Wood Lane Primary School

Inspection of Wood Lane Primary School Wood Lane, Bignall End, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST7 8PH

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 7 and 8 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this friendly school. Staff work together to do their best for everyone. Pupils build strong and positive relationships with their teachers. They describe the school as a caring place, where they ‘dare to dream and dream to believe’. Pastoral care is strong. Bullying does not happen very often. Any incidents are dealt with appropriately. Most pupils behave sensibly and are respectful to each other and the staff. Pupils work hard and learn to get along with each other well. This helps pupils to feel safe. Most parents appreciate the support given to their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the best for everyone. They aspire for all pupils to leave the school prepared well, socially and academically, for secondary school. Leaders have en- sured that pupils experience a wide range of subjects and interesting topics. How- ever, not all pupils achieve well enough. This is because of inconsistencies and weaknesses in the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide pupils with a range of opportunities to join clubs and to experience valuable educational trips. Pupils enjoy this range of activities. Leaders invest in free music instrument lessons for all pupils in key stage 2. These opportunities provide pupils with the chance to nurture their talents beyond the classroom.

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better?

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum. In some subjects, the curriculum is well designed, so that pupils’ learning builds on what they already know. For example, in mathematics, leaders have introduced a refreshed and well-considered curriculum. This helps teachers to understand the specific knowledge that pupils should learn and when they should learn it. Where this happens, pupils make strong progress. However, the curriculum is not equally well established across all subjects. In some subjects, leaders have not identified all the important knowledge they want pupils to learn. Consequently, teachers are not always clear on what to teach and in what order. This means that pupils do not always have the knowledge they need to make sense of new learning. This holds pupils back. Leaders have not checked carefully enough on how well the curriculum is being delivered.

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better?

Where the curriculum is well planned, staff use assessment smartly to help pupils remember and recall their learning, for example, by using talk partners in history. However, where the curriculum is less well developed, assessment is not used precisely enough. Teachers are not always clear if pupils have understood the things they have been taught. They do not adapt their teaching to close gaps in pupils’ knowledge quickly enough. This is a barrier to learning.

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better?

Leaders’ work to improve the phonics curriculum is having a positive impact. Staff follow the same approach to the curriculum and this helps them to know exactly which sounds to teach and when to teach them. This helps to ensure that pupils 7 and 8 March 2023

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learn to read well. Pupils who are in danger of falling behind get valuable extra support. Because of this, a growing number of pupils become fluent readers by the time they start in key stage 2.

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Children in the early years settle well into school life. This is because well-trained staff understand and meet their needs. The curriculum supports children to learn important communication and social skills, especially the youngest children. Children listen to adults, talk with others and take turns to play together. Teachers identify children who are not keeping up with their learning and provide extra help, so they can keep up.

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Leaders are quick to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders work closely and effectively with staff to put plans in place to meet pupils’ specific needs. Sometimes these plans lack precision. They do not always contain all the information they could. Consequently, teachers do not always know how best to support the individual needs of these pupils. This hinders the learning for some pupils with SEND.

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Leaders provide a range of curriculum visits and themed days, which help pupils to learn about the world they live in. Carefully planned trips help pupils to understand how different communities live. Pupils celebrate the diversity both within, and beyond their school. They are tolerant and respectful of others. Leaders work to nurture pupils’ wider personal development prepares pupils well for later life.

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Governors check that their vision is being brought to life for staff and pupils. They have a clear oversight of their duties and a good understanding of their roles. This allows them to challenge and support leaders in an informed way. Staff are well supported by leaders.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders regularly train staff to help keep pupils safe. Governors have also received safeguarding training. This helps them to check on the quality of training for staff. Staff meet regularly to help them identify any pupils who might be vulnerable. Any concerns get shared and acted upon quickly. The school’s pastoral work builds positive relationships with parents. Leaders know their pupils and families well. This helps staff to support pupils and families to get help when they need it.

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Safeguarding

Pupils understand about how to stay safe online, including protecting themselves when sharing personal information. 7 and 8 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, curriculum planning does not set out the knowledge that pupils need to know and remember in enough detail, and the things pupils are expected to learn are not always well sequenced. This means that pupils struggle to remember the things they have been taught. Leaders should ensure that all curriculum planning precisely defines the knowledge that pupils need to learn to enable them to make strong progress.  Leaders have not made sure that teachers always have all the information they need to support pupils with SEND. Consequently, some teachers do not adapt work that is well matched to pupils’ needs. This limits the progress these pupils make through the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that all teachers have the information they need about pupils with SEND to enable them to adapt work, so that it is well suited to their individual needs.  Across some subjects, leaders have not monitored the implementation of the

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

curriculum carefully enough. This means that they do have a clear picture of what is not working as well as they intend. As a result, the quality of education is variable. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders have regular opportunities to monitor their subjects to ensure it is implemented consistently well.

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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. 7 and 8 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240340 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 21 October 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before- and after-school club.  The school does not use 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

 The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the provider and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the provider.  During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, members of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke to a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in four subjects: early reading, history, mathematics and art. Other subjects were also considered as part of this inspection. Inspectors met with subject leaders, visited lessons, looked at pupils’ work and listened to pupils read. Meetings with pupils and teachers were held to gather their views 7 and 8 March 2023

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 During the inspection, inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to safeguarding, pupils’ personal development and behaviour. The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Richard Kentish, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Allyson Brown Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 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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