Weston Point Community Primary School

Weston Point Community Primary School Castner Avenue, Weston Point, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 4EQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  The school has improved continuously since the previous inspection because of strong and very effective leadership.  Pupils make exceptional progress from low, and sometimes very low, starting points. They consistently do very well as they move up through the school and reach above- average standards by the time they leave in Year 6.  Outstanding teaching and an exciting curriculum motivate and inspire all learners to do their best. Activities in lessons are carefully matched to the needs of all pupils across the ability range. This means that pupils are very well supported to become successful learners.  Pupils with special educational needs, including those in the resourced places and those who qualify for the pupil premium, make more than the progress expected of them because of the excellent support they are given.  Pupils are very well cared for and are known and valued as individuals by all staff in this

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

‘family’ school. Those who join the school other than at the normal times settle in exceptionally well and make excellent progress.  Behaviour is excellent. Pupils are happy and enjoy school. They are extremely polite and respectful towards each other and the adults who teach and care for them. Their attendance is above average.  The headteacher is an inspirational leader. She is ably supported by the assistant headteacher, by knowledgeable governors and by staff at all levels. Everyone shares her determination to achieve the best for every pupil.  Parents have great confidence in the school and its leaders and staff. They say that their children are happy, well taught and safe.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 14 lessons and made a number of short visits to classrooms to observe teaching and learning. Observations included a number of visits to the school’s resource base for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties.  Inspectors listened to pupils read and observed the teaching of early reading skills in the school. The inspectors also looked at examples of pupils’ work.  A meeting was held with a group of pupils and inspectors spoke to pupils about their work.  Inspectors met a group of parents, three members of the governing body, a representative of the local authority and members of staff.  In the course of the inspection, inspectors took account of nine responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View), a letter and an email from parents, the school’s analysis of questionnaires completed by parents and 15 staff questionnaires.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding documents, a summary of the school’s self-evaluation, long-term plans and the school’s analysis of current data.

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Inspection team

Lyn Pender, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Halford Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller in size than most other primary schools.  Most pupils are White British. Currently, no pupils are at an early stage of speaking English.  A high proportion of pupils join and leave the school other than at the usual times, usually in Key Stage 2.  A well-above-average proportion of pupils are supported at school action. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The local authority provides seven additionally resourced places in the school for pupils from across the local authority area who have emotional and behavioural difficulties.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is high when compared to the national average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher provides support for fellow headteachers who are new to the local authority.

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Information about this school

 The school is amongst the top-performing primary schools in the country.  The school holds the Eco School Award.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the provision for outdoor learning for Reception class pupils by providing:  a wider range of outdoor activities that are clearly linked to the new Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum  more regular opportunities for children to use the outdoor space for their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils’ achievement has risen continuously over recent years and is now outstanding.  Most children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with skill levels typically below those expected for their age, especially in communication skills and language development. Children settle quickly and they progress very well because of good teaching.  Pupils enter Year 1 with skill levels close to those expected for their age. They make brisk progress in reading, writing and mathematics throughout Key Stage 1 and reach above-average levels of attainment by the end of Year 2.  By the end of Key Stage 2 standards of attainment are well above average. In Year 6 in 2012 all pupils reached at least the expected level in both English and mathematics and many did even better than this, reaching the higher levels in both subjects.  Pupils who join the school other than at the normal times, including those who attend the

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

resource base who often arrive in Year 5 or Year 6, achieve extremely well. The gap between these pupils and those who have been in the school since the Reception class closes as they move up through the school and they make excellent progress given their starting points.  Throughout the school, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make excellent progress as a result of excellent teaching. Pupil premium funding is used well to provide extra help; eligible pupils reach higher standards than similar pupils nationally and make the same excellent progress as others in the school.  Pupils’ books show that they apply themselves very well in lessons. Inspectors saw pupils working well together with a partner or in small groups. These opportunities enable pupils to develop their spoken communication skills very effectively. As a result, they become increasingly articulate learners as they move up the school. Pupils are eager to contribute their points of view

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

in lessons and to staff and visitors around school.  Early reading skills are developed well through excellent teaching of letters and the sounds they make. By the end of Year 2 and Year 6 pupils’ attainment in reading is above the national average.  Parents’ responses to Parent View and their comments when meeting inspectors indicate that they are very pleased with their children’s achievement in school.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Leaders’ relentless focus on improving this aspect of the school's work has moved the quality of teaching since the previous inspection from good to outstanding.  Typical features of the excellent teaching seen during the inspection include:  very-well-planned lessons providing pupils with activities that capture their imagination and move learning along briskly  teachers who know pupils well, take account of learning from previous lessons and check regularly how well pupils are doing  effective questioning and regular, detailed marking and feedback which help pupils to know how they can improve their work.  Teachers and assistants work very effectively together to support learning. They know their pupils extremely well and build very positive and caring relationships which help develop pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. This is particularly the case in the resource base. Here skilful teaching and excellent support help pupils to settle well, attend school more regularly and make

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

exceptional progress from their starting points. Whenever possible they join mainstream classes to learn alongside other pupils in the school.  Work is well matched to the range of pupils’ needs. The level of challenge is high and this allows many pupils, including the more able, to make better-than-expected progress.  Reception children do not have ready access to the full range of outdoor learning opportunities. The mostly grassed area and lack of shelter prevent staff from providing resources for children to engage in physical, creative, writing and number work outdoors, whatever the weather.  Lessons engage pupils in their learning extremely well and this contributes greatly to their excellent achievement. For example, in the Year 3 class pupils’ imagination was captured by the theme of Superheroes. By the end of the lesson they had made excellent progress in improving their use of punctuation.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Leaders’ ensure that all pupils have the opportunity to read regularly. The frequent visits to the local library are extremely popular and are promoting good reading habits and a love for books.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils of Weston Point are very proud indeed of their school.  Their behaviour towards each other and staff makes a strong contribution towards the happy, warm and welcoming environment which exists.  Pupils feel very safe and trust the adults to take very good care of them. The different kinds of bullying, including cyber-bullying, are well understood by pupils and school records show that incidents are rare.  The few pupils who sometimes find it difficult to manage their own behaviour are helped to do so very effectively by the adults. The behaviour policy meets the differing needs of pupils well, is understood by all and is consistently applied by staff.  Pupils enjoy taking on responsible roles. Older pupils act as buddies to the younger children during lunchtime and the school council are very involved in making decisions about the life and work of the school. For example, they are committed to fundraising and are very clear about the

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

use of the monies raised.  Pupils enjoy school and know how important it is to attend regularly and on time. The attendance rate has risen markedly since the last inspection and for the vast majority of pupils it is high when compared to the national average. School leaders continue to work with a few pupils in the resource base to bring their attendance in line with the rest of the school.  Parents appreciate the levels of individual care and attention shown to their children.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher is passionate about ensuring a caring culture where all staff and governors share the vision and core values of the school. She is extremely well supported by the assistant headteacher and effective leaders with particular responsibilities; together they create a school which serves its pupils’ needs extremely well and which constantly strives to improve even further.  Without exception leaders, governors, parents and staff who spoke to inspectors consider a key strength of Weston Point to be the ‘family’ community which exists. Pupils are known as individuals and the approach of the headteacher, leaders and staff in expecting the very best for every pupil is unfaltering. The school treats all equally and discrimination of any kind is not tolerated.  Leaders know the school’s strengths well and plan effectively to address areas that can be improved. Regular reviews of pupils’ progress give leaders an accurate and detailed picture of

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The leadership and management are outstanding

how well all are doing and help identify anyone who needs extra support.  A well-designed programme of ongoing training for teachers and teaching assistants is effective in keeping skills sharp. The management of teaching is accurate and is tracked very carefully over time to ensure ongoing improvements.  Leadership of the resource base provision is exceptionally strong. Because of this the personal development and academic needs of the pupils who attend the base are extremely well met.  The curriculum is rich, broad and balanced. It is well planned and pays strong attention to literacy and numeracy. There are many enrichment activities linked to topics. For example, the Elizabethan topic was brought to life by a Tudor lunch held for the whole school .  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. These aspects are promoted well through all that the school does, including a wide variety of visits and residential

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The leadership and management are outstanding

experiences.  The local authority provides light-touch support for this outstanding school.  The governance of the school:  Governors review and evaluate the school’s work thoroughly. They hold accurate views of the school and of the quality of teaching and monitor the management of the school’s performance effectively. The governing body ensures that a secure relationship between salaries and classroom practice exists. Governors are fully aware of how the pupil premium funding is used. The additional teaching for this group is helping to achieve their rapid progress in English and mathematics. Governors make certain that the school meets its statutory requirements for safeguarding. The school’s financial resources are managed very effectively to further pupils’ learning. For example, space for learning is somewhat limited at the moment and work is underway to create an additional classroom. Training undertaken by

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The leadership and management are outstanding

governors makes sure they are fully able to hold school leaders to account.

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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 111002 Local authority Halton Inspection number 403132

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 128 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Glenis Bellfield Headteacher Noreen Curphey Date of previous school inspection 11 September 2007 Telephone number 01928 574593 Fax number 01928 572405 Email address sec.westonpoint@halton.gov.uk 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

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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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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