Accrington Woodnook Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to live out the school's values of friendship, aspiration, independence and respect. This starts from the early years, where children enjoy interacting with one other and eagerly apply their learning in activities.

Pupils celebrate the school's rich diversity and appreciate everyone's uniqueness. They behave well and contribute positively to the calm, happy, purposeful atmosphere in the school.

The school wants the best for its pupils.

Since the last inspection, it has developed its curriculum to improve pupils' learning. This includes in the early years, where children benefit from a rich curriculum that supports them to achieve well from their... starting points. However, many of the curriculums in Year 1 to Year 6 are newly developed and have not fully impacted on what pupils know and remember.

Pupils do not achieve as well as they should across the curriculum. Published results in 2024 were below average in phonics, reading, writing and mathematics.

Pupils enjoy attending the range of extra-curricular activities on offer, including chess, football, music, computing and crafts.

The school carefully considers how to broaden pupils' experiences through many trips and visitors to the school. This includes performing in a theatre, visiting a beach and working alongside authors and artists.

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

The curriculum is broad and engaging.

Staff deliver the curriculum as intended. They provide pupils with resources, such as counters in mathematics, to help them in their learning. The school provides effective support to pupils who are learning to speak English as an additional language.

The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are also swiftly identified and consistently met.

The school has identified what pupils should learn over time. However, in some subjects, the key knowledge that pupils should know and remember is not defined as clearly as it could be.

This hinders the school from ensuring that pupils' learning builds securely. Furthermore, the school's new writing curriculum is in the early stages of being implemented. There is variability in how well pupils develop their understanding of grammar, punctuation and spelling.

Staff do not consistently address the errors that pupils make. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in writing.

The school makes checks on pupils' learning and uses the information gained from these to inform subsequent teaching.

However, previous weaknesses in the curriculum have resulted in pupils having gaps in their learning that the school have not yet closed. Pupils' knowledge across the wider curriculum subjects is not secure. They are not as well prepared for the next stage in their education in these subjects as they should be.

The school fosters a love of reading from the start of the Reception Year. Pupils read daily and enjoy accessing the school library. The school's phonics programme helps pupils to learn new sounds quickly.

Staff identify, and effectively support, pupils who need additional help with reading. The 2024 national assessments for phonics included pupils who were very new to the school. These outcomes do not reflect the strength of the current early reading curriculum, which is helping pupils to develop their confidence and fluency in reading.

Since the last inspection, the school has worked tirelessly to improve pupils' attendance. It has developed rigorous processes to identify and to remove barriers to attending school. This includes working in partnership with, and supporting, parents and carers with attendance.

The school's actions have made a demonstrable difference in improving pupils' rates of attendance. The proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has reduced in recent years.

The school has clear expectations of pupils' behaviour.

Staff build positive relationships with pupils and provide effective support for those who struggle to manage their emotions. Pupils, including children in the early years, work hard in lessons, listen respectfully to staff and follow the embedded routines.

The school supports pupils' broader development well.

Pupils proudly take on a range of roles and responsibilities. These include being members of the school council and reading buddies for the younger children. At lunchtimes, pupils have access to a vast array of play equipment and thoroughly enjoy engaging in purposeful active play.

Pupils develop a secure understanding of fundamental British values and have many opportunities to explore how these can be lived out through their own lives. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Those responsible for governance, many of who are new since the last inspection, carry out their roles effectively.

They hold the school to account for its progress towards its identified priorities. Staff morale is high. They appreciate how the school considers their workload when making decisions about new initiatives.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some subjects, the key knowledge that pupils should know is not clearly defined. This makes it difficult for the school to ensure that the delivery of the curriculum helps pupils to build on their learning consistently and securely.

The school should refine its curriculum thinking to ensure that pupils develop a depth of knowledge across all subjects. ? The writing curriculum is new and is not fully developed. It does not ensure that there is a sharp focus on addressing misconceptions or gaps in pupils' writing.

Consequently, some pupils are not achieving as well as they could. The school should embed the delivery of the new writing curriculum to ensure that pupils develop the knowledge and skills that they need in writing to be ready for the next stage of their education. ? The school's work to develop the curriculum in many subjects is new.

The implementation of these subject curriculums is still being embedded. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that the curriculum is delivered consistently well so that pupils build knowledge securely over time.