Co-op Academy Woodlands

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants the very best for pupils. There are a significant number of pupils, joining the school throughout the year, who speak English as an additional language (EAL).

There is a rigorous process to support these pupils to learn the essential words and phrases that allow them to function independently.

Pupils at Co-op Academy Woodlands are keen, interested and inquisitive. They enjoy being active learners.

The school uses its 'character' curriculum to teach pupils what good behaviour looks like. This curriculum enables pupils to practise meeting the school's expectations, such as walking in a line in the corridor and using a knife and fork correctly.<...br/>
Pupils are motivated to earn the school's RESPECT badges.

Leaders award badges for fulfilling specific criteria, such as reading every day or returning their homework weekly. Pupils wear their badges with pride.

There are many different ethnicities and cultures at the school.

Pupils have a healthy appreciation of diversity and equality. A pupil captured the essence of diversity, saying, 'The world would be a dull place if everyone was the same.'

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

The school's wider curriculum is ambitious, and designed to support appropriate progression for pupils.

During the pandemic, the school developed the curriculum. It is now being refined following a review by leaders. Leaders identified that in some subjects, there is too much knowledge to teach the pupils.

As a result, pupils do not remember the most important facts. The school is decreasing the amount of knowledge to ensure that it teaches pupils the right things at the right time. These changes are recent.

The school has not had an opportunity to check that the curriculum is being taught in line with the new expectations.

The school has developed a system for checking what pupils know. Teachers check what pupils know at the start of a unit of work and again at the end.

For example, in geography, after the first check, teachers adapt their planning to address the gaps in pupils' knowledge.

The school has prioritised the teaching of early reading. The school uses the same format and script in all phonics lessons to support staff to teach phonics consistently.

Most adults are highly skilled at supporting pupils' early reading. Pupils use their phonic knowledge to read and blend unfamiliar words. Leaders analyse information from regular phonics checks to identify gaps in pupils' knowledge.

Consequently, pupils receive extra phonics teaching to help them catch up. Teachers read to pupils every day. The school has developed a reading spine of age-appropriate texts linked to topics, diversity and the personal, social and health education (PSHE) programme.

This ensures that pupils have access to key authors and a range of genres.

The mathematics curriculum is ambitious for pupils. Leaders organise the curriculum so that pupils revisit important content regularly.

This means that pupils build on what they can already do. The school checks that pupils are retaining the mathematical knowledge they have been taught. It provides additional practice when gaps emerge.

Teachers explain clearly and model well using approaches that help pupils to understand what they are learning. Teachers use the correct mathematical language and expect that pupils do the same. However, pupils' grasp of key mathematical vocabulary is variable.

The school has introduced mathematical vocabulary webs to support pupils to understand the meaning of the terminology.

Staff understand the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school ensures that these pupils access support from external agencies and professionals.

Teachers work closely with speech and language therapists to preteach vocabulary to support pupils with SEND, and those who speak EAL, to access the curriculum.

The school has prioritised the development of communication and language in the early years. Adults make effective use of questioning, model pronunciation and repeat important phrases.

The learning environment is organised, enabling children to concentrate for sustained periods of time. Children thrive in the encouraging, nurturing provision.

The school has considered the needs of the community in developing its PSHE curriculum.

Leaders have added bespoke units to reflect some of the local challenges. For example, the school works closely with a charity to educate pupils about the dangers of joining a gang. Key stage 2 pupils know the risks and repercussions of carrying a knife.

The school provides lessons so pupils know how to stay safe online.

The trust and the academy governing council recognise the school's commitment to reducing the number of pupils who are persistently absent. Leaders are doing all they can to improve the attendance of some pupils.

Leaders and the trust are considerate of staff's well-being. Shared planning and resources help to reduce teachers' workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• While the reviewed wider curriculum is in place, opportunities to check its implementation have been limited. This hampers the school's ability to evaluate its effectiveness. The school should ensure that monitoring systems support subject leaders to check and develop the implementation and impact of their subjects.

• In some subjects, the level of key knowledge included in curriculum plans is too extensive. This means that pupils do not remember the important facts consistently. The school should refine the knowledge that pupils must learn in each subject to ensure that pupils know more and remember more and are ready to access future learning confidently.