Woodridge Primary School

Inspection of Woodridge Primary School Southover, North Finchley, London N12 7HE

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 March 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning and display their happiness at school in many ways. They give a warm welcome to visitors and speak with pride about their school. The school’s values, such as honesty and kindness, help pupils to know how to act and speak to others. Pupils’ behaviour is exceptional. From the time they enter school, pupils learn routines, including how to listen and speak to each other with the greatest respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value being active in their school community. They willingly support and help one another, including through taking on roles of responsibility. These range from leading the school library to running the Woodridge Café. Through this, pupils learn and apply valuable leadership and team-work skills, such as organising the school enterprise fair.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), rise to the school’s high expectations. They thrive socially and emotionally and achieve well academically. The nurture and care from staff support pupils to be confident in their relationships with peers and adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment activities. For example, ‘Wider Woodridge’ enables pupils from different year groups to join together for activities, such as mindfulness and chess. Pupils’ interests are nurtured. For instance, exciting experiences in music, including performing at the Royal Albert and Festival Halls, foster pupils’ curiosity in the creative arts.

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

The school has designed and sequenced the curriculum carefully, so that pupils’ learning builds logically from early years to Year 6. Teaching of the curriculum is adjusted effectively so that pupils access learning successfully. This includes pupils with SEND.

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

Pupils’ communication and language are prioritised. Staff help them to talk about their learning and express their ideas accurately. For example, in mathematics pupils use language, such as equilateral triangle, to show their understanding of shapes. This starts in early years where children speak confidently, for instance, about numbers and shape through their activities. Throughout the early years provision, children benefit from a curriculum which gives them excellent foundations for future learning. The school is clear about what children need to learn and practise. It also ensures that this is taught with expertise. Routines are well established, supporting children to listen attentively, become confident and flourish in their development.

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

The curriculum in Years 1 to 6 is broad and ambitious. Staff have strong subject knowledge and explain new ideas clearly. They check that pupils understand before moving on. For instance, in music pupils develop their singing skills to a high level in response to the guidance that staff provide. There are times, however, in some subjects, where learning activities do not place sufficient emphasis on the specific knowledge that 18 and 19 March 2025

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pupils need to know and remember over time. As a result, sometimes pupils do not retain knowledge securely and lack depth in their understanding.

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The school has a strong focus on the teaching of the early stages of reading. Staff have the expertise to teach phonics well. They use their checks on pupils’ reading to accurately identify pupils who fall behind. These pupils receive effective support, and they catch up quickly. Pupils read a wide variety of texts and enjoy reading for pleasure. This helps pupils to become fluent and confident readers.

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The school has effective processes to identify pupils with SEND as early as possible. Staff know pupils and their needs well. They have the right expertise to enable pupils with SEND to make good progress through the curriculum. For example, they expertly adapt resources and lessons to help pupils with SEND to understand subject content.

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Pupils have a highly positive approach towards their education. They enjoy contributing their ideas and views to lessons and to school forums and do this with maturity. The school has clear systems to support pupils’ behaviour, should they need it. Pupils attend school regularly. If attendance becomes a concern, the school does all it reasonably can to support the family and pupil to secure improvements.

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The school provides exceptionally well for pupils’ wider development. A well-planned programme enables pupils to speak confidently about topics, such as relationships and staying healthy. Children in Reception learn about the natural world through their visits to the local nature reserve. Pupils learn to understand and respect the ways that people can be different. For example, a project involving pupils’ ideas for professional paintings enabled them to explore themes related to equality. Speakers visit the school to deliver workshops on topics linked to careers and the field of science. This inspires pupils to think about life beyond their school. Pupils relish taking part in sporting competitions with success. They understand and show the importance of teamwork in how they encourage one another.

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Staff are proud to be a part of this school. They appreciate the support that they receive from leaders to ensure that their workload is manageable.

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Leaders, including governors, have an exceptional understanding of the strengths and priorities for the school. This helps them to continue improving the quality of pupils’ education. There is a united view to provide the best education for all pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 18 and 19 March 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, the key knowledge that pupils should learn is not effectively emphasised through the learning activity. This means that some pupils find it hard to commit key knowledge to their long-term memory as well as they should. The school should ensure that learning activities are more closely aligned with the intent of the school’s ambitious curriculum.

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Colin Dowland and Laura Monro (Co- headteachers) Website www.woodridgeprimaryschool.com

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  The co-headteachers started their joint role in 2023.

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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 provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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.  Inspectors met with the co-headteachers, other school leaders and members of staff. The lead inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. They also spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, music and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other curriculum areas.

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 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 the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also spoke with some parents before the start of the school day to gather their views. Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for staff and for pupils.

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Inspection team

Janice Howkins, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rutinderjit Mahil-Pooni Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 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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