Outwood Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Outwood Primary School Outwood Road, Heald Green, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 3ND

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Outcome

Outwood Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of this inclusive school community. Pupils said that they enjoy coming to school every morning. They are happy at the school because their teachers are kind and they make lots of friends. Pupils who join the school at different times of the year are made to feel very welcome. Pupils feel safe because they trust adults to resolve any problems they may have. Staff deal with any occasional acts of unkindness or bullying swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of behaviour and pupils behave well. Pupils are respectful to adults and to each other. At lunchtime the dining hall and playground are happy places to be, full of smiling faces.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are passionate about giving all their pupils the best start in life, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who speak English as an additional language. Pupils try hard to live up to these high expectations. They enjoy their lessons and progress well through the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from many opportunities to enrich their learning. All year groups, including children in Nursery and Reception, visit places in the locality to broaden their learning of the arts and sciences, local history and geography, and different religious faiths.

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

Leaders and governors have ensured that the curriculum is ambitious. They have thought carefully about the main themes of the curriculum so that it meets the needs of their pupils and is relevant to their diverse backgrounds. The curriculum provides strong foundations for learning in reading and mathematics. Leaders and teachers have a secure understanding of what children in the early years need to know so that they are well prepared for the key stage 1 curriculum. 21 and 22 March 2023

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Leaders have designed most subject curriculums well, so that pupils build logically on what they have learned before. However, in a few subjects, leaders have not defined precisely enough the content they want pupils to learn. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not learn in sufficient depth the essential knowledge and skills they need for their future learning.

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Across the school, teachers deliver the curriculum well. Children in the Nursery and Reception years benefit from well-thought-through approaches to developing their speech, vocabulary and understanding of numbers. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use a variety of ways to capture the interest of their pupils.

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Teachers know their pupils well and check regularly to make sure that pupils understand what has been taught. Pupils listen carefully to the advice they are given and, in most cases, respond by improving their work. Staff provide effective support for any pupils who find learning difficult.

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Reading is a priority across the school. Pupils said they enjoy reading, and read frequently. Teachers have ensured that there is wide range of high-quality fiction and non- fiction for pupils to read. The books have been chosen deliberately to reflect the many varied backgrounds of pupils at the school. In this way, pupils are helped to develop their understanding of the diversity of their school community and the local area. Leaders have made changes to the phonics curriculum so that pupils, including those with SEND and those who speak English as an additional language, are learning to read with increasing fluency and accuracy. Staff are quick to spot those pupils who struggle to read. Well- trained staff provide support to help them keep up with their peers.

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Leaders and governors have high aspirations for pupils with SEND and those pupils who speak Englsih as an additional language. Leaders identify these pupils’ needs quickly. They provide staff with the information they need to make sure that all pupils with SEND and/or those who speak English as an additional language are well supported in lessons. Staff know these pupils well and use appropriate strategies to help them to succeed.

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Children in the Nursery and Reception years settle quickly and learn to follow the routines and rules of the school day. They enjoy their sessions on the learning mat. They play and socialise well with each other and with adults in the well-resourced classrooms and spacious outside area.

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Across school, pupils behave well. In almost all lessons they listen carefully and follow the instructions of their teachers. Staff support effectively those pupils who find it more difficult to concentrate in lessons.

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Leaders take every opportunity to help pupils develop their understanding of different places and cultures. Pupils learn how to reflect upon difficult moral issues. They learn about human relationships in an age-appropriate way.

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Governors have a strong understanding of the strengths and areas for development in the school. They visit the school regularly and use their different areas of expertise to support and challenge leaders. Leaders take workload issues into account when making decisions. Staff 21 and 22 March 2023

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appreciate the ‘open-door’ attitude leaders show when a member of staff has a problem to share.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders take their safeguarding responsibilities very seriously. The strong culture of safeguarding at this school is underpinned by staff’s expert knowledge of the pupils and their families. Staff are well trained to spot the signs that any pupils may be at risk of harm. They inform senior staff quickly. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to make sure that pupils and their families promptly get the help that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught about how to keep themselves safe. For example, their personal development lessons inform them about keeping safe in water, fire safety and how to keep safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects leaders have not defined precisely enough what they want pupils to learn. As a result, in these subjects, pupils do not learn in sufficient depth some of the building blocks essential for their future learning. Leaders should ensure that in these subjects they set out precisely what they want pupils to learn so that that pupils know and remember the most important aspects of the curriculum.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the third ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in July 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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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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. 21 and 22 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10269035 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 November 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection that 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 met with the headteacher, senior leaders, middle leaders and a range of teaching and support staff. The inspector spoke with six members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local education authority.  As part of this inspection, the inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. The inspector met with subject leaders, visited some lessons, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with pupils and teachers. The inspector observed individual pupils reading to their teachers and teaching assistants.  The inspector met with groups of pupils from Years 2 to 6. He also observed breaktime

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 The inspector checked the school’s safeguarding procedures and the checks made on staff. The inspector met with leaders, staff and pupils to evaluate the culture of safeguarding.  The inspector reviewed a range of documentation, including that relating to the school development plans, self-evaluation documents, curriculum documentation and behaviour records.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  The inspector also considered the views of the parents and carers who responded to Ofsted Parent View. This included the comments received via the free-text facility.

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Inspection team

Timothy Gartside, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 March 2023

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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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