Woodland Community Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Woodland Community Primary School Regent Street, Heywood, Lancashire OL10 3BX

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Inspection dates: 11 and 12 February 2025

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Outcome

Woodland Community Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Woodland Community Primary School is a warm and supportive community. The school has high ambitions for pupils’ achievement and behaviour. Pupils work hard to meet these aspirations. They enjoy learning and developing both academically and socially. Recent improvements to the curriculum mean that pupils achieve well across a range of different subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff enjoy excellent relationships. Pupils feel happy and well cared for. They learn how to understand their feelings and emotions. ‘Happiness heroes’ support their peers throughout the school day. Pupils spoke with pride of the ‘Woodland weekly hero’ and the ‘always’ awards that they earn for their behaviour and attitudes to learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are excited to contribute to school life. They enjoy acting as role models and taking on responsibilities, such as being school councillors, digital leaders, and Woodland ambassadors. The school also encourages pupils to try out new activities. For instance, pupils take part in a range of after-school clubs, such as singing, archery and art. They have many opportunities to learn outside the classroom and explore their local area. For example, pupils appreciate learning in the forest and taking part in visits to museums and aquariums. They are particularly proud to represent the school in sporting events, such as dodgeball and handball competitions.

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

The school has been through a period of considerable turmoil since it was last inspected. Despite this, it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the time 11 and 12 February 2025

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of the previous inspection. The school has overhauled the quality of education that pupils receive. It has acted quickly to ensure that pupils benefit from a suitably ambitious curriculum. Governors know the school well. Their insightful support and challenge make a strong contribution to the leadership of the school.

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There has been rapid improvement in a short space of time. Staff recognise that the pace of improvement has increased the demands placed upon them. However, most staff appreciate the school’s actions to support their workload. They especially welcome the training and supervision that they receive.

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The school’s work to overcome obstacles to pupils’ learning is highly successful. This starts in the early years, where children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified quickly. An increasing number of pupils join the school at different times of the year. Many of these are pupils with SEND. Some speak English as an additional language. The school ensures an individualised approach is used to support these pupils to secure the knowledge that they need to access the full curriculum. Well matched learning plans support pupils with SEND to progress well through the curriculum.

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Reading is an important part of the school’s curriculum. Staff are trained to deliver the new phonics programme well. They successfully help pupils to get off to a good start with learning letter sounds. Pupils who struggle with reading receive timely support to help them to catch up.

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Published data does not reflect the strengths of the educational offer provided by the school. In 2024, the proportion of pupils who left Year 6 meeting the expected standards in reading and mathematics was significantly below the national average. Too many pupils had gaps in their knowledge as a result of the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, weaknesses in the previous curriculum and high absence rates. They simply did not have the time to make up for lost ground. As a result of the significant improvements to the teaching of English and mathematics in the last few years, pupils are making rapid gains in their learning. Nonetheless, some older pupils have gaps in their knowledge, particularly in spelling. This is because they have not benefited from these improved curriculums over time.

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The school’s curriculums in subjects beyond English and mathematics are designed to help pupils build knowledge logically over time. However, checks on learning in these subjects do not identify pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in knowledge quickly enough. As a result, some pupils do not recall knowledge as fluently as they should.

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The school takes swift, effective action to reduce absence levels. As a result, the proportion of pupils who miss large chunks of their education is declining. The school’s high expectations for pupils’ positive behaviour are lived out across the school. Pupils who find it more challenging to manage their own behaviour are supported gently and sensitively. They benefit from a range of effective provision so that they are ready to learn. 11 and 12 February 2025

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Pupils learn how to develop safe and healthy relationships. They find out about people’s views and beliefs that might be different to their own. Pupils learn what it means to live in a modern and diverse society.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some older pupils have not benefited from the improved English and mathematics curriculums over time. This means that they have gaps in their knowledge, particularly in spelling. The school should support teachers to identify and address these gaps in pupils’ knowledge to ensure that they are fully prepared for the next stage in their education.  In subjects beyond English and mathematics, the school does not identify pupils’ misconceptions and gaps in knowledge quickly enough. This means that some pupils do not have secure foundations on which to build new learning. The school should ensure that assessment systems in these subjects support staff to check how well pupils have learned the knowledge in the curriculum.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in April 2015. 11 and 12 February 2025

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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). 11 and 12 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher was appointed in February 2021 following a period of interim leadership of the school.  The governing body is responsible for the school’s breakfast club provision.  The school makes use of two unregistered alternative provisions.

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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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, deputy headteachers and other leaders in the school. 11 and 12 February 2025

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 The inspector met with members of the governing board, including the chair of governors.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority and a representative of the Virtual School. She also spoke with the school’s school improvement partners and representatives of the two unregistered alternative provision providers currently used by the school.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. She also listened to pupils from Years 2 and 3 reading to a familiar adult.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector spoke with parents and carers at the start of school day. She also

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considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Jewitt, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 11 and 12 February 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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