Westfield Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this happy school.

They try hard to live up to leaders' expectations to be ready, respectful and safe. Pupils have strong relationships with staff. This helps them to feel safe.

If bullying should occur, adults deal with it effectively.

Staff have high expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Improvements to the curriculum mean that pupils achieve well in most subjects.

Leaders have high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and outside the classroom.

They display high levels of respect for ea...ch other and for adults. Pupils have excellent manners. They take great pride in celebrating each other's talents and successes.

Pupils, especially those with SEND, benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities. For example, they can attend clubs such as sewing, gardening, choir and basketball. Pupils said that leaders listen to their views.

For instance, they suggest new clubs that they would like leaders to introduce.

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

Leaders have successfully addressed the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. They have successfully brought about many changes.

As a result, pupils now enjoy a good quality of education.

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum offer from the early years to Year 6. They have selected the most important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn.

In most subjects, teachers have strong subject knowledge. This enables them to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers break down information into small steps and select appropriate activities and resources.

However, on occasion, in the early years, staff do not provide children with the meaningful learning activities that enable them to learn all that they should. Leaders ensure that teachers revisit the most important information regularly to help pupils remember what they have been taught.

Leaders have recently adapted the curriculum in a small number of subjects to meet the needs of pupils in the modified class structure.

However, teachers are not fully equipped to find out and then address the gaps that pupils may have in their learning as they start to learn the new curriculums. This stops some pupils from developing a secure body of subject knowledge.

In 2022, the published outcomes for the end of key stage 2 were below the national average for reading, writing and maths.

This was because there was a high number of pupils who joined the school during Year 6. Typically, most pupils currently in the school achieve well.

Leaders ensure that developing a love of reading is a priority across school.

Teachers read to pupils regularly. Pupils listen intently to the stories that teachers read. Pupils also make use of their local library.

Teachers work closely with parents and carers to encourage and support reading at home.

Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start in the Reception class. Leaders have successfully introduced a new phonics programme.

All staff have been trained effectively so that they deliver the programme consistently well. Pupils practise reading with books that closely match the sounds they have learned. Leaders are quick to identify any pupils who are not keeping up.

They put extra support in place to help pupils to catch up. Older pupils read widely and often, and with increasing fluency.

Leaders have made sure that staff have received the training that they need to be able to identify pupils with SEND.

Pupils with SEND are supported very well. Teachers use a range of strategies to make sure that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers carefully select the strategies they use to meet the needs of pupils.

Leaders provide many opportunities to enhance pupils' personal development. Pupils, including those with SEND, enjoy the opportunities that leaders provide for them to take on leadership roles. They also make positive contributions to the wider community by fundraising for local charities and donating to a local foodbank.

Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They listen well in lessons and focus on their learning. On the rare occasions that any disruption occurs, staff deal with it quickly and effectively.

Leaders have raised the profile of school attendance. As a result, there has been a considerable improvement in pupils' attendance and punctuality. Pupils said that the incentives leaders offer motivate them to attend school regularly.

Staff said that they feel very well supported. They believe that leaders take account of their workload and well-being. Governors know the school well.

They are ambitious for pupils and staff. They provide appropriate challenge and support to drive improvement.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff know the pupils and their families very well. This helps them to identify those who may be at risk of harm. Staff report their concerns immediately and leaders act on these concerns swiftly.

Leaders seek timely support from external agencies where required. Leaders follow up their concerns tenaciously until pupils and families get the help that they need.

Leaders make sure that pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe.

For example, pupils learn about road safety and the dangers of drugs. They also know how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils make effective use of many different strategies to let someone know if something is worrying them.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is because teachers do not routinely identify the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge. Leaders must make sure that teachers make better use of assessment strategies to identify gaps in knowledge and address these before moving on to new learning.

• A small number of children in the early years do not learn as well as they could. This is because sometimes, staff do not provide children with opportunities to engage in meaningful learning activities that are matched to the curriculum. Leaders should make sure that staff receive the support and guidance they need so that children progress well through the intended curriculum.

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