Wood Fold Primary School

Wood Fold Primary School Inspection report

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106427 Unique Reference Number Wigan Local Authority 324397 Inspection number 15–16 October 2008 Inspection dates Gill Hepworth 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 4–11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 373 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 T Morris Chair Mrs G Lloyd Headteacher 27 September 2005 Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous funded early education inspection Not previously inspected Date of previous childcare inspection Green Lane School address Standish Wigan Lancashire WN6 0TS 01257 400271 Telephone number 01257 400649 Fax number

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4–11 Age group 15–16 October 2008 Inspection dates 324397 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: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Wood Fold is a larger than average school in Standish. The majority of the pupils are White British, with a small number from minority ethnic backgrounds. A few pupils are at an early stage of learning English. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) comprises two Reception classes and no nursery provision. A well below average number of pupils is eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is below average. The school provides before- and after-school care for its pupils. The school has gained two Achievement Awards; the Healthy Schools award; the North West Regional Finalists for the Teaching Award for Healthy Schools in 2006; Eco School status, Activemark, Artsmark (Gold), Investors in People status, Financial Management Standards in Schools, Basic Skills Quality Mark and Wigan Quality Standard Award for Foundation Stage.

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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: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008

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Grade: 1

This outstanding school is very much at the heart of the local community and is highly regarded by pupils and parents. Its aim 'to develop in all children the desire to learn and the ability to apply their knowledge' impacts on every aspect of school life. It is a happy school and prides itself on its friendliness and warmth. It is a vibrant place to be and very successful in getting the best out of all in the school community. Many comments from parents reflect these sentiments. Adults gain much pleasure out of working here and seeing pupils flourish both socially and academically. The school provides many opportunities for pupils to expand their knowledge in out of school activities. With this in mind, it provides the best experiences that can possibly be offered for every pupil. The school's success stems from outstanding leadership and management. The headteacher and senior leadership team form a great partnership and set high standards in the continual

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Grade: 1

drive for improvement. All staff are, without exception, highly motivated and passionate about the school and contribute effectively in providing the best for each individual pupil. Governors and parents too, play their part in the success of the school. For example, they have helped enormously in bringing improvements to the building and grounds. All aspects of the school's work are rigorously checked. There is no complacency as the school builds on its strengths to improve standards and achievement even further. The quality of teaching is outstanding. Learning experiences are rich, diverse and exciting. As a result, pupils are highly motivated, greatly enjoy their education and achieve exceptionally well. Children arrive in the EYFS with skills that broadly match those typical for their age. In the Reception classes, children get off to an excellent start because of the outstanding provision. All groups of pupils make outstanding progress relative to their starting point and, by the end

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Grade: 1

of Year 6, standards are well above average. The rigorous tracking of pupils' progress is central to their achieving so well. The school keeps meticulous records of how well pupils are doing and uses the information to set challenging targets and to provide extra support to those pupils who may need it. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities are, consequently, catered for extremely well. The curriculum is outstanding and imaginative links between subjects bring a relevance and excitement to learning. This is a school prepared to explore new ideas for the benefit of pupils. The emphasis on creativity adds interest, enjoyment and challenge to pupils' work and as a result, they make excellent progress. Pupils are appreciative of the outstanding care, guidance and support they receive. Their response to teachers' high expectations is seen in the excellent attitudes to learning and exemplary behaviour. Pupils are friendly and polite. They feel safe in school and are confident

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Grade: 1

that teachers will help if they have a problem. The school uses its Eco-school status very effectively to encourage pupils to care for the school and local environment. They get involved in issues such as litter clearing. Since the last inspection, the school has grown from strength to strength, continually seeking to improve its provision to suit the changing needs of pupils. The school is in an excellent position to improve further.

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Grade: 1

When children enter Reception their skills vary, but they generally match national expectations. Children settle very well into school because of high levels of care and support provided by the 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008 staff and by school buddies. Children enthusiastically take part in a very wide range of stimulating activities, both indoors and out. The area buzzes with purposeful activity, as many activities are based on 'real life' experiences. Children proudly explained that they were learning about clowns. This exciting experience motivated them to work very hard on related activities. Given the high quality of teaching, children flourish, make rapid progress in their learning and develop very positive attitudes. The EYFS leader provides very effective leadership. Although varying from year to year, standards are above national expectations by the time children enter

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Grade: 1

Year 1. This represents excellent progress in one year because they make particularly good progress in their mathematical development and personal development. Parents appreciate all that the EYFS has to offer, typically commenting, 'My child has settled really well and looks forward to learning all the new topics.'

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What the school should do to improve further

The school's leadership has clearly identified what it needs to do to sustain improvement. Consequently, there are no further issues to add.

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Grade: 1

All groups of pupils, including those with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, achieve exceptionally well because of excellent teaching and learning and an exciting curriculum. Since the last inspection, standards by the end of Year 6 have been above average in English, mathematics and science. Inspection evidence shows, however, that standards have now risen to well above average, with particularly high standards in reading and writing. The school's data and pupils' books from 2007 to 2008 confirm that the majority of pupils are making excellent progress in English, mathematics and science, with well over half the pupils achieving the higher levels. Pupils almost always meet their extremely challenging targets.

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Grade: 1

The atmosphere throughout the school is one of enjoyment and keenness. As older pupils say, 'learning is fun and we enjoy our lessons'. When they enter school, pupils are immersed in a community that really does have children's learning at the heart of everything it does. Attendance is a lot higher than average and pupils participate with great enthusiasm in activities both in and out of lessons. Pupils lead a very active, healthy lifestyle in school and have confidence when working together. This is because they often learn in 'real life' situations. Pupils are sensible and work well collaboratively, treating each other and adults with care and respect. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and culture development is outstanding. The school's contribution to the community is exceptional, whether it is through pupils raising money for charities at home or abroad or the work of the school council. Pupils have a strong voice in the

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Grade: 1

school and express their views confidently. They take on many roles of responsibility and this gives them very good opportunities to gain the knowledge and skills they will need in future workplace situations. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008

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Grade: 1

Pupils make excellent progress because the quality of teaching and learning is outstanding. Pupils are motivated and eagerly undertake challenging tasks. Above all, lessons are interesting, exciting and good relationships help create a positive learning environment. Questioning effectively challenges pupils and helps build on previous learning. Teaching assistants work closely alongside teachers, contributing very effectively to pupils' learning. In the lessons visited during the inspection, pupils were always busily involved in their work and exceptionally well behaved. Classrooms are bright, stimulating environments. Marking of work is thorough, clearly showing pupils how well they have done and what they must do to improve.

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Grade: 1

The curriculum provides pupils with a wide range of diverse learning experiences that helps them achieve highly both academically and in their personal development. The emphasis on creativity is particularly evident in the excellent artwork around school. The wide range of after-school learning activities, including a number of residential visits, appeals to the interests of many pupils as well as broadening their horizons. The teaching of French and Spanish, communications with children from different cultural backgrounds, and in-depth provision for the arts make pupils very positive about school. The balance between acquiring essential knowledge and skills, and practising them in other subjects is struck extremely well. For example, the themed approaches introduced across the school are paying off very well and increase pupils' enjoyment in lessons as well as adding challenge.

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Grade: 1

Through continual monitoring and positive encouragement, staff have a very keen awareness of the needs of all individuals. Pupils' progress is tracked rigorously and the information gained is used extremely well in promoting outstanding academic progress and personal development. Child protection procedures and those for safeguarding pupils are securely in place and meet current requirements. All necessary procedures to ensure the continuing health and safety of pupils are efficiently maintained. Links with outside agencies are strong and ensure that pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, and those who are at an early stage of learning English, receive the support they need.

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Grade: 1

The school is led excellently by the headteacher who has high expectations and a first-rate ability to drive the school forward. The deputy headteacher, staff, parents and governors all give their full support. Pupils' well-being is at the heart of the school's development. There is a substantial sense of commitment and teamwork on the part of all adults working in the school. As a result, all groups of pupils make excellent progress. The school has a very clear idea of its own effectiveness because of its comprehensive procedures to find out the views of a wide 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008 range of stakeholders, including parents and pupils. It uses these views very effectively to identify areas which could be improved further. The impact is seen in pupils' excellent progress and personal development. The professional development of staff is given high priority and is

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Grade: 1

closely linked to staff's individual needs and the development of the school. Links are made with the local and wider community. This provides a good contribution to pupils' understanding of different lifestyles. The school's self-evaluation is rigorous and leads to improvement and high achievement. Governors are very supportive of the school. They also challenge and hold it to account for the standards pupils attain. The school has developed a number of excellent partnerships to support pupils' learning. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008 .

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Grade: 1

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008

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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?

Yes 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? 1 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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EYFS?

1 How well do children in the EYFS achieve? How good are the overall personal development and well-being of the children in the EYFS? 1 How effectively are children in the EYFS helped to learn and develop? 1 How effectively is the welfare of children in the EYFS promoted? 1 How effectively is provision in the EYFS led and managed?

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Achievement and standards

1 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 1 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: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008

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learners?

1 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners enjoy their education 1 The attendance of learners 1 The behaviour of learners 1 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? 1 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 1 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 1 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination eliminated 2 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: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Inspection of Wood Fold Primary School, Wigan, WN6 0TS On behalf of the inspection team I would like to thank you for the warm welcome you gave us. We enjoyed talking to you about your work, speaking to the staff and joining you in lessons. This is what I judged to be particularly good about your school.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Your behaviour is excellent and you should be proud of the way you look after the environment. ■ You have an exciting curriculum which is made even better by the many visits, including residential visits, visitors and extra clubs that you attend. Your art work is excellent and I was impressed with how many of you play musical instruments. ■ Your classrooms are very busy places, where it is good to see you all working hard and trying to do your best. It is clear you really enjoy school. ■ You have very good knowledge of healthy eating and taking lots of exercise to keep yourself fit. ■ You feel safe in school and adults take very good care of you.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

■ Those of you who are in the Reception classes get off to an excellent start because the adults plan lots of fun things for you to do. ■ You all make excellent progress and, by Year 6, you reach standards that are much higher than those usually found in primary schools. This is because your teachers make lessons exciting and you know what to do next in order to improve your work. ■ Your school has excellent systems for checking that you make enough progress every year.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Your headteacher and staff work together extremely well and have a very clear idea of what needs to be done to make sure Wood Fold continues to be an outstanding school. You can help by continuing to come to school regularly and keeping up your hard work. 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Wood Fold Primary School, 15–16 October 2008

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