Woodthorpe Infant School

Inspection of Woodthorpe Infant School Arno Vale Road, Woodthorpe, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG5 4JG

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 January 2025

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

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under the Act since January 2014. 21 and 22 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a warm and caring ethos that enables pupils to fulfil its vision for them to ‘be brave, be kind, be happy’. Parents and carers, staff and pupils strongly endorse this popular school. Pupils respond very well to the school’s high expectations in all areas. They are well prepared for their next stage of education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave respectfully towards each other. As a result, lessons are calm and purposeful. Playtimes are happy social occasions that promote pupils’ well-being, and their physical fitness, very well. The attractive outdoor spaces have been very well developed to encourage pupils’ energetic and imaginative play.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school effectively promotes pupils’ broader personal development. For example, many pupils proudly take on ‘ambassador’ roles for their class well as for sports, science and looking after the environment. These opportunities enable pupils to develop a sense of responsibility and independence. There is a range of trips, experiences and after-school activities that nurtures pupils’ emerging talents and interests. These popular opportunities are equally accessible for everyone, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in the early years make a strong start to their education, due to the recent transformation of this area of the school’s provision.

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

The school’s curriculum has been carefully designed to set out the important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn in all areas. The curriculum is well sequenced from the early years to Year 2. The aim is to enable all pupils to know and remember more over time, including pupils with SEND. To that end, the school ensures that pupils’ additional needs are quickly identified, so that pupils with SEND receive effective support that caters for their needs.

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

After a period of change, the school is now in a position of greater stability and rapid improvement. Staff work as a team to provide interesting activities that engage and motivate pupils very well. For example, in mathematics, pupils were seen enjoying practical activities such as predicting and weighing natural objects. In geography, pupils enjoyed identifying physical features on maps of their locality. However, teachers’ checks on pupils’ understanding is often limited. Opportunities for pupils to consolidate their learning do not provide a complete view of what pupils know and can do. For example, in mathematics, pupils do not receive the opportunities they need to record written calculations and form numbers correctly.

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

In English, pupils produce high-quality written work that clearly shows their development as increasingly skilled, careful writers. These high expectations for what pupils can do are not consistent across all areas of the curriculum. The school is beginning to revise and rebalance the approach to pupils recording their work. However, this is in the early stages. 21 and 22 January 2025

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The school prioritises reading, and a love of books, across all areas of the provision. There is a well-established, systematic approach to teaching early reading. Pupils develop well as fluent, confident readers. This applies equally to pupils with SEND and those who need help to catch up.

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Children in the early years benefit from the introduction of a revised curriculum that sets out clearly what children should know across all areas of learning. The indoor and outdoor areas have been carefully reorganised and equipped. The learning environment and staff interactions support children’s development including their social and early language skills, very well.

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The school sets high standards for behaviour and attendance. There is a careful analysis of both. In the rare instances when behaviour or attendance becomes a concern, appropriate support is provided.

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The school promotes pupils’ personal development through the ‘respect’ curriculum and the ‘five Rs’ school values. Pupils understand and demonstrate the school’s values with confidence. Many can talk with assurance about the importance of respect and treating everyone equally. They describe the fundamental British values as ‘keeping everyone safe and happy’. They are developing as thoughtful, caring young citizens.

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Governors are well-informed and dedicated to the school, and the best interests of pupils. They bring skilled support as well as challenge in their role. Staff are highly supportive of the school and the changes that are being introduced. They praise the support they receive for their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The ambition and expectations for the work that pupils produce are not consistently high in all subjects. This limits pupils’ opportunities to consolidate their learning and demonstrate what they can achieve. The school should ensure that pupils’ detailed knowledge and skills across the curriculum are consistently reflected in the work that they produce.

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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. 21 and 22 January 2025

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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). 21 and 22 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.woodthorpeinfantschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 January 2014, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 21 and 22 January 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior and curriculum leaders. The lead inspector held discussions with representatives of the governing body and the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum and spoke to groups of pupils about their learning in some other subjects.  Inspectors observed behaviour in lessons and at other times around 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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Christine Watkins, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Justine Roberts Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 January 2025

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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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