Woodcot Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Senior leaders must increase the impact that middle leaders have on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment, enhancing their capacity to lead the school and ensuring that outcomes for pupils become outstanding.
• Ensure that all governors have a clear understanding of their roles and of the crucial balance between the strategic and operational leadership of the school, so that senior leaders are more effectively supported and challenged to improve the school.
• Ensure that teaching meets the differing learning needs of pupils from their various starting points, particularly those who are not yet working at the standard expected for their age by:
  • developing the skills of teachers so that they more consistently use their assessment of learning to identify and act upon pupils’ needs
  • more precisely matching learning tasks to the right level of challenge.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Supported by the current strong leadership team and an improving governing body, the headteacher has created a shared aspiration for the school’s ongoing improvement. She has led the school skilfully to overcome the school’s past legacy of site changes causing a decline in pupil numbers and consequent staff turbulence. Although these events predated the previous inspection and the headteacher’s secondment to the school, some community perceptions of the school have remained intact until quite recently.
• Teaching staff are highly committed to the school. They have benefited from external support for new subject leaders and they appreciate their leaders’ investment in professional development. All staff, including lunchtime supervisors, are confident that they have improved their professional practice. Training and developmental opportunities are now increasingly available through the school’s own skilled staff team.
• Leaders make effective use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. They rigorously identify and ensure that teachers tackle any barriers to learning that these pupils may have. The school’s focused approach is enabling this group of pupils to make good progress, both in their well-being and their learning. Leaders’ use of additional funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is equally as effective.
• The curriculum holds pupils’ interest and it helps them to develop a wide range of skills across the different subjects. For example, a topic on rainforests linked mathematical and scientific enquiry to find out the carbon footprint of tree stumps. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural opportunities are woven through the curriculum. These are brought to life through visits and practical events, such as a recent Year 5 trip to the David Hockney exhibition in London, and the opportunity for pupils to create their own artwork for display in a public exhibition.
• Pupils learn about the importance of British values through relevant topics and by debating real issues. For example, during the inspection, older pupils reflected on tolerance and respect following a significant event in the national news. They sensitively discussed whether it is possible to ‘love thy neighbour’ after the sadness of such an incident.
• The school uses the primary physical education and sport premium well. A coach provides specialist provision for pupils and supports staff to develop their skills. Pupils enjoy their lessons, as well as participation in the extra-curricular sports clubs that are available.
• The large majority of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, as well as parents spoken to during the inspection, are highly supportive of the school. They particularly praise the rapid progress they see in their child and appreciate the way in which staff know each pupil as an individual. A typical parent’s comment summed up the views of many: ‘Woodcot Primary has supported my children academically and personally … they are listened to and made to feel a valuable member of the school.’
• Since the previous inspection, the headteacher has had to fulfil many roles because not all leadership positions were successfully filled until the current academic year. Middle leaders are only in the early stages of making an impact on improving teaching and learning across the school. This limits the headteacher’s ability to more fully carry out her role and to sharpen the school’s ongoing cycle of improvement. ,

Governance of the school

• Since the last inspection, a new and experienced chair has been appointed. The chair of governors has encouraged joint work with leaders to implement a process of ‘check and challenge’. This has helped governors to have a visible presence in school and to understand the school’s provision.
• The checks that governors make on the school’s progress are more effective than the challenge that follows. This is because governors have sometimes focused too much on the detail of what staff and pupils are doing, rather than holding their headteacher to account for the impact of improvement actions on school performance. The chair of governors recognises that the challenge role that he currently undertakes with the headteacher has not been developed across the governing body.
• Governors have been rightly supportive of the actions that leaders are taking. They receive helpful information and come to meetings ready to ask questions that deepen their understanding. They know their school well but have not, as yet, fully developed their more strategic role.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff and governors demonstrate a high commitment to safeguarding. There are reminders about the school’s procedures in many places in the school, even on staff name badges. Led by one of the school’s designated safeguarding leads, governors, staff and volunteers have received up-to-date training that covers all requirements.
• Leaders have implemented a team approach to child protection. The school’s safeguarding leaders maintain accurate records, follow through concerns diligently and communicate appropriately with external agencies, as well as with parents.
• The school rigorously promotes pupils’ understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe, including online and in their community. For example, pupils were able to tell inspectors how they would help a friend living with domestic violence, which they had considered as a result of their recent visit from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teaching and learning are typically well planned, making use of interesting and lively contexts to ensure that learning is enjoyable. Teachers use pupils’ assessment information to teach skills progressively and, in some classes, this is highly effective. In all of the classrooms that inspectors visited, they heard teaching staff ask challenging questions which helped pupils to think deeply and explain their responses.
• Pupils benefit from having an expert staff member who understands how to teach and support reading. Highly trained teaching assistants work skilfully to make a difference to the learning of less confident readers. Teachers strongly promote the enjoyment of reading by introducing pupils to challenging literature. Furthermore, the curriculum helps pupils to develop a love of literature as they move through the school.
• Teachers give pupils frequent feedback to help them to improve their work. This is supporting key stage 2 pupils to develop the skills to edit and improve their writing. Teaching staff provide extra support groups for pupils in order to meet identified language and literacy needs, and to help pupils develop their independence.
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge which enables them to model new concepts to pupils. This is having a particular impact in mathematics, which has been a priority for the school. Pupils’ work shows that they have the opportunity to apply their learning to solve a range of interesting, real-life problems. They are encouraged to give reasons about how and why a particular calculation strategy might or might not work. Year 5 used their knowledge of shape to give reasons as to whether a rectangular prism could be cut into a cube. However, leaders agree that pupils do not have enough opportunity to learn from their errors.
• Leaders are aware that boys do not achieve as well as girls in literacy. Teachers have responded by designing learning activities to support boys’ particular interests. They provide lots of opportunities for talk so that all pupils can practise and rehearse language before recording and writing. Boys are reacting positively to these adaptations.
• Leaders are aware that there is some variation in teaching, which they are successfully tackling.
• Teaching staff are typically effective in meeting the needs of pupils who are working at or above the standard typical of their age. However, teachers do not consistently use assessment precisely enough to address the needs of pupils who are working below what they are capable of, but who could catch up. For example, in key stage 1 classes, although some pupils could not independently write well-punctuated sentences, they were tasked with managing even more complex writing demands.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils are friendly and show a genuine interest in visitors. They welcome new pupils, enabling them quickly to belong to the school community. Teaching enables pupils to understand about equality, which helps them to respect difference. On behalf of others, one pupil explained that, ‘one of our favourite things about Woodcot is how all of us are different and all of us are equal’.
• All pupils have opportunities to be valued for the individual contribution they make to the school community. Through taking part in a ‘child of the day’ event, pupils learn to think positively about other pupils’ qualities, as well as to receive personalised praise.
• Pupils of all age groups say that bullying is rare and that theirs is a ‘non-tolerant’ school for violence and bullying. They know that they can tell any adult should they have any worries, and they are confident that staff will deal with their concerns quickly.
• Pupils understand the meaning behind the school’s learning values and they like being recognised for showing these characteristics.
• Pupils in Years 5 and 6 have a strong understanding of right and wrong as a result of the school’s curriculum. They are able to reflect meaningfully on moral dilemmas. For example, they understand that name-calling is offensive and know that some verbal abuse is against the law. The curriculum also ensures that pupils think of others. In the Year 6 class, pupils reflected on housing as an election issue, sensitively discussing the way in which needs must be met for people who have disabilities.
• Pupils collaborate well with each other, both in lessons and in the playground. They expect to work hard and that classroom work will challenge them. These positive attitudes to learning prevail in almost all year groups, but learning behaviours are less strong in some classes.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• The school is orderly during lesson times and when pupils move around the school. Pupils understand the school’s rules and how these are maintained through rewards and consequences, which they think are given fairly.
• The attendance of current pupils remains in line with the national average for all groups of pupils. The school implements effective procedures to follow up all absences without delay. As a consequence, very few pupils are persistently absent.
• Pupils recognise how much lunchtimes have improved since changes were made earlier in the academic year. Pupils say that there is more for them to do at lunchtimes with equipment and activities and they appreciate that, even during this time of the day, their teachers are really interested in them.
• When an incident occurs, or is reported by a pupil, it is carefully recorded. Each incident is thoroughly explored and resolved.
• Leaders offer skilful support to teachers and support staff, including lunchtime supervisors, in order to manage the needs of a small minority of pupils who sometimes misbehave. The school’s approach enables this group of pupils to make good progress and change their behaviour. As they adapt to the school’s ethos, these pupils appreciate the support they have been given by staff and their peers. Leaders’ skills in managing behaviour are becoming more widely shared across the staff team, which is leading to a reduction in incidents.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Since the previous inspection, a higher proportion of pupils have made progress which has been in line with the national averages for reading, writing and mathematics.
• In 2016, Year 6 pupils did not attain as well in mathematics as they did in reading and writing. Attainment in mathematics was below that of all pupils nationally. A smaller proportion of pupils than nationally reached the higher standards in reading and mathematics. No disadvantaged pupils reached the higher standards in any of the assessed subjects. Key stage 1 attainment was in line with that for all schools nationally.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the expected threshold in the phonics screening check at the end of Year 1 improved to be above the national average in 2016.
• School leaders rigorously analyse pupils’ progress, and this information is used effectively by teachers and teaching assistants. Pupils’ progress is discussed with frequency and precision by teaching staff and leaders. The strategies they agree are having a positive impact on the outcomes of current pupils. Progress in mathematics, in particular, is improving. A rising proportion of pupils are working at or above age-related expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. Consequently, key stage 2 pupils are increasingly well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• As a result of increased monitoring of pupils’ progress, teachers are addressing the needs of the most able pupils. A higher proportion of pupils are currently being challenged to reach the higher standards.
• Leaders have driven up the standards for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Effective leadership and teamwork around these pupils ensure that their needs are met in their classrooms. Individual plans are in place for them and for all others who are at risk of making less-than-expected progress.
• The school’s information shows that the gaps between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils are diminishing and they are making similarly good progress to other pupils from their starting points. An increasing proportion of these pupils are catching up to work at or above age-related expectations.
• Pupils are making good progress in a range of other subjects. Displayed work demonstrates high expectations of pupils, for example in art, science, history and geography. Pupils’ topic books show that they have opportunities in these subjects to apply their reading, writing and mathematical skills.
• While standards of grammar, punctuation and spelling are improving, they are not as strong as pupils’ compositional skills in writing. Leaders have implemented new strategies to teach spelling, but grammar and punctuation are not improving as quickly, especially in key stage 1. Similarly, some younger pupils do not develop a fluent handwriting style at an early enough stage in their development.
• Pupils who could catch up to reach age-related expectations are not consistently doing so. This is because teachers sometimes move pupils on to new work too quickly, and before they have time to deepen their understanding.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter Reception at levels that are typically below those expected for their age. They make good progress, and a similar proportion to the national average reach a good level of development. This means that children are prepared well for Year 1.
• Children are animated by the teacher-led sessions. Phonics is taught effectively, helping children to learn to read quickly. They enjoy learning and telling well-known stories, such as The Gingerbread Man, using actions to support recall. They use the repetition within the story to create their own narratives.
• An exciting outside environment inspires pupils to apply the skills they have learned within their own play. They are supported by well-trained teaching staff. They thoroughly enjoy their self-initiated activities, which regularly include planting, digging, building and the creativity of a mud kitchen. Adults ask questions that encourage children to talk about their learning, developing their language skills well and extending their vocabulary.
• Teaching staff know children well as a result of careful and ongoing assessment. The staff are adept at meeting individual needs, and skilfully give extra support to pupils who need more practice with basic skills.
• Leadership and management are good. Strong teamwork ensures that children feel safe to explore their environment.
• There are good links with the pre-school, which is on the same site, as well as with parents. This helps staff to know the children well on entry into the school and to meet their needs as soon as they start school.
• Current children’s writing lags behind their achievement in reading and number. Children are less inclined to choose to write during their free-flow play. The opportunities for writing at these times are less inviting than those for the other areas of learning.
• More boys than girls enter school with speech and language difficulties and their consequent gaps in achievement remain evident in later year groups. The school has implemented strategies to address this gap, although differences persist for the current Reception cohort.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 116166 Hampshire 10032847 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 Maintained 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 198 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Steven Merriman Marion Clist 01329 234 381 www.woodcot.hants.sch.uk/ headteacher@woodcot.hants.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 21–22 May 2015

Information about this school

• The school is smaller than most other primary schools, with one class in each year group.
• The early years provision consists of a full-time Reception class.
• Since the previous inspection, a new chair of governors has been appointed. There are a number of vacancies on the governing body.
• There have been a number of staff changes that have created some turbulence for the school.
• The vast majority of pupils who attend the school are White British.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is similar to that found in primary schools nationally.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is higher than that found in most primary schools.
• The school provides a breakfast club that is run by the governing body.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• In 2016, the school met the government floor standards that set out the minimum expectations for primary schools.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning in eight lessons, and undertook three focused learning walks to pursue particular enquiries. In each of these walks, inspectors made short visits to every classroom. All of the visits were carried out with the headteacher, deputy headteacher or the special educational needs coordinator.
• Inspectors also observed pupils’ behaviour at transition times and during break and lunchtimes and visited the school’s breakfast club.
• Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other school leaders.
• The lead inspector met with three members of the governing body, including the chair. She also met with a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors considered the school’s published information for 2015 and 2016 (since the previous inspection) and the information on its website. They examined a wide range of school documents, including information relating to safeguarding, attendance, funding for disadvantaged pupils, school improvement evaluation and planning and minutes of governors’ meetings. Inspectors reviewed pupil-level information and school assessment information. They scrutinised a sample of pupils’ books in English and mathematics, and examined pupils’ topic work.
• Inspectors heard pupils read in Years 1 and 6, observed phonics in Year 1 and observed the teaching of reading in other year groups.
• To gain their views of the school, inspectors spoke with pupils in lessons and met groups of pupils outside of the classroom.
• In addition to speaking to a number of parents, inspectors considered written comments from 24 of them, and 33 responses to the Parent View questionnaire. They considered 20 staff survey responses.

Inspection team

Linda Jacobs, lead inspector Alison Ashcroft

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector