Great Wood Community Primary School

Great Wood Community Primary School

Address: Vicarage Road, Upper Tean, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, ST10 4LE Unique reference number (URN): 145048

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders establish effective methods to check pupils' attendance. They know families very well and help them when they experience barriers to positive attendance. Reasonable adjustments, such as accessing the wraparound provision, help families to overcome these barriers. On the rare occasion when pupils do not attend well, leaders ensure that this improves rapidly. As a result, attendance is consistently high, and persistent absence is consistently low. This is also the case for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Behaviour across the school is calm and orderly. Pupils work hard and want to please their teachers. At times, some pupils struggle to concentrate for longer periods. However, disruption is rare. Where pupils with SEND find it challenging to manage their emotions, leaders support them well. They check what might have caused anxiety or upset and put in place strategies to help. This leads to a climate where pupils make positive choices, even when they experience barriers to doing so. Older pupils are excellent role models. They treat younger children with kindness and help them to learn how to conduct themselves at Great Wood Community Primary School. Bullying and any form of discrimination are very rare.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders have established a coherent curriculum that builds children's knowledge and skills over time. Staff design interesting activities that engage children. These include games, modelling with play dough and sorting activities, such as what belongs in the ocean. Children access these activities enthusiastically. This helps them to develop a broad range of important early knowledge.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff typically teach early reading and mathematics well. This helps children to secure this important knowledge at the earliest stage. Although children make progress with handwriting and spelling, staff do not always match children’s writing tasks to their phonics knowledge precisely enough. This means that children’s writing does not always progress as quickly as it could. Staff interact skilfully and warmly with children. These interactions help to move learning forward. As a result, children practise using new vocabulary, and their language skills develop well.

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Early years Expected standard

Staff care well for children. Children interact positively with one another and play well together. They cooperate and problem-solve in partnership. Parents praise the school’s work. There is a warm, happy and inclusive environment that enables children to learn and thrive.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders position the school at the heart of the community. They know families well and have highly positive relationships with them. Leaders act with integrity and openness. Everything they do is in the pupils’ best interests. Their aim to ensure that pupils become positive citizens who feel part of a local and global community is fully realised.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Generally, they prioritise the right things in the right order. For example, they have implemented a new phonics scheme in response to low phonics results. Some individual support plans for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) lack precision. This does not help staff to accurately meet the needs of some pupils. In some subjects, staff are starting to adapt tasks for these pupils more effectively. This means pupils with SEND make progress in those subjects.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees understand their statutory duties. They analyse data well and offer effective support and challenge. Trustees share school leaders’ vision of being at the heart of the local community. This is demonstrated through their actions. For example, they deploy trust resources to help every pupil experience the full school offer.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work with other schools in the trust and in the local area. They collaborate on local projects, such as an art project in the community. Staff work with other trust leaders and schools to learn and share good practice. Leaders provide a professional learning programme that focuses on key priorities, such as phonics and writing. Staff say leaders support workload and wellbeing well.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders are passionate about providing pupils with a comprehensive personal development programme to help them become confident, responsible individuals, ready for the next stage of their lives. They provide pupils with a wide range of experiences. Every pupil learns to play several instruments during their time at school. Many take up extra music lessons outside of the classroom. Before they leave, every pupil is involved in a competitive sport. This helps nurture talents and interests and broadens pupils’ horizons. A variety of popular clubs, including sports, chess and crafts, further enrich pupils’ experiences. Leaders work with families to remove barriers to access. They ensure that all pupils benefit from the personal development offer, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils treat one another with kindness. They are reflective, polite and welcoming. During social times and structured times, pupils cooperate well together. Pupils live out fundamental British values, such as tolerance and respect. They practise democratic principles, such as electing school councillors. Pupil leadership roles are meaningful. For example, eco warriors work with the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust to influence local environmental projects. Pupils from vulnerable groups also represent their classmates in these leadership positions.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Where pupils experience challenges in maintaining positive mental health, leaders support them well. Pupils can access help with bereavement, friendships and difficult changes they may be experiencing.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that pupils secure detailed knowledge in the personal, social, health and economic curriculum. They know how to stay healthy, manage conflict and be a good friend. Staff teach them how to stay safe, both online and in the local area. This helps them

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Needs attention

understand risks and how to manage them. Pupils are very well prepared for life outside of the school gates.

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Achievement Needs attention

Some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not make the progress they should from their starting points. However, other pupil groups, such as disadvantaged pupils, typically progress well. By the end of key stage 2, pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, achieve highly in reading, writing and mathematics. Many pupils attain the higher standard in these subjects.

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Achievement Needs attention

Results in the Year 1 phonics check are lower than national outcomes. Leaders have taken action to address this by implementing a new phonics programme. This is helping pupils make better progress in early reading. In the Year 4 multiplication check, pupils achieve in line with national averages.

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Achievement Needs attention

Across the curriculum, most pupils develop appropriate knowledge and produce good- quality work. They speak about their learning confidently. They have the knowledge they need, including in reading, writing and mathematics, to be successful in the next stage of their education.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Although teaching is typically effective for most pupils, staff do not always design adaptations that help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to access the learning. This means that these pupils do not get the help they need to complete their work successfully. Leaders have recently introduced a new curriculum for subjects other than English, mathematics and science. This has resulted in better adaptations for pupils with SEND in some areas, though this is at an early stage.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

The curriculum provides pupils with a local and global understanding. Leaders have sequenced it to build knowledge over time across the range of subjects. Staff share planning across the trust, so they can learn from others in different schools. While the curriculum is well designed, there is currently not enough focus on securing pupils’ handwriting skills. As a result, some pupils’ handwriting across the curriculum lacks accuracy. This makes writing a difficult process for them. Leaders are aware of this and have plans in place to support staff to teach handwriting skills effectively.

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Curriculum and teaching Needs attention

Staff generally explain concepts well. They design tasks that enable pupils to practise the taught content. This helps most pupils to progress well. Staff typically teach the new phonics programme well. For pupils who take longer to secure important reading, writing and mathematics knowledge, leaders make sure they access the help they need to catch up. This means they are generally ready for the next stage of their education.

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Inclusion Needs attention

While leaders identify pupils’ barriers to learning and/or wellbeing, sometimes this is not as swift as it needs to be. For some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those known to social care, support is not planned or implemented consistently and precisely enough. This means that leaders do not reduce some pupils’ barriers to learning and/or wellbeing as quickly as they could.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Great Wood is a welcoming school for all families and pupils. Recently, an increased number of pupils with SEND have joined the school. Leaders have implemented support for these pupils and recruited staff to help them. This means these pupils typically settle well and begin to overcome barriers to managing emotions and accessing learning. However, some barriers remain. Leaders know this and are shaping their work to provide the right support. Where pupils join the school in-year and have barriers to learning, they settle quickly. They access support that generally helps them address gaps in learning.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders use funding for disadvantaged pupils well. They ensure that these pupils have access to small-group teaching to help them secure important mathematics, reading and writing knowledge. They ensure that they take part in trips, clubs and residentials. As a result, these pupils feel a sense of belonging and achieve well.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Staff and pupils describe Great Wood Community Primary School as a family. Connection with the local community is an important part of the school’s ethos. The moment pupils walk through the door, staff greet them warmly. Pupils appreciate the inclusive environment where everyone accepts and values one another. They enthusiastically welcome visitors and treat them with courtesy, respect and warmth. Pupils are proud to be a part of the school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Children settle quickly in the early years. Older pupils help them learn the rules and feel a part of the family. Children have positive relationships with staff. These relationships are a positive feature of the school. Pupils continue to feel recognised and known throughout their time here.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils feel safe. They say bullying is extremely rare and that leaders will help them with any issues that may arise. Because they feel valued as members of the community, pupils want to come to school. They attend well. It is rare for pupils to miss school. A sense of belonging runs through the school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy their lessons and want to learn. They experience a broad and interesting curriculum that prepares them well for the next stage. As a result, most pupils achieve well, especially at the end of key stage 2 examinations. However, some pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not consistently access the help they need to progress well from their starting points.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

A wide range of experiences and opportunities is available for all pupils. Barriers to access do not prevent pupils from taking part. This is because leaders ensure that everyone is included in school life. This means that pupils, including those from vulnerable groups, participate fully in the school's personal development, which helps them grow and flourish.

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Next steps

Leaders should enhance their strategic oversight of inclusion so that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those known to social care receive sharply targeted support that addresses barriers to learning and wellbeing swiftly and effectively. Leaders should ensure that staff have the expertise to provide appropriate adaptations in lessons for pupils with SEND so that barriers to learning are reduced and pupils with SEND progress well from their starting points. Leaders should ensure that writing activities in the early years are precisely matched to children’s emerging phonics knowledge so that they can build greater accuracy and fluency in their spelling and handwriting. Leaders should embed a consistent, school-wide approach to the teaching of handwriting, so pupils develop the fluency and accuracy needed to support their writing across the curriculum.

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About this inspection

This school is part of The Moorlands Primary Federation trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Jared Eccles, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Lee Yates. There is an executive principal, Alex Brayford.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMI) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with school leaders, including the school leader, executive principal and early years leader. They also spoke with representatives of the board of trustees.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses no alternative provision.

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About this inspection

Executive principal Head of school: Alex Brayford Ben Adamson

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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national average

2023/24 (final) 57% 46% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 71% 62% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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gap

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 5.5% 5.5% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 12.2% 14.6% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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