Canklow Woods Primary School

Inspection of Canklow Woods Primary School Wood Lane, Canklow, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S60 2XJ

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 June, and 25 September 2025

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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 Good

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The headteacher of this school is Sara Birch. This school is part of White Woods Primary 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), Kate Davies, and overseen by a board of directors, chaired by Phil Marshall. 17 and 18 June 2025 and 25 September 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a welcoming and vibrant environment where pupils are valued and cared for. The school knows pupils, their families and the community well. Strong, positive relationships underpin the school’s work. Pupils are cheerful and curious. They greet visitors with smiles and friendly waves. Children in the early years are enthusiastic and proud to share their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils live up to the school’s high expectations. They develop a breadth of knowledge across a range of curriculum areas. Children in the early years enjoy learning through thoughtfully designed activities. Pupils work hard and make positive contributions. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are expertly supported to thrive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s values, which include respect and responsibility, are reflected in pupils’ behaviour and attitudes. Throughout the school, pupils behave well. They move around school in a calm and orderly manner. Pupils are kind and courteous to each other and adults. Strong routines and high expectations contribute to this. Pupils know that adults will deal with any problems swiftly. The school is a place where pupils are happy and safe.

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

The school’s curriculum is broad and ambitious. Younger pupils, including those with lower starting points, learn fundamental skills right from the start. Pupils in the early years and key stage 1 achieve well. Pupils follow a clear sequence of learning from the early years to Year 6. Teaching routinely revisits prior learning to help pupils to secure knowledge in their long-term memory. However, occasionally, learning tasks do not help pupils to learn the intended curriculum as well as they could. This affects how securely some pupils build their knowledge.

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

Reading is given a high priority. Phonics is taught consistently well by staff with strong subject knowledge. Pupils quickly learn the sounds that letters make and go on to become fluent readers. Pupils who struggle or slip behind are quickly identified and provided with expert support to keep up. The school places a similar priority on pupils developing fluency in mathematics. This helps pupils to tackle mathematical problems efficiently. However, there is inconsistency in the school’s expectations of how handwriting and early letter formation are taught. As a result, some pupils do not learn to form letters correctly and they do not develop the skills needed to write cursively, legibly and to become fluent writers.

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

Published outcomes for 2024 do not reflect how well current pupils typically achieve. Leaders have addressed lower attainment in national tests, and their work is having a positive impact on pupils’ learning. In addition, the school works well with pupils who join the school part way through their primary education. Staff provide these pupils with support to enable them to catch up. 17 and 18 June 2025 and 25 September 2025

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The school is quick to identify the needs of pupils with SEND. Parents and external agencies are closely involved in ensuring that pupils with SEND receive effective support.

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Children get off to a great start to their education in the early years. Staff interactions with children have a strong focus on language and vocabulary. This ensures children develop their communication skills well. Staff use songs, rhymes and puppets to reinforce children’s learning in engaging ways. Children develop independence while also learning to cooperate well with others.

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The school has a relentless focus on attendance. Information on attendance is collected, analysed and acted upon. This work has led to consistent improvements over recent years with attendance comparing favourably to national rates. Nevertheless, attendance continues to be a top priority and is considered to be everybody’s business.

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The school prepares pupils well for life in wider British society. Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths. They know and accept that people may have different views to their own. Pupils have a strong sense of fairness and equality. They understand that discrimination is unacceptable.

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Pupils learn the importance of a healthy lifestyle. They learn how to keep themselves safe, including when using technology. The school ensures that pupils receive additional safeguarding lessons on road and water safety given the locality.

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Many pupils enjoy attending after-school sports clubs. Some benefit from competing with other local schools. However, opportunities for pupils to engage in activities beyond sport are limited. This means that pupils do not have the opportunity to develop wider talents and interests.

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The school benefits significantly from the trust’s support and collaboration. The board of directors holds the school to account effectively. Staff report that the school is supportive of their workload and well-being. They enjoy working at the school. They value the professional development the school provides.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasions, the learning activities pupils are given do not help them to learn the intended curriculum as well as they could. This affects how well some pupils build their 17 and 18 June 2025 and 25 September 2025

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knowledge. The school should ensure that teaching activities consistently help pupils to build their knowledge securely over time.  Pupils lack sufficient opportunities to develop their talents and interests. This means that they do not have rich experiences that promote their wider personal development and well-being. The school should ensure that the range of extra-curricular opportunities has the necessary breadth to enable pupils to explore their talents and interests fully.  The school does not have a consistently applied approach or high enough expectations of pupils’ handwriting across the curriculum. This means some pupils do not learn to form letters correctly and mistakes become embedded. This hinders some pupils’ ability to become fluent writers. The school should ensure that expectations for teaching handwriting are clearly understood and that mistakes are consistently addressed so that pupils are able to express their ideas fluently in writing.

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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 and 25 September 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority Board of directors

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School details

Chair of Board of directors Phil Marshall

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School details

Website www.canklowwoods.rotherham.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Canklow Woods Primary School is part of the White Woods Primary Academy Trust.  The school provides a breakfast club for pupils.  There are no pupils attending alternative provision.  The school has provision for two-year-olds.

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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. 17 and 18 June 2025 and 25 September 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. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection started on 17 June 2025. Inspectors returned on 25 September to gather additional evidence in line with Ofsted inspections and visits: Deferring, pausing and gathering additional evidence.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders. They also met with representatives of the trust, including the CEO.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history and art. 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

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looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  The inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, the pupils’ survey and the staff survey. An inspector also spoke to parents at the end of the school day.

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Inspection team

Corinne Biddell, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Dughall McCormick His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Peter Heaton Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 June 2025 and 25 September 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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