Woodland Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish in this delightful, small, rural school. They say that there are 'never any sad faces' at the school. Strong and trusting relationships underpin this.

Parents and carers share the same positive views about the school.

The school sets high expectations for all its pupils to be successful. Staff offer high levels of support and encouragement for this to happen.

Pupils respond positively by engaging fully in their learning.

Pupils behave well. The recently introduced family time is contributing to this, where older pupils act as positive role models for the younger ones.

Pupils have a well-developed understanding of bullying and... all its forms. They insist it does not happen here but are, nonetheless, equipped with the knowledge and skills needed should it do so.

Playtimes are busy, with large spaces for pupils to explore.

Older pupils would welcome the opportunity to participate in more-structured activities during this time.

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

The school has developed a highly ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that is enabling pupils to gain a secure understanding of different subjects. This has been skilfully done to accommodate pupils taught in mixed-age classes.

Teachers receive expert advice and support from across the federation to help them to deliver the curriculum effectively.

In all subjects, pupils are encouraged to use precise vocabulary when talking about their learning. For example, in history younger pupils can talk confidently about timelines and chronology.

Older pupils can explain what happens when a loop is used in coding.

The impact of the new curriculums is clear. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning.

They have a sound recall of the key knowledge that they have been taught. Pupils' outcomes at the end of key stage 2 are strong and pupils are well prepared for future learning.

During lessons, teachers routinely check on pupils' learning.

They intervene quickly to iron out any misconceptions and get learning back on track. This is consistent in all subjects. In some subjects, however, more-formal approaches to checking what pupils know and can do have only recently been established and are not yet embedded.

This means that some subject leaders do not yet have a secure understanding of how pupils are performing in their subject areas. The school is aware of this, and plans are already in place to address the issue.

Reading is a high priority for all.

The school prioritises its spending to provide a rich supply of books for pupils to access. Children in the early years get off to a good start in learning the sounds that letters represent. This continues as pupils move into key stage 1.

Pupils get lots of practise to read. They do so with books that are well matched to their phonics knowledge. The recently introduced and successful 'reading café' provides quality time for parents and pupils to read together.

Children quickly settle into the early years unit and develop their social skills effectively. Staff skilfully navigate the challenges of teaching both the early years curriculum and the national curriculum in the same class. Adult-led sessions are focused and are enabling children to make good progress.

However, sometimes, during play-based activities, it is not clear what the children are to learn. This means that staff do not make the most of opportunities to extend and consolidate children's knowledge and skills.

The curriculum for pupils' personal development is well considered.

The school's rural location features at the heart of its development. The school has ensured that there is a strong focus on nurturing pupils' understanding of tolerance and respect, as well as online safety and environmental awareness. Pupils' first hand involvement in the school's decarbonisation project contributed to pupils' understanding of the climate change agenda.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported in school. The school identifies their needs promptly. Staff adapt learning to meet pupils' needs so that most pupils can make the same progress as that of their peers.

Governors provide effective support to the school. Since federating they have worked hard to align their collective skills to the right roles. They have improved the quality and frequency of their monitoring, which is enabling them to contribute effectively to school improvement.

Staff are proud to work at the school. They value the support and training they receive to make them effective in their roles.

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 subjects, approaches to checking what pupils already know and can do are still developing. This means that some subject leaders do not yet have a secure understanding of how well pupils are performing in their subject areas. The school should ensure that approaches to checking what pupils know and can do are embedded so that all subject leaders are able to check the effectiveness of their curriculums.

• In the early years, some play-based activities lack clear learning intentions. This means that opportunities to extend or consolidate children's learning as well as leaders expect are missed. The school needs to strengthen this aspect of the early years curriculum to ensure that every opportunity to consolidate or deepen children's understanding is taken.