Western Learning Federation Woodlands High School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Woodlands High School is one of three special schools that form the Western Learning Federation. The federation was established in January 2018. The aim of the federation is to achieve economies of scale, develop close collaborative working across the schools for the benefit of both pupils and staff, and develop and improve leadership capacity, whilst maintaining the individual identity of each of the three schools.

All three schools are served by one governing body and led by an executive headteacher, who was appointed in 2019. Since the last inspection the school has continued with its improvement journey and is run by highly capable and effective leaders who are motivated in providing the best possible learning experiences for a...ll pupils. The school continues to be affected by staffing shortages but manages these difficulties to the best of its ability.

The school has a strong culture of support for pupils and provides particularly effective formal and informal well-being support for all staff. Overall, Woodlands is very caring and nurturing school. Pupils develop their social skills very well and enjoy happy and respectful relationships with other pupils and staff.

Staff understand and respond to the needs of pupils well. Nearly all pupils make suitable progress that is in line with their needs and ability. Staff have consistently high expectations of pupils' attitudes to learning and behaviour.

Where teaching is most effective, staff are enthusiastic and plan well for the individual needs of pupils. The school has developed a creative enquiry curriculum and pupils are engaged in curriculum planning. The school also supports pupils' understanding of different cultures and traditions well and provides beneficial opportunities for pupils to experience these.

Pupils are provided with valuable opportunities to learn in the local community, for example through worthwhile opportunities to undertake work experience and intern placements with businesses. These provide pupils with exciting opportunities to learn more about the world of work but more importantly pupils are valued by the host organisations for their dedication and commitment. This contributes very positively to pupils' self-esteem.

Overall, pupils at Woodlands are polite, pleasant and respectful of themselves and others. Recommendations R1 Continue to develop pupils' skills, particularly in reading and Welsh R2 Strengthen tracking systems that clearly show pupils' progress over time R3 Evaluate the impact of the Western Learning Federation on Woodlands High School What happens next The school will draw up an action plan to address the recommendations from the inspection. Estyn will invite the school to prepare two case studies on its work in relation to: 1 supporting pupils' attitudes to learning and the sharing of curriculum and learning experiences through dissemination events; and 2 developing a culture that supports staff well-being, for dissemination on Estyn's website.

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