Wood End Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Wood End Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy their time at school. They are polite and helpful to each other. Pupils like the focus on positive behaviour and the associated rewards system.

As a result, behaviour in classrooms and during social times is consistently positive. Pupils appreciate opportunities to take on roles of responsibility such as being prefects, school council members and club leaders.

Pupils told me that there is rarely any bullying at the school.

When it does happen, staff deal with it quickly. Pupils said that they feel safe, and that adults listen to them and are helpful if there is a pr...oblem. Pupils feel reassured by the 'worry box' where they can let staff know about concerns that they have.

This helps them to get support to overcome difficulties, such as when they fall out with friends.

Leaders have high expectations of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils have access to a range of clubs and community activities.

This helps them to develop wider skills and personal interests. Pupils value these opportunities. They keep a record of their participation in an 'activity passport' and many are rewarded with a special 'graduation' ceremony.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is given high priority across the school. Teachers quickly identify pupils who are struggling. Help is available for them to catch up with the others.

All pupils have daily reading lessons where they study a wide range of fiction and non-fiction texts. Teachers read to pupils each day. This allows them to access more challenging books and encourages their love of reading.

Leaders make sure that all staff know the importance of teaching key vocabulary. This enables pupils of all ages to use a wide range of words in class discussions and in their written work.Pupils' work in mathematics shows how they are building their knowledge, skills and understanding effectively.

They use these well to complete tasks that require explanations and to solve increasingly challenging questions.

Pupils learn history, geography, science, art, and design and technology through a topic-based approach. The whole school follows the same topic at the same time.

For example, this term, everyone is studying the two world wars. For each topic and for each year group, leaders have identified the content that they want pupils to learn. This includes making connections between different curriculum subjects.

However, it is not as clear how pupils' learning of specific knowledge and skills in individual subjects is developed over time as they move from Year 3 to Year 6. Leaders have plans in place to ensure that this is made more explicit.

Computing is taught as a separate subject in each year group.

Leaders have identified what pupils need to learn. This is a recent development. At present, not all aspects of the subject are fully planned or delivered.

Plans are also in place to put this right.

The personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education programme is well planned and well developed. Pupils revisit important themes as they progress through the school.

For example, when pupils in Year 4 study healthy lifestyles, they focus on nutrients and how food is needed for energy. Pupils in Year 6 build on this by looking at the effect of exercise on the body and the energy required. This helps them understand how to maintain good physical health.

Pupils' positive behaviour and helpful attitudes enable everyone to focus on their learning in lessons. The playground and dining halls are pleasant places to be.

Leaders make sure that all pupils have opportunities to visit museums, galleries, the theatre and places of worship.

This supports pupils' learning and enriches their life experiences.

Teachers and teaching assistants have time to plan together. By doing this, they make sure that all pupils, including those with SEND, can learn together well in the classroom.

Some teachers said that this also helps them to manage their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff and governors receive regular training in line with safeguarding guidance.

Staff understand the signs to look out for to identify pupils who may be at risk. Pupils said they know they can talk to adults in school if they have worries or concerns. Leaders respond swiftly to disclosures and reported incidents.

They follow up all such cases with the appropriate authority.

Through the curriculum, pupils learn about potential risks and how to respond to these. They are aware of how to keep safe online and in the community.

Assemblies and PSHE lessons address any local safeguarding issues.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

The school's curriculum is not yet sufficiently coherently planned and sequenced in some subjects. However, it is clear from the actions that leaders have already taken that they are in the process of bringing this about.

. The school's 'learning journey' programme is ambitious and interesting, but it is not fully planned out. Leaders have not been explicit enough about how pupils' learning of subject-specific knowledge and skills is to be developed as they progress through the school.

Leaders need to ensure that topic work is well planned in terms of subject sequencing, so that pupils' knowledge and skills are progressively deepened from year to year. . Leaders have introduced a new computing curriculum.

However, the order of coverage is not yet fully planned and not all aspects of the subject are currently taught. Further work is needed to ensure that all aspects of the subject are planned and taught.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2016.