Westdale Infant and Nursery

Westdale Infant School Digby Avenue, Westdale Lane, Mapperley, Nottingham, NG3 6ET

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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 from low starting points, particularly in literacy and mathematics.  Standards are currently rising. Attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is above average.  The school is a happy place and staff show exceptional care for all pupils.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. This helps pupils to behave well and develop good attitudes to learning.  Rigorous checks by school leaders have helped teaching improve. It is typically good, with some outstanding practice.  Classroom activities interest and excite pupils and, in turn, promote good learning.  The headteacher has created a strong team spirit. Staff work together well to improve learning and raise standards.  Plans for the transfer of leadership are excellent. Two headteachers work well as a team. The deputy headteacher / headteacher is exceptionally well prepared to take over the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

sole running of the school.  The school has outstanding links with parents, who speak very highly of it.  Governors have an accurate and thorough understanding of how well the school is doing and what needs to improve further. They play an important role in ensuring a good education for all pupils.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not enough teaching is outstanding to ensure pupils make the best possible progress.  Adults working in the Reception Year do not make the most of the outdoor area to develop children’s learning.  Teachers do not always move more-able pupils on to more demanding work quickly enough.  The learning targets set for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs in reading, writing and mathematics are not specific enough to support rapid progress.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors visited 15 lessons, 11 of which were seen together with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.  Meetings were held with the senior leadership team, governors and staff with responsibility for Early Years Foundation Stage and for special educational needs. Inspectors spoke with a group of pupils formally and with others informally during lesson observations and at break times.  The inspectors looked at a wide range of school documentation including: the school’s own evaluation of its performance and its development and improvement plan; information about pupils’ progress and the support given to disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs; evidence about leadership’s monitoring of teaching; and records relating to safeguarding and attendance.  A phone call discussion was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors took account of the 38 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View.

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Information about this inspection

 Staff did not complete a questionnaire but the inspectors gathered their views during the inspection and during feedback after lesson observations.

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Inspection team

David Speakman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David West Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is low. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is average.  The proportion of pupils eligible for the pupil premium is below average. In this school, the extra funding supports pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals.  . The school is led jointly by two headteachers working as a team. One is headteacher for two days each week, with full responsibility and accountability. She is deputy headteacher for the remainder of the week when the other headteacher takes responsibility.  There is a voluntary managed nursery and a privately run out-of-school club on the school site, both of which are inspected separately.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching and learning to outstanding so that all pupils make the best possible progress by:  making sure that adults keep a close check on the learning of Reception children in the outdoor area, asking questions and making suggestions to promote it better  moving more-able pupils on to the next steps in their learning as soon as they are ready  improving targets in reading, writing and mathematics for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, so that small steps in learning can be measured and responded to more easily.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment on entry to the Reception Year in reading, writing and mathematics is below that expected for children of this age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 They make good progress in developing early literacy and numeracy skills. They gain very positive attitudes to learning. Children are prepared well for their start in Year 1. In 2013, most were working at or beyond the levels expected at the end of the Reception Year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More-able children read confidently. They have sufficient understanding of letters and the sounds they make to work out how to read unfamiliar words. Those who have not yet started to read tell a story accurately using pictures, while recognising a good number of familiar words.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children are making a good start in writing. They know how to form letters and how to write simple words accurately. Children learn new sounds quickly and are soon able to write simple words containing specific sounds. Some more-able children write sentences, explaining for example what they like about the ‘story tent’.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ physical development is good. They are confident and move around the outdoor area safely. They handle smaller equipment skilfully, for example when making patterns.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils continue their good progress through Years 1 and 2 and build well on the good foundation laid in the Reception Year. Standards are improving and pupils are currently working at levels higher than expected for their ages in reading, writing and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Teachers make interesting links between subjects. Where these links are skilfully exploited, pupils make excellent progress. For example, in a Year 2 lesson, pupils wrote letters to the President of South Africa, making their disapproval of rhinoceros poaching quite clear. They worked diligently and cooperatively to make suggestions about the content of their letters.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils use their good mathematical problem-solving skills to solve different problems effectively, while using their secure knowledge and understanding of number. Year 2 skilfully worked out how many different ways four objects could be arranged. Year 1 worked competently with odd and even numbers to explore pattern in number.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils build well on the good start they get in learning to read. The results in the phonics (the sounds letters make) check in Year 1 are similar to the national percentages of pupils reaching the expected standard. Year 1 readers use a range of strategies to read unfamiliar words and read at levels appropriate for their age, and sometimes higher.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The achievement of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good against their individual targets. However, a very small number do not make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics where targets are too vague.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Overall progress of pupils supported through pupil premium funding is good and closing the gap in attainment between them and other pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Lesson observations, the school’s information on pupils’ progress, pupils’ work books and records of the school’s own checks on teaching confirm that teaching is good and enables pupils to make good progress over time.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Many areas of common strength in teaching have developed under the robust checking of teaching by the headteachers. Good teaching is now common, and some is outstanding in Key Stage 1.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage adults keep ongoing records of individual progress in children’s learning experiences. They use this information well to ensure that children build secure skills in reading, writing and mathematics, so that teachers in Years 1 and 2 have good foundations to build on.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Reception classes, teachers provide stimulating opportunities for children to learn through exploring and investigating. However, in the outdoor learning area, adults do not intervene enough to ask questions or make suggestions to guide learning and ensure children’s play is fully effective in helping them find things out for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers respond exceptionally well to children’s comments in lessons. Pupils discuss the intended learning and teachers take full account of their ideas. For example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson pupils suggested different ways of solving a problem, and were encouraged to follow their own ideas. Consequently, pupils show high levels of interest in their work and do their very best. This is typical of the skilled way in which teachers use ideas that come from the pupils to engage them and make learning effective.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking of pupils’ work is of a consistently high quality. Comments show that achievement is recognised and praised appropriately. Teachers are clear in indicating what pupils need to do to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers provide good and sometimes excellent role models for pupils. They are courteous to pupils and to each other. They show good subject knowledge and their teaching is accurate and explained well. Teaching assistants work well with class teachers to make an important contribution to pupils’ progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Through well-focused support, adults are effective in moving most pupils supported through pupil premium funding on quickly in their work. The school assesses in detail the progress of each qualifying pupil and uses the information well to tailor programmes of support. Teachers and teaching assistants work with small groups or individual pupils to help them make good progress. The funds are also used to support out-of-school activities and clubs for children to ensure equality of opportunity.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs learn well through sensitive support that is mostly focused on their specific needs. Their targets in reading, writing and mathematics are not specific enough for adults to measure small steps in learning and adapt help and guidance in response.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are usually very good at using questions to make pupils think things out for themselves. They mostly adjust questions in line with pupils’ individual ability, so they are confident during class and group discussions. They listen carefully to pupils’ responses and respond by adjusting the learning activities. Just occasionally, teachers do not recognise the point at which more-able pupils are ready to work on their own a and encourage the pupils to work things out for themselves.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. This contributes well to pupils’ learning. Pupils behave well at break times and around school. As a result, they enjoy coming to school. Parents and pupils are confident that behaviour is good.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils of all ages have positive attitudes to learning. They are keen to do their very best and sustain their concentration. Older pupils carry on working without the direct supervision of an adult so class teachers and teaching assistants can work with groups of children without being interrupted.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Relationships are excellent and this is a strong feature of the school. Children learn together well, sharing ideas and helping each other when possible. In Reception, they share equipment and take turns. Older pupils listen to each other’s ideas respectfully.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance is average. It has improved and so far this year, pupils’ absence is low. The school follows up absence diligently and discourages unauthorised absence.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils know how they would deal with any issues that worry them. They are adamant that any bullying that did arise would be dealt with immediately.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff are led well by the two headteachers, who work as an effective team. Since taking on the role of joint headteacher, the deputy has developed strong leadership skills. The training of staff to step seamlessly into new roles is exceptional. Leadership at all levels is good and has a positive impact on pupils’ progress and behaviour.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteachers have developed a set of values, attitudes and beliefs through which each individual child is valued and nurtured to give them a good start to their education. The school is very well regarded as a caring school by parents. Staff pride themselves on the excellent care shown for all pupils, whatever their background.

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders check carefully on teaching and the impact it has over time on pupils’ progress. This has resulted in improved teaching. School records and inspection findings show teaching is never less than good and some is outstanding. Targets to improve teachers’ work are challenging and have helped improve teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is carefully planned. There is a good emphasis on reading, writing and mathematics so pupils make good progress in developing these skills and are prepared well for their next school. Good links between subjects make learning meaningful and engage pupils’ interest and attention. This aspect of the curriculum is an important factor in forming pupils’ positive attitudes to learning and their good behaviour.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils have a wide range of opportunities to develop their spiritual, moral, social and cultural skills and understanding. There are many opportunities in lessons to reflect on world issues and to encourage spiritual curiosity. Pupils’ understanding of social and moral aspects, supported by the school’s promotion of values, attitudes and beliefs, results in good behaviour and attitudes to school. Pupils are fully aware of the similarities and differences in a range of cultures.

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The leadership and management are good

 Finances are managed well. Pupil premium funding is used well to provide targeted support eligible pupils. The school has made detailed arrangements for spending the primary sports funding to improve and widen opportunities for pupils to take part in sports activities, improve teachers’ expertise and raise pupils’ enjoyment in and appreciation for taking part in sports. The impact of this is good. More pupils are involved in sporting activities, which is improving their health and well-being, and the teaching of physical education is improving.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority views the overall effectiveness of the school to be good. It provides a low level of support but advisers check annually how the school is doing and provide guidance to support improvement where necessary. The local authority provides training for staff, which the school uses frequently.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors deal confidently with important issues identified through their regular checking. For example, their management of the transition arrangements for headship are enabling a seamless hand-over so there is no interruption to the quality of leadership. They have a clear understanding of what needs to be done to secure school improvement  Governors work well with leaders at all levels of responsibility. They have individual subject responsibility. They regularly visit school and have a good knowledge of how well teachers are doing through first-hand experiences and through discussion. They constantly look for ways to improve their own effectiveness, and are currently reviewing the way in which they check the school’s work  They are knowledgeable. Their professional expertise and training give them a good understanding of assessment data, for example. This means they know how well the school is

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The leadership and management are good

doing and how the achievement of pupils compares with other schools  They challenge senior leaders on school improvement. They set clear targets in managing the performance of the headteacher and staff, making sure teachers’ pay increases link to competence  They make sure statutory requirements are met, including for safeguarding.

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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 122535 Local authority Nottinghamshire Inspection number 440589

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Infant School category Community Age range of pupils 4–7 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 180 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sally Fletcher Headteachers Anthony Johnson and Sarah Taberner Date of previous school inspection 31 January–1 February 2011 Telephone number 0115 953 1606 Fax number 0115 956 8309 Email address head@westdale-inf.notts.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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