Wood End Park Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Wood End Park Academy continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show their happiness in coming to school throughout the day. Their smiles and relationships with each other and adults create a warm community. Pupils like to help and show kindness to each other.

Leaders have high expectations. Pupils respond well to these and have a positive attitude towards their learning. Pupils are proud of their learning.

They like to talk about what they have learned confidently. Staff help pupils to be articulate and ready for the next stages of their education, including in early years.

Pupils are very well behaved.

They demonstrate... the school's expectation of 'own your own behaviour'. Teachers know their pupils well and understand their individual needs. Bullying is not tolerated.

If any bullying does occur, it is dealt with immediately. Pupils are kept safe in school.

Pupils have opportunities to take on different responsibilities, for example as pupil ambassadors who greet each pupil in their class every day.

Staff encourage pupils to share their feelings. Pupils and staff work proactively to make sure everyone is looked after here. This helps to promote a positive school ethos where everyone is valued.

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

Leaders have developed a well-planned curriculum. They have considered the order in which pupils learn curricular content. Staff provide pupils with regular opportunities to recap and review what they have learned previously.

This helps all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to access new knowledge more confidently. For example, in geography, while studying about sustainability, pupils could identify several countries accurately. They were able to use and apply knowledge about the United States.

Leaders and staff have developed consistent approaches to delivering the curriculum. Typically, staff check pupils' learning in lessons to find out what they know. For example, in design and technology, teachers checked pupils' understanding about moon buggies to develop their understanding.

However, on occasions in a few subjects, pupils' misunderstandings are not checked as effectively. This means that pupils sometimes continue making the same mistakes. This limits pupils' confidence to be fully ready for new content.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on reading from the early years through to Year 6. Leaders and teachers have successfully introduced a new phonics scheme. Staff are well trained and deliver this confidently.

The books that children read match the sounds they know. Pupils who fall behind receive effective support to help them catch up. As a result, most pupils become fluent readers.

Teachers across the school read to pupils every day. They read a variety of carefully chosen texts that are both of interest and entertaining. Teachers encourage parents to support their children with reading, including through workshops.

Pupils with SEND, including in the early years, are supported to access their learning in class. The adaptations made for them, including through extra resources, enable pupils to learn well. Pupils respond well to the support and have good working relationships with adults.

Leaders provide strategies and training for all staff to meet pupils' individual needs.

Pupils display excellent behaviour in and beyond the classroom. They take responsibility for their learning and show high levels of respect for each other and adults.

Learning is rarely interrupted through inappropriate behaviour. In the playground, the allocated peer mediators support pupils to get on well with everyone.

Leaders provide a wide range of extra-curricular activities for pupils' broader development, including arts, sports, languages, multi-skills and other curricular clubs.

These are regularly attended by pupils of all ages, including pupils with SEND. Pupils value their diverse community. They are taught about world religions and visit different places of worship.

Pupils learn about democracy and British values through the personal, social and health education curriculum. These are taught through activities such as voting for members of the school council, and visits to Buckingham Palace. Each year, all pupils take part in new experiences, such as a theatre trip.

Staff value the support from leaders, who care about their workload. Teachers, including early career teachers, receive training to support their knowledge to teach their subjects well. The governing and trustee boards are supportive of staff and take well-being seriously.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have created a strong culture of safeguarding at the school. They ensure that all staff take responsibility for safeguarding.

Any concerns are identified quickly and reported through systems that leaders and staff know well. This reflects the thorough training that staff and governors receive. The school works closely with outside agencies to make sure that pupils and their families receive the help they need.

Through the curriculum, pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils trust adults and know they can speak to them if they have any concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a few subjects, teaching does not check what pupils know and understand effectively.

As a result, pupils' misunderstandings and mistakes are not identified and addressed quickly. The school should support and train teachers to ensure that they check pupils' learning and address any misconceptions in a timely manner so that pupils are fully ready for new content.

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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

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

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in 2013.

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