Woodford Green Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Woodford Green Primary School Sunset Avenue, Woodford Green, Essex IG8 0ST

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Outcome

Woodford Green Primary School continues to be a good school. There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love being a part of the Woodford Green community. They enjoy the close relationships that they build with staff who help and care for them. Pupils are safe at school and know that their voices will be heard if they have any concerns. They behave well and treat fellow pupils with respect and kindness.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have the highest expectations of pupils’ learning. They have planned a broad and ambitious curriculum, starting from the Nursery provision for two-year-olds. Pupils develop a deep understanding in different subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the opportunities they have that enrich their learning. Leaders ensure the range of visitors and visits are matched to the planned curriculum. For example, children in the Nursery receive a visit from the dentist while learning about dental hygiene. Similarly, pupils in Year 3 visit Stonehenge when learning about ancient civilisations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to become leaders and support the well-being of others. For example, older pupils help their younger peers to play and make friends on the playground. Pupils volunteer as eco-warriors, where they look after the environment through jobs such as litter picking. Pupils on the learning council give their feedback on lessons and the curriculum.

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

Leaders have designed a very ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The key knowledge that pupils need to secure is clearly identified. It is sequenced effectively to allow pupils to build on their learning over time. For example, in mathematics, children in early years regularly practise 19 and 20 April 2023

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counting forward and back in different steps. This is integrated into their daily routines, such as counting objects when creating mini-beasts out of fruit. Pupils build their understanding of number over time and use this when multiplying and dividing increasingly complex numbers. Similarly, in history, pupils build their understanding of chronology from the Nursery class up, where they look at their family now and in the past. Knowledge of different time periods is built on further across the school so that pupils develop an increasingly detailed chronology of world events. This helps pupils to explain the changes that have occurred between periods of history.

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Subject-specific training in all aspects of the curriculum ensures that teachers build their expertise and present knowledge to pupils clearly. They plan activities to match the ambitious curriculum goals. Staff benefit from opportunities to work with teachers from other schools in the trust. They take every opportunity to check what pupils have learned. As a result, teachers swiftly address misconceptions. They put additional support in place, where necessary, to help pupils to secure their understanding.

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Leaders foster a love of reading across the school. Staff are well trained to deliver the agreed phonics programme with precision. Books are carefully matched to the sounds that pupils are learning. As a result, pupils read with increasing accuracy and fluency. They regularly read for pleasure. Ambitious texts are selected to broaden pupils’ exposure to literature and support learning in other subjects. For example, Year 2 pupils study Shakespeare and Year 4 pupils read ‘Street Child’ to complement their learning about the Victorian era. The ambitious reading curriculum contributes well to the broad and sophisticated range of vocabulary that pupils use in both their speaking and writing.

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Pupils with SEND are swiftly identified and well supported. Leaders work effectively with outside agencies to secure the right support. A culture of high expectations from well- trained staff provides these pupils with appropriately personalised support to access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils behave well and show a consistently focused attitude to their learning. Outside of lessons, pupils move around the school safely and play sensibly with others in the playground. This is because expectations and routines are clear and consistently applied.

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The curriculum for personal, social, health and economic education is designed to support pupils to learn and embed important ideas. For example, pupils are helped to understand the importance of keeping themselves healthy through a balanced diet and regular exercise.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They know leaders take workload into account. Staff appreciate the rich range of professional development opportunities open to them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have built a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained and understand that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. They know how to share any concerns that 19 and 20 April 2023

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they may have about a pupil or adult. Records demonstrate that leaders take swift action to support pupils and their families. They communicate regularly with external partners. Leaders encourage pupils to discuss any concerns that they may have, including using a ‘worry box’ in each classroom. Leaders meet regularly with groups of pupils to hear their views on safety.

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The curriculum helps pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils learn about the importance of healthy friendships and the consequences of bullying.

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Woodford Green Primary School, to be good in May 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.

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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. 19 and 20 April 2023

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School details

Local authority London Borough of Waltham Forest

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School details

Website www.woodfordgreenprimary- arboracademytrust.co.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not use any alternative provision.  The school joined the Arbor Academy Trust in 2019.  A new headteacher has been appointed to start in September 2023. The Arbor Academy Trust is currently providing interim leadership support.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The inspector met with members of the governing body and trustees.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. They met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils and looked at samples of their work.  The curriculum in other subjects was considered as part of the inspection. 19 and 20 April 2023

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 The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ priorities for improvement.  To evaluate safeguarding, the inspector checked procedures for recruiting new members of staff. They also met with leaders to discuss how they put safeguarding policies into practice.  The inspector gathered the views of pupils, parents and carers, and staff through both discussions and responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Hannah Glossop, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 19 and 20 April 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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