Nunnery Wood Primary School

Inspection of Nunnery Wood Primary School Prestwich Avenue, Worcester, Worcestershire WR5 1QE

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 18 and 19 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a close-knit community and staff know the pupils well. Pupils feel safe and enjoy coming to school. Pupils are proud of their school. In particular, they are proud of the woodland area because it helps them to learn and explore in the outdoors. Pupils speak confidently about the school’s 12 values, including friendship and perseverance. They say the school values help them with their work and support them to get on with others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders, governors and trustees have high expectations of staff and pupils. Leaders have introduced changes across the school that have improved the quality of education. Leaders do not rest on their laurels. They are working effectively to improve different aspects of the school, including the curriculum, even further.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, pupils mostly listen well and focus on their work. They play cooperatively with their friends on the playground. There is a relaxed atmosphere in the dining room, where older pupils help younger children. Bullying hardly ever happens. Pupils are adamant that staff would deal with any bullying issues quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are positive about the school. In particular, they value the range of subjects, clubs and activities that their children experience.

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better?

In all subjects, leaders have thought carefully about the order of learning that pupils will experience from Reception to Year 6. Subject leaders have mapped out the knowledge and skills that pupils will learn within and across year groups. As a result, teachers know what pupils have learned in the past, what they need to learn now, and what they will be learning in the future. This supports teachers to plan purposeful learning activities. In some subjects, such as computing, leaders have refreshed and redesigned the curriculum to improve pupils’ learning experiences. These changes also support the development of teachers’ subject knowledge. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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better?

All subject leaders are knowledgeable about the curriculum content in their subject area. However, in some subjects, the checks that leaders make have been quite light touch or have not happened. As a result, some subject leaders are not as clear about how well the curriculum in their subject area is being delivered, or which areas may require further development.

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better?

Teachers in early years and across the school have secure subject knowledge in a wide range of subjects. In most instances, they explain new learning clearly in a step-by-step manner. Teachers focus on what needs to be achieved by the end of the lesson, or a se- ries of lessons. Teachers constantly check pupils’ understanding and adapt their approach 18 and 19 October 2022

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if required. Teachers use questioning well to explore pupils’ understanding and to deepen pupils’ learning.

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Leaders have made sure that reading is a whole-school priority. A love of reading is promoted well through daily story time slots, recommended reads and reading re- wards. Pupils’ love of books is nurtured from the start of early years until the end of Year 6. Teachers have been well trained to deliver the phonics programme skilfully. Additional phonics lessons are organised for any pupils who fall behind.

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Teaching assistants in early years and across the school support a wide range of pu- pils with their learning. At times, they provide one-to-one support, lead group activi- ties, or work across the whole class. However, the quality of their support is varia- ble. At times, teaching assistants’ subject knowledge is not secure. This means that they do not support pupils as well as they could.

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Wherever possible, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) follow the same curriculum as their peers. Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND accurately. Teachers consider the needs of pupils with SEND when they plan lessons and activities. At times, some pupils with SEND may need to leave the lesson for a break from their learning or to take part in a group session. In these instances, there are systems in place to help pupils catch up with missed, essential learning.

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Pupils appreciate the range of clubs that are on offer, including dance and dodgeball. Staff organise fundraising events and enterprise days, which pupils enjoy. Year 6 pupils cannot wait for the annual residential trip. Leaders have created various leadership opportunities for pupils across the school. These include the eco-council and the computing council. Pupils apply for these positions and burst with pride if they are selected.

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Teachers and support staff are proud to work in the school. They value the support they get from leaders and each other. Teachers work closely with their year-group partner. They say this makes workload more manageable. Staff comment that leaders are considerate of their well-being. They provided specific examples of how leaders have helped them in difficult times.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that safeguarding is everyone’s top priority. Leaders and staff do all they can to make sure that pupils are safe. The safeguarding team are knowledgeable and carry out their roles efficiently. They have established systems, which are understood by all staff, to promote a culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff know what to do if they have a concern about a pupils’ welfare because leaders organise regular training. Pupils say they feel safe because the staff and their friends look after them. Pupils have a growing knowledge of online safety. 18 and 19 October 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the checks that subject leaders make on their curriculum area have been light touch or have not happened. As a result, some subject leaders are not clear about how well their subject is being delivered, or which areas may require further development. Leaders should provide subject leaders with the opportunity and support, so that they can make checks on, and further develop, their curriculum area.  Leaders have not ensured that all teaching assistants have the required subject knowledge to carry out their roles effectively. As a result, there is variability in how well teaching assistants support pupils with their learning. Leaders should provide support and training to develop teaching assistants’ subject knowledge, so that they can deliver the curriculum more effectively.

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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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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. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241470 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

 Nunnery Wood Primary School converted to become an academy in July 2018. When its predecessor school, Nunnery Wood Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school is part of The Villages’ Multi-Academy Trust.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club operating on the site. This provision is operated by the school.  Leaders do not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 pan- demic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school lead- ers and have taken this into account in their evaluation. 18 and 19 October 2022

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 The lead inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the chief executive officer. He met with five members of the local governing body, in- cluding the chair, and two members of the trust board. The lead inspector also held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors held meetings with a range of leaders to discuss safeguarding, early years, provision for pupils with SEND, pupils’ behaviour, attendance and additional funding.  As part of the inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, Eng- lish, mathematics, computing and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also met with the geography and design and technology subject leaders.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.

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 Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils formally and informally about their learning and experiences at school. Two separate groups of pupils accompanied an inspec- tor on personal development learning walks around the school.  Safeguarding documents were checked, including the checks that leaders make on staff’s suitability to work with children. The inspectors checked that staff im- plement safeguarding policies and procedures effectively across the school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text re- sponses received during the inspection.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentation. This included leaders’ self-evalua- tion, school improvement plan, school policies, curriculum documents, SEND rec- ords, behaviour records, attendance records and minutes of meetings held by the local governing body and trust board.

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Inspection team

Wayne Simner, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Sarah Steer Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 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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