Woodgrange Infant School

Inspection of Woodgrange Infant School Sebert Road, London E7 0NJ

p.1

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 25 and 26 March 2025

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this kind and welcoming school. Pupils are kept safe and know they can rely on staff to help resolve any issues or worries. Staff encourage pupils to reflect on things when they go wrong and to work together to come up with a solution. In lessons, pupils try their best and are polite to each other and to staff.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has established strong relationships with families. Parents and carers are positive about the school. One parent said, ‘My child loves going to school every day.’ This was typical of the views of many.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides different opportunities for pupils’ personal development, including after-school clubs such as science and yoga. Pupils raise money for different charities and enjoy trips to museums and local gardens.

p.2

What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for all pupils and has designed a broad and balanced curriculum. In English and mathematics, the curriculum is well constructed and well taught. This enables pupils to achieve well in these subjects. However, in the wider curriculum, pupils do not achieve well. This is because of weaknesses in the curriculum and some aspects of teaching.

p.2

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

Learning to read is a priority as soon as pupils start at the school. In the Nursery Year, children are introduced to environmental sounds by listening to, and joining in with, familiar rhymes, stories, and songs. In Reception, they start to access the school’s phonics scheme. Pupils can understand sounds and blend these to read words. They confidently read books matched to the sounds they know. They can discuss events and characters in their books. If any pupils fall behind, they are given effective support to catch up. A love of reading is fostered throughout the school. The school has ensured that diversity is woven into all books it uses across the curriculum.

p.2

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

The school puts a strong emphasis on developing pupils’ spoken language. Pupils are taught to express their thoughts and ideas and to develop a wide vocabulary. This starts in the early years. For example, in the Nursery Year, children discuss and describe different vegetables, such as their texture, smell and appearance. By Year 2, most pupils can use a range of mathematical vocabulary to describe how they solve problems.

p.2

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

Although learning in English and mathematics is successful, the wider key stage 1 curriculum and the teaching of it are not fully successful across the range of subjects. There is some understanding of what the school wants pupils to learn and when. However, in many subjects, curriculum content is not clear. Teaching does not offer pupils enough opportunities to practise and apply their learning. In addition, gaps in pupils’ understanding are not addressed quickly or effectively enough. This leads to some pupils having misconceptions in their knowledge and skills. In many subjects, pupils struggle to recall their learning. As a result, they are not sufficiently prepared for future learning. 25 and 26 March 2025

p.2

3

The school is quick to identify any additional needs. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are supported appropriately. Typically, this is through extra adult support and the use of additional resources. This enables pupils to access the curriculum alongside their peers.

p.3

3

Pupils understand and follow the rules of ‘kind hands, kind words, kind thoughts.’ Typically, they behave well in classrooms and around the school. The school provides additional help for those pupils who need support to manage their behaviour. The school uses a range of strategies to improve attendance levels successfully. Families who need help with attendance issues receive timely support, including through specialist agencies.

p.3

3

The school teaches pupils to show mutual respect, including by exploring different faiths, beliefs, and abilities. Pupils know how to stay healthy and safe, including online. They debate different issues and ideas, take turns, and listen to each other. They are proud of the contribution they make to the school in their roles as sports leaders.

p.3

3

Staff are proud to work at the school. They know that leaders consider their workload and well-being when implementing any changes in the school. Leaders and governors are fully committed to the school. They understand and fulfil their statutory responsibilities. However, checks on the implementation and impact of the curriculum have not been sufficiently robust. As a result, leadership has not identified or addressed aspects of the quality of education that need to be improved.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In many foundation subjects, the school has not given enough thought to the knowledge, skills, and vocabulary that it wants pupils to know and remember. As a result, pupils do not achieve well enough in foundation subjects. The school should identify the subject-specific concepts and knowledge that it wants pupils to know, retain and build on over time.  In many foundation subjects, assessment is not used well enough to check what pupils learn and remember. Teaching does not systematically identify or address gaps and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge. This means pupils’ learning in many foundation subjects is not secure. The school should refine its approach to checks on pupils’ learning. 25 and 26 March 2025

p.3

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 25 and 26 March 2025

p.4

School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

p.5

School details

Chair of governing body Brad Emerson (co-chair) Amy Ross (co-chair) Headteacher Sarah Soyler

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 20 and 21 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision for its pupils.

p.5

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.

p.5

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. 25 and 26 March 2025

p.5

6

 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 the pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing, design and technology, science, and history. 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.  The inspectors also spoke with groups of staff and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work in other subjects.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher, senior leaders and subject leaders. They also held meetings with the members of the governing body and a representative from

p.6

6

the local authority.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online surveys completed by parents and staff.  Inspectors looked at a sample of the school’s policies and records, including those related to behaviour, attendance, and pupils’ wider development.

p.6

Inspection team

Eleanor Ross, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

p.6

Inspection team

Alison Colenso Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 March 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7