Woodcock Hill Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Woodcock Hill Primary School is a very welcoming and supportive place to learn. Pupils are happy and enjoy coming to school.

They feel safe and appreciate how well their teachers and all school staff look after them.

Leaders are ambitious for the pupils at this school. They ensure that the curriculum is exciting and that all pupils follow it.

Leaders and all staff want children to do well and work hard to help them do so. When pupils struggle, staff provide additional support so that they catch up.

Pupils behave well in classrooms and around school.

They are kind and thoughtful to each other. They told inspectors that bullying does sometimes... happen at school, but adults deal with it quickly. Pupils understand the school values of respect, ambition, creativity, inclusion, independence and perseverance.

They appreciate how these values help them learn and grow.

Staff encourage pupils to be proud of, and contribute to, their community. For example, the Year 6 pupils loved organising and running a charity coffee morning.

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

Curriculum leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum at Woodcock Hill and have worked hard to ensure it is taught well. They have thought hard about the order in which children learn each subject. This results in children remembering more over time.

Pupils enjoy talking about their learning and do so confidently and enthusiastically. For instance, pupils were keen to tell inspectors about the history they had learned this year and in previous years.

Children work hard but some of the work they produce is untidy, although the content is often strong.

Leaders and teachers need to have higher expectations of how neatly pupils present written work.

In the early years, children settle quickly because teachers focus on their well-being and social skills from the start. Routines are clearly embedded, and children feel safe and secure.

They are already becoming confident, independent learners. Adults in the early years spend their time skilfully talking and listening to the children. As a result of this, children are happy, developing their vocabulary, and always keen to talk about their learning.

The teaching of reading has a high priority at Woodcock Hill. Children learn phonics daily from the start of Reception so that they become fluent readers as soon as they can. The school has a well embedded and consistent approach to the teaching of phonics.

The adults who teach it are well trained and are very skilled in helping pupils improve their reading skills. When pupils fall behind, staff provide extra support swiftly to help them catch up.Staff work hard to help all pupils develop a love of reading.

They read to pupils often and the books they read are of a high quality. Pupils told inspectors that they love books and that they read widely and often. They particularly appreciate the range of books they can choose from in classes and from the school library.

Pupils' love of reading is clear to see the moment you step into Woodcock Hill Primary School.

Pupils get a lot of chances to contribute to school life. They can become school councillors, house captains and 'change makers'.

Children say that they can make a real difference because adults listen to their views and opinions. Pupils learn about people from different backgrounds and cultures. They talk maturely about their own thoughts, opinions and feelings.

The school helps pupils develop the social skills they will need in their next school and beyond.

Pupils, including those in the early years, behave well. They show very positive attitudes to one another and to their learning.

Leaders make considerable efforts to work with pupils and their families to ensure pupils attend school every day. Nevertheless, levels of absence are too high for some pupils, which means they miss learning time.

Governors, leaders and all staff are passionate about their school and want the best for all pupils.

Since the last inspection, leaders have followed clear plans to improve the school. Parents told inspectors they have seen positive changes during this time. However, some parents say that communication from school is not always effective.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that safeguarding is everyone's priority at Woodcock Hill. They have made sure that there are effective systems in place to keep children safe.

Staff have a good knowledge of what they should do if they have concerns about a pupil.

Staff work with outside agencies to keep pupils safe. If safeguarding issues arise, leaders make swift referrals so that pupils and their families receive the support they need.

They follow up referrals rigorously.

Pupils learn how to stay safe online and outside of school. They feel very safe in school and trust all staff to keep them safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Pupils' presentation of written work is not of a consistently high standard. This means that pupils' work can be difficult to read. Leaders need to put into place a consistent approach to handwriting and presentation so that what pupils write is always legible.

• Despite the hard work of leaders and staff, too many pupils are persistently absent. Consequently, some pupils miss too much learning and do not achieve as well as they should. Leaders need to work further with children and their families to develop and use a range of strategies to monitor and improve pupils' attendance.

• Several parents told inspectors that communication from school is not always effective. This means that parents sometimes do not know what is going on and miss events. Communication with parents needs to be improved so that parents feel fully informed about what is going on and so they can fully support their child's learning.