Wordsworth Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of Wordsworth Primary and Nursery School Victor Street, Shirley, Southampton, Hampshire SO15 5LH

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

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The headteacher of this school is Annette Hixon. The school is part of Hamwic Education 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), Robert Farmer, and overseen by the board of trustees, chaired by Gary Plummer. 17 and 18 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this inclusive school. They are welcoming to visitors and enthusiastic to show their achievements. Pupils have a member of staff to go to if they have any concerns. The relationships between staff and pupils are warm. Pupils feel that the teachers know them as individuals. This makes them feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for the achievement of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). With the notable improvements made this year, pupils are now achieving well overall.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s new behaviour systems mean that pupils behave well. They understand the school’s expectations of them and follow the rules. They play well at social times, where they have a wide variety of activities they enthusiastically engage in.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school offers a variety of opportunities outside of lessons for pupils to experience more about their world. They participate in sports clubs, such as football and tennis. Pupils feel part of their local community and give back through their enterprise day, which raises money for local charities. They also have the opportunity to go on trips to local places of interest, including museums and farms.

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

The school has a well sequenced curriculum in all subjects, which builds on the important knowledge pupils already know. Information is well presented in lessons, which enables pupils to access their learning. The school has addressed disappointing results in national tests in reading swiftly and effectively. Previous published results in reading and writing do not reflect the current achievement of pupils in the school. Teaching ensures that pupils, including those with SEND, achieve well across the curriculum.

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

The school has put systems in place to check pupils’ understanding. These allow teachers to check what pupils know and identify what they have not understood. However, on occasion these approaches are not used effectively. This means that some staff do not identify what pupils have misunderstood. This means that pupils’ knowledge gaps and misconceptions are not consistently identified and addressed. In these instances, pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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

The school has innovative processes in place to identify and support pupils with SEND. Teachers are informed about how to support pupils in lessons and make the adjustments to their learning. This means that pupils with SEND achieve well across the school.

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

The school prioritises reading from the very start of reception. All staff are trained to deliver phonics well. Pupils are assessed on a regular basis and intervention is put in place to ensure they can catch up. This means that pupils quickly develop their reading skills and those that fall behind are supported to become fluent. The school has developed a love of reading with all pupils reading independently in the school and being read to each 17 and 18 June 2025

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day. This means books are at the heart of the curriculum from Nursery through to the end of Year 6.

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Children get off to a flying start in the early years. The classroom environment is well resourced to enable children to learn. Activities focus on pupil development and adults support children’s learning well. The school has prioritised the physical development and communication of children, this means that children, including those with SEND, achieve well in the early years and are ready for Year 1.

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The new behaviour system of ‘Ready, Respectful and Safe’ is understood by the school community. Low-level disruption is rare. Where it does happen, teachers use the new system to ensure that learning is not interrupted. The school has specific plans in place to support pupils who struggle to behave well in lessons. These are effective in supporting those pupils to learn. The school ensures that bullying is dealt with effectively. Pupils are positive about how they are supported by the school. The school has put processes in place to challenge poor attendance. Consequently, absence has reduced over time. The school also prioritises working with individual families to overcome the barriers to attendance.

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The school has a comprehensive curriculum, which covers personal, social and health education. Pupils learn how to keep safe online and in their local community. The school promotes the equality of all pupils and alters its curriculum to support pupils to understand world events. Pupils learn about different religions but also from each other. School trips support both curriculum subjects and the wider development of pupils.

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Leaders at all levels have taken decisive action to ensure that the school has made the changes needed to improve. Teachers feel well supported and they believe that their workload is considered when changes are made. Professional development is prioritised and has supported school improvements. Those responsible for governance have a clear understanding of the school. They challenge and support the school to improve, and they fulfil their statutory requirements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that assessment consistently identifies and addresses gaps or misconceptions in pupils’ understanding. This means that some pupils are not securing the knowledge they need as well as they could. The school needs to strengthen assessment so that it consistently addresses gaps in pupils’ learning and understanding. 17 and 18 June 2025

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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). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 March 2023 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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. 17 and 18 June 2025

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 This was the second 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, other leaders within the school and wider staff. The lead inspector also met with members of the local governing committee, including the chair. The lead inspector also met with members of the Hamwic Education Trust, including the CEO and the chair of trustees.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, design and technology, science and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at the work of pupils in other subjects.

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 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 and open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the views of parents shared through the Ofsted online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They gathered the views of pupils and staff through the online pupils and staff surveys, as well through interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspectors reviewed a range of the school’s documentation, including self- evaluation reports, school improvement plans, minutes from local governor meetings, minutes from trustees’ meetings and behaviour logs.

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Inspection team

Paul Grundy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jason Philipsz Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 June 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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