Woodsetton School

Inspection of Woodsetton School Tipton Road, Woodsetton, Dudley, West Midlands DY3 1BY

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 October 2023

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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 Previous inspection grade Good 10 and 11 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Woodsetton School are happy and well cared for. They know that staff know them well and have their best interests at heart. As a result, pupils are confident to take on new challenges and experiences. In life skills classes, pupils learn how to look after themselves by learning how to cook, how to go shopping and how to cross the road. This helps pupils to become more independent.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to manage their behaviour well. They are taught to identify the feelings they have and to ask for help when they need it. Staff are expert in spotting signs that pupils may need additional support and step in quickly to provide it. As a result, the school is a calm, positive place to be and children can learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants all pupils to do well. It has introduced a new curriculum that lays out what it wants pupils to learn. This is mainly working well but there is still some work to do in some subjects to make sure that all pupils achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Staff understand their pupils incredibly well. They know what works best to make sure pupils are ready to learn. Staff work effectively with parents to make sure that pupils use the same behaviour and communication strategies at school and at home. This helps pupils settle in school well and work hard.

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better?

The school has introduced a new curriculum that is matched to pupils’ different needs. Leaders want all their pupils to do well. The curriculum identifies what pupils should learn. In some subjects, learning is sequenced well. However, in other subjects, the school has not identified precisely enough what pupils should know and be able to do in the subject by the end of their time at the school. Learning does not, therefore, build logically over time. Teachers are not as clear as they could be about exactly what to teach and learning activities are not as well focused as they could be. This all slows pupils’ learning.

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better?

The school is working towards ensuring that all pupils have access to the strategies and aids they need to communicate well. As a result, pupils can communicate their wants and needs increasingly confidently. However, communication strategies are not consistently in place and pupils and staff do not always use the communication tools available. This stops some pupils from developing the communication skills they need.

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better?

The school makes sure that all pupils learn to read. From their first day at school, children in early years learn to pay attention to the sounds that will help them read in the future. Older pupils are taught using a well-sequenced phonics curriculum, carefully adapted to their needs. At times, the delivery of the phonics curriculum is variable and so some pupils do not learn to read fluently as quickly as they could. 10 and 11 October 2023

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Pupils who read fluently have access to a wide range of books. They enjoy using the library and choosing from class books.

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Pupils are taught how to keep safe. Starting from the early years, pupils learn how to communicate choices and to express likes and dislikes. Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths and about charities that support others. Pupils elected to the school council consult their peers about matters that directly affect them. They make choices about, for example, what breakfast cereal is in the canteen and what equipment should be in the adventure playground. Through these activities, pupils are being prepared well for their future life.

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Pupils enjoy trips and visits that are planned to enrich their learning. Pupils in early year go to a soft-play centre as part of their physical development curriculum. Visits to the theatre, visits from a local reptile centre and visits into the local area help pupils to develop their confidence and to learn about their community.

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Leaders have introduced many changes to the school. They have worked closely with staff to make sure that these changes are manageable. Governors are committed to the school; they want the best for all its pupils. Governors monitor the work of the school carefully. They are clear about the next steps for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Communication strategies are not used across the school consistently well. This means that pupils do not have the opportunity to communicate as well as they could. Leaders should make sure that they identify the communication strategies they want pupils and staff to be able to use and that they provide a careful, staged approach to implementing and embedding them.  Leaders have not made sure that all areas of the curriculum are planned so that important knowledge builds cumulatively to ambitious end-points. This means that, at times, teachers do not design learning activities that are as focused as they could be on what leaders intend pupils to learn. Leaders should make sure that the curriculum builds logically to clearly identified end-points so that pupils can build on their knowledge in all subjects over time.  The delivery of the phonics curriculum is variable. This means that pupils may not

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

learn to read as quickly as they could. Leaders should make sure that all staff are trained well to deliver all aspects of the phonics curriculum and consistently use appropriate strategies in their teaching in order to ensure that pupils make the best possible progress. 10 and 11 October 2023

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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). 10 and 11 October 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website http://www.woodsetton.dudley.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 7 and 8 December 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school caters for pupils with moderate learning difficulties.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The headteacher has joined the school since the previous inspection. He is also the executive headteacher of another special school.

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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 judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke with the headteacher and other senior leaders, other leaders, governors and a representative from the local authority. 10 and 11 October 2023

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in communication, early reading, mathematics and personal, health and social education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors discussed the school’s approach to early reading and visited some phonics lessons. An inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects and visited some lessons across the curriculum.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documentation relating to the work of the

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school.  Inspectors spoke to leaders and staff about the wider work of the school.  Inspectors took into account the views of parents, including reviewing the responses to Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors reviewed the responses to the staff survey.

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Inspection team

Claire Price, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ellen Taylor Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 October 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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