Woodland Community Primary School rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted

Woodland Community Primary School children

Woodland Community Primary School, in Heywood, has been given an overall rating of ‘Good’ by Ofsted, having previously been in special measures.

Head Teacher Nicola Brogan said: “As a school community we are very proud of all of our achievements and to have them recognised by Ofsted is the icing on the cake.

“The Ofsted result has been due to four years hard work, determination and commitment from amazing staff, fabulous families and community members, a supportive governing body and local authority and the real stars, our children.

“I can now confidently say that we meet the needs of all our pupils through the high standards of teaching and that the personalised approaches we take to learning are on the right track to becoming an outstanding school that our community deserves.”

The inspection report discusses how pupils make good progress from starting points that are below and sometimes significantly below those typical for their age.

Key Stage 1 pupils are described as making “good progress” from starting points which have previously been below average, with most pupils reaching the expected level of attainment in reading, writing and mathematics.

Progress is also good in Key Stage 2 with pupils reaching standards that are broadly average from previously well below average starting points.

The teaching at the school is described as “good” with staff providing well-planned and high quality opportunities for pupils to learn well and enjoy a wide range of experiences.

The report states that staff work hard to create a calm and purposeful environment and ensure that pupils get the most out of their lessons. School leaders understand the needs of their pupils well and give them high quality care and school leaders have high expectations of what all pupils can achieve and are ambitious for their success.

Governors are described as “very knowledgeable” and have a well informed and accurate view of the schools improving performance.

Pupils are said to “enjoy coming to school and feel safe” with pupils behaving well in and around school.

Councillor Donna Martin, Cabinet Member for Children’s Services at Rochdale Council, said: “This is a real triumph for Woodland’s staff and pupils.

"The leadership team, headed up by the Head Teacher Nicola Brogan, have been instrumental in driving the school forward and turning it around, together with a package of targeted support from the council.

“Most importantly, it means that parents can be confident that their children will receive a really good start to their education in Heywood.”