Staff and students at Woodlands C of E Primary School are celebrating after a recent Section 8 Ofsted inspection in January 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains a ‘good’ school.
Woodlands C of E Primary School is a small village school located in Oakenshaw serving 114 children from the local and surrounding areas. The school is part of the successful Bradford Diocesan Academies Trust which leads a family of fourteen primaries, four secondaries and one all through school across the region to deliver high quality education within the context of Christian belief and practice.
The report highlighted that ‘Staff have high aspirations for all pupils. Pupils are proud of their school and the work they do’ and as a result attendance and punctuality was seen as a strength of the school. ‘Staff support children who need extra help with compassion and care’, creating an environment in which children feel confident and happy.
Inspectors commented on the positive behaviour throughout school and how ‘Pupils are polite and well-mannered. They work and play together cooperatively. In class, and at playtimes, pupils are well-behaved.’
The report commended how ‘Older pupils interact well with children in the early years. They build strong relationships and become excellent role models. This underpins the Woodlands Family ethos.
The school was praised for the ‘relentless focus on reading’ where pupils are engaged and enthused by the books they read, allowing ‘pupils to talk in detail about the characters and the stroylines of the books they read’.
Sarah Gibson, Head of School at Woodlands C of E Primary School, said:
“We are delighted that the excellent hard work of our pupils and staff has been recognised again by Ofsted. It is my absolute privilege to be part of the ‘Woodlands Family’ and I am so proud that inspectors recognised the strong relationships within school.
I am pleased that inspectors could see the strong focus we have for reading across school and also pupils’ personal development through the structured curriculum we provide, alongside a variety of additional opportunities such as after school clubs and school visits.”
