Woodbank Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Woodbank Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Woodbank is a friendly school where pupils feel happy and well supported. Parents and carers appreciate the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the school.

Pupils benefit from a well-planned curriculum which supports their academic and social development and fosters their love of learning.

Pupils attend regularly because they like finding out new things with their friends.

All pupils in school behave well. Pupils that I spoke to told me that they feel safe in school.

They are confident that they can talk to any member of staff if they have a concern. Pupils also tol...d me that on the rare occasions that bullying happens, it is dealt with immediately.

Staff have high expectations of pupils' behaviour and achievement.

This encourages pupils to do their best and supports their strong achievement in a wide range of subjects. Staff want pupils to be good citizens. Pupils raise funds for many worthy causes and demonstrate their strong leadership skills as school council members.

Pupils like to participate in competitive sports including rugby, football and cross-country. They attend yoga, netball and karate clubs and enjoy singing and clog dancing. Pupils enjoy their visits to museums, Viking settlements, castles and local places of interest.

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

Senior leaders have designed and carefully planned a curriculum which helps to ensure that pupils engage and succeed in their learning. Leaders want pupils to develop in the 'Woodbank Way'. This requires pupils to be responsible, respectful and resilient.

Leaders also want pupils to be good citizens, equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary for the next stage of their education and beyond.

Leaders' initiatives to improve phonics and reading are reaping rewards. Staff are well trained and have high aspirations for pupils.

Key stage 2 pupils are competitive and proud to have read and reviewed many books. Pupils read with good expression. Those who find reading difficult use their phonics skills well to sound out and read unfamiliar words.

Pupils have access to a wide range of books and are developing an appreciation of the work of different poets.

Published data shows that pupils in key stage 2 achieve well in mathematics and writing. Across the school, teachers expect pupils to explain their answers in mathematics and use different concepts and ideas.

For example, pupils in key stage 1 told me that they should approach their work systematically. Pupils have many opportunities to revise and repeat their times tables. Pupils' fluency in mathematics helps them to calculate and perform difficult problem-solving activities accurately.

In science, teachers plan practical activities and experiments to enhance pupils' understanding. For example, pupils in key stage 1 were seen exploring the characteristics of different materials, such as elastic bands and pipe-cleaners, and recording their findings. In key stage 2, pupils understand how animals evolve and adapt to environmental conditions.

However, some of the pupils I talked to could remember little about their previous learning. This weakness exists because the science curriculum is not sequenced as well as it should be.

Children achieve well in the early years.

The early years curriculum is well planned and ambitious. Children thoroughly enjoy story time. This was seen when the Nursery children listened intently to the story of Goldilocks and The Three Bears.

Children demonstrated their good counting skills as the story was read. They also debated whether Goldilocks should have entered the bears' house. Most children in the Reception class add and subtract single-digit numbers correctly and recognise various shapes.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Staff help pupils with their learning and behaviour in a nurture room called 'The Acorns'. The good support that pupils receive helps them to reintegrate back into class quickly.

Pupils with SEND achieve well in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects. Parents are proud of their children's achievements. They also appreciate the support and care that their children receive from staff at the school.

Pupils behave well during lessons and as they move around the school. Pupils understand the principals of democracy and appreciate the culturally diverse nature of British society. They are encouraged to follow their interests and participate in after-school activities.

Staff help pupils to develop their skills as digital leaders, 'buddies' and 'conductors' (librarians) on the school's reading bus.

Staff morale is high. Newly qualified teachers are very appreciative of the support they receive from senior leaders.

They told me that this support is helping to improve their teaching practice. Staff also said that leaders are mindful of their mental health, well-being and workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

All staff are trained to spot the signs of neglect and abuse. They know exactly what to do if they are concerned about the welfare of a pupil. Pupils understand internet safety and they know how to protect themselves from being exploited.

The school's safeguarding leaders are trained to a high standard. Staff work closely with a wide range of external agencies. Together, they ensure that pupils at risk of harm are promptly given the support that they need.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have carefully sequenced the curriculum in most subjects. Curriculum plans indicate how pupils' knowledge and skills should be built on as they move through the early years and key stages 1 and 2. However, the science curriculum is not as effective as it should be and some pupils do not retain the information that they have previously learned.

Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is carefully sequenced and check that teachers are delivering the science curriculum effectively. This will ensure that pupils know more and remember more.

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 Woodbank Primary School to be good on 12–13 April 2016.