Woodfield Infant School & Nursery

Inspection of Woodfield Infant School & Nursery Woodfield Road, Copthorne, Shrewsbury, Shropshire SY3 8LU

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The quality of education Outstanding Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Rebecca Preece. This school is part of Empower 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), Carla Whelan, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Paul Bunting. 1 and 2 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Woodfield Infant School and Nursery is a highly inclusive and welcoming school. All pupils, including children in the early years, achieve exceptionally well. The school is ambitious for all pupils at this school. This ambition is fully realised.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour here is exemplary. The school’s motto, ‘The Woodfield Way’, is demonstrated by the school community. They demonstrate their values of ‘Be kind. Be responsible. Be hardworking’. The school’s caring and nurturing environment means that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), feel valued. As a result, pupils thrive and are well prepared for their next stage in education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Children in nursery learn to be independent and active, curious learners from the very start. Pupils learn to be leaders and active, responsible citizens. During ‘parliament week’, pupils share their manifestos and lobby their ideas with the local community. They learn how to vote and receive visits from local members of parliament.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have a wide range of opportunities. These are carefully planned, including opportunities during breaktimes. Pupils cooperate using crates, wooden planks and tyres. They use their imagination to role play, turning this equipment into shops, dens and houses.

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

The school has an in-depth understanding about every pupil and their family at this school. Leaders use this knowledge to support all pupils’ academic and personal development needs accurately. The whole school community has high expectations for what pupils can achieve. Consequently, these expectations are fully realised.

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

The school’s curriculum is well designed, starting from nursery. The school has clearly set out the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn from the very start. Leaders take into account the context of the school and the local area. The rich history of the local area is woven into pupils’ learning, including the birthplace of Charles Darwin. The school’s curriculum is designed in collaboration with the local junior school. This means that as pupils move to their next destination, they do so with confidence and a strong foundation for future learning.

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

Pupils learn to read and write from the very start. All children in the early years receive an exceptionally strong start to their communication and language and phonics journey. Children at the pre-phonics stage engage with books, environmental sounds, rhythm and rhyme. This prepares pupils well as they move on to the well-established phonics programme. Phonics is taught with expertise. Pupils who are at risk of falling behind receive regular and highly targeted support. As a result, pupils catch up quickly. The love of reading is promoted widely with pupils, parents and carers. Parents and pupils enjoy morning ‘book swaps’ where they exchange books with other families. Subsequently, pupils enjoy reading and learn to read accurately and fluently. 1 and 2 April 2025

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The ambition of the curriculum is evident in lessons and in the work that pupils produce. Staff deliver lessons exceptionally well. All staff benefit from high-quality professional development. This enables staff to teach the curriculum with expertise. Staff know how to adapt learning skilfully and accurately for pupils who need additional support. Staff know how to identify and meet the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, all pupils learn successfully alongside their peers. Pupils have many opportunities to review and recall their learning in lessons. All this means that all pupils learn and remember key knowledge and skills exceptionally well.

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In the early years, staff foster early language development with great skill through high- quality modelling. Interactions between adults and children are purposeful and introduce ambitious vocabulary. Early writing skills are also fostered effectively. For example, the ‘message centre’ encourages purposeful writing, with children confidently retelling stories, mark making and developing control over writing tools.

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Pupils’ attitude to their learning is exemplary. Children in the early years display high levels of engagement and a positive attitude towards their learning. The school teaches positive learning behaviours very effectively. For example, pupils learn how to be resilient and continuously improve their work. They are very proud to receive rewards and certificates for demonstrating these learning behaviours. They celebrate each other’s achievements with pride. The school prioritises pupils’ emotional well-being and mental health.

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The school is supported by an effective local governing body and board of trustees. They work together to target educational priorities for pupils. There is a strong focus on staff professional development and supporting inclusion across the multi-academy trust. The headteacher also offers support and guidance to other leaders from within the trust. Staff are proud to work here. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about their children’s experiences at Woodfield Infant School and Nursery.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 1 and 2 April 2025

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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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up post in April 2024.  Woodfield Infant School and Nursery converted to become an academy school within the Empower Trust in June 2018. When its predecessor school, Woodfield Infant School, was last inspected in May 2013, it was judged to be outstanding for overall effectiveness.  The nursery provision commenced in January 2023.  The school makes use of one unregistered alternative provision.  The school runs a before- and after-school provision on site.

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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 1 and 2 April 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 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.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, assistant headteachers, subject leaders, staff and pupils. The lead inspector spoke with the board of trustees and with the board of the local governing body. Inspectors also talked with parents, staff and pupils.  Inspectors spoke to leaders from the alternative provision used by the school.  The lead inspector met with the CEO to discuss school improvement.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, English, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’

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work. Inspectors also looked at the work of the school in some additional subjects, including art and design and computing.  Inspectors looked at individual pupils’ education, health and care plans and individual education plans for pupils with SEND and checked these against the school’s provision.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils, formally and informally, about their learning and experiences at school.  Inspectors observed pupils at informal times, including to evaluate pupils’ behaviour.  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.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included free-text

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comments. Inspectors also looked at responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents provided by the school, including the school’s self-evaluation, school policies, curriculum documents and SEND records.

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Inspection team

Anna Vrahimi, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Helen Lowe Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 April 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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