Woodham Burn Community Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:
  • ensuring that the quality of teaching, learning and assessment are consistently good or better
  • raising aspirations for pupils’ achievement and attendance
  • developing the skills of middle leaders so that they can contribute to school improvement effectively
  • ensuring that improvement planning and monitoring are precisely linked to gains in pupils’ achievement and attendance
  • developing secure leadership of the early years to ensure that teaching is matched to children’s needs
  • ensuring that pupil premium funding is spent effectively.
• Improve the consistency of the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • ensuring that all teaching staff share the same high expectations of what pupils can, and will, achieve
  • ensuring that pupils of all abilities receive an appropriate level of challenge in all lessons, particularly in English and mathematics
  • ensuring that pupils in all classes receive opportunities to develop their mathematical skills in reasoning and problem solving
  • ensuring that staff, particularly in the early years, develop more effective strategies for improving children’s language and communication skills. An external review of the school’s use of pupil premium funding should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and management may be improved.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Leaders have faced significant staffing turbulence due to the departure and long-term absence of a number of key members of staff, many of whom held leadership positions. This led to a period of reduced leadership capacity, during which the headteacher and deputy headteacher tried to carry an increased number of responsibilities themselves. The headteacher and governors have taken action to mitigate against this more recently by appointing a pastoral manager, school business manager and assistant headteacher. It is too early to measure the impact of these appointments and some areas of subject leadership remain under-developed.
• The speed with which leaders have tackled the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment across the school has been too slow. This has led to a decline in the effectiveness of teaching since the last inspection. As a result, pupils in some year groups complete work which is not sufficiently demanding. This slows some pupils’ progress and means that they do not reach the standards that they are capable of. Because of this downward trend, outcomes for pupils in English and mathematics are considerably lower than the national averages.
• Recent changes in staffing have impeded the effectiveness of middle leaders. English and mathematics subject leaders are new to their role and have had too little opportunity, training or guidance to improve the consistency of the quality of teaching and learning in their subjects. Consequently, any checks that they have completed on the quality of teaching and learning have lacked precision and improvements have been too slow.
• The majority of staff feel well supported by leaders. However, there are a minority of staff who expressed their concerns about the consistency and effectiveness of leaders in managing behaviour. A number of parents also raised concerns about pupils’ behaviour. Inspection findings confirmed inconsistencies in leaders’ management of some behaviour incidents.
• Leaders have used pupil premium funding effectively for disadvantaged pupils in key stage 1. Targeted interventions have improved pupils’ attendance and achievement successfully. However, this is less positive in key stage 2, where staff absence has prevented the planned interventions from taking place.
• Leaders have revised the school’s wider curriculum. There is now a stronger focus on developing pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding in a range of subjects. Teachers are using a variety of valuable first-hand experiences to extend, engage and inspire pupils in their learning. However, this is not consistent across all year groups and leaders have not yet checked the impact of this new approach on improving the quality of teaching and learning.
• Leaders place particular emphasis on supporting pupils’ moral and social development. To this end, they have introduced a focus day each month where pupils learn the necessary skills to deal with issues, such as those involving friendship, which may have arisen in class. However, pupils’ cultural development is less effective. Pupils receive fewer opportunities to study, in depth, the major world religions and cultures which are represented in Britain today.
• Leaders use funding for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities effectively. The special educational needs coordinator has a secure understanding of pupils’ needs and liaises with outside agencies to ensure that appropriate support for pupils is in place. As a result, the majority of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are now making good progress from their starting points.
• Primary physical education (PE) and sports funding is used well. Pupils benefit from opportunities to participate in a range of different sports through extra-curricular clubs and PE lessons delivered by specialist coaches. Staff value working alongside these experts and say that it has strengthened their own teaching of PE. Teachers incorporate physical activity in a variety of lessons to encourage pupils to adopt healthy lifestyles.

Governance of the school

• Governors are overly generous in their evaluations of the school’s effectiveness. Because of this, they do not challenge leaders with sufficient rigour to effect improvements. This is reflected in their acceptance of pupils’ low achievement and high absence rates.
• Governors do not evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s use of pupil premium funding accurately. Governors are of the view that the allocation of funding for initiatives represents effective spending. However, several of the initiatives are yet to be put in place.
• There is much potential to strengthen the impact of the local governing body. Members show high levels of commitment and regularly give their time in support of the school. They receive a wealth of information about the school’s performance and are therefore in a position to provide a greater level of challenge.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding procedures are fit for purpose. Leaders are rigorous in their approach to keeping all pupils, and especially the vulnerable pupils, safe from harm. The designated safeguarding officers ensure that all staff are fully aware of their responsibilities through regular training and monthly briefings. The pastoral manager has built strong relationships with families and external agencies, so that the most vulnerable pupils receive support when they need it. She provides effective and timely challenge to professionals from other services to ensure that pupils are kept safe.
• Leaders ensure that all staff and visitors to the school are carefully selected and do not pose a risk to pupils.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school. Leaders place suitable emphasis on supporting the personal development and welfare of pupils. As a result, pupils are well informed about how to keep themselves safe. They speak confidently about how to stay safe online and have trusted adults both in and out of school who they feel comfortable to approach with any concerns.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is variable. Although leaders have tackled the underperformance of some individual teachers, teaching in a number of year groups and in some subjects remains less than good. Teachers are not consistently adept in assessing pupils’ starting points and using this information to build pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding rapidly. As a result, pupils’ progress slows.
• Teachers do not have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Consequently, some activities are not adequately challenging to move pupils’ learning on as quickly as it could in order for pupils to make strong progress. When this is the case, pupils lose their focus and their behaviour becomes passive or restless. At times, pupils’ behaviour disturbs the learning of others.
• Pupils struggle to discuss their learning in any depth. They have not acquired the necessary skills to reflect on, and take charge of, their own learning. Furthermore, pupils often miss opportunities to improve their learning and address misconceptions because teachers do not consistently direct them to do so.
• The teaching of reading requires improvement. Teachers have not developed the required subject knowledge to enable them to teach comprehension skills effectively. A number of different strategies are being trialled but are not embedded. As a result, pupils’ reading comprehension skills are underdeveloped.
• In mathematics, pupils often spend too much time repeating work on calculations, even though they have demonstrated accuracy in this skill. Pupils’ opportunities to develop their reasoning and problem-solving skills are limited, and this hinders their progress.
• The teaching of the wider curriculum shows strength in some subjects and year groups. Where teaching is effective, pupils have regular opportunities to develop subject-specific knowledge, skills and vocabulary. For example, pupils carrying out practical investigations in science learn how to predict, explore and draw conclusions from their findings. Similarly, pupils are also given opportunities to apply and consolidate their English and mathematical skills in a range of other subjects. While this is heartening, this stronger practice in the teaching of the wider curriculum subjects is inconsistent across the school.
• Following extensive staff training in the teaching of phonics, younger pupils now receive high-quality phonics provision. Teachers ensure that activities in phonics sessions are well matched to pupils’ needs and provide a suitable level of challenge. As a result, pupils approach phonics lessons with much enthusiasm and make good progress in their learning.
• The majority of teaching assistants are skilled in questioning pupils and in directing learning. They provide an appropriate level of support to ensure that pupils’ ability to work independently is promoted effectively. As a result, they make a positive contribution to the progress of targeted pupils.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Leaders and staff are focused on meeting pupils’ welfare needs. The appointment of a pastoral manager has been crucial in building relationships with parents successfully. This improved communication has enabled the school to better understand the needs of pupils and, in turn, put strategies in place to support them. As a result, the nurture and support provided for vulnerable pupils and their families is a strength of the school.
• Pupils show a secure understanding of how to keep themselves safe and healthy. Many pupils start their day with healthy eating choices at the school’s breakfast club. They benefit from lessons about online safety and from regular opportunities to exercise throughout the school day.
• Pupils, staff and parents on the whole agree that bullying is rare. However, pupils identify inconsistencies in the effectiveness with which members of staff deal with reported incidents.
• Where teachers’ expectations are high, pupils take great pride in their work. This is reflected in the care that they take in presenting their work neatly, across a range of subjects.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• Pupils’ rates of absence are higher than the national average and a high number of pupils miss school regularly. Leaders have recently taken action to tackle this and have been successful in improving attendance for those pupils with the lowest rates of attendance. Leaders acknowledge that improvements are very recent and are yet to be sustained over time.
• Incidents of pupils using derogatory and discriminatory language are rare. However, when they do occur, records show that leaders’ responses lack the stringency required to ensure that pupils fully understand the gravity of their actions. As a result, pupils repeat their unacceptable behaviour.
• In some lessons, pupils become less focused on their learning and occasionally disrupt the learning of others. This happens when planned activities do not challenge or motivate pupils sufficiently.
• Throughout the inspection, the behaviour of pupils as they moved around school and at playtimes was purposeful and orderly. Pupils are polite and welcoming of visitors and of pupils who are new to the school.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment have led to slow progress for pupils in some year groups and in some subjects. The resultant decline in outcomes for pupils across the school since the last inspection means that many pupils are not fully equipped for the next stage of their education.
• In 2017, the attainment of pupils in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of each key stage was below the national average. Pupils’ attainment in reading at the end of key stage 1 was in the lowest 10% of schools.
• In the same year, pupils’ progress at the end of key stage 2 was below average in reading and mathematics. In writing, pupils’ progress was significantly below average and in the lowest 10% of schools.
• In some year groups, the quality of learning over time is stronger and pupils make rapid progress in developing their writing skills, particularly in their effective use of ambitious vocabulary. Although this is encouraging, due to the remaining variability in the quality of teaching of writing, pupils make significantly slower progress than other pupils nationally while in key stage 2. Hence, their attainment in writing is below that of pupils nationally.
• The progress of disadvantaged pupils, like other pupils in the school, is variable. Consequently, by the end of Year 6, the differences between disadvantaged pupils’ attainment compared with other pupils nationally are wide and are not diminishing.
• The majority of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are now making good progress from their starting points. This is the result of targeted interventions and additional support. Improvements are strongest in key stage 1.
• The effective teaching of phonics in the early years and key stage 1 has led to an increase in the proportion of pupils who attained the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. In 2017, this resulted in all pupils reaching the expected standard.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Leadership of the early years is only recently established. The early years leader was appointed in 2017, at the same time as the school extended its provision to include a Nursery. With the support of local authority officers, the leader has strengthened the provision by ensuring that all children have access to improved areas of learning both inside and outdoors. However, leaders are not checking carefully on the impact of the changes made. This means that they are unclear about the priorities for improvement.
• Teaching in the early years is variable. Although language development is clearly a priority for many children, activities designed to promote children’s speaking and extend their vocabulary across all areas of learning are inconsistent. Adults’ questioning skills are also variable. As a result, for some children progress is slowed.
• Historically, many children start in the early years with skills that are below those typical for their age. The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development has declined over the last three years and is below the national average. Inconsistencies in the quality of teaching, learning and assessment mean that children do not catch up quickly enough.
• Support provided by the local authority has been effective in ensuring that adults’ assessments of children’s development are becoming increasingly accurate. However, adults are not making use of this assessment information to plan activities which are well matched to children’s needs and which provide sufficient challenge. Consequently, this improved accuracy in assessment information is yet to make a difference to the progress children make.
• Effective relationships exist between the early years staff and parents. Parents enjoy being able to contribute to their child’s learning through attending ‘stay and play’ sessions and through sharing ‘wow moments’ with the school to celebrate things which have happened at home.
• Adults in the early years place heavy emphasis on developing children’s personal and social skills. The early years provides a safe and supportive learning environment for children. Children are warmly welcomed into their classes and are encouraged to play collaboratively. They benefit from the clear routines and high expectations of their behaviour, which most adults provide. As a result, many children are confident in their learning and show impressive periods of concentration.
• Children have a wealth of opportunity to develop their early reading skills. As well as receiving effective phonics teaching, they also show great enthusiasm in reading books to their friends and in listening to stories read to them. Children find the reading opportunities available to them enticing. For example, they love looking at books in the den because they can use torchlight to see the pages.
• Leaders have enhanced outdoor provision in response to the children’s interests. During the inspection, examples of adults planning outdoor activities which led to children’s rapid progress were evidenced. For instance, children showed great enthusiasm in using sticks and other natural materials to compare length. Not only was this successful in extending their understanding of measures, it also stimulated a high level of mathematical talk.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 109302 Durham 10047602 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 232 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Jason Steward Riannon Edwards 01325 300 230 www.woodhamburnprimary.durham.sch.uk woodhamburn@durhamlearning.net Date of previous inspection 22 23 May 2014

Information about this school

• Woodham Burn Community Primary School is an average-sized primary school. The school has a Nursery, which admits children from the age of two years.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is above the national average.
• The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• The school currently meets the government’s floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics for pupils in Year 6.
• The school runs a breakfast club and after-school childcare for its pupils.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning in a range of lessons on both days of the inspection. Many of these observations were carried out jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors examined pupils’ work and observed their behaviour in lessons, around school and at playtimes and lunchtimes. Inspectors talked to pupils about their learning, both formally and informally, and listened to them read.
• Meetings were held with governors, senior and middle leaders, a group of staff members and a local authority partner.
• A range of documentation was viewed, including the school’s self-evaluation, the school’s improvement plans, minutes from governing body meetings, monitoring records of the quality of teaching and learning, curriculum plans, information relating to safeguarding and information about pupils’ progress, attainment, behaviour and attendance.
• Inspectors talked to a number of parents at the start of the school day. They also took account of the 48 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 33 free-text responses.
• The 35 responses to Ofsted’s staff questionnaire were also taken into account.

Inspection team

Karine Hendley, lead inspector Deborah Ashcroft Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector