Westlea Primary School

Westlea Primary School Winslow Crescent, Westlea Estate, Seaham, County Durham, SR7 8JU

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils make good progress and achieve well. Children enter the school with skills that are generally well-below age-related expectations. By the end of Key Stage 2 attainment is average.  Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is improving securely. Pupils make very good progress in basic skills in these subjects. They produce interesting pieces of written work with correct grammar and punctuation. Pupils have a good understanding of what they need to do to improve.  Teaching and learning are good with some outstanding features. Support assistants work very effectively in partnership with teachers. This results in pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs making good progress. Teachers plan interesting work and make good links across subjects.  Pupils behave very well. They have very positive attitudes towards their work. They are very sensible when they move around the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school. They are respectful to each other and to adults. They work very well in pairs and groups.  The headteacher, senior leaders and the governing body all work closely together to identify weaknesses and make sure they are tackled.  Leaders check attainment and pupils’ progress thoroughly and use the outcomes to identify and tackle any underachievement effectively.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is yet outstanding. Teaching does not always make sure that the work is hard enough for more-able pupils.  The activities in the Nursery do not promote children’s learning as well as in the Reception class.  Some pupils do not talk confidently about the stories they are reading.  Not enough pupils make more than expected progress by the end of Key Stage 2 in handwriting given their starting points.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed nine lessons, of which three were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, the inspection team made a number of other short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with a group of pupils and a sample of readers from Years 1, 2 and 6. Inspectors also met with the Chair of the Governing Body and two other members of the governing body, all senior leaders, teachers, support staff and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the seven responses in the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the school’s own questionnaire to parents, to which more than 50% of parents responded.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own data on pupils’ current progress, planning and monitoring documentation, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Margaret Shepherd, Lead inspector Additional Inspector John Pattinson Additional Inspector Jim Hall Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Westlea is larger than the average primary school. Pupils are predominantly White British.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus and with a statement of special educational needs is higher than average.  There is a higher than average proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium.  Since the previous inspection there have been considerable changes to the senior leadership team. Several new governors have joined the governing body and there is a new Chair of the Governing Body.  The school meets the current government floor standards.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Take the overall quality of teaching to outstanding and thus raise achievement further by: - making sure that work set for more-able pupils consistently results in good progress - using harder questions in whole-class sessions for these pupils.  Improve pupils’ achievement in reading, handwriting and in the Nursery class by: - giving pupils more time to discuss the different characters and the content of stories and making sure that confident readers extend their skills of analysing fiction of their own choice - providing more opportunities for pupils in Years 4, 5 and 6 to develop the skills of producing a tidy handwriting style and emphasising the importance of transferring these skills to more of their written work - providing more stimulating activities in the Nursery curriculum to increase further the pace of children’s learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children enter the school with attainment that is well-below age-related expectations. They make good progress in the Reception Year and respond very positively to all the exciting activities both indoors and outdoors. Progress in the Nursery class is slower. Children do not spend as long on the different activities and sometimes find it difficult to choose a task. By the time children leave the Reception Year their attainment is below average.  Progress is good through Key Stages 1 and 2 and attainment by the end of Year 6 is broadly average. Attainment is rising securely in both key stages. Pupils now make very good progress in learning to read. Younger pupils progress very well in recognising letters and working out words, particularly when they are working in small groups each morning. However, they are not as skilled in discussing the content of what they are reading. Older pupils make good progress in

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The achievement of pupils is good

extending their reading skills during lessons. They discuss issues related to the class novel well. They are not as confident when talking about their independent reading.  Pupils’ skills in writing have improved significantly and are now good. Older pupils are keen to write and produce pieces of work that include imaginative ideas with correct grammar and punctuation. They produce good quality extended pieces of work, both in literacy lessons and in topic work. Younger pupils produce a clear style of handwriting but the changes to the way handwriting is taught over time have resulted in older pupils’ handwriting being too untidy.  Attainment and progress in mathematics are also improving securely. Pupils’ skills in calculation and problem-solving are improving rapidly.  Pupils develop good skills in evaluating their own progress and identifying their own weaknesses. They learn very well from their mistakes through the daily reflection time when they review the

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The achievement of pupils is good

previous day’s learning and enjoy reading what teachers have marked in their books. They work very effectively in pairs to share their ideas and check each other’s work. Pupils take homework very seriously with older pupils producing some high quality extended pieces of writing.  The progress of pupils with disabilities and those with special educational needs matches that of other pupils. These pupils work just as well in the classroom as they do in small groups or in individual sessions outside of the classrooms. They have very good relationships with their support assistants and try hard to do their best.  Pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium enjoy the additional support that they receive. They make particularly good progress when they work on special 10 week programmes that focus on their different individual needs. The gap between their attainment and other pupils is narrowing rapidly and securely in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The proportion of pupils reaching higher than expected levels for their age is increasing. However, more-able pupils do not make as consistently good progress as other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 A key strength of teaching is the partnership between teachers and support staff. There is a very clear focus on the key learning in lessons that all staff and pupils understand. The level of communication between adults in every class is very good. This ensures that the progress individuals make in each lesson is carefully tracked and is used to plan the next steps in learning. The quality of the support staff is high. They work sensitively in whole-class sessions and lead group work outside of lessons skilfully.  The teaching of reading is organised very effectively. The current scheme is working very well and there are high levels of consistency across all of the different groups. There is a good range of different tasks within these sessions that build systematically on pupils’ previous learning.  All teaching uses pair work effectively to prepare pupils to answer questions confidently in whole-class sessions. In the best lessons teachers include more difficult questions in whole-class

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The quality of teaching is good

sessions for the more-able pupils. They also make sure that all tasks challenge them. This is not consistent across all teaching, however. Teachers make good use of literacy targets in other subjects in order to extend pupils’ writing skills.  Teachers assess pupils’ progress regularly and use this information well to plan new learning. They then target individuals effectively who are not progressing as fast as the rest of the class. Marking is very well focused and systematic. It ensures that pupils have regular opportunities to assess their own work in relation to their targets.  When teaching is outstanding it is conducted at a very fast pace. There is an excellent range of interesting tasks that build systematically on each other through the lesson. Planning is extremely detailed and identifies a wealth of opportunities for assessing individual pupils’ progress. There is a wide range of high quality questions, which probe pupils’ understanding.

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The quality of teaching is good

Pupils’ contributions are skilfully fed back to the rest of the class to extend everyone’s learning.  The Reception class staff have worked hard to respond to the new requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. They provide stimulating activities across the full curriculum, both indoors and outdoors, that take into account the children’s particular interests. Planning is thorough both on a daily basis and over longer periods. However, activities in the Nursery class are not as exciting and do not build as effectively well on children’s particular interests and needs.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is a strength of the school. Pupils have very positive attitudes towards learning and settle down quickly in lessons, listening carefully to instructions. They cooperate very well with each other to share their ideas and to solve problems. Pupils enjoy celebrating each other’s successes. They show confidence when taking part in shared activities, such as singing together. They have the self-discipline to take part in a lively activity and then settle back down quickly to listen to staff. School records relating to behaviour and bullying show that behaviour is good over time.  Pupils move around the school very sensibly, despite some parts of the building having narrow places where there is limited room to move. They are very sensitive not to disturb pupils working in small groups around the school. Pupils are very proud to receive awards for behaviour as well as for achievement.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils are very courteous to adults. They speak politely and hold doors open for them as a matter of routine. They are keen to accept roles of responsibility and take on regular tasks to support the smooth running of the school. Older pupils are eager to work and play with younger children.  Attendance is improving securely and is now average.  Pupils say that they feel safe in school. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe both within the school and outside the school context. They say that there is no bullying and understand the difference between minor disagreements and bullying of any kind.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership and management of the headteacher are good. Leaders and managers at all levels, including the governing body, work together effectively to communicate their high expectations for the school. They have a very good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. There are very thorough systems for collecting data about individual, group and class progress. Leaders analyse this very effectively and then bring in measures to improve the school’s work. For example, when reading progress was too slow, they brought in a new scheme, trained staff, organised groups carefully and then monitored the teaching to ensure it was effective and consistent.  There are very efficient communication systems through the school and all staff value their part in contributing to school life.  Leaders monitor teaching well. Teachers appreciate the guidance of how to improve their teaching and the training that they receive to extend their professional development. The senior

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The leadership and management are good

leadership team monitors their areas of responsibility well. This includes evaluating the curriculum, which is well-matched to pupils’ needs both academic and personal. The topic work approach to developing literacy through studying a class novel related to the topic works very well.  Leaders ensure that there are regular opportunities to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively. There is a clear commitment to equal opportunities and tackling discrimination. For example, all pupils in Year 4 learn to play a brass instrument through the year.  There is a good quality partnership with parents, whose views are valued and acted upon. Leaders provide regular opportunities for parents to talk about their children’s progress, both formally and informally.  The local authority works well with the school to provide external specialist guidance and to extend leaders’ professional skills in monitoring.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: - This has greatly improved since the previous inspection when it was a weakness. Governors challenge leaders and check that new systems are working effectively. They make astute decisions about the use of funding. - The employment of more support staff using the pupil premium funding has had a significant and ongoing impact on narrowing the gap between their progress and other groups of pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 113998 Local authority Durham Inspection number 405493

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3-11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 279 Appropriate authority The Governing Body Chair Ms S Morrison Headteacher Mrs D Hughes Date of previous school inspection 11-12 October 2010 Telephone number 0191 581 3658 Fax number 0191 581 3283 Email address westlea@durhamlearning.net guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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