Westwood Primary School

Westwood Primary School Westwood Road, Clayton-le-Woods, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancashire, PR5 8LS

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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.  Standards have risen in this school and pupils achieve above the nationally expected level of attainment by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics.  The quality of teaching is nearly always good and sometimes it is outstanding. Teachers make lessons interesting and fun so that pupils are keen to learn.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are polite and helpful and are keen to take on responsibilities and contribute to the life of the school and wider community.  Teaching assistants make a very good contribution to pupils’ learning. Relationships are strong. Pupils feel safe because they know any concerns will be listened to and dealt with by a trusted adult.  The curriculum provides a wealth of opportunities so that pupils develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness through stimulating topics. They use the beautiful school site well and often go out of

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school to gain practical experiences.  The headteacher, her staff team and members of the governing body have been absolutely determined to improve the progress made by all groups of pupils. They have worked together to correctly identify where action is needed and taken steps to deal very effectively with underperformance. As a result, this school is well placed to improve further.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching.  Pupils are not always given work which is well-enough matched to their individual abilities to ensure they move on quickly enough in every year group, especially in mathematics.  The school is not successful enough at making sure all parents are involved in decisions made about their child’s learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons taught by eight teachers, including one supply teacher. Two of the lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher.  Discussions were held with a representative from the local authority, members of the governing body, and a group of parents, staff and pupils.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at documents including those related to safeguarding, behaviour, pupil progress and attainment data, school improvement planning and records of governor meetings.  Work in pupils’ books and displays around the school were examined. The inspectors talked to pupils about what they were learning. They listened to some pupils read.  Inspectors also talked informally to parents at the beginning and end of the school day. Account was taken of the 54 responses from parents to the on-line questionnaire when carrying out the inspection and additional meetings arranged to explore some of the responses made.

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Inspection team

Hilary Ward, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Doreen Davenport Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Westwood is smaller than the average primary school.  The proportion of pupils who need extra help, at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs, is a little above average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is broadly average. (Pupil premium is additional government funding for children who are known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care or from armed services families.)  Nearly all pupils are from White British backgrounds.  The school admits a number of pupils at other than the usual admission times.  The school exceeds the government’s current floor standards, which sets the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  There is privately managed before- and after-school care, which is inspected separately and the report published on the Ofsted website, www.ofsted.gov.uk.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching further so that it is never less than good and more of it is outstanding, particularly in mathematics, by:  better matching activities and tasks to individual pupil’s abilities.  ensuring all pupils, but especially those of higher ability, make faster progress and move on more quickly to increasingly challenging work  spending more time on independent work and less on whole-class teaching.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve partnership with parents so that more of them are involved in their child’s learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children start school with skills and understanding broadly in line with those expected for children of their age. They make good progress during their time in Reception class because they are provided with rich learning experiences in all areas of their development. By the time they start Key Stage 1 their skills are at, and sometimes above, those expected for their age.  Pupils make good progress across Key Stage 1 and by the end of Year 2, their standards in reading, writing and mathematics are above the national average. Standards across Key Stage 1 have risen over the last few years.  By the end of Year 6, pupils’ standards in English and mathematics are now well above the national average. There was a significant improvement in 2013 and an upward trend in standards of attainment over recent years.  Pupils enjoy reading and practise their reading frequently in school and for homework. They are

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The achievement of pupils is good

able to use their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make very well, in order to work out unfamiliar words. Pupils use their reading skills to find out information in different subjects, often using the internet for research.  Pupils write on a wide range of subjects, such as topic work on rivers or writing up experiments in science. As a result, they develop very good writing skills which they also use to create their own poems and stories. Displays around the school show evidence of the excellent standard of written work.  Achievement in mathematics, especially for those of higher ability, improved last year. Although pupils’ attainment in mathematics is above the national average by the time they leave school, rates of progress across different year groups are sometimes variable because work is not always matched well enough to individual pupil’s abilities.  Rates of progress for different groups of pupils have varied in the past but these have been

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The achievement of pupils is good

evened out. All pupils make at least expected progress across Key Stage 2 and a higher proportion exceeded expectations last year.  Pupils who are eligible for the pupil premium and those with special educational needs now make good progress from their starting points and achieve at or above their expected levels. Last year, their good progress from their starting points ensured they achieved as well as other pupils in the school. The school has successfully closed the gaps between different groups of pupils, ensuring an equal opportunity for every pupil. It has very good monitoring systems in place to ensure this continues.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teaching is good and sometimes outstanding but a small amount requires improvement. Since the previous inspection the school’s leaders have focused very well on improving the quality of teaching, resulting in raised standards of achievement in all subjects.  In the best lessons, teachers have high expectations for their pupils to make the best progress they can but occasionally, especially in mathematics, there is insufficient challenge and pace for the most-able pupils to move on quickly enough. This is usually when too much time is spent on whole-class teaching and not enough on independent work.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the teacher plans activities to develop children’s personal, social and communication skills. As a result, they quickly learn the routines, learn to listen, to answer questions and follow instructions so that they are well prepared to move into Year 1.  Relationships between adults and pupils are very good and make a strong contribution to pupils’

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The quality of teaching is good

progress. Teachers make lessons fun, for example, when a teacher dressed up and pretended he was Lord Tennyson while he read his pupils a poem, so that they were keen to produce their own and show what they could do.  Teaching assistants make a very good contribution to pupils’ learning, helping different ability groups to accelerate their progress.  Teachers organise trips out to bring their subjects to life by, for instance, standing in a river to understand at first-hand about velocity and sediment and link this to their work on ordnance survey maps. They also make good use of their beautiful grounds to develop pupils’ interest in environmental issues and to practise their physical education and sporting skills.  Teachers assess pupils’ learning regularly to decide on next steps, set targets and share information and good practice. Marking in books is usually excellent and helps pupils to understand how to improve their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave very well around school and in lessons. Their attitudes to learning are good. They take enormous pride in their work and this can be seen in the high standard of presentation in their books and on displays.  Children in Early Years Foundation Stage quickly develop good attitudes to learning. Throughout the school, pupils ask and answer questions, give views and opinions confidently and go home to find out more information about topics they have covered in school.  Westwood is a happy school and pupils and the vast majority of parents feel they are safe. Because of the good relationships they enjoy, pupils know there is a trusted adult who will listen to concerns.  Bullying or discrimination is rare and pupils say they are confident it will be dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils learn about bullying in all its forms and the school has plans in place to offer parents more information about protecting their children from cyber-bullying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils enjoy making a contribution to their school community by being members of the school council, the eco-team, acting as peer-mentors or members of the choir or ukulele band. They learn about and raise funds for children in the wider community, such as those in a school in Uganda. Pupils love to represent the school at events such as Young Voices, music festivals and sports competitions.  Attendance rates are high because pupils enjoy coming to school and because of the school’s rigorous approach to authorising absences.

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The leadership and management are good

 Since the previous inspection, senior leaders and managers, including the governing body, have taken effective steps to improve the quality of teaching and to ensure all pupils, including those eligible for the pupil premium or those with special educational needs, make equally good progress. As a result, equality of opportunity is now very good and all pupils are making expected and many making better than expected progress.  The headteacher leads the school very well. Supported by the governors, she is not afraid to make difficult and, sometimes, unpopular decisions to improve what is provided for the pupils.  Leaders and managers at all levels evaluate very well and take action on areas identified for improvement. For example, despite the raised attainment in mathematics, steps have already been taken to pay for some external consultancy to improve the knowledge and skills of all teachers in mathematics in order to raise standards even further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s curriculum is good and provides pupils with a wide range of learning opportunities both in school and off-site. Visits to museums, art galleries, places of worship and visitors who come into school such as parents of minority faiths and sports personalities support the development of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well.  The majority of parents are very happy with the progress their children make in school. However, the school is not always successful in encouraging parents to support their child’s learning. A small minority of parents are not always happy about decisions which are not communicated well enough.  The local authority has provided very effective support to the school since the previous inspection and is now reducing its involvement as the capacity to improve has been clearly demonstrated.  The governance of the school:  Governors are impressive. There are a good proportion of parent governors and all governors

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The leadership and management are good

have an excellent understanding of their roles and responsibilities and offer a high level of challenge to senior leaders. Governors monitor teachers’ performance management and ensure it is linked to pay progression, asking questions to ensure the headteacher’s recommendations are appropriate. They have effectively supported the headteacher in dealing with underperformance. Data are thoroughly investigated, in particular to ensure that the pupil premium funding is improving results for eligible pupils. Governors know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and are regular visitors into school to work with the classes they are linked to. They attend training provided by the local authority and the school to ensure they are up to date, for example, on current issues around safeguarding and health and safety. Governors have agreed appropriate plans for the use of the additional sports and physical education

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The leadership and management are good

funding by providing access to try new sports.

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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 119338 Local authority Lancashire Inspection number 426144

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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 185 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Emma Barrow (Acting Chair) Headteacher Julie Martin Date of previous school inspection 13 October 2011 Telephone number 01772 628051 Fax number 01772 698093 Email address head@westwood.lancs.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

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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