Warren Wood Primary Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching, learning and assessment across key stages 1 and 2, to secure consistently good outcomes for pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, by ensuring that:
  • recent changes to the teaching of reading and mathematics are embedded successfully across the school
  • teaching identifies and tackles pupils’ misconceptions consistently well
  • teachers’ expectations for pupils’ achievement are consistently high in all subjects.
• Improve leadership and management by:
  • leaders ensuring that teachers follow the school’s marking policy, so that feedback to pupils about their work consistently enables pupils to improve their work successfully, and provides a clear understanding of their next steps for learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The recently appointed head of school provides effective leadership. She has quickly developed an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses, and, along with her deputy and other leaders, put into place effective plans to improve teaching and learning. As a result, progress against the school’s development plan has recently accelerated. Leaders know, however, that there is more to be achieved before pupils’ outcomes in a range of subjects are securely strong.
• Leaders provide clear values for pupils. The ‘recipe’ they promote, of ‘respect, excellence, co-operation, independence, perseverance and enjoyment’, radiates throughout the academy. Pupils understand these values, and the trust’s broad ‘skills for life’ philosophy well, and teachers promote them effectively.
• Leaders monitor the effectiveness of teaching, learning and assessment rigorously. They regularly visit classrooms to evaluate pupils’ learning in a range of subjects. Sensibly, they work with colleagues from across both the trust and their wider network of schools, to validate their accurate assessments. Pupils’ progress information is recorded carefully and scrutinised closely. Consequently, leaders have a clear understanding of what needs to improve to secure stronger outcomes for pupils.
• Subject coordinators provide typically good leadership. For example, recent changes to the way mathematics and reading are taught are beginning to improve pupils’ outcomes in these subjects. However, leaders know that more development is needed in teaching and learning before these early improvements are secure.
• Leaders are committed to developing rapidly the skills and knowledge of staff. For example, newly qualified teachers receive good-quality training from a range of providers including the school, the trust and the local authority to develop their skills against national teaching standards. Staff receive effective training that is improving teaching and learning well.
• Additional funding to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is used effectively. The special educational needs coordinator, along with the health and welfare officer, provides high-quality additional support for these pupils and their families. Well-devised support plans help teachers and additional adults take the right actions to ensure that pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress.
• Leaders ensure that the pupil premium grant is used effectively. For example, the health and welfare officer builds strong links with families and puts in place effective strategies to help disadvantaged pupils attend more regularly. Current school information shows that the attendance of this group of pupils has improved rapidly. However, as with all pupils, more needs to be done to ensure this group of pupils achieve as well as they are capable.
• Leaders use the sport premium effectively, ensuring sporting provision is a strength of the school. The physical education leader provides dynamic teaching, and ensures that a wide range of physical activities are covered in lessons and extra-curricular clubs. Pupils respond particularly well to her enthusiastic and inspirational manner, and learn positive sporting behaviours as a result.
• The curriculum is broad and balanced. Pupils have wide opportunities to enrich their learning, for example by participating in lessons hosted by the trust’s secondary school. Pupils’ achievements in cookery and design technology are particularly strong. However, high expectations for pupils’ learning are not reflected across the curriculum. As a result, some pupils are not yet making strong progress in a range of subjects.
• Leaders ensure that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. For example, pupils were keen to share their recent learning about Sikh and Nepalese cultures and traditions. Pupils’ learning helps them develop strong tolerance and acceptance of other people’s differences. As one pupil stated: ‘We are all equal. It’s important that we treat everyone the same’, reflecting pupils’ growing readiness for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders receive valuable, effective support from the trust. For example, the head of school is supported each week in evaluating teaching and learning by a headteacher from a good school within the trust. This additional expertise has enabled leaders to moderate their own evaluations of the quality of teaching well, and strengthen provision within the academy.
• Parents are supportive of the school. Many parents commented that they appreciate the open communication between staff and home. Parents stated that staff ‘are always willing to help’, and ‘teachers are approachable, listen to concerns, and are very understanding’.

Governance of the school

• Governors demonstrate a keen awareness of the importance for continued improvement of teaching and learning at the school. They are skilled in monitoring leaders’ achievements against development plans. Governors demonstrate a clear determination for all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, to achieve well.
• Governors exercise appropriate oversight of the school’s financial management. They assess the impact that additional funding has on pupils’ achievement. For example, they know that the pupil premium and sport premium are spent effectively. Consequently, governors meet their financial obligations to good effect.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that a strong culture of safeguarding permeates the academy. When recruiting new staff, all appropriate employment checks are made. Records are detailed and accurate, and governors and leaders check them regularly. All safeguarding systems within the academy comply with the latest government guidelines.
• Staff receive appropriate guidance to keep children safe. Safeguarding training is provided for all staff, and additional updates are provided whenever necessary. Staff members are fully aware of the appropriate actions to safeguard children.
• Leaders ensure that strong, effective collaboration with external agencies supports safeguarding. For example, the health and welfare officer works closely with the local authority to provide early help for pupils and families. Successful relationships between the school, families and the relevant authorities help protect children from harm.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The quality of teaching is not consistently good. However, leaders’ actions are ensuring it is improving, particularly in English and mathematics, and some good practice is evident. However, this is not yet typical throughout the school and some pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, do not make enough progress in all areas of learning.
• Teaching does not tackle pupils’ misconceptions well enough. Sometimes, adults do not identify pupils’ mistakes in good time. Teaching does not provide the consistently clear explanations needed to help pupils learn well. Consequently, sometimes pupils do not receive high-quality support to develop their knowledge and skills in sufficient depth.
• The feedback some pupils receive about their learning does not help them to achieve significantly better. This is because sometimes teachers’ guidance is too vague and not matched closely to pupils’ individual learning needs. As a result, some pupils do not always know what they need to do next to improve.
• Teachers’ expectations for what pupils can achieve are sometimes not high enough. In some subjects, for example science and geography, pupils’ work is not of the same good standard as seen in other areas of learning, such as English and mathematics. Some pupils do not make good progress in a range of subjects because teaching does not demand consistently high standards of learning.
• The teaching of writing is a strength of the school. Pupils receive wide opportunities to write, and to produce work across a range of different styles. For example, in Year 6, pupils had been studying the work of the poet Seamus Heaney. In mimicking his work, pupils demonstrated an effective grasp of good vocabulary choices, as one wrote: ‘Peering through the sun-drenched bush, I carefully inspected each twisted branch.’
• The support provided by teaching assistants is effective. For example, in a Year 2 English lesson the teaching assistant used skilful questioning to help pupils enrich their writing with appropriate adjectives. Teaching assistants typically help pupils to learn well.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language receive good support to achieve well. Teaching takes into account their individual needs, and where appropriate additional effective support is provided. These groups of pupils achieve well because their needs are met with suitably tailored provision.
• Pupils in the speech and language unit make good progress. Teaching is prepared precisely, and teachers and additional adults model spoken language well. Strong teaching, and short, well-chosen learning activities ensure that this group of pupils is achieving well from their starting points.
• Pupils benefit from high-quality physical education teaching. Pupils participate in a range of different sports, including regular opportunities to swim. The school places firm importance on pupils competing in competitions and tournaments, ensuring that they develop a good understanding of what it means to be an effective team player.
• Teaching provides wide opportunities for pupils to learn about British values. For example, some Year 6 pupils had produced moving poems about the Holocaust, and had read them at a recent memorial at the local cathedral. Pupils develop a firm sense of respect and tolerance because teaching provides rich opportunities for reflection on what is right and wrong.

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 polite, friendly and caring. Pupils follow the good example set by staff, and keenly promote the school’s key values in relation to respect and cooperation. They look after each other well, and demonstrate strong, effective relationships when they play together in sports and at breaktimes.
• Pupils enjoy taking on additional tasks. For example, play leaders work with great enthusiasm to provide games at lunchtimes for other pupils to enjoy. The school ensures pupils understand the importance of undertaking greater responsibilities outside the classroom.
• Pupils state that they feel safe at school. They know what bullying is, and say it happens only very rarely. When it occurs, or when pupils struggle with friendship issues, they state that staff help them resolve their problems. Pupils and parents are confident that the school looks after pupils well.
• Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. For example, the recent e-safety week, including assemblies from the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, provided good learning opportunities for pupils to build their knowledge of online safety.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Most pupils enjoy learning. Lessons are typically calm and orderly, and pupils listen carefully to their teachers and other adults. Pupils work together well, and are respectful of each other’s rights to learn.
• Poor behaviour, including bullying, racist and/or homophobic incidents, is rare. Pupils respect the recently introduced behaviour policy and show keenness and determination to behave well in lessons and at play. Their good behaviour impacts positively on their overall enjoyment in learning at the school; as one pupil stated: ‘It’s perfect here. I’m leaving this year, but I wish I didn’t have to.’
• Vulnerable pupils receive good support to behave well. For example, the welfare room is always open should a pupil prefer the support of an adult at break and lunchtimes. Good, caring provision supports vulnerable pupils to manage their behaviour effectively.
• Leaders’ successful actions have ensured that pupils’ attendance, including those who are disadvantaged, has improved significantly this year. Breakfast club, and the early morning games sessions, have proved particularly successful in encouraging pupils to attend regularly, and on time. Leaders work closely with parents, and when necessary the local authority, to provide the additional support families need to improve pupils’ attendance.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Across key stages 1 and 2, the progress of current pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, is not yet securely strong, including in reading and mathematics. However, school progress information, and progress in pupils’ books, indicates early signs of improving outcomes.
• In the 2016 key stage 1 national assessments, pupils’ progress in reading was similar to the national average, and in mathematics slightly above. However, current pupils’ progress in key stage 1 in these subjects, as seen in their exercise books and learning in class, demonstrates that improving outcomes are not yet secure.
• In the key stage 2 national assessments, pupils’ progress in reading was significantly below the national average. School information shows that current pupils are achieving better, but this improvement is yet to be demonstrated in national assessments.
• In the key stage 2 national assessments, pupils’ achievement in mathematics was similar to the national average. However, current pupils’ progress in key stage 2, as seen in their exercise books, is not securely strong.
• In some subjects, including science and geography, teaching is not enabling some pupils across key stage 1 and key stage 2 to develop their knowledge and skills quickly enough. Teachers’ expectations of what pupils should achieve are sometimes not high enough.
• In 2016, the proportion of Year 1 pupils achieving the expected standard in the phonics screening assessment was similar to that seen nationally. The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard by the end of Year 2 exceeded the national average. Current pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are achieving well in phonics.
• In the 2016 key stage 1 and key stage 2 national assessments, pupils’ progress in writing exceeded the national average. Current pupils are achieving similarly well in this area of learning.
• In a range of subjects, disadvantaged pupils are catching up quickly. However, more needs to be achieved to diminish the difference in outcomes between them and non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who speak English as an additional language make good progress from their starting points. They receive effective, tailored support that enables these groups of pupils to catch up well.
• In a range of subjects the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, make typically good progress from their starting points.

Early years provision Good

• Leadership of the early years is good. Children, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, join the setting with starting points lower than typical for their age. Teachers use accurate assessments to tailor learning opportunities to children’s individual needs. As a result, most children make good progress in the early years and are ready to join Year 1 with the skills necessary to succeed.
• In 2016, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development exceeded the national average. Current children are achieving equally well and most children, including those who are disadvantaged, are making good progress in the early years.
• Staff use regular, good-quality observations of children’s learning to plan appropriate activities. Across the setting, provision is well organised and staff deliver activities that enable children to make good progress across all areas of learning. Consequently, children are well motivated and enjoy their learning.
• Statutory welfare requirements are in place across the early years. Leaders risk-assess activities appropriately and work diligently to provide the necessary good-quality care and support to keep children safe.
• Leaders work closely with parents. For example, parents state that they value the opportunities to visit the setting and engage with their children’s play and learning. Good relationships between home and school foster effective relationships that support children’s learning.
• Children demonstrate good standards of behaviour. They learn to follow clear routines, and respond well to teachers’ high expectations. The early years is a calm and productive setting because staff instil good learning habits in children.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 140989 Medway 10032819 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 Academy converter 3 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 333 Appropriate authority Chair Head of school Telephone number Website Email address Academy trust Mrs Sue Butler Mrs Louise Ward 01634 401401 www.greenacreacademytrust.co.uk office@warrenwood.medway.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school converted to an academy in July 2014. It is part of the Greenacre Academy Trust.
• Warren Wood is larger than the average primary school.
• Warren Wood provides specialist provision for speech and language.
• The majority of pupils are White British. Others come from a range of different ethnic backgrounds. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above average. The proportion of pupils who have an education, health and care plan is above average.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning throughout the school, including visiting some lessons with senior leaders. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in their exercise books and spoke to pupils about their learning.
• Meetings were held with the head of school and other senior leaders. The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the trust, and with members of the governing body.
• A range of documents was reviewed including governors’ minutes, leaders’ evaluation of the school’s effectiveness, including the quality of teaching and learning, information about the school’s performance management arrangements, and pupils’ progress information. Inspectors also reviewed safeguarding records and the single central record of recruitment checks on staff.
• Pupils’ views were heard through discussion in lessons, and during lunch and breaktimes.
• Inspectors spoke to parents on the playground and took into account 13 online responses, including written responses, to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. The views of staff were considered through the 29 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and through meetings.

Inspection team

Dom Cook, lead inspector Lynn Lawrence Chris Donovan

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector