Woods Bank Academy Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Further improve the quality of teaching and raise the achievement of pupils by ensuring that:
  • ensuring that the most able pupils, including those that are disadvantaged, are taught how to think more deeply about what they have read so that they can make comparisons between how different authors write about the same themes
  • presentation standards in Years 1 and 2 meet the school’s expectations, as defined in the presentation policy, and that further emphasis is placed on the correct spelling of words and use of punctuation in sentences
  • in mathematics lessons, pupils needing to catch up are given more opportunities to articulate their reasoning when solving problems.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The principal, ably guided by the executive principal, is highly committed to implementing the trust’s high expectations and values of trust, openness and accountability. The leadership team aims to ensure that all pupils, including the disadvantaged, are equipped with the skills needed for life-long learning.
• Leaders’ accurate evaluations of the school’s strengths and areas for development, identified jointly with trust’s regional director, have been turned into a highly focused school development plan. This plan has clear success criteria and timelines for evaluation.
• High expectations set by the leadership team, coupled with clear communication of how these will be achieved, underpin the most recent improvements in this school. Timely staff appointments, together with help and support from the federated schools in the trust, have added even greater strength to the good school leadership.
• Monitoring and evaluation activities are carried out frequently, as evidenced by the half-termly pupil progress reviews which hold teachers to account for the progress of all groups of pupils. Any underachievement is quickly identified with immediate support offered by well-trained support staff.
• Staff are unanimously behind the drive from school leaders to improve teaching. They value the support and training they receive and the opportunity to meet with colleagues from the schools in the trust. The implementation of coaching has improved teaching and pupils’ progress.
• Support staff attend conferences organised by the trust and, as a result, have greatly improved their skills, such as understanding information from assessments. It is clear that these staff play a key role in helping pupils become confident in learning.
• Subject leaders for English and mathematics are passionate about the subjects they lead. They have a clear overview of progress that all groups of pupils make because the school’s assessment and tracking procedures are robust.
• Leaders place a strong focus on the welfare of pupils. Examples of this are the well-attended breakfast club, the emotional support that pupils receive from the school’s learning mentor and the emphasis across the school on the power of positive thinking and learning from mistakes.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported. This is because leaders identify their needs quickly and make good use of resources, especially teaching assistants, to support their learning and development.
• The curriculum is well planned and supports pupils’ academic and personal development. It includes planned opportunities for pupils to learn about British values, such as democracy and the rule of law. In Year 6, pupils who had read the story of Guy Fawkes discussed the possibility that Queen Elizabeth I might have favoured the Protestants over the Catholics and that this was favouritism.
• The additional funding received by the school to support disadvantaged pupils is now spent effectively. The previous inspection recommended a review of pupil premium spending. This has resulted in a much tighter approach to monitoring spending and allocating funds based upon pupils’ particular barriers to learning. Leaders make decisions based upon nationally acceptable good practice such as that identified by the Sutton Trust and the Education Endowment Fund.
• Pupils participate in a wide range of after-school clubs such as horse riding, choir and dance clubs. This has a positive impact on their self-esteem and social development.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils learn how different countries around the world celebrate festivals, such as harvest. Work undertaken during Black history week produced some powerful writing by younger pupils, demonstrating their ability to understand and empathise with characters such as Mary Seacole.
• Sport is a strong feature of the school with many pupils participating in a wide range of activities. The primary school sports and physical education funding is used effectively and the school has recently achieved a Silver kitemark for the good range of sporting activities that it promotes. Prudent use of funding has enabled teachers to develop their expertise in planning lessons that meet the needs of all groups of pupils, and has provided pupils with skilled, specialist teaching.
• The range of clubs and competitive sports has increased as a direct result of funding received. Funds provide a specialist coach who has increased pupils’ knowledge of team spirit and what it takes to be a team member. This has had a positive effect on pupils’ skills of cooperation, listening and abiding by rules.

Governance of the school

• Governance is effective. Members of the governing body are wholly dedicated to the school and to continuing its journey of improvement. Following the recommendations of the review of their performance after the last inspection, the restructuring of their organisation has enabled them to develop their expertise and hold school leaders more closely to account for the school’s performance.
• Since the last inspection, governors have improved their knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. Their visits to the school enable them to focus sharply on the progress against priorities in the school’s action plan. These visits and the information they receive about pupils’ progress enable them to have a realistic picture of the quality of teaching.
• Governors have a good understanding of how teachers’ pay relates to performance. They set rigorous targets for the principal in line with the trust’s strategic vision and review these accordingly. They ensure that action is taken if teaching falls below the required standard.
• Governors have strong knowledge of the community they serve and are adamant that all pupils will be well equipped with the skills needed to go on to secondary education. They are aware of how the school is reducing the differences between the standards reached by disadvantaged pupils and their peers. They ask pertinent questions as to the impact of monies spent on pupils’ outcomes when receiving reports of expenditure. For example, they know how the spending of additional funding for ensuring that disadvantaged pupils catch up with their peers is impacting on the progress of all groups of pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Staff are well trained. They know the pupils well and are vigilant. This enables them to spot any changes in behaviour that might suggest that pupils are vulnerable to risks such as radicalisation or neglect. The school tracks leavers carefully to their next school so that no one goes missing.
• Staff recruitment processes are managed properly and there is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school.
• The school works well with its key partners to ensure all pupils are kept safe and cared for. Pupils take part in a variety of workshops such as anti-bullying and road safety.
• The principal has ensured that all staff and governors have read and acted upon the latest guidance on keeping children safe in education, including the dangers of extremism and radicalisation.
• Parents are very pleased with the culture of safety that the school has created.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• There have been significant improvements in the quality of teaching and learning and assessment across the whole school. These are due to the principal’s effective monitoring and identification of what needs to improve and the trust’s quality of training for staff.
• Senior leaders work alongside staff to model teaching, coach aspects of performance and help staff understand information from assessments. Teaching is now consistently good and pupils are making good progress in relation to their starting points.
• Teachers plan lessons that pupils find stimulating and that allow them to see the relevance of what they are learning. For example, in Year 4 in religious education, pupils were discussing how meditation could help improve their clarity of thinking.
• Teachers have high expectations of behaviour and consistently apply the school’s behaviour policy; consequently all pupils are keen to learn.
• Teachers’ good subject knowledge is evident in the quality of their planning and the clear explanations that they give at the start of lessons. Learning points are underpinned by the use of ‘chillies’ (differently graded starting points) ensuring success for pupils with a wide range of starting points.
• Teachers and teaching assistants deliver lessons that engage pupils and develop their early reading skills effectively. They teach sounds that letters make thoroughly and this helps all pupils to read unfamiliar words.
• There is still room for improvement in the teaching of reading, especially in the older classes. Teachers are not doing enough to help pupils gain a better knowledge of how different authors tackle similar themes.
• Teachers take account of pupils’ interests. For example, several boys who were reluctant readers were asked to choose books that they would like to study in their English lessons. This had a profound effect on their learning and helped each one of them to develop a positive self-image as a reader.
• Teachers use questions well to probe pupils’ understanding. There are times when the most able pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are not given sufficient opportunities to think more deeply about what they have read. This limits their ability to identify how different authors write about the same themes.
• While teachers have high expectations of their pupils’ learning, work seen in exercise books in Years 1 and 2 demonstrates that they do not always follow the school’s presentation policy. Writing is not always neatly presented, pupils do not spell common words correctly and they forget to use correct punctuation in their writing.
• In mathematics, teachers use a good range of visual and practical resources, which help all groups of pupils to secure their understanding of mathematical concepts. Pupils can work out how to solve mathematical problems. However, those pupils who need to catch up often struggle to articulate how they arrive at a particular solution to a mathematical problem.
• Parents feel well informed about their children’s progress and they value the variety of homework that the school provides. They especially value the ‘power projects’ where they get the opportunity to work alongside their children on curriculum-based projects, such as making bird’s eye views of their homes.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They know how to stay safe in various situations and who to speak to if they have a concern.
• Pupils are valued and cherished by all staff and have a good awareness of their differences and accept and respect one another. The high emphasis on team-building, both in lessons and during sporting activities, has a positive impact on relationships and makes a strong contribution to pupils’ social development. Pupils develop an understanding of different faiths through visiting a variety of places of worship. They have a growing awareness of one another’s needs and, as a Year 2 class logo says, ‘We are all different but we swim in the same sea’.
• Pupils know about different types of bullying and report that there is no bullying in the school. Staff deal effectively with any disputes between pupils that do arise. The school’s work to promote respect and tolerance is well established.
• Pupils’ knowledge of e-safety is secure. They are aware of the risks presented by the internet and how to manage them. Pupils know what they would do if they came across any inappropriate content on their computer.
• Breakfast club is popular and ensures pupils get to school on time. It is well organised and gives pupils a good start to the day as they relax, play games and complete homework tasks. It makes a strong contribution to pupils’ punctuality and attendance.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons and around school. They take pride in their work and are keen to learn. They have a positive attitude to learning and concentrate well in lessons. Pupils respond positively to teachers’ praise by concentrating on tasks and trying to do their best.
• Pupils say that teachers are fair in their use of rewards and sanctions. Pupils are keen to score as many points as possible and, if they earn enough, they are rewarded by being able to sit on pillows in their classrooms.
• Leaders keep detailed records of any incidents of poor behaviour and these show the effectiveness of procedures for improving it. The school is a harmonious community where there are no racist comments and where pupils get on well together.
• Attendance has improved since the last inspection and is now in line with the national average. Leaders work well with parents who do not send their children to school regularly, making them aware of the importance of being punctual.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Pupils’ outcomes have improved since the last inspection. In all key stages, all groups of pupils now make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. As a result of good teaching, levels of attainment across the school are rising.
• Published historical data shows that levels of attainment and rates of progress for pupils at the end of key stages 1 and 2 have been below national levels. Pupils’ current work, observations of learning, the school’s data of pupils’ progress and pupils’ books confirm that current pupils are doing well. A large majority of pupils are now working at levels expected for their age. Pupils are resilient learners and are well prepared to cope with the demands of secondary school.
• In Year 6 in 2016, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard or above in writing and mathematics was close to the national averages. This represents good progress from pupils’ often low starting points. In writing, an above-average proportion of pupils also reached levels beyond those expected. A lower proportion of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading in this year group. In the main, this was due to some weaknesses in their ability to read between the lines and fully understand the author’s intent. Improving this aspect of reading is already identified as a school priority for current pupils and standards are rising.
• By the end of Year 2 in 2016, an above-average proportion of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. In writing and mathematics, an above-average proportion of pupils also achieved a greater depth in learning than did so nationally.
• While in the past some pupils’ achievement in reading has lagged behind writing and mathematics, improvements in reading are now evident. Leaders have already strengthened how phonics is delivered. School data and inspection evidence show that significantly more pupils have achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check. The lowest-attaining disadvantaged pupils in key stage 2 are also now catching up quickly.
• Achievement in writing is good. Pupils use tenses correctly, include a wide range of adjectives to engage the reader and make descriptions come alive, such as creating interesting story settings and character descriptions. In Years 1 and 2, not all pupils follow the school’s presentation policy. Sometimes their writing is untidy. Errors are made when spelling common words and accuracy in punctuation is sometimes lacking.
• All groups of pupils are making good gains in acquiring mathematical skills, such as language, number bonds and times tables. Some pupils who have lower levels of attainment struggle to explain how they arrive at an answer. They do not have enough opportunities to talk about the strategies they use to solve problems.
• Pupils also make good progress in a range of subjects in addition to reading, writing and mathematics. In science, pupils conduct investigations, make sensible predictions and evaluate information presented. They discuss fair testing and the need to keep accurate measurements. In geography, they know about the climate in Cambodia and Mexico. In religious education, they compare how people belonging to different faiths pray and celebrate festivals.
• As a result of effective use of the pupil premium, bespoke support and inclusion in all the school has on offer, the achievement of disadvantaged pupils has improved and is now good. Work in pupils’ books and teachers’ assessments show that differences between the attainment of disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally are diminishing.
• The most able pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, are making better progress than previously. This is because expectations of what they can achieve have risen and tasks are more demanding, which, for the most part, is helping them to achieve their potential. In reading, however, these pupils are not always pushed on to achieve as much as they could.
• Pupils who have special needs and/or disabilities are well supported in their learning. Well-informed support staff understand their barriers to learning well. Leaders take care to check that any extra help given is effective.

Early years provision Good

• The early years leader has had a significant impact on raising standards, improving teaching and children’s levels of skill, knowledge and understanding in both the Nursery and Reception classes.
• Since the last inspection, children’s achievement has risen significantly. Over the past two years, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development by the end of Reception, although below average, has improved rapidly. Given that many children start school with skills and knowledge that are much lower than those typically seen for children of their age, this represents good progress. School data and inspection evidence also show that this trend of improvement is set to continue. An above-average proportion of children are expected to reach a good level of development this year. Furthermore, differences in attainment between different groups are diminishing. Children now have the skills they need for learning in Year 1.
• Teaching has improved and is now good both in the Nursery and Reception classes. Leaders have trained staff so that they can effectively teach the basic skills of reading, writing and mathematics through play. Revised assessment processes now focus sharply on identifying children’s learning characteristics and their next steps.
• Staff plan support effectively. They make good use of the early years pupil premium. Disadvantaged children, including the most able, as well as those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points.
• Children engage in a wide range of activities using many resources that enable them to develop their language skills. By making apple crumble out of oats, for example, children are encouraged to talk to each other, such as about the consistency of the ‘spikes’ in the oats that they handle. Teachers seize upon opportunities to talk to children about their learning, for example, the uneven texture of the oats.
• Children are developing their phonic knowledge rapidly due to the well-structured phonics sessions. Children are able to hear and see sounds and then write them with correctly formed letters. This is having a significant impact on improving children’s writing. For example, some children write their names and use their phonic knowledge to sound out the letters correctly. Almost all children can correctly identify initial sounds of objects that the teacher shows them.
• Children are making good gains in their mathematical language. They can describe shapes, match cubes to numbers and form numbers correctly. They record simple number sentences and have secure knowledge of mathematical vocabulary, especially when weighing oats.
• Children show good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning. They are interested in their surroundings, especially in the mud kitchen outdoors. Classrooms, both indoors and outdoors, are rich learning environments within which children quickly learn how to develop their communication skills.
• Parents are very pleased with the frequent contact they have with teachers. They receive updates on their children’s learning together with photographs of activities that the children have engaged in. Parents appreciate the advice offered about how they can help their children to learn at home. They are encouraged to contribute to their children’s learning by observing them at home and noting any new changes in learning. This has a positive effect on helping overcome any barriers to learning.
• Safeguarding is effective. Staff are well trained and knowledgeable about how to keep children safe. They receive good-quality training in all aspects of keeping children safe, including child protection and paediatric first aid. There are no breaches of welfare regulations. Children are well supervised and the learning environment is well organised and secure. Risk assessments are undertaken when any new activity is presented.
• Children show that they feel safe through following routines and knowing how to use equipment carefully. Their warm relationships with teachers and support assistants demonstrate the school’s inclusive approach in valuing every child’s uniqueness.

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School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139305 Walsall 10020044 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 392 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Executive principal Principal Telephone number Website Email address Doug James Paul Edgerton Gemma Down 01215 686421 www.rough-hay.walsall.sch.uk postbox@rough-hay.walsall.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 18–19 September 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school complies with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations set for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.
• The school is a larger than average-sized school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who receive support from the pupil premium is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly average.
• Children in the early years are taught part time in the Nursery and in two full-time Reception classes.
• The school is federated with King’s Rise Primary School and Croft Academy, and is part of the Elliot Foundation Academies Trust. All three schools work in close collaboration and share staff, expertise, training and resources.
• The executive principal leads the three academies with each school having their own dedicated principal.
• The school operates a breakfast club, which is managed by the governing body.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors gathered a range of evidence to judge the quality of teaching, learning and assessment over time. They observed learning in lessons. They undertook joint lesson observations with the senior leadership team.
• Inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including: the school’s own information on pupils’ current and recent progress, planning of work for different subjects, leaders’ monitoring of the quality of teaching and learning, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and the safeguarding of pupils.
• Inspectors heard several groups of pupils read.
• Inspectors talked to governors, several parents, pupils, the chief executive of the Elliot Foundation and its regional school’s director.
• The inspectors considered text responses from parents and the school’s parental questionnaires. Too few parents responded to the online questionnaire, Parent View, to generate a report.
• Inspectors considered the views of staff who completed the online questionnaires.
• Inspectors held meetings with pupils to seek their views about the work of the school and their progress in learning.

Inspection team

Bogusia Matusiak-Varley, lead inspector Michael Appleby Linda Brown

Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector