Woodstock Primary Academy

Inspection of Woodstock Primary Academy Hattern Avenue, Leicester, Leicestershire LE4 2GZ

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The principal of this school is Louise Stapleford. This school is part of Learning Without Limits Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, John Henrys, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jeffrey A Knight. 26 and 27 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

‘Everyone’s welcome at Woodstock.’ This vision for the school is clearly understood by all. Pupils appreciate, and pride themselves on, being part of the school community. It is a calm and safe place for all. As one pupil told inspectors: ‘I used to worry about school and now school is a much happier place.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school rules of 'be respectful, resilient and ready to learn,’ are lived out by most pupils. In lessons, most pupils concentrate well. Pupils enjoy their lunchtimes because sports coaches help them to play games cooperatively. The ‘Peace Agents’ keep an eye out for anyone who may need a friend during social times. A few pupils continue to need support to manage their behaviour. They are well supported during the school day. They learn to regulate and understand their emotions. Pupils are confident that adults will quickly deal with any incidents of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils study a curriculum that is logical and well sequenced in most subjects. However, this is not the case for all curriculum areas, including in writing. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always get the right support to learn more of the school’s curriculum.

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better?

With the help of the trust, the school has started to implement a revised curriculum. The new curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced in parts but it is not yet fully implemented. In writing, for example, the school has not precisely identified how elements, such as handwriting, spelling and grammar, will build in a cohesive and ordered way.

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better?

Teachers have received training to develop their expertise to deliver the curriculum. They understand the urgency of the changes that are happening at the school. They feel well supported with the recent developments. However, the school has not yet ensured that the checks teachers make on what pupils have learned enable them to inform pupils’ next steps.

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better?

The early reading programme has had rapid impact. Teachers ensure that pupils have lots of opportunities to sound out words. Most pupils receive reading books that are well matched to their level of development. Teachers receive support and training to deliver the programme with accuracy. Pupils who need additional support to keep up with the reading programme receive help quickly.

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better?

Pupils with SEND thrive in subjects where the school has considered the small steps of knowledge. They particularly enjoy art and design. However, the ambition for pupils with SEND is not consistently high across all subjects. Occasionally, these pupils do not receive the right equipment or resources to access the learning.

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better?

Children in early years settle well into school life. They enjoy exploring their environment and playing alongside their peers. Many children in the early years 26 and 27 September 2023

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have gaps in their communication and language development. The school has started to consider how they will adapt the curriculum to meet these needs. However, not enough consideration has been given to developing children’s basic language and communication. This means that the children who are the most disadvantaged do not reliably catch up with early communication, literacy, and language development.

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Positive behaviour and relationships are central to the school’s culture. This has helped change pupils’ and families’ attitudes around attendance. Many pupils now want to come to school. As a result, attendance has improved. Leaders continue to work with families to reduce persistent absenteeism.

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The personal development of pupils is a priority for the school. Leaders want pupils, including those with SEND, to have meaningful experiences. Most pupils attend the free after-school clubs on offer, including sports and arts clubs. Many access the breakfast club before school. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to attend school visits to the museum, choir concerts or theatre visits. They understand the importance of a healthy diet and positive mental health. Pupils are accepting of one another. They know that everyone deserves to be respected.

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The school, trust, and staff work closely together. They know how important it is to support each other during this period of rapid changes. The trust recognises that there is more work to be done to ensure systems, policies and procedures across school are consistently understood and implemented.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum for writing is disjointed and does not build logically. This does not help pupils to improve their writing and limits how well they are prepared for their next stage in education. Leaders must ensure their curriculum for writing is coherent and logical. They must ensure that staff have the right expertise to deliver this curriculum.  Systems and routines to support pupils with SEND are not implemented consistently. This creates barriers to learning for pupils with SEND and does not help them to succeed fully. The school must ensure that all pupils with SEND receive effective teaching as well as the right support and equipment to access the curriculum. The school must ensure that pupils with SEND learn the school’s planned curriculum with increasing autonomy and confidence.  Approaches to assessment are not consistently used across the curriculum. This does not help teachers to identify what pupils already know, what needs to be

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

revisited or address pupils’ next steps in a coherent way. The school must ensure 26 and 27 September 2023

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that approaches to formative and summative assessment are well developed to enable pupils to know and remember more over time.  Children in the early years do not develop their basic communication and language in a systematic way. This creates gaps in children’s language acquisition and does not prepare the most disadvantaged children well for key stage one and beyond. The school must carefully consider the sequence for early language development and ensure that there is a sharp focus on all children developing early communication and vocabulary.

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 26 and 27 September 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 10 and 11 September 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses two registered alternative providers.  There have been significant changes to leadership since the last inspection, including the appointments of a principal and vice principal. The special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) took up position in May 2023.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgment about the quality of a school’s educational provision.  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. 26 and 27 September 2023

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 The inspectors held meetings with the principal and other senior leaders, including the school’s SENDCo and the early years leader.  The lead inspector met with representatives of the trust, including the chief executive officer, the director for education and chair of the trust. A meeting was also held with members of the local governing body to discuss their delegated responsibilities.  Inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour during different parts of the school day. They spoke to pupils about behaviour and conduct around school. They considered how well leaders enabled pupils to understand the expectations for conduct in school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, religious education and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors met with the curriculum leaders to consider planning documents. They visited lessons and spoke with pupils and teachers. Inspectors also sampled curriculum

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plans for other subjects.  Inspectors met with the designated leader for safeguarding and considered documentation relating to how the school keeps pupils safe, including for those pupils who attend alternative provision. They sampled information for pupil attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors spoke with parents and pupils. They considered the responses to the staff surveys and comments made by parents on Ofsted’s Parent View.

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Inspection team

Shaheen Hussain, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Adrian O'Malley Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 September 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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