Wood Ley Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Main findings

This is a good school.

The headteacher provides collaborative leadership so that all the staff are supporting the good quality of education for the pupils. She is well supported by a newly-formed senior leadership team which is helping her drive improvements in the school. The caring and pupil-centred atmosphere of this small school provides a good environment for learning.

One parent wrote: 'This is a lovely school with a very supportive teaching staff. My children enjoy their time at school and they are always doing interesting things to enhance their learning.' Achievement is good.

Pupils make good progress from their broadly average starting points and standards are above average... by the time they leave the school. The positive atmosphere in the classrooms, the additional support for underachieving pupils and the emphasis on key skills, are all contributing to the good progress of the pupils. The systems of tracking pupils' progress are well embedded so that underachieving pupils are quickly identified and provided with additional support.

The school has been particularly successful in raising the achievement of girls in mathematics by modifying the teaching so that they gain greater confidence in the application of number skills. The good quality of care, guidance and support greatly promotes pupils' good personal development. They enjoy their time at school and develop into friendly and confident individuals.

The behaviour of the majority of pupils is good and this contributes to a positive ethos for learning. Pupils are respectful towards each other so that every pupil feels valued in the family atmosphere of this small school. They make an excellent contribution to the school and local community by volunteering to take responsibility in school, raising money for charities and taking a full part in activities in the town.

The curriculum is good and the school uses a range of opportunities such as activity days, visitors and trips to enhance the educational experience of the pupils. The imaginative provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage ensures that children make a good start to school. The great majority of teaching in the school is securing good progress and learning.

It is effective in ensuring that pupils are motivated and actively engaged in lessons. In a minority of lessons, which are satisfactory, teaching is less effective and does not always act on the key areas for improvement identified through lesson observations. In these cases, teachers are not always using assessment information effectively to inform planning so that the work is closely matched to the learning needs of individual pupils.

The school runs very smoothly because the headteacher is effective in supporting teachers and support staff to work as a strong team. The systems for tracking pupils' progress are driving improvements in the individual progress of the pupils. Although teachers are aware of the details of the progress for each pupil, they are not yet fully involved in the analysis of trends and patterns in the achievement of groups.

Self-evaluation is accurate and the senior leadership team and governing body are well aware of the strengths and areas for improvement. Development planning is good and there are clear actions for improvement. The newly formed senior team are developing well as leaders and are effectively supporting the headteacher.

However, the new team members have not yet been given full responsibility or an opportunity to extend their monitoring roles in the school. The school has good partnerships with community groups, external services and the local schools. There are very positive relationships with parents and carers.

Parents are given regular information about school events and the progress of their children. The effective leadership of the school, the rigorous systems for tracking pupils' progress and the improving record in pupils' achievement, indicate that this school has a good capacity to improve further.

Information about the school

The school is smaller than the average sized primary school.

It is situated in the north western part of Stowmarket and mainly serves pupils from the surrounding area. The very large majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds although there is a very small number from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils with a range of special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.

The percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is also below average. There are three mixed-age classes in both Key Stage 1 and 2 in which pupils are grouped by ability in literacy and numeracy. Provision for the Early Years Foundation Stage is organised through two Reception classes.

The Little Mice and the Wood Ley out-of-school club are located on the site but were not included in this inspection. The local authority is presently undertaking consultations regarding the development of a two-tier system of primary and secondary schools in the town. The school has achieved Activemark and Quality Mark awards and holds National Healthy Schools status.