Woodstock Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school? '

Everyone's welcome at Woodstock.' This vision for the school is clearly understood by all. Pupils appreciate, and pride themselves on, being part of the school community.

It is a calm and safe place for all. As one pupil told inspectors: 'I used to worry about school and now school is a much happier place.'

The school rules of 'be respectful, resilient and ready to learn,' are lived out by most pupils.

In lessons, most pupils concentrate well. Pupils enjoy their lunchtimes because sports coaches help them to play games cooperatively. The 'Peace Agents' keep an eye out for anyone who may need a friend during social times.

A few pupils continue to ne...ed support to manage their behaviour. They are well supported during the school day. They learn to regulate and understand their emotions.

Pupils are confident that adults will quickly deal with any incidents of bullying.

Pupils study a curriculum that is logical and well sequenced in most subjects. However, this is not the case for all curriculum areas, including in writing.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always get the right support to learn more of the school's curriculum.

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

With the help of the trust, the school has started to implement a revised curriculum. The new curriculum is ambitious and well sequenced in parts but it is not yet fully implemented.

In writing, for example, the school has not precisely identified how elements, such as handwriting, spelling and grammar, will build in a cohesive and ordered way.

Teachers have received training to develop their expertise to deliver the curriculum. They understand the urgency of the changes that are happening at the school.

They feel well supported with the recent developments. However, the school has not yet ensured that the checks teachers make on what pupils have learned enable them to inform pupils' next steps.

The early reading programme has had rapid impact.

Teachers ensure that pupils have lots of opportunities to sound out words. Most pupils receive reading books that are well matched to their level of development. Teachers receive support and training to deliver the programme with accuracy.

Pupils who need additional support to keep up with the reading programme receive help quickly.

Pupils with SEND thrive in subjects where the school has considered the small steps of knowledge. They particularly enjoy art and design.

However, the ambition for pupils with SEND is not consistently high across all subjects. Occasionally, these pupils do not receive the right equipment or resources to access the learning.

Children in early years settle well into school life.

They enjoy exploring their environment and playing alongside their peers. Many children in the early years have gaps in their communication and language development. The school has started to consider how they will adapt the curriculum to meet these needs.

However, not enough consideration has been given to developing children's basic language and communication. This means that the children who are the most disadvantaged do not reliably catch up with early communication, literacy, and language development.

Positive behaviour and relationships are central to the school's culture.

This has helped change pupils' and families' attitudes around attendance. Many pupils now want to come to school. As a result, attendance has improved.

Leaders continue to work with families to reduce persistent absenteeism.

The personal development of pupils is a priority for the school. Leaders want pupils, including those with SEND, to have meaningful experiences.

Most pupils attend the free after-school clubs on offer, including sports and arts clubs. Many access the breakfast club before school. Pupils enjoy the opportunities to attend school visits to the museum, choir concerts or theatre visits.

They understand the importance of a healthy diet and positive mental health. Pupils are accepting of one another. They know that everyone deserves to be respected.

The school, trust, and staff work closely together. They know how important it is to support each other during this period of rapid changes. The trust recognises that there is more work to be done to ensure systems, policies and procedures across school are consistently understood and implemented.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school's curriculum for writing is disjointed and does not build logically. This does not help pupils to improve their writing and limits how well they are prepared for their next stage in education.

Leaders must ensure their curriculum for writing is coherent and logical. They must ensure that staff have the right expertise to deliver this curriculum. ? Systems and routines to support pupils with SEND are not implemented consistently.

This creates barriers to learning for pupils with SEND and does not help them to succeed fully. The school must ensure that all pupils with SEND receive effective teaching as well as the right support and equipment to access the curriculum. The school must ensure that pupils with SEND learn the school's planned curriculum with increasing autonomy and confidence.

• Approaches to assessment are not consistently used across the curriculum. This does not help teachers to identify what pupils already know, what needs to be revisited or address pupils' next steps in a coherent way. The school must ensure that approaches to formative and summative assessment are well developed to enable pupils to know and remember more over time.

• Children in the early years do not develop their basic communication and language in a systematic way. This creates gaps in children's language acquisition and does not prepare the most disadvantaged children well for key stage one and beyond. The school must carefully consider the sequence for early language development and ensure that there is a sharp focus on all children developing early communication and vocabulary.