Woodthorpe Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Woodthorpe Primary School Lewis Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire S13 8DA

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Outcome

Woodthorpe Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is David Smith. This school is part of Minerva Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Bev Matthews, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Doyle.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this welcoming and inclusive school. This is a school where pupils respect differences and celebrate the things that they have in common. This is reflected in the positive way that most pupils play together and get along with one another. Bullying is rare. Pupils have confidence in adults to resolve any concerns that they have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of educational visits and other enrichments to the curriculum. Pupils look forward to the school’s residential visits. These visits contribute effectively to pupils’ independence and cultural awareness. Many pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, participate in clubs or represent the school in sporting competitions. Some pupils hold positions of responsibility, such as student librarians or as part of the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils achieve well. The school extends pupils’ learning through its carefully planned assembly programme and philosophy for children lessons. Pupils talk knowledgeably about how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. They understand potential risks, such as those faced online, and how to manage these to keep safe. This knowledge prepares pupils well for the world beyond school.

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

The school has designed a curriculum that is ambitious for what pupils can achieve. Many pupils realise these high expectations. They achieve strong outcomes and are well prepared for secondary school. The school adapts its curriculum effectively to meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). A small number of pupils with SEND benefit from a more personalised curriculum. Pupils with SEND achieve well. 18 and 19 June 2024

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Teachers explain new knowledge clearly. They use the school’s agreed lesson routines consistently. Pupils know what is expected of them at different points in each lesson. They have regular opportunities to discuss new knowledge and practise new skills. In most subjects, pupils recall important information confidently. Teachers regularly check what pupils know. They use this information to inform future teaching. Sometimes lesson activities do not match the intended learning as precisely as they could. When this happens, pupils’ efforts are not focused on the most important knowledge that the school want pupils to know.

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Leaders have thought carefully about how to enhance pupils’ understanding of the curriculum. The school provides rich opportunities that build on what pupils have learned in individual subjects. For example, pupils’ learning about space was developed by watching a show in a planetarium. During their geography work about the rainforest, pupils experience what it is like in a rainforest through virtual reality headsets. These experiences strengthen pupils’ knowledge of the curriculum.

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The school recognises the importance of developing pupils’ language skills. The school ensures pupils are able to read accurately. Well-trained staff teach phonics consistently and effectively. The school supports pupils who need additional help with their reading well. These pupils catch up quickly. Staff frequently model important, subject-specific vocabulary in lessons. However, the school’s approach to teaching this essential vocabulary is not implemented consistently. Some pupils do not learn subject-specific vocabulary securely and do not use it accurately in their work.

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Children in the early years make a positive start to school. They quickly develop important social skills, such as taking turns and cooperating with one another. The school gives other areas of development similar importance. For example, staff encourage children to measure the objects and materials they play with. This contributes effectively to children’s understanding of numbers and measures. Children practise physical movements, such as balancing, when using bikes and climbing equipment. Adults support pupils well to develop these skills.

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Typically, the school is calm. There is little disruption to learning. At social times, pupils play well together. The variety of activities available, such as ball games and the sandpit, engage and interest pupils. The school provides effective additional support for pupils who struggle to manage their behaviour. Pupils learn to understand their emotions. This helps these pupils to improve their behaviour over time.

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Some pupils do not attend school often enough. The school’s effective work is resulting in fewer pupils being regularly absent. Improving attendance is a priority for the school. The school has clear plans in place to sustain recent improvements and ensure all pupils benefit from the school’s curriculum and enrichment opportunities.

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Most staff are positive about the school. These staff feel supported and respected by leaders. Those with responsibility for governance and the trust know the school well. They provide appropriate scrutiny of, and support for, the school’s work. 18 and 19 June 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some lessons, activities completed by pupils are not as well matched to the learning intention as they could be. Some pupils’ learning is not focused on the most important knowledge that the school wants them to know. The school should ensure that teachers prioritise the most important knowledge and implement the curriculum consistently.  The school’s approach to teaching important subject-specific vocabulary is not embedded. Some pupils do not learn essential vocabulary securely and, so, cannot use it confidently in their work. The school should ensure that its approach to teaching important vocabulary is implemented consistently and supports pupils to use this vocabulary effectively across the curriculum.

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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, Woodthorpe Primary 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. 18 and 19 June 2024

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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). 18 and 19 June 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Minerva Learning Trust.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is above the national average.  The school uses two unregistered alternative provisions.

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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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered 18 and 19 June 2024

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector met with members of the trust board, the local governing board and the CEO of the trust.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher. He also met with other senior and middle leaders, including those responsible for safeguarding, behaviour, attendance, early years provision and personal development.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector looked at a range of documents regarding the support pupils with SEND receive. He looked at the quality of the provision for pupils with SEND in lessons.

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 The inspector scrutinised a range of documents, including minutes from governing board meetings as well as the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans.  The inspector looked at a range of information regarding behaviour. He observed the behaviour of pupils in classrooms and at social times.  The views of pupils and staff who responded to Ofsted’s surveys were considered.  The inspector considered the views of parents through the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Thomas Wraith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 June 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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