Woodfield School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 1 October 2024

Pupils are warmly welcomed to school each morning. They know the routines well, which helps them understand what will happen each day. Pupils find this reassuring and so settle well. Staff keep pupils safe; adults are always present to help them. The school prioritises developing positive relationships between staff and pupils. All pupils are taught how to communicate their wants and needs and to express preferences. Staff ensure that most pupils learn to use a broad, ever-expanding range of symbols or words to do this. This is important because communicating with others allows pupils to explain their feelings. Staff have high expectations for pupils' learning and behaviour. Pupils behave well. They know that adults will give them interesting learning activities, which helps them succeed. Pupils experience visits and visitors to the school. These help pupils to learn how to stay safe in the community, for example, when shopping. The school also helps pupils to stay healthy. For example, pupils have dance lessons. Over time, staff support pupils to be independent, for example, by tidying away equipment. This means they are ready for their next stage and learn important life skills. Pupils are happy and proud when they complete increasingly complex tasks independently.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum is under development. Although the broader learning steps have been well considered, the important steps of knowledge that pupils need to learn are not always clear. This means that in some subject areas, pupils sometimes miss some essential knowledge or move up a development step too quickly or without developing the correct skills. The school needs to ensure that, in all areas of the curriculum, the important steps of knowledge are fully considered, precisely identified and available to all staff.
• The school has started to review the curriculum content and how it is taught. However, staff do not always understand how the targets in pupils' EHC plans align with the learning pathways and themes. As a result, on occasions, pupils do not always gain the essential knowledge and skills they need to. The school should ensure that teachers always take careful consideration of pupils' EHC plans when providing classroom learning and activities.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)