in the local community. A bike maintenance project, for instance, has recently been introduced. This project is helping to develop pupils’ social and communication skills.

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designation

Leaders continue to take appropriate actions to improve pupils’ behaviour. During the inspection, all sites were calm and orderly. Relationships between adults and pupils were positive and respectful. At breaktime, on the Woodlands site, pupils were relaxed and socialised sensibly. Teachers, particularly at the secondary sites, are managing behaviour with increasing skill and consistency. They now routinely encourage and reward pupils who meet the school’s expectations of effort, ambition and respect in lessons. This is having a positive impact on pupils’ attitudes.

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designation

Leaders have carefully considered how the school learning environment affects the quality of pupils’ learning. This has informed their decision to make further improvements to the school building. The Woodlands site is now a far more appropriate learning environment. As part of the improvements, leaders have created a calm, tidy and relaxed communal area. This area includes a large visual timetable. The timetable includes information for pupils about the subjects and topics they will be covering during the week. There is also a quiet reading area with a good selection of high-quality texts. In addition, leaders have created ‘break out’ areas. These areas are designed for pupils to use when they are frustrated or need time to become calm. The positive impact of these changes was evident for secondary-age pupils. Pupils used these spaces well to manage their own behaviour during the inspection.

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designation

The interim headteacher and his team are determined to ensure that all pupils attend regularly. Leaders challenge and support families when necessary. The school’s attendance policy is now being consistently applied. Staff speak to parents on a weekly basis. These conversations are helping leaders to identify barriers that are preventing some pupils from attending well. Leaders are using this information to make adaptions to the school’s provision. Consequently, several pupils with previously very low attendance are now attending more regularly. Leaders remind pupils about the importance of good attendance. For example, displays celebrating good attendance or improved attendance are visible in some parts of the school. It is clear from discussions with pupils that they increasingly value the importance of being at school regularly. However, overall attendance remains too low. Leaders are aware of this. They have recently taken action to

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designation

expand the team of staff with responsibility for improving pupils’ attendance. The team now includes a staff member who will work more closely with families.

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designation

Members of the IEB have acted swiftly to get to know the school since their appointment in July 2021. The chair of the board regularly visits and talks to staff and pupils. In addition, the IEB have commissioned external reviews of attendance and safeguarding. As a result, members of the IEB are becoming more informed about the improvements being made and where further work is needed.

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Additional support

School leaders continue to benefit from the extensive range of support they receive from a local multi-academy trust (MAT) that is currently working with them. This has helped leaders to develop the curriculum in a range of subjects, including in English, mathematics and PE. Staff from the MAT are providing day-to-day support at the Hawthorn Lane site, the Woodlands site and the Stoneleigh Road site.

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Additional support

Last year, the local authority (LA) carried out a health and safety audit of the Hawthorn Lane site. As a result, the LA allocated extra funding to the school. Leaders have used this funding to improve the school site.

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Evidence

The inspector met with the interim headteacher, other senior leaders, staff, the chief executive officer of the MAT currently supporting the school, a group of pupils, a member and the chair of the interim executive board and an LA officer.

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Evidence

The inspector also made brief visits to lessons, spoke informally and formally with pupils, and looked at attendance records, governors’ minutes and curriculum planning in mathematics, English and PE.

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