Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School Ofsted: Chorley primary school with a 20 year 'Good' run told it could be 'Outstanding'

Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School was reinspected by the educational watchdog on Febraury 2-3 for an ungraded inspection, and was told it continues to be a good school.

However inspectors added: “There is enough evidence of improved performance to suggest that the school could be judged outstanding if we were to carry out a graded (section 5) inspection now. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.”

The school, on Preston Road, has been rated ‘good’ in every report that is currently available on the Ofsted website, the first being from 2005.

What did Ofsted say was particularly good about Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School?

The report begins: “Pupils live the school’s vision and values to ‘flourish, serve others courageously and be excited to learn’ through everything they do. Pupils develop into extremely inquisitive learners. They thrive in this school community and feel happy and safe. Leaders and staff have very high expectations and aspirations of pupils’ behaviour and learning. Pupils live up to these.”

Pupils’ behaviour is further described as “exemplary”, they have good relationships with staff, care for their peers, and they all “achieve exceptionally well”.

In turn, staff “provide pupils with a wealth of experiences to deepen their learning”, for instance offering musical and sporting and leadership opportunities, and they deal with any incidents of bullying “well”.

The curriculum is described as “highly amibituous”, it meets the needs of all pupils, including SEND, and it is “planned so that pupils extend their vocabulary in each subject.”

Inspectors added: "Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use their expertise to explain new learning clearly. Teachers routinely revisit earlier learning to ensure that pupils’ knowledge is secure.”

The school was also praised for putting reading at the heart of its curriculum and for its involvement with the local community, noting “Parents speak highly of the school and appreciate the warm, nurturing and family feel within the school.”

What does Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School need to improve on?

Ofsted does not note anything that needs improving.

What does Whittle-le-Woods Church of England Primary School say about their rating?

Headteacher, Deborah Metcalfe commented: “The staff, governors and parents are delighted with the report from our most recent Ofsted inspection. It is wonderful that the inspector commented that there was enough evidence that the school could have been graded outstanding had it been a graded inspection. The report is a culmination of incredibly hard work by everyone over the past few years. We are very proud of our amazing staff team as they really go the extra mile for children in their care. It is lovely that the lead inspector noticed that all children flourish at our school and that ‘staff are relentlessly ambitious for every pupil’ as that is so important to us all. The report suggests that there are no areas for improvement or development, however staff and governors are already looking at how provision can be enhanced even further to ensure the best possible education is enjoyed by everyone”.