Woodley CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Woodley CofE Primary School Hurricane Way, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire RG5 4UX

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Outcome

Woodley CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to belong to this kind and thoughtful school community. They know the importance of the school’s values and live up to them. Pupils feel safe and they know they can share any worries with a trusted adult, who will help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ high expectations are evident in pupils’ conduct. Pupils are enthusiastic learners and behave well in school. They are polite and courteous towards each other and to visitors. In class, pupils listen carefully and try their best. Older pupils, acting as ‘big brothers and sisters’, are positive role models for their younger peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of curriculum enrichments, accessing historical and cultural opportunities in the local area. These enable pupils to learn deeply, responding well to the ambitious curriculum that leaders plan for them. Pupils are encouraged to be courageous advocates and they relish the opportunities to take leadership positions to help others. Many pupils attend clubs such as parkour, archery and choir. They also enjoy participating in local sports competitions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents are effusive in their praise for the school. One, summing up the views of others, stated that staff ‘go above and beyond for every child’.

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

The school places considerable emphasis on the personal development of its pupils. The ‘BRIGHT’ curriculum teaches pupils important personal and social skills including how to be a good friend and identify risky situations. Pupils build a deep spirituality that goes beyond faith. They are encouraged to reflect deeply about their experiences. Character education is very much part of the school’s provision and pupils develop personal attributes such as resilience, self-confidence, self-esteem and empathy. Teams of dedicated staff work well with pupils and their families, providing high-quality pastoral support. As a result, pupils develop the skills they need to be successful learners who are resilient and enjoy challenging themselves. 17 and 18 April 2024

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The school curriculum is both well considered and ambitious. Children in the early years benefit from learning that focuses on laying strong foundations for later success. Leaders at all levels have strong oversight of what pupils learn. Governors, who are well informed, visit the school regularly to provide effective challenge and support to leaders.

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In most subjects, leaders have identified the important information and vocabulary pupils need to know. This is particularly convincing in the established English and mathematics curriculums, where opportunities are planned to ensure that pupils revisit key facts. Routines such as ‘Fast Facts’ help pupils practise and secure important number facts. However, there are a small number of subjects in the process of being refined and the key facts pupils are to learn have not been fully established.

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Leaders use assessment well. They track pupils’ progress carefully, identifying those requiring additional help. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are identified early. Plans, co-produced with parents and pupils, match the provision in class. This provision ensures that most pupils with additional needs achieve well across much of the curriculum.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the ongoing training and support they receive from leaders, which enables them to teach effectively. During lessons, adults explain ideas clearly and demonstrate concepts well, so that pupils understand what is expected of them. Teachers ensure that prior learning is revisited and this helps pupils establish links in their learning. For example, in history, older pupils apply their knowledge of different periods of time to explore how Reading has developed over the last thousand years. In most classes, activities are well planned and encourage pupils to think more deeply about the subjects they are learning. However, this is not the case across all of the curriculum. Where aspects of the curriculum are being refined, teachers are not provided with the same clarity around the knowledge pupils are to learn. This hampers their ability to plan activities that successfully build on pupils’ prior learning.

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The teaching of reading is a fundamental priority for the school. Books are promoted throughout, and pupils relish the opportunity to visit the school’s library bus. Phonics is delivered consistently well and supports pupils to learn the sounds they need to read confidently. Leaders ensure that all pupils practise their reading often. In the early years, the development of language is a key part of all learning activities. Children apply the sounds they have learned in their early writing with increasing confidence. Beyond phonics, leaders have developed a comprehensive programme that develops pupils’ reading skills using a range of high-quality diverse texts. As a result, pupils develop into enthusiastic readers who read with confidence and fluency.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 17 and 18 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 A small number of foundation subjects are still being refined. For these subjects, the clear progression of knowledge is not yet established, and so future learning does not build on prior knowledge as precisely as it could. The school needs to ensure that teachers are provided with clarity about the sequence of knowledge so that future learning enables pupils to build their knowledge securely and cumulatively.

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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 school to be good in November 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 ’ 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). 17 and 18 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Woodley Church of England school is part of the diocese of Oxford. The most recent section 48 inspection for schools of a religious character took place in January 2024.  The school’s before- and after-school provision is managed by an external provider.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. She also met with members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and the diocesan adviser. 17 and 18 April 2024

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history.  For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  During the inspection, the inspector met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector scrutinised a wide range of information, including a selection of the school’s records. The inspector spoke to staff and pupils about safeguarding and looked at how pupils learn to keep themselves safe. The inspector spoke to the safeguarding leader about the recording and reporting of safeguarding incidents.  The inspector reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. The inspector also took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Laura James, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 17 and 18 April 2024

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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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