White's Wood Academy

Inspection of White's Wood Academy Whites Wood Lane, Gainsborough, Lincolnshire DN21 1TJ

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Requires Improvement 19 and 20 July 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school and pupils feel safe. Pupils are welcoming. They get on well with each other. Pupils are very well cared for by staff. Typically, one pupil commented, ‘We have really nice teachers, they care about us, and they do their best to look after us’. Pupils are proud of their school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff set high expectations for pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils’ behaviour is good. The school has a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Pupils say that bullying is rare. Adults deal with it quickly when it does occur.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the varied experiences and opportunities the school offers. For example, they like the gardening, singing and well-being clubs. Pupils appreciate the range of sports on offer, including, tennis, keep-fit, archery, tag-rugby and cricket. They learn to understand equality and respect differences.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers are very positive about the school. They recognise the improvements in recent years. They appreciate the care provided. As one parent put it, ‘This school has been fantastic. We have found the school to be both supportive and approachable. The staff have good relationships with children, ensuring they build their resilience and have adults they can trust’.

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better?

Senior leaders have improved the school since the previous inspection, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. They have developed a strong sense of identity and purpose focused on their four core values. Pupils understand the school’s values of ‘Aspiration, engagement, resilience and well-being’. Pupils and staff live these values daily.

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better?

Leaders ensure that the curriculum is broad in its scope. Subject leaders identify the precise knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn and when. They ensure that subject curriculum plans are well sequenced. For example, in mathematics, leaders have designed an ambitious and well-thought-out curriculum. Pupils regularly revisit and build their knowledge and application of fractions over time. Teachers have good subject knowledge. They use this to ensure that pupils learn the intended knowledge and skills effectively. Occasionally, the work given to pupils is not demanding enough. For example, in art and science, the curriculums are not consistently ambitious.

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better?

Staff have raised the profile of books and reading across the school. Pupils read widely and often. Typically, a pupil commented, ‘I like reading. We listen to lots of stories with our teachers and get to predict and summarise’. Leaders quickly identify gaps in pupils’ reading skills. They have introduced phonics to help pupils who are at an early stage of reading. Staff are trained well and use phonics resources well. Pupils are catching up with their reading. 19 and 20 July 2022

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Staff support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn well. They know the pupils well. Staff adapt the curriculum to make sure pupils know more and remember more. Many parents recognise the positive provision for pupils with SEND.

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Teachers and support staff are skilled in developing pupils’ learning. They ask questions to check pupils’ understanding in lessons, and respond quickly to address pupils’ misconceptions and misunderstandings. Pupils apply themselves well in lessons. They take pride in their work. Leaders are addressing barriers to learning effectively.

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Pupils’ overall attendance is improving. Leaders work with parents to improve attendance. However, too many pupils are regularly absent. They miss out on the good-quality learning that the school provides.

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Leaders’ promotion of pupils’ personal development is strong. The curriculum for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is well sequenced. Teachers support pupils to develop a sense of right and wrong. They understand the importance of being fair. Leaders provide pupils with opportunities to understand some fundamental British values. For example, pupils learn about different faiths and beliefs. However, they do not have many opportunities to learn about the rule of law, individual liberty and democracy.

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Staff morale is positive. Leaders support staff well-being and are mindful of teachers’ workload. Overwhelmingly, staff are positive about and enjoy working at the school.

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Trustees and governors fulfil their responsibilities well. Trust officers, trustees and governors provide leaders with effective support and challenge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities. They take appropriate action when they recognise concerns about a pupil’s welfare. Leaders work well with external agencies to provide extra support when needed.

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Safeguarding

Leaders are aware of potential local safeguarding risks. They have adapted the curriculum to support pupils in knowing how to keep themselves safe, including when online. Pupils know how to report any concerns they may have for their own or others’ safety.

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Safeguarding

The school has appropriate systems in place to check safeguarding. Leaders maintain thorough safeguarding records. There is a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. 19 and 20 July 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Parts of some foundation subject curriculums are not as ambitious as they should be. Pupils are not consistently challenged in all aspects of these subjects. Leaders must ensure that all aspects of subject curriculums are suitably demanding.  Too many pupils are absent or persistently absent, especially pupils with SEND. This has a negative impact on their learning. Leaders should take further actions to improve attendance.  Pupils do not understand the fundamental British values of democracy, the rule of law and individual liberty. They are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they should be. Leaders must ensure pupils have opportunities to understand all aspects of the fundamental British values.

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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. 19 and 20 July 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241074 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4 January 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses the services of one registered alternative provider.

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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 pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and the assistant headteacher. They also met with trustees, including the chair, and with the chair of governors and trust officers.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and art. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with the teachers, met with pupils to talk about their learning, reviewed samples of pupils’ work, and listened to pupils read. 19 and 20 July 2022

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 Inspectors looked at a range of other subjects, including PSHE, geography, music and English.  Inspectors met with groups of pupils to talk about the quality of education and other aspects of school life. Inspectors met with groups of staff. They spoke with staff and pupils informally.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator, reviewed the school’s SEND provision and scrutinised plans for individual pupils. They visited lessons, spoke with pupils and reviewed pupils’ work.  Inspectors met with safeguarding leaders and reviewed safeguarding policies and records. They scrutinised the single central record.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents. They looked at the school’s website and published information about the school’s provision and policies.  Inspectors took note of the responses received on Parent View and considered the results of the Ofsted staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Chris Davies, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Shaun Carter Her Majesty's Inspector 19 and 20 July 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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