Woodlands Primary School

Overview: Woodlands Primary School is a highly inclusive school where pupils feel proud to attend and enjoy learning. The school has made significant improvements since the last inspection, with leaders having worked hard to ensure that staff apply the behaviour policy consistently and establish a clear reward system.

Strengths:

• Pupils feel proud to attend and enjoy learning, with a 'family feel' among staff and pupils.
• Leaders have established a consistent and rigorous approach to teaching early reading, with most staff implementing the phonics curriculum well.
• Pupils develop a deep knowledge of the curriculum, with leaders not making excuses for pupils' backgrounds.
• Pupils learn about the importance of mental and physical health, respecting different opinions, and are well prepared for life in modern Britain.
• Governance is a strength of the school, with governors now knowing the school well and diligently scrutinising and checking the information that leaders present to them.

Areas to improve:

• A small number of staff lack the expertise to teach phonics effectively, resulting in some pupils not having their misconceptions addressed correctly.
• Leaders' work on behaviour has not had the desired impact at social times, with a minority of pupils not behaving well on the playground.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with leaders placing safeguarding as its highest priority and establishing a culture where staff understand that safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.