Woodthorpe Primary School

Inspection of Woodthorpe Primary School Summerfield Road, Woodthorpe, York, North Yorkshire YO24 2RU

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 June, and 9 July 2024

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

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

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Overall effectiveness Outstanding

The head of school is Charlotte Grason-Taylor. This school is part of the South Bank Multi 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 (CEO), Mark Hassack, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ian Wiggins. There is also an executive headteacher, James McGann, who is responsible for this school and one other. 11 and 12 June, and 9 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Woodthorpe Primary School is an exceptional community of happy learners, where pupils ‘aim high and have fun’. Pupils flourish at this inclusive and nurturing school. They are proud to be part of the Woodthorpe family. Pupils are warmly welcomed by staff at the start of the school day. Relationships at all levels are extremely respectful and caring.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have high expectations of themselves and show a readiness to learn. Staff know pupils very well. There is a strong sense of togetherness and belonging. This is demonstrated in the genuine care that staff and pupils show towards each other. Pupils know that adults will listen to any worries they have. As a result, pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour across school is exemplary. Pupils are highly respectful towards staff, their peers and visitors. They greet everyone with smiles and hold open doors. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), value the wealth of experiences that this school offers. They grasp every opportunity to learn something new. For example, they enjoy singing for adults who have dementia and perform at a local theatre every year. The school meticulously plans this wider offer so that all pupils can benefit from a rich range of opportunities.

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better?

The school is highly aspirational for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged. Over recent years, the school has developed a bespoke, balanced and ambitious curriculum. This is deliberately set out and implemented with fine attention to detail. In all subjects, including the areas of learning in the early years, leaders have identified the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and remember. This is logically sequenced so that pupils return to, practise and embed important concepts. This allows them to consistently apply and connect their learning across the curriculum, building a real depth of knowledge and understanding.

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better?

Lessons are not disturbed by low-level disruption because pupils show highly positive attitudes to their learning. They behave well and are attentive. Staff regularly check on pupils’ understanding and quickly help those who are stuck or need extra help. Pupils remember in great detail what they have learned. For example, they confidently discuss the art techniques used to design and create a piece of Mayan art, linking this to the techniques used by Leonardo da Vinci. In history, pupils have a secure and thorough knowledge of ancient Egypt and Anglo- Saxons.

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better?

Staff provide pupils with SEND with excellent support. These pupils achieve very well because staff make skilful adaptations in lessons to ensure that they can access and learn the same curriculum as their peers. 11 and 12 June, and 9 July 2024

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The school promotes a love of reading with all pupils. The foundations of this are established in Nursery, where staff support children exceptionally well to listen to sounds, songs and rhymes. The phonics programme supports pupils very well to become confident and fluent readers. Pupils who struggle to master phonics receive additional help and catch up promptly.

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Highly skilled staff in early years ensure that children get off to an excellent start. They work closely with parents and carers and get to know children individually. Staff design learning activities that match children’s needs and interests alongside the key knowledge they want children to know and remember. Children thrive, cooperate consistently well and demonstrate high levels of self-control. Children become eager learners. This enthusiasm for learning continues as pupils move through the school.

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The school’s personal development and wider curriculum offer is exceptional. Staff take every opportunity for pupils to experience and learn about the world around them. There is a strong and deliberate focus on helping pupils to think about their future lives and career opportunities. They have opportunities to visit other countries and benefit from specialist music teaching. Daily circle time helps pupils to manage their feelings and to help others. Pupils share how they are feeling and learn how to celebrate difference. Pupils have a strong understanding of equality and equity. Their knowledge around protected characteristics is a shining light to others. The school council and local councillor work together to find ways of improving anti- social behaviour in the community.

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The trust and the school are united in their relentless determination to ensure that every pupil achieves their full potential. Staff benefit from a strong training offer from the trust. There is a clear culture of teamwork. Staff appreciate how leaders consider their workload and well-being. Parents are supportive of the school’s work. One parent reflected this by saying, ‘This is a fantastic school that nurtures the whole child.’

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 11 and 12 June, and 9 July 2024

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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). 11 and 12 June, and 9 July 2024

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School details

Headteacher James McGann (executive headteacher) Charlotte Grason-Taylor (head of school) Website www.woodthorpeprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 January 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the South Bank Academy Trust.  The executive headteacher and head of school took up post in January 2024. Prior to this, they were the headteacher and deputy headteacher of the school. The executive headteacher also leads another school in the trust, Scarcroft Primary School.  The school uses one unregistered alternative provision.  The school has a nursery provision for three-year-olds.  There is a breakfast club and an after-school club that are managed by the school.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. 11 and 12 June, and 9 July 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  The inspection started on 11 and 12 June 2024. Inspectors returned on 9 July 2024 to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence policy.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  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.  The inspectors met with a range of leaders, including those responsible for the curriculum, teaching and learning, behaviour, attendance, personal development

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and safeguarding.  The inspectors carried out deep dives into these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and computing. For each deep dive, the inspectors spoke to subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, talked to pupils about their learning and behaviour and considered samples of pupils’ work. As part of the early reading deep dive, inspectors listened to pupils read.  The inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The lead inspector spoke with the CEO, the director of school improvement, two trustees and two governors.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View and the free-text comments from parents.  Inspectors considered the responses to staff surveys. There were no responses to pupil surveys. Pupils’ views were considered through a range of pupil meetings.

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Inspection team

Lisa Ponter, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Ann Pritchard His Majesty’s Inspector 11 and 12 June, and 9 July 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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