Woodthorpe Primary School

Inspection of Woodthorpe Primary School Summerfield Road, Woodthorpe, York, North Yorkshire YO24 2RU

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 January 2022

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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 Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 25 and 26 January 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school. They feel that their teachers are fair. There are warm and caring relationships between staff and pupils. Leaders plan regular opportunities throughout the curriculum, such as circle time, to ensure that pupils can express any worries that they may have. As a result, pupils can speak openly with adults and feel safe. Pupils say, ‘We can tell an adult if we struggle or become angry. They are always there to support you.’ They say that bullying does not happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well in mathematics and reading. However, in wider curriculum subjects, pupils sometimes find it hard to remember what they have been taught. This is because the curriculum is not designed to build on what pupils already know.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Although leaders express ambitions for pupils to become well-rounded individuals, the current curriculum is limited in the opportunities it provides.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School councillors make a difference. This is because leaders listen to pupils’ opinions. For example, pupils told leaders that behaviour was an issue during breaktimes and lunchtimes. Leaders have provided extra equipment and activities during these times. As a result, pupils say behaviour is now good.

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better?

Leaders have structured a curriculum in mathematics and reading that helps staff to teach pupils knowledge in a logical order. In mathematics, pupils enjoy and engage with their lessons. They remember concepts such as fractions and shapes. This is not the case for other curriculum subjects, such as history and computing.

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better?

Some leaders of foundation subjects do not have the expertise needed to develop the curriculum in their subject. They are unable to identify the precise knowledge that they want pupils to learn and when they need to learn it. As a result, leaders are unable to support teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers focus too much on delivering activities rather than the knowledge that they want pupils to remember. This means that sometimes pupils remember the excitement of the task rather than the knowledge intended.

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better?

Where leaders’ subject knowledge is strong, the curriculum is well planned. This results in pupils achieving well. For example, pupils are confident readers. This is because teachers are clear about the sounds that pupils should be able to read by the end of each term. Teachers ensure the books that pupils read match the sounds they are learning.

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better?

Leaders promote reading in a variety of ways, such as rewarding pupils who read frequently. Pupils speak excitedly about the books that they read and enjoy quizzes once they have finished a book. This ignites pupils’ passion for reading. 25 and 26 January 2022

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Teachers use assessment effectively in mathematics and reading to check what pupils have learned. For example, in reading, teachers check the sounds pupils remember. Pupils receive extra sessions if they struggle. However, in the wider curriculum areas, teachers do not consistently assess the expected knowledge in the curriculum.

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In the early years, children do not achieve as well as they could. While there are a range of appealing activities for children to engage with, they do not develop their knowledge. This is because the curriculum does not set out what children need to know and be able to do to prepare them for Year 1. In addition, some staff are not knowledgeable about how they can support children’s learning.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Teachers ensure that the curriculum is accessible to pupils with SEND through using a range of strategies and resources, such as word mats.

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Leaders know their pupils well and have assessed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pupils’ mental health. Leaders have introduced ‘children’s champions’ to support pupils’ mental health. However, some aspects of the personal development curriculum are less well established. Pupils do not understand fundamental British values, including democracy, and have a limited appreciation of other faiths.

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Staff have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and conduct. Leaders listen to the views of parents and have adapted their behaviour policy to increase the rewards that pupils receive for positive behaviours.

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Staff enjoy working in the school. They feel that leaders are mindful of their workload. Leaders offer early careers teachers a range of support.

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Leaders, including members of the trust and the governing body, understand their roles and statutory duties. However, they do not have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders ensure that staff are suitable to work with children through their recruitment processes. Staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil’s welfare.

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Safeguarding

Through the curriculum and assemblies, staff teach pupils how to keep themselves safe. This includes water safety and staying safe online. As a result, pupils have a good understanding of the importance of staying safe, particularly how to stay safe online. They know that you should not post personal pictures or share names or password with others. 25 and 26 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not set out the precise knowledge that they want pupils to remember in many subjects in the curriculum, other than in mathematics and English. The curriculum is not sequenced in a logical order and it does not start from the early years. As a result, pupils do not remember what they have been taught in some subjects. Senior leaders must ensure that subject leaders, including early years, have the appropriate training and support to enable them to develop the curriculum. This will enable subject leaders to train and support teachers to plan and deliver the curriculum effectively.  Leaders’ systems to check and monitor the delivery of the curriculum are at the early stages of development. As a result, leaders are unsure of the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning. Leaders should ensure that systems are in place to check how effectively the curriculum is being delivered. This will allow leaders to

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

make any necessary changes to the curriculum so that pupils will learn more and remember more.  Pupils do not understand fundamental British values. They have limited appreciation of other faiths. Leaders should consider how they can improve the personal development of pupils. They should develop a curriculum to enable pupils to develop their talents and interests and understand what it is like to live 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 information from Ofsted Parent View 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 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. 25 and 26 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212094 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.woodthorpeprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club. They are managed by the school.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with senior leaders. An inspector met members of the multi-academy trust and the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leader, looked at 25 and 26 January 2022

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curriculum plans, looked at samples of pupils’ work, visited lessons and met with pupils and teachers.  Inspectors spoke with pupils informally during breaktimes and lunchtimes and formally about their views of the school.  Inspectors met with leaders with overall responsibility for safeguarding and looked at school records.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the beginning of the school day and considered the responses to Ofsted’s Parent View questionnaire, including free-text responses.  Inspectors met with a range of staff and considered the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for staff.

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Inspection team

Jenny Thomas, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Matthew Knox Her Majesty’s Inspector Lynda Florence Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 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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