Woodhouse West Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is warm and welcoming.

Pupils are courteous and respectful to visitors and to each other. There is a strong anti-bullying culture. Staff have earned pupils' trust by responding quickly and effectively on the rare occasions where bullying occurs.

The trusting relationships between staff and pupils help pupils to feel happy in school.

Adults have high expectations of pupils' behaviour right across the school. On the rare occasions that pupils' behaviour falls short of the high standards set, staff quickly get pupils back on track.

Pupils earn points for their class by demonstrating the school's values. This approach helps to foster a positiv...e culture. Pupils are keen to live up to the school's vision of 'aspiring to be awesome'.

Staff are ambitious for all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve well. In the main, pupils achieve in line with these high expectations. Children in the early years get off to a strong start.

Most pupils are keen to engage in learning.

Pupils are encouraged to take on leadership roles, including joining the school council. Some older pupils are reading ambassadors.

They read with younger children and promote a love of reading across school. These opportunities help pupils to develop into confident individuals.

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

The school has an effective reading curriculum.

Staff are skilled in teaching pupils to sound out words. Pupils learn to read quickly. Books match the sounds that they know.

The school recognises that some younger pupils would benefit from more practice to develop their fluency. It is taking action to address this. However, typically, staff ensure that those pupils who fall behind in their reading receive the support that they need to catch up with their peers.

Teachers use high-quality texts in all subjects to support the curriculum. Mystery readers, who are often parents and carers, share stories with pupils. Most pupils enjoy reading.

Historically, the school did not provide an effective curriculum to develop pupils' ability to communicate in writing. Pupils were moving too quickly through the curriculum. This sometimes led to pupils attempting complex writing tasks without the prior knowledge they needed.

This is reflected in the 2024 published data at the end of Year 6. However, recently, the school has introduced a new writing curriculum, which is effective. Staff have received high-quality training.

They make sure pupils have the prior knowledge they need before attempting more challenging tasks. This is improving pupils' writing across the school.

The curriculum is ambitious.

Subject leaders have identified what they want pupils to know and remember. Knowledge is broken down into small steps that make pupils' journey through the curriculum clear. Teachers have strong subject knowledge.

They check that pupils are learning well within each lesson. Teachers quickly pick up on and address misconceptions. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, teachers do not check how well pupils remember important concepts over time.

In these subjects, the school does not gather information about the longer-term impact of the curriculum. On occasions, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge that are not addressed. This hinders how well pupils build strong bodies of knowledge in these subjects.

The school identifies swiftly the needs of pupils with SEND. It ensures that teachers understand the needs of these pupils. Staff adapt their approach, if necessary, so that pupils with SEND learn well.

The school makes effective use of external experts, such as speech and language therapists. It draws on advice and training to make sure that pupils get the right support.

In the early years, the curriculum typically prepares children well for the subjects that they study in Year 1.

Children take part in highly purposeful activities to support their learning. Staff are extremely skilled. They expertly guide children to use the language of the curriculum.

This helps children to learn extremely well. The school is redeveloping the outdoor area to provide more opportunities for children to explore their learning.

The school provides pupils with experiences that enhance the curriculum.

These include opportunities to visit a local art exhibition, Christmas performances and a family fun day centred around fitness. There are a small number of clubs that are mainly directed at pupils' sporting interests. Pupils have a mature understanding of democracy and online safety.

Pupils are sometimes less confident around how to stay healthy. Pupils generally remember well what they learn about in personal, social and health education. This helps to ensure that they are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Staff receive effective training and support to provide them with the expertise to carry out their roles well. Most feel that their workload is well managed. Those with responsibility for governance understand their roles well.

They provide effective challenge and support to continually develop the school. A small number of parents feel that the school could communicate more effectively with them. The school is taking action to develop its engagement with families.

For example, it seeks parents' views using surveys. The school also provides workshops to support parents to help their children at home.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some wider curriculum subjects, the school does not ensure that teachers check how well pupils remember their learning over time. In these subjects, some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge that are not swiftly remedied. The school should support teachers to use assessment strategies effectively to identify and address gaps in pupils' learning, so that pupils remember important concepts in the long term.