Warren Wood Primary School

Inspection of Warren Wood Primary School

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

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The headteacher of this school is Lucinda Woodroof. This school is part of the Beyond Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the CEO, Andrew Minchin, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nick Smith. 20 and 21 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are respectful and courteous. They greet staff and visitors happily. Pupils are caring and show high levels of empathy when considering the challenges that others may face. These qualities help pupils to build positive relationships with staff and peers. Teachers enhance this through consistent application of the school’s new approach to managing behaviour. Pupils say that this helps them to behave well. This is evident in the calm and happy atmosphere in the school. Pupils feels safe and have trusted adults who they know will address any concerns they have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has recently raised its expectations for pupils. They now benefit from a suitably ambitious curriculum. However, pupils’ experiences in lessons are mixed and some pupils still have significant gaps in their knowledge. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school prioritises pupils’ mental health. Staff ensure that pupils learn positive strategies to improve their well-being in lessons. Pupils also appreciate the range of support the school offers. This includes spending time with the school dogs or input from the school’s skilled pastoral team. This helps pupils to remain calm and focused.

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

The school has experienced significant upheaval since the previous inspection. This includes changes to leadership and school systems. The new trust has provided significant expertise to stabilise the school. Governors and trustees have high ambition. Their high levels of support and challenge are helping the school to progressively bring about improvement.

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

Staff enjoy working at the school. They benefit from a range of training that prepares them well for their roles. A small number of staff feel the pace of change has had a negative impact on their workload. Leaders are sensitive to this and ensure that staff have opportunities to raise concerns.

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

The school has designed an ambitious curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils. It clearly identifies the skills and knowledge that pupils need to learn. However, the implementation of the curriculum is not always effective. This means that pupils still have significant gaps in knowledge and do not deepen their understanding in some subjects.

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

Teachers have secure subject knowledge in most subjects. They select engaging activities that help pupils to learn the curriculum. However, in places, teachers checks on what pupils have learned do not give them a clear enough understanding of the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge. Consequently, the support that some teachers give to pupils does not address these gaps. This impedes some pupils’ progress through the curriculum.

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

Staff know the pupils well. This helps them to identify potential barriers to learning swiftly. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), 20 and 21 May 2025

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including those in the specially resourced provision, benefit from well-designed adaptations to the curriculum. This supports pupils to overcome the barriers they face.

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The school prioritises reading. This begins in the Nursery Year, where children participate in songs and rhymes enthusiastically. They have a strong start in the sounds and letters they need. Teachers ensure older pupils read often and widely. The school has made appropriate use of training to begin the processes of strengthening the teaching of phonics. However, in places, staff do not have secure enough subject knowledge to teach phonics as effectively as they should. As a result, some pupils do not become confident readers swiftly enough.

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Pupils learn important skills and knowledge. For example, in English pupils learn how to write accurately in a variety of styles. However, pupils do not recall or apply their learning consistently well. This means that, starting in Early Years, too many pupils do not learn the crucial curriculum content they need.

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The school has established clear routines to help pupils to behave well. These begin in early years, and staff have embedded them quickly. Consequently, pupils have positive attitudes to learning and work hard. Pupils enjoy school, and this is evident in their improving attendance. The school quickly identifies those pupils who need extra help to attend frequently. These pupils have well-targeted support. This is effective in breaking down barriers to attendance.

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Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They learn about diverse beliefs and cultures. This helps them develop mature attitudes to difference. The school enhances the curriculum well. For example, pupils enjoy the wide range of clubs available to them and are proud to represent the school in a range of sports.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 At times, teachers are not precise enough when teaching pupils the sounds and letters they need. As a result, many pupils do not become fluent and confident readers as quickly as they should. The school must ensure that staff have the appropriate skills and knowledge that they need to ensure that pupils become fluent readers as swiftly as they can.  In places, the checks that teachers make on pupils’ understanding do not identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. As a result, the support for pupils to catch up when there are gaps in learning is not always effective. The school must ensure that staff are confident to check what pupils know and remember so that, where necessary, staff are better informed to help pupils catch up swiftly. 20 and 21 May 2025

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 Implementation of the new curriculum across subjects is uneven. As a result, some pupils do not develop the knowledge and skills that they should. The school must ensure that staff have appropriate knowledge and skills to deliver the curriculum effectively.

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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). 20 and 21 May 2025

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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 school was previously part of the Skills for Life trust. The school joined the current trust in April 2024.  The school’s headteacher and senior leadership team have changed since the previous inspection.  The school uses no alternative provision.  The school provides wrap-around breakfast and after-school clubs for pupils.

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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. 20 and 21 May 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of the school’s education provision.  This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The lead inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in this evaluation of the school.  The inspection team met with the headteacher as well as with other leaders and staff. The lead inspector also held a conversation with the CEO and representatives of the trust.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, history, geography and art. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The lead inspector considered the views of parents and carers through their responses

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to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors spoke to staff and pupils during the inspection and took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey.  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.

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Inspection team

Gavin Thomas, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Clive Dunn His Majesty’s Inspector 20 and 21 May 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 looked-after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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