Woodhill Primary SchoolOfsted inspection, 13 May 2009

Woodhill Primary School Inspection report

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100145 Unique Reference Number Greenwich Local Authority 323232 Inspection number 12–13 May 2009 Inspection dates Jacqueline Krafft HMI Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The registered childcare, managed by the governing body, was inspected under section 49 of the Childcare Act 2006.

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Primary Type of school Community School category 3–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 411 School (total) 0 Government funded early education provision for children aged 3 to the end of the EYFS 0 Childcare provision for children aged 0 to 3 years The governing body Appropriate authority Mr Alan Reed Chair Mr Graham Gibson Headteacher 24 April 2006 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Woodhill School address London SE18 5JE 020 8854 5055 Telephone number 020 8854 2296 Fax number

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3–11 Age group 12–13 May 2009 Inspection dates 323232 Inspection number .

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. 2 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty's Inspectors and two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Woodhill is a large primary school with a nursery. It serves a diverse community that has high levels of social and economic disadvantage. Over half of its pupils are eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is high. The largest groups are of White British and Black African heritage. Over half the pupils speak English as an additional language, with approximately 40 different languages represented. Almost one in five pupils is at the early stages of learning English. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities is high, although fewer than the national average have a statement of special educational needs. The largest group are those with speech, language and communication needs. More pupils than average join and leave the school at different times during the year.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009

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Grade: 3

The positive ethos of Woodhill is summed up in the words of one parent who wrote, 'The school has a lovely, warm, friendly atmosphere and parents are welcomed in. We have Arabic classes in school which has helped me make friends with other parents and feel part of the local community'. The school places a strong emphasis on working in partnership with parents and providing them with good levels of support. Parents indicate how much they value this in comments such as, 'The strength of Woodhill is based on its ability to reach out to the local community. Bilingual assistants are always present before and after school should we need information translated'. In this welcoming, caring environment pupils feel safe, enjoy school and make satisfactory progress in their learning from their low starting points. Aspects of the satisfactory curriculum, such as music, art and sport, are particularly effective

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Grade: 3

and make a significant contribution to pupils' good spiritual development and enjoyment. A strong sense of pupils acting as good role models for each other underpins the ethos of the school and supports their moral and social development well. The school has been through a period of staffing turbulence since the previous inspection. This has had a detrimental impact on the quality of teaching and learning which, although satisfactory overall, is inconsistent. Relationships are good and most pupils respond well to their teachers. However, assessment information is not used effectively to accelerate progress and ensure that lessons are closely matched to the varied needs of all pupils. Sometimes work is too easy or too hard and pupils are not sufficiently involved in all parts of the lesson. When this happens, they lose concentration and some become restless which slows the pace of learning. As a result,

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Grade: 3

the standards attained by pupils remain exceptionally low and they are not always clear what they need to do to improve. Consequently, the school's overall effectiveness is now satisfactory rather than good. The new headteacher has brought greater stability. His dynamic leadership and robust, candid self-evaluation are driving the improvements that are being made. He has sharply focused actions on raising standards and improving the quality of teaching and learning as priorities. He is also providing other leaders in the school with the necessary training and support to develop their leadership skills to accelerate the pace of improvement. However, many actions are very recent and so are not yet embedded. Nevertheless, improvements are already evident in pupils' reading skills, standards at the end of Key Stage 1 have risen, and there has been a reduction in the levels of persistent absence. This demonstrates that the school has the necessary

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Grade: 3

capacity to bring about further improvement.

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Grade: 3

Children enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and knowledge that are well below those expected for their age, particularly in communication, language and literacy. They settle quickly and enjoy their learning because relationships are strong and the school encourages parental involvement, particularly in the Nursery. Children at the early stages of English language acquisition are well supported by bilingual assistants and are fully included. Adults cater effectively for children's welfare needs, helping them feel safe, secure and happy. Children make steady progress in their learning but most have not reached the expected goals for learning by the time they start Year 1. Teaching is satisfactory although there are inconsistencies in the 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009 way that assessments and planning are used to match activities to children's different needs.

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Grade: 3

There is an interesting range of resources to develop children's skills and a good blend of adult-led tasks and opportunities for children to work independently. However, adults do not always extend children's learning sufficiently by talking to them about what they are doing. There are opportunities for children to work both inside and outside the classroom, but these are more limited in the Reception classes because the outdoor space is too small. The recently appointed Early Years Foundation Stage leader has identified the need to assign a key person to each individual child to support their development and she is beginning to evaluate the effectiveness of the provision and identify priorities for improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Raise standards in English, mathematics and science at all key stages.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Improve teaching by using assessment information to match work more closely to the needs of pupils, providing appropriate challenge and involvement. ■ Ensure leaders at all levels have an impact on increasing the pace of improvement.

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What the school should do to improve further

A small proportion of schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory but which have areas of underperformance will receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next Section 5 inspection.

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Grade: 3

From their low starting points pupils make satisfactory progress overall during their time at the school but the progress they make from year to year is inconsistent, because the quality of teaching and learning is variable. Although standards have risen since the previous inspection at the end of Key Stage 1, they have fallen at the end of Key Stage 2 and targets have been missed. The school's tracking shows that standards are now beginning to rise. For example, there has been a focus on improving pupils' reading skills; this is having a positive impact. The attainment of pupils who have learning difficulties and/or disabilities and those who speak English as an additional language is in line with similar pupils nationally. This is because their needs are identified and they are given additional support but the school is aware that some groups of pupils are not attaining as well as they should. Regular pupil progress meetings have

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Grade: 3

been established and are used to target pupils who are at risk of not reaching the levels expected for their age but this information is not used consistently to plan lessons.

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Grade: 3

Pupils say, and most of their parents agree, that they enjoy school. Although attendance is below average, there have been recent improvements in reducing absences. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good and is evident in the positive attitudes they have towards each other and adults alike. Pupils talk confidently about the school's system which helps them feel safe, 'Tell them how you are feeling, ask them to stop, go and get an adult (TAG)'. Although most pupils behave appropriately, a few parents expressed a concern that behaviour is not good. The school is aware of this and is taking appropriate steps through its behaviour policy to rectify it. Pupils are particularly knowledgeable about the importance of keeping active and the benefits of exercise. They enjoyed a recent visit by a cyclist who demonstrated this. Pupils make a good contribution to the community, for example through

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Grade: 3

5 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009 singing events, and readily take on responsibilities. However, their low literacy and numeracy skills hinder their readiness for the next stage of their education.

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Grade: 3

Teaching and learning overall are satisfactory so pupils make the progress expected of them but the quality of lessons is variable. Classrooms are calm, attractive learning environments. Typically, the objective of the lesson and information about how success will be measured are shared with the pupils so they know what they will be learning. In the best lessons, teachers build well on pupils' prior knowledge and provide activities that hold their interest. As a result, pupils enjoy their learning and work productively. However, teachers do not always provide pupils with tasks that are challenging or well matched to their individual learning needs. When teachers spend too much time talking, the involvement of pupils is limited so they lose concentration and the pace of learning slows.

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Grade: 3

The curriculum meets statutory requirements and has particular strengths in music, art and sport which contribute to the pupils' enjoyment. Visits to places of interest linked to subjects being studied make an important contribution to enriching pupils' learning experiences. There are a number of lunchtime and after school clubs but the school is aware that more pupils could benefit from the opportunities that these offer. Provision to help pupils acquire early reading skills has been improved but the use of information and communication technology by pupils across all subjects and year groups is limited.

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Grade: 3

Good care and effective arrangements for safeguarding pupils help them feel safe. The school identifies the needs of vulnerable pupils and works well with external specialists such as speech and language therapists, to support their learning. Pupils who start the school other than at the usual time are well supported and are integrated into the school community effectively. Academic guidance is less well developed. Procedures for setting targets to help pupils improve are inconsistent. As a result, pupils do not know how well they are doing or what they need to do to improve.

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Grade: 3

Leaders at all levels are involved in monitoring provision throughout the school but there are inconsistencies in their understanding of how to analyse data and how to use it robustly to plan for improvement. Performance management has been re-introduced to identify staff training needs and to hold them to account for the progress that pupils make. Appropriate action is being taken to eliminate inadequate teaching. 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009 The school development plan identifies the right priorities and conveys a clear, realistic vision of improvement by making expectations explicit. There is an appropriate plan to promote community cohesion but this is relatively new and the impact of the school's action is yet to be evaluated. Governors are supportive of the school and recognise the need to more systematically develop their role as critical friend to sustain improvement.

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Grade: 3

7 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009 .

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Grade: 3

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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needs of learners?

No Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well being? 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

3 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 3 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 2 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 3 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 4 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities make progress

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Achievement and standards

1 Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 3 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 3 The attendance of learners 3 The behaviour of learners 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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learners' needs?

How well do the curriculum and other activities meet the range of needs and interests of learners? 3 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education 3 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 3 How well does the school contribute to community cohesion? How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

01 June 2009 Dear Pupils Inspection of Woodhill Primary School,London,SE18 5JE Thank you for making us feel so welcome when we visited your school recently. We especially enjoyed looking at your work, seeing you in lessons and talking with so many of you. You were very friendly and confident and told us what you thought very clearly. You and your parents told us that you like school and that it is a welcoming, caring place. Lots of your parents particularly like coming to the coffee mornings. You know a lot about how to stay fit and healthy. We were impressed with all the music and art that you do. We were also pleased to know that you contribute to lots of community events and perform regularly at the local care home. Your headteacher and teachers have made your school an attractive place to learn where you feel safe, well cared for, and get a satisfactory education. We have asked them to make your school even better by helping you to improve your reading, writing, mathematics and science.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

We think they can do this by making sure that the work you do is not too easy or too hard and that you are more involved in your lessons. We have also asked them to keep checking that what they are doing to improve the school is really making a difference. You can help too by making sure you come to school regularly and on time so that you do not miss your lessons. Thank you again for making us so welcome. We hope that you carry on working hard and enjoying being at school. Yours faithfully Jackie Krafft Her Majesty's Inspector 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Woodhill Primary School, 12–13 May 2009

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