Westlands Primary School

Westlands Primary School Ostend Place, Westlands, Newcastle-under-Lyme, ST5 2QY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Inadequate 4 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.  Westlands is a rapidly improving school. The headteacher provides clear and purposeful leadership. She has worked closely with governors and other senior leaders to drive improvements. Pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching are now good.  Pupils of all abilities are now making good progress from their starting points. As a result attainment is above average.  The quality of teaching is good. Teachers use their knowledge about pupils’ different abilities to plan interesting activities that help them to succeed.  Pupils enjoy their learning in a range of subjects. They have access to a wide range of after school clubs, which is helping their personal development. They are well prepared for their next phase of their education.  Pupils feel safe. They are taught how to keep safe in a range of situations. Their behaviour is good and pupils co-operate well with each other.  The school is highly regarded by parents, who

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

value the improvements that have been made.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupil’s achievement in mathematics in Key Stage 2 is not as strong as it is in reading and writing.  Not enough teaching is outstanding. Occasionally, teachers do not provide opportunities for pupils to respond to their marking, so they can show improvements in their work. Pupils are not always given enough opportunities to work independently.  Some teachers with responsibilities for subjects have not had the opportunity to observe lessons and check pupils’ work, so to contribute fully to school improvement.

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Information about this inspection

 When Westland’s was inspected in January 2012, it was given a notice to improve. Since then the school was visited in September 2012. This is the re-inspection of the school.  Inspectors observed 14 lessons including five joint observations with the headteacher.  Meetings were held with senior and middle leaders, three groups of pupils, governors and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 28 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as five questionnaires from staff.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents including the school’s current data about pupils’ progress, improvement planning, behaviour and attendance logs, information relating to safety of pupils and evidence from the school’s own checking of their work.  Inspectors looked at the work in pupils’ writing, mathematics and topic books.

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Inspection team

David Carter, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Martin Bertulis Additional Inspector

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Full report

In accordance with section 13 (5) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that the school no longer requires significant improvement.

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Information about this school

 Westlands Primary School is a smaller than average-sized primary school but the numbers on roll are rising.  Almost all pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below average.  The proportions of pupils supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of education needs are below average.  All pupils are educated on site. The school does not use alternative provision to support any of its pupils.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations of pupils’ progress and attainment.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and increase rates of progress, by:  making sure that pupils have more opportunities for independent learning  providing further opportunities for pupils to improve their skills in mathematics in Key Stage 2, through solving real-life problems  giving all pupils opportunities to respond to teacher’s detailed marking in order to improve their work.  Improve the quality of leadership and management by sharing the good practice of key leaders in observing teaching and checking on work in pupils’ books with all leaders of subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start the Reception class with knowledge, skills and understanding which are at least in line with those expected for their age. They make good progress, particularly in their personal and social development and their reading, writing and calculation skills. This is because they enjoy their learning through choosing activities which have been carefully structured to enable them to practise the skills which they have been introduced to by adults. Children have a wide range of learning experiences both indoors and outdoors which means that they are successfully prepared for learning in Key Stage 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils develop a good understanding of phonics (the sounds that letters make) during Key Stage 1 and this helps them in their reading and writing. Similarly, pupils develop a good range of skills in mathematics because the teachers make sure that lessons are interesting and pupils are involved in a range of activities. By the end of Year 2, attainment has improved year on year and is now well above what is typical.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils are now making good progress across Key Stage 2 and this is more consistent than at the time of the previous inspection. Pupils have opportunities to read a range of books and they have good levels of understanding of the meaning of the text. They are making good progress in writing because they have many opportunities to practise their skills in other subjects. For instance, pupils in Year 3 were highly focused when writing a dialogue between invaders as they approached the British shore as part of their topic in history. Progress in mathematics is not as strong as in reading and writing, as pupils are not always provided with enough opportunities to develop their calculation skills when solving problems in a range of real-life scenarios. Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils supported by the pupil premium are making good progress and are reducing the gap between their achievement and that of other pupils. These pupils respond well to programmes to help them accelerate their learning in literacy and numeracy, as well as when working with teaching assistants during lessons. Funding is also allocated so that these pupils have access to a wide range of after school clubs, which also supports their personal development.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs make good progress from their starting points. They receive good support from teaching assistants as well as undertaking activities which have been carefully planned to meet their individual needs.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils of all abilities are provided with work which ensures that they make good progress. However, on occasions there are missed opportunities for them to learn independently, through undertaking extended activities where they have to solve problems themselves in a range of subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers know the pupils well and are able to use their checking of individual progress to provide activities on a daily basis which are set at the right level of challenge. They set clear expectations for pupils of different abilities of what is expected by the end of the lesson. Pupils are given opportunities to check for themselves how well they are doing as well as assess the work of their peers.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants are deployed effectively to support different groups of pupils, and they work well with teachers to check on how well pupils are doing during lessons. Good use is made of questioning to check on pupils’ understanding. In the better lessons, teachers are quick to identify any pupils who have misconceptions and they provide additional support with immediate effect.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils’ attitudes during lessons are good because the teachers endeavour to make learning activities interesting and enjoyable. As a result, pupils are usually engaged in their learning, apply themselves well to their task and lessons are undertaken at a brisk pace. For example, in a Year 6 mathematics lesson, pupils were highly focused upon calculating percentages because the problems were presented in an interesting way. They worked effectively in pairs and individually, showing perseverance in order to complete their calculations.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and provide detailed comments to pupils on what they are doing well and what they need to do to reach the next level. On some occasions however, pupils are not always provided with enough opportunities to show how they have responded to marking as part of improving their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils are aware of their individual targets and a clear system is in place which enables pupils, peers and teachers to comment on how well they are doing. This is helping pupils to know what they have to do to improve over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy learning in a range of subjects and this is contributing to their good social, spiritual, moral and cultural development. Pupils in Year 4 for example, showed high levels of concentration during a whole-class violin lesson.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Children in the Reception class engage well with their learning. They co-operate well with each other, sharing equipment and taking turns, as well as showing care for one another.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils from Year 1 to Year 6 are well behaved during lessons and around the school. They are polite, helpful and friendly to one another. Relationships between adults and pupils are good and as a result pupils feel safe in the school. Pupils are taught about being safe and are aware of the dangers of the internet and on-line social networking sites.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils informed inspectors that bullying is very rare and is not tolerated in the school. Pupils are aware of what to do if it does occur. Records confirm that incidents of bullying are few and far between.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils belong to one of three ‘houses’. This helps pupils to have a sense of belonging and they are keen to support each other. Pupils are rewarded individually and as a house for their behaviour and attitudes to learning. This is also supporting their social development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school is highly regarded by parents and pupils, and systems for encouraging good levels of attendance are effective. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school because they enjoy lessons and attending after school clubs.

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The leadership and management are good

 Governors, teachers, parents and pupils agree that the headteacher has been determined to address past weaknesses, and by working closely with other senior and middle leaders, has skilfully brought about improvements to the quality of teaching and the progress which pupils make.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders make effective use of rigorous systems to check on the quality of the school’s work and use this information to plan for its future development. For instance, on a weekly basis, pupils’ work is collected and analysed to make sure that the work is appropriately challenging, is marked in detail and is ensuring that pupils are making good progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior and middle leaders observe teaching on a regular basis as well as collecting information about pupils’ attainment and progress in order to identify where additional support might be required for individual pupils. Staff are held to account through systems of performance management and have only been rewarded when their pupils have done as well as they should have done.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has worked closely with officers from the local authority in order to provide training for teachers, particularly in improving their teaching of literacy, but also in helping middle leaders monitor teaching in their areas of responsibility. Regular ‘core group’ meetings, where governors and senior leaders meet with representatives of the local authority, have helped the school to drive improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since her appointment, the headteacher has changed the curriculum so that is organised into topics, which has helped pupils to see the links between different subjects. This has made learning exciting and memorable for pupils, enhanced through a range of visits and visitors to the school. For example, pupils are developing their skills in enterprise, by organising a range of events where they have to raise money for charity. Music has a high profile within school with pupils being taught instruments and attending choir as well as performing in a range of productions.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders successfully ensure that discrimination is tackled and that all pupils have an equal opportunity to do well in their learning. For example, there are no significant differences between the attainment of boys and girls across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 Although senior and middle leaders have driven improvements, at this stage, other leaders of subjects such as in geography or history have had less of an opportunity to monitor the quality of teaching to the same extent, in order to raise standards across the whole curriculum.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders have successfully addressed the key issues outlined in the inspection report a year ago. The quality of leadership indicated the school’s good capacity to improve even further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The governing body has worked closely with senior leaders to ensure that the school is removed from a category of concern as quickly as possible. They have been successful because they have provided support and challenge to leaders. Governors check on the progress of the actions identified in their development plan, including looking at pupils’ work and data on attainment and progress. They are aware of the school’s strengths and areas for development. They are astute in the use of their financial management systems to make the best use of resources. For example, they have allocated pupil premium funding effectively to provide help for eligible pupils. The governing body ensures that arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet requirements.

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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 124119 Local authority Staffordshire Inspection number 399715

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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 178 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Aileen Clark Headteacher Louise Pickard Date of previous school inspection 19 January 2012 Telephone number 01782 296130 Fax number 01782 296131 Email address headteacher@westlands.staffs.sch.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

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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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