Accrington Woodnook Primary School

Inspection of Accrington Woodnook Primary School Hudson Street, Accrington, Lancashire BB5 2HS

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to live out the school’s values of friendship, aspiration, independence and respect. This starts from the early years, where children enjoy interacting with one other and eagerly apply their learning in activities. Pupils celebrate the school’s rich diversity and appreciate everyone’s uniqueness. They behave well and contribute positively to the calm, happy, purposeful atmosphere in the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants the best for its pupils. Since the last inspection, it has developed its curriculum to improve pupils’ learning. This includes in the early years, where children benefit from a rich curriculum that supports them to achieve well from their starting points. However, many of the curriculums in Year 1 to Year 6 are newly developed and have not fully impacted on what pupils know and remember. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should across the curriculum. Published results in 2024 were below average in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending the range of extra-curricular activities on offer, including chess, football, music, computing and crafts. The school carefully considers how to broaden pupils’ experiences through many trips and visitors to the school. This includes performing in a theatre, visiting a beach and working alongside authors and artists.

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

The curriculum is broad and engaging. Staff deliver the curriculum as intended. They provide pupils with resources, such as counters in mathematics, to help them in their learning. The school provides effective support to pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language. The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are also swiftly identified and consistently met.

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

The school has identified what pupils should learn over time. However, in some subjects, the key knowledge that pupils should know and remember is not defined as clearly as it could be. This hinders the school from ensuring that pupils’ learning builds securely. Furthermore, the school’s new writing curriculum is in the early stages of being implemented. There is variability in how well pupils develop their understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Staff do not consistently address the errors that pupils make. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in writing.

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

The school makes checks on pupils’ learning and uses the information gained from these to inform subsequent teaching. However, previous weaknesses in the curriculum have resulted in pupils having gaps in their learning that the school have not yet closed. Pupils’ knowledge across the wider curriculum subjects is not secure. They are not as well prepared for the next stage in their education in these subjects as they should be.

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

The school fosters a love of reading from the start of the Reception Year. Pupils read daily and enjoy accessing the school library. The school’s phonics programme helps pupils to learn new sounds quickly. Staff identify, and effectively support, pupils who need additional help with reading. The 2024 national assessments for phonics included pupils 4 and 5 March 2025

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who were very new to the school. These outcomes do not reflect the strength of the current early reading curriculum, which is helping pupils to develop their confidence and fluency in reading.

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Since the last inspection, the school has worked tirelessly to improve pupils’ attendance. It has developed rigorous processes to identify and to remove barriers to attending school. This includes working in partnership with, and supporting, parents and carers with attendance. The school’s actions have made a demonstrable difference in improving pupils’ rates of attendance. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has reduced in recent years.

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The school has clear expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Staff build positive relationships with pupils and provide effective support for those who struggle to manage their emotions. Pupils, including children in the early years, work hard in lessons, listen respectfully to staff and follow the embedded routines.

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The school supports pupils’ broader development well. Pupils proudly take on a range of roles and responsibilities. These include being members of the school council and reading buddies for the younger children. At lunchtimes, pupils have access to a vast array of play equipment and thoroughly enjoy engaging in purposeful active play. Pupils develop a secure understanding of fundamental British values and have many opportunities to explore how these can be lived out through their own lives. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Those responsible for governance, many of who are new since the last inspection, carry out their roles effectively. They hold the school to account for its progress towards its identified priorities. Staff morale is high. They appreciate how the school considers their workload when making decisions about new initiatives.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the key knowledge that pupils should know is not clearly defined. This makes it difficult for the school to ensure that the delivery of the curriculum helps pupils to build on their learning consistently and securely. The school should refine its curriculum thinking to ensure that pupils develop a depth of knowledge across all subjects.  The writing curriculum is new and is not fully developed. It does not ensure that there is a sharp focus on addressing misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ writing. Consequently, some pupils are not achieving as well as they could. The school should embed the 4 and 5 March 2025

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delivery of the new writing curriculum to ensure that pupils develop the knowledge and skills that they need in writing to be ready for the next stage of their education.  The school’s work to develop the curriculum in many subjects is new. The implementation of these subject curriculums is still being embedded. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that the curriculum is delivered consistently well so that pupils build knowledge securely over time.

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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). 4 and 5 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 January 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently make use of alternative provision for pupils.  The school operates a before-school club, which the governing body manages.

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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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 4 and 5 March 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher, other leaders, governors, and staff at the school. The lead inspector also met with representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, art and design and English, including early reading. 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 in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 lead inspector listened to some pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.

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 Inspectors observed pupils at social times and when moving around the school.  Inspectors spoke to parents and carers and considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors spoke to pupils and to staff to gather their views. Inspectors also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and for pupils.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including those related to the governance of the school.

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Inspection team

Liz Dayton, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Sherwin Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 March 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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