Westways Primary School

Westways Primary School Mona Avenue, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S10 1NE

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Overall effectiveness

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

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils’ progress across the school is inconsistent, particularly in mathematics and for lower ability pupils.  The gap between the attainment of pupils supported by the pupil premium and other pupils is not narrowing.  The progress of pupils with disabilities and those who have special educational needs is patchy because their work is not always set at the right level and sometimes they do not get enough help in class.  Leadership at all levels over time has not moved the school forward sufficiently to bring about improvement to teaching or pupils’ achievement. They have not robustly checked that policies have been implemented effectively in all classrooms. Consequently, the quality of teaching is inconsistent and much requires improvement.  Work is not always matched well so that all pupils learn quickly. Lower ability pupils sometimes find work is too difficult and staff do not always check pupils’ understanding.

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

Equally, some most able pupils find work undemanding.  Teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do in terms of the quality and quantity of work they produce are sometimes too low. Pupils’ work is sometimes poorly presented and handwriting is not taught thoroughly.  Sometimes the school’s behaviour management policy is not consistently implemented, and so some pupils lose interest and not all are eager to learn.  Governors have not critically evaluated the use, or impact, of the pupil premium funding.

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The school has the following strengths

 This is a very cohesive school where pupils of many diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds get on well and show great tolerance and respect for one another.  Most pupils behave well; most work hard in lessons and feel safe in school.  Improvements to the teaching of letters and sounds are helping to improve pupils’ reading in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 classes.  The large majority of parents have high regard for the school and value its caring ethos.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 25 lessons or part lessons, three of which were observed jointly with the headteacher. In addition, a series of shorter visits were made to the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 classrooms.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, middle leaders, teachers, pupils and six members of the governing body. Discussions were held with parents at the start and end of the day. A small number of parents sent letters and had telephone interviews with the lead inspector. There was also a meeting with a representative from the local authority.  The views of 145 parents who completed the online questionnaire Parent View were also taken into account.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and examined a wide range of documentation including: national assessment data and the school’s own assessments of pupils’ progress; minutes from governing body meetings; the school’s own view of its work; local authority reports;

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Information about this inspection

safeguarding policies and procedures and samples of pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Amraz Ali, Lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ben Cox Additional Inspector Baljinder Khela Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a large primary school and has increased in size since the last inspection. It now admits three classes in each year group rather than two. A significant amount of building and remodelling work has taken place to provide teaching space for the additional classes.  The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding is a little below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportions of those from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who are learning to speak English as an additional language are well above average. These pupils come from a wide range of ethnic and cultural backgrounds; around 26 different languages are spoken by pupils.  The proportion of pupils supported by school action is below average. The proportion supported

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Information about this school

at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs is average.  The school is supported by senior staff from Parson’s Cross Primary School which is a better performing school within the same local authority.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching, so it is consistently good or better in order to accelerate pupils’ progress to a good rate by:  making sure work is always matched well to pupils’ needs and particularly those who are less able or have disabilities or special educational needs  providing more challenging work for the most able so more reach the higher levels of attainment  checking learning more frequently during lessons, correcting mistakes and ensuring pupils understand what they need to do and why  raise expectations of teachers in terms of the quality and quantity of work pupils are able to produce and insist that pupils always present their work to a high standard  ensuring teachers’ marking is consistently good across the school and that pupils are given the opportunity to respond to teachers’ comments and advice  ensuring teachers consistently apply the policy for rewarding and managing pupils’ behaviour.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ achievement in mathematics so more make the expected or better rate of progress by:  providing greater mathematical challenge for the most able pupils in all classes, including the Early Years Foundation Stage  placing greater focus on developing the basic skills of lower-attaining pupils by providing more practical opportunities for using measuring equipment and applying their mathematics skills  developing pupils’ understanding of specific mathematical language.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the attainment and progress of pupils supported by the pupil premium by:  ensuring that an external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium is undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved  reviewing the use of pupil premium funding so it is linked more clearly to meeting the academic needs of pupils  ensuring any additional support is effective and timely checks are made on its appropriateness.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership, at all levels, by:  developing the role of middle leaders, including their skills at judging, and influencing, the work of teachers and pupils’ learning  ensuring written evaluations of teaching identify the link between the work of teachers and their impact on learning and provide precise feedback on how performance can be improved  ensuring the implementation of policies, and impact of planned developments, are checked more rigorously  improving communication with parents, particularly about pupils’ progress and special educational needs  building on the review of governance so that governors are able to more effectively challenge leaders and managers, particularly on the use and impact of pupil premium funding.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ learning and progress is variable and as a consequence some pupils, particularly the lower ability and those with disabilities and those who have special educational needs do not make as much progress as they could. Pupils’ work is variable in quality and is sometimes poorly presented and untidy with poorly formed letters.  Pupils’ progress over time is inconsistent and attainment has declined over the last two years, particularly in mathematics; this reflects the inconsistencies in teaching that have been exacerbated by recent staff absence. In the classes where teaching is not strong, pupils’ progress is slower.  Pupils who are supported by the pupil premium do not do as well as other pupils at the school. The gap between pupils supported by the pupil premium and their classmates has increased year upon year for the last three years despite the school’s use of the pupil premium funding. In

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

2013, pupils supported by the pupil premium were more than two terms behind their peers overall in reading, writing and mathematics and a year behind their peers in respect of the use of grammar, punctuation and spelling.  When children join the Nursery or Reception classes their stages of development are usually typical for their age. A particular feature is the very wide range of abilities with some with skills significantly above what is typical and some with skills below. However, for the most recent intake their attainment when they joined was a little below typical. Children’s progress in the Nursery and Reception classes is inconsistent. They tend to make better progress in reading because they learn about letters and sounds effectively and weaker progress in writing and mathematics.  Standards at the end of Year 2 are average and have been for some time. Standards at the end of Year 6 were below average in the 2013 national tests, particularly in mathematics. For this

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

group of pupils this represented less than expected progress. School assessments and pupils’ work indicate the progress of the pupils in the current Year 6 classes is improving and standards overall are rising, although few make better than expected progress.  Most able pupils are evident in almost all classes. Work does not always offer the most able pupils enough challenge. In mathematics, for example, although some enjoy using higher number as a ‘challenge’, the mathematics provided for these pupils is no more complex and consequently does not challenge all. The progress of the most able pupils is variable and few are working securely at the highest levels.  The progress and attainment of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds are as uneven as other pupils. Pupils learning to speak English as an additional language, including some pupils at the early stages of leaning English make better progress because of the extra help they receive.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils say they enjoy reading and are keen to read well. They use their knowledge of letters and the sounds they make to attempt to read unfamiliar words. They know the difference between fiction and non-fiction and discuss sensibly the books they are reading. By the end of Year 6, pupils have mature attitudes to reading and understand the value of being able to read well.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although some good and occasionally outstanding teaching is evident, the quality of teaching is variable and over time it has not been good enough to enable all pupils to make expected or better than expected progress. A significant strength is the very positive relationships between staff and pupils and between pupils themselves. This ensures classrooms are orderly.  Where learning is better, teachers’ subject knowledge is a strong feature, for example in a geography lesson the teacher used his knowledge of Pakistan to describe the country well. However, learning is not as secure when subject knowledge is weaker, particularly in mathematics. Sometimes, pupils’ understanding of mathematics and measuring is hampered because they do not use the full range of resources available. Some pupils’ understanding is similarly limited by their understanding of mathematical terms.  When expectations are high pupils complete work well. However, sometimes pupils do not know

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

how much work they have to complete. Consequently, some pupils are slow to begin their work and they do not always complete as much work as they should. Sometimes pupils struggle and their mistakes are not corrected quickly.  Teaching assistants make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. Pupils, particularly those of lower ability or those who have special educational needs, stated they value the extra support they receive. However, some of the same pupils stated they struggled when the work was mostly the same for everyone and sometimes they do not get enough help in class.  There is some good marking by teachers, but this, too, is uneven across classes and subjects. Pupils do not always respond to the guidance teachers give them, so often there is no notable improvement in their next piece of work. Teachers do not always make their expectations of pupils clear so some are slow to begin their work, some do not complete enough work and some

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

do not present their work to a high standard. This is not challenged and consequently work is sometimes untidy, with poor handwriting or incorrect formation of letters.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

 Although this aspect is a relative strength, the behaviour of pupils requires improvement because where teaching is weak, and the school’s behaviour management policy is not consistently followed, low-level misbehaviour is not challenged. Additionally, where expectations of pupils are not made explicit, pupils’ attitudes and approach to completing work are inconsistent and not all are eager to learn.  Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. They are polite and friendly and they play with each other well in the playing areas. Parents, staff and pupils are happy with their behaviour. Pupils say behaviour is usually good in the playgrounds and around school and where there are challenging behaviour incidents they are dealt with, and recorded, appropriately.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good and pupils say they feel safe and well cared for. Older pupils have a good understanding of what constitutes bullying, particularly

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The behaviour and safety of pupils requires improvement

cyber-bullying. They state that incidents of bullying, including racist bullying, are rare and if they do occur they are dealt with quickly. Appropriate records are kept of incidents of racism and bullying.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, children play well together and happily share the different resources that are available. They develop good levels of independence and most are happy to talk enthusiastically to visitors.  Attendance is broadly average and has improved over the last three years. The school’s systems in dealing with attendance are working. However, the attendance of pupils supported by the pupil premium is below that of other pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Self-evaluation is largely accurate. Senior leaders know where most improvement is needed. Regular reviews of pupil performance are holding teachers to account for the progress of pupils in their class. However, the impact of these has been inconsistent. Lessons are evaluated soundly but written evaluations do not always link the impact of teaching to pupils’ learning and do not always identify precisely how the performance of teachers could be improved.  The school development plan identifies important areas for improvement but sometimes lacks precision and rigour in the detail of what will be done and how improvements will be checked in classrooms. Consequently, the leadership of teaching has not lead to consistently good teaching and agreed school policies are not always rigorously implemented.  The local authority has correctly prioritised the school as needing additional support. For example, they have helped to establish a link with a more effective school. A senior member of

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The leadership and management requires improvement

staff from the more effective school has worked closely with the teacher responsible for mathematics to establish where improvement is needed and to form an improvement plan for mathematics. While this is sound it has not led to consistently good teaching or pupil progress.  The role of middle leaders, including the Early Years Foundation Stage coordinator is underdeveloped in terms of judging and influencing the work of teachers, teaching assistants and the progress of pupils. Some leaders are new into their roles while others do not fully understand their role.  Use of the primary sport funding is improving pupils’ enthusiasm for physical exercise. For example, older pupils talk very positively about the before-school gymnastics classes and pupils enjoy the many opportunities for using sports equipment during breaks and lunchtime.  Although overall parents are generally positive in their feedback about the school, some state

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The leadership and management requires improvement

they have limited success at engaging with school leaders, particularly when dealing with pupils with special needs. Some parents state they would welcome more information about their children’s academic progress, particularly when they have special educational needs or are not making as much progress as expected.  Pupil premium funding is used to support a range of additional activities across the school, including some activities targeting the academic achievement of some of pupils who trigger the funding but not all are effective at narrowing the gap. Some activities such as music tuition and some educational visits are designed to bring about longer term gains. The impact of planned activities has not been rigorously evaluated in terms of narrowing the gap between the pupils supported by the pupil premium and their peers.  The governance of the school:  The work and skills of governors are cause for optimism in that they are knowledgeable about

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the work of the school; the strengths and weaknesses in teaching and attainment. However, there is scope to improve the level of challenge offered to senior leaders, particularly about the impact of the use of pupil premium funding. Governors have had recent training to help them understand the school’s data and are therefore better prepared to challenge underperformance and some individual governors make regular focused visits to the school. Governors know about the use of performance management and have correctly limited progression to the upper pay spine to teachers who are not performing at the expected level. A recent external evaluation of governance has identified ways to improve their work.

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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 107095 Local authority Sheffield Inspection number 431375

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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 563 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Heather Stewart Headteacher Melany Holmes Date of previous school inspection 4 March 2009 Telephone number 0114 2662471 Fax number 0114 2631158 Email address headteacher@westways.sheffield.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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