Woodcroft Primary Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Provide more opportunities for pupils to use their mathematical skills when learning other subjects, and to use their skills to solve problems related to real life.
• Provide greater challenge for the most able pupils allowing them to work at greater depth in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Refine the school’s management systems so that pupils’ progress from their starting points can be tracked and analysed more efficiently.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The school’s mission statement, ‘Inspire, Encourage, Achieve’ underpins all aspects of the school’s work. Leaders and managers have created an ethos and culture in which every teacher and pupil is expected to do their best. Consequently, teaching is consistently good and pupils achieve well both academically and personally.
• School leaders and governors have developed a team of staff who feel valued and who work closely together to achieve the school’s aims. All staff share the school’s vision and values. They understand their roles in bringing about the improvements that are needed to provide a high quality of education for all pupils.
• School leaders and governors have taken effective action to improve the school since the previous inspection. Following that inspection, there was a period of instability and pupils’ progress declined. The new headteacher and assistant headteacher quickly identified what needed to be done. They put into place an action plan to reverse the decline and raise pupils’ standards.
• Leaders at all levels are very well supported. They are provided with support both from external advisers and from leaders in school. One of the features of leadership is the way they develop teachers’ leadership skills in the early stage in their careers. This enables teachers to take on leadership roles and builds the school’s leadership capacity should unexpected vacancies occur.
• Leadership of inclusion is good. The leader has a clear understanding of the needs of pupils. She oversees a team of staff who work alongside pupils to help them to progress as well as others. She carefully tracks the progress of pupils and analyses performance information. This enables her to identify the specific barriers to learning that some pupils experience. Consequently, the right support can be more precisely matched to the needs of individual pupils.
• Leaders frequently visit classrooms and talk to teachers about their work. They have introduced a training programme to help teachers to improve their skills. Teachers value the support and guidance provided by school leaders. They speak enthusiastically about the high-quality professional dialogue that helps them to try out new ideas that help pupils to learn.
• Performance management systems are robust. All staff are held to account for pupils’ progress. They know that their progression on the pay scale is dependent on how successful they are in the classroom. Leaders have successfully tackled previously weaker teaching.
• Leaders ensure that additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils is thoughtfully used to support eligible pupils both academically and emotionally. Part of the funding has been used to provide additional classroom assistants and part has been used to subsidise the cost of school visits and attendance at breakfast club. This has improved the attendance of disadvantaged pupils as well as increased their rates of progress.
• School leaders give high priority to English and mathematics when planning the curriculum. They have developed topics or themes that usually have an exciting book or story to stimulate pupils’ imaginations and engage them in learning. Where possible, subjects are linked together under an overall theme or topic. This helps pupils to gain a broader understanding of the subjects they learn. Pupils visit local places of interest that add to their enjoyment of school.
• Pupils learn about British values including the rule of law, democracy and tolerance, and this is reflected in their good behaviour. They learn to respect the views of others and they know that people in other parts of the world have faiths and beliefs that are different to their own. This helps to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively.
• The sports funding has been used to provide specialist sports coaching. The coach works with pupils to help them to improve their skills in physical education. Teachers often work alongside the sports coach to help them to improve their own skills. As a result, pupils enjoy taking part in inter-school sports competitions. Staff organise games and activities for pupils at lunchtimes and this helps to keep pupils fit and healthy.
• School leaders have extensive information about pupils’ learning and attainment. However, their systems do not clearly show how well pupils progress from their starting points so leaders cannot easily spot those pupils who are at risk of underachieving.
• The large majority of parents who responded to the online survey or who spoke to inspectors agreed that the school was well led and managed and that staff were always available to listen to their concerns.

Governance of the school

• Governors are enthusiastic and passionate about the school and the pupils. They visit school frequently and are highly visible within the school community. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s performance information so they know the issues to be tackled. They joined the staff in developing the long-term vision for the school and they share leaders’ ambitious plans. Governors have been instrumental in securing the right leaders to take the school forward, following a short period of instability.
• Governors work alongside leaders at different levels so this gives them first-hand knowledge of how the school runs on a day-to-day basis. They receive detailed information from school leaders and this helps them to provide the right balance of support and challenge. They are not afraid to ask challenging questions when they have concerns.
• Governors are reflective and keen to sharpen their own skills. They have carried out an evaluation of their own strengths, and attend training to improve their work. They have a planned programme of formal visits to school and they keep up to date with new initiatives. They attend training events in school, including for safeguarding, and this enables them to keep abreast of what the school is aiming to achieve.
• Governors are well organised and ensure that policies, including those for protecting children, are reviewed regularly. They have a monitoring schedule that helps them to carry out their roles in a businesslike way. They have a clear oversight of spending decisions that helps them to keep a check on the school’s budget. They know that the funding to support disadvantaged pupils is used wisely.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. School leaders have established a culture in which all staff understand their moral as well as their statutory responsibility to keep pupils safe. The school site is secure and all adults who visit school are carefully checked. Procedures for vetting new employees and volunteers are thorough.
• School leaders are very aware that there are a number of pupils whose circumstances may make them more vulnerable. All staff are extra vigilant in looking for signs that a pupil may be at risk from harm. School leaders provide staff with regular training so that staff know exactly what to do should they have a concern about a pupil. The safeguarding procedures are clear and understood by all staff. Records relating to safeguarding are thorough and the designated lead for safeguarding works closely with external agencies to support pupils and their families.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching is consistently good across the school. Teachers have high expectations and they demand a lot from pupils in class. They have secure subject knowledge and they ask questions that make pupils think and so deepen their understanding. They probe pupils to pick up on their misconceptions and this helps pupils to progress well.
• Work in pupils’ books, particularly in writing, is of high quality and reflects the good teaching over time. Teachers use high-quality resources to help pupils to understand how to construct their own writing. They provide guidance to pupils during lessons and so pupils improve their work by editing and developing their ideas.
• Teachers keep effective records of pupils’ progress in reading and this enables them to plan activities that build on what pupils can do. The teaching of phonics is systematic and helps pupils to get off to a good start in reading. Teachers use stimulating texts to inspire pupils to read. For example, in a Year 1 English lesson, the teacher read ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ in a lively and captivating voice. Pupils were thoroughly absorbed and could not wait to read the book for themselves.
• The teaching of mathematics is brisk and lively and this engages and maintains pupils’ interest. Teachers insist on the correct use of mathematical vocabulary and that pupils present their work neatly to aid accuracy. They show pupils how to carry out their calculations and the steps needed to complete their work. Consequently, pupils settle quickly because they know what they are expected to do.
• Teachers use assessment information to plan next steps in learning. They provide structured feedback to pupils, often during lessons, so pupils move on rapidly in their learning. Teachers use this information to break activities into smaller steps for those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. As a result, these pupils progress as well as other pupils.
• The relationships between staff and pupils are warm and friendly so pupils understand that comments are made to be helpful, rather than critical, and so they progress well. Pupils know that it is acceptable to make mistakes and that they can learn from these.
• Despite the many strengths of teaching, there are times when teachers do not plan work that is hard enough for their most able pupils. As a result, there are few pupils who work at greater depth to reach the higher standard in any subject.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils feel safe in school because they know that adults care for them and take their concerns seriously. Pupils are positive about school and enjoy their lessons. They say they work hard in school and that teachers help them when they get stuck.
• Pupils know how to stay safe outside school. They know that tobacco and some non-medicinal drugs can be harmful. They are taught how to stay safe from dangers such as roads, railways and water. They know that they should not talk to strangers or provide personal information when using the internet.
• Staff are very aware of the social and emotional needs of pupils and they endeavour to provide high-quality care. There are a few pupils who have difficulty managing their feelings and emotions, and struggle in lessons and on the playground. Because of this, the school provides calming activities such as Lego club and colouring club at lunchtimes. This offers support to these pupils within a small and nurturing environment, and helps them to return to class when they are ready to learn.
• Historically, pupils’ attendance has been below average. School leaders have worked hard with parents and pupils to increase rates of attendance and to reduce persistent absence. The measures they have put into place are showing pleasing improvements with attendance now being in line with the national average, or above. Fewer pupils than previously are persistently absent and the gap in attendance between disadvantaged pupils and others has closed considerably.
• The breakfast club provides pupils with a settled and harmonious start to the school day. Pupils choose what to eat and drink from a healthy selection. There are several activities including sewing, drawing and construction. This encourages a happy and social experience for pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are polite, friendly and helpful and they get on well together. They know that some pupils find some aspects of school difficult to manage. Pupils understand that not everyone is the same and some need more help managing their feelings and emotions than others.
• Pupils behave well in class as well as when they move around the school, which they do safely. They know about the different forms bullying can take, including that related to modern technology. They say that there are times when pupils fall out but that adults are on hand to help to resolve issues.
• Pupils show respect towards each other and to adults. They say that pupils are treated equally and fairly and that discrimination on any grounds is not tolerated. They say that there are times when name-calling occurs but that staff respond quickly to any problems that arise.
• There are few reported incidents related to bullying or racist behaviour and the number of exclusions has reduced year on year. The large majority of parents who responded to the survey, or who spoke to inspectors, agreed or strongly agreed that their children are well looked after and behave well in school.
• In some classes, the noise level becomes too loud and this prevents some pupils learning as well as they could. There are times too, when learning is disrupted by the low-level poor behaviour of a small number of pupils who lose concentration.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils make good progress to reach standards that are broadly as expected for their age. Work in their books shows that they make good progress across the school in reading, writing and mathematics. They are well prepared for the next stage in their education.
• Owing to actions taken by school leaders, the difference between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils is rapidly diminishing. In the national tests in 2016, those disadvantaged pupils who failed to reach the expected standard had complex special educational needs and/or disabilities that prevented them from reaching the same standard as other pupils nationally.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points. This is because their needs are accurately identified and the right support is provided for them. Sometimes they receive help in class from trained teaching assistants while at other times, they may have special programmes of work that enable them to overcome their difficulties.
• Although staff plan work that is at different levels for pupils, the most able pupils do not make as much progress as they should. This is because there are too few occasions when work provided for them is at greater depth so they do not attain the higher standards of which they are capable.
• Phonics is taught systematically and supports the development of pupils’ reading skills. Pupils in Year 2 use their phonics competently to read unfamiliar words. More advanced readers read fluently and confidently, and with good understanding. Pupils in Year 6 enjoy reading. They say they read frequently at school both in reading lessons as well as when learning other subjects.
• Pupils have a secure grasp of the basic skills that enable them to write fluently and confidently for a range of purposes. At key stage 1, they use phonics to help them to spell words and they are increasing their understanding of the need to punctuate their sentences with capital letters and full stops. Across key stage 2, pupils rapidly build on this good start, increasing the amount they write and their use of more complicated vocabulary and sentence structure. By Year 6, pupils’ writing is imaginative and lively, and fully engages the interest of the reader.
• Pupils competently use their numeracy skills to carry out calculations. In class, teachers ask questions that call for reasoning and some teachers use pupils’ misconceptions to develop learning. This helps pupils to progress well from their starting points. However, there are too few opportunities for pupils to apply their skills to solving real-life problems. This prevents them, particularly those who are most able, from working at greater depth and mastering their grasp of mathematics.

Early years provision Good

• Children, including those who are disadvantaged, are well prepared for Year 1 because they make good progress across all areas of their learning. They join the school with skills that are below those expected for their age but the majority reach a good level of development by the end of the Reception Year.
• Teachers have a good understanding of the needs of young children. They have created a bright and stimulating environment in which children learn and play outside as well as in the classroom. The early years is well resourced with good-quality resources that help children to develop physically, socially and academically.
• The quality of teaching in the early years is good. Staff observe children across a range of activities and this enables them to plan learning experiences that are carefully tailored to children’s needs. There is an appropriate balance between those activities that are led by adults and those that children choose for themselves.
• Staff provide high-quality care to children and so children feel safe and they behave well. Children have developed positive behaviours for learning. They concentrate well and show resilience and perseverance when carrying out tasks. They get on well together and they enjoy learning and playing together.
• A few children have particular barriers to learning such as speech, language and communications difficulties. Staff sensitively provide additional help for these children, often with help from external agencies such as speech therapists. This helps these children to make good progress and prevents them from falling behind their classmates.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 135529 Hampshire 10024588 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 182 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Christine Thompson John Webster 02392593939 www.woodcroftprimary.co.uk/ woodcroftadmin@millhillandwoodcroft.co.uk Date of previous inspection 29 January 2013

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school is federated with another primary school and each of the two schools is led and managed separately.
• The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school and pupils are taught in single-age classes. There is provision for children in the early years in the Reception class.
• There have been significant changes to the school since the previous inspection. Following the retirement of the executive headteacher of the federation, the governors appointed the current headteacher to this school in April 2016. The assistant headteacher was appointed in May 2016 and there have been several changes to the teaching team since then.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards. These set the minimum expectations for pupils’ learning and progress.
• Most pupils are White British and few speak English as an additional language.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is above average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average.
• There is a breakfast club for pupils.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils working in 14 lessons or parts of lessons, most of which were jointly observed with school leaders. They observed pupils in class and around the school, and they attended one assembly. Inspectors looked at work in pupils’ books and they listened to pupils reading in Year 2 and Year 6.
• Inspectors held meetings with four governors, including the chair of governors. They met with school leaders, groups of pupils and teachers. A telephone discussion took place with an adviser from the local authority.
• Among the documents scrutinised were school improvement plans, information about pupils’ learning and progress, and records relating to pupils’ behaviour. Inspectors also scrutinised documentation showing how the school keeps pupils safe.
• The views of parents were considered by analysing the ten responses to the online survey, Parent View, and by speaking informally to parents during the inspection. The inspectors considered the views of staff by analysing the 18 responses to the staff survey.

Inspection team

Joy Considine, lead inspector Debra Anderson Chris Donovan

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector