West Newcastle Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The headteacher and the governors are successfully growing the school. They take care to review its effectiveness, adapting policies and practices to ensure its continued improvement.

Leaders have slowly but surely refined the curriculum. They have maintained its distinctiveness while ensuring that there is sufficiently detailed planning in place to support pupils' academic progress. Capacity to sustain the school's development is growing.

Good professional development opportunities mean middle leaders are increasingly influential. The quality of teaching is good. There is some variability, however, with practice being most effective in k...ey stage 1.

Some teaching in key stage 2 is less well tailored to pupils' differing starting points and does not always challenge the most able. Over time, outcomes across a range of measures have steadily improved. From below average starting points, pupils are attaining standards in line with those seen nationally at the end of key stage 1.

Some pupils in key stage 2 have gaps in their knowledge. Leaders know that careful assessment and sharp teaching are necessary to identify and address these gaps before pupils transfer to secondary school. The school has a distinctive ethos typified by informal and friendly relationships.

All members of staff are known by their first name. Some pupils who have found it difficult to manage in other schools cope well in this school. Disadvantaged pupils and pupils who speak English as an additional language make good progress.

There is considerable extra support provided to help these pupils catch up with their peers. The persistent efforts of leaders to improve attendance are paying off. Overall attendance is now close to the national average and persistent absence has reduced considerably.

The governors have played an important role in the school's development. They remain highly active, provide tight scrutiny and hold leaders fully to account.

Information about this school

Newcastle West Academy is a free school.

It opened in September 2013. The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. Currently, the school has children in the Reception Year and pupils in Years 1 to 5.

An above-average proportion of pupils are from minority ethnic groups. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is above the national average.

The proportion of pupils with SEND is in line with the national average. An average proportion of pupils have an education, health and care plan. The school runs its own breakfast club and after-school provision.

The school does not use any alternative provision. There is a separate nursery education provider called The Little Lotus Nursery on the same site. This provider is subject to separate inspection by Ofsted.