West End Academy

West End Academy Regent Street, Hemsworth, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF9 4QJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Outstanding leadership over the past year has driven the school rapidly to become a good school. Issues facing the new academy have been tackled successfully. A new culture of achievement has emerged as a result.  Leaders’ work with the multi-academies trust adds considerably to the effectiveness of leadership overall.  The school’s rapid success is underpinned by leaders’ highly effective management of teaching and a relentless focus on progress. These have a very positive impact on pupils’ achievement.  Governors’ partnership in the school’s work through their challenge and support has been focal to its success.  Effective leadership of the early years ensures that children are given a good start to their learning and achieve well.  Pupils regard their school as an exciting place to be where they work hard and enjoy challenges. Their attitudes and behaviour are excellent. Attendance has risen sharply and pupils feel entirely safe in

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

school.  Teaching is consistently good. Some teaching is outstanding. Good planning for pupils’ differing abilities means that all are challenged well and make good progress. Pupils describe their lessons as ‘more educational and more challenging’.  Pupils achieve well from their starting points. Many pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 are working at higher levels, currently, than seen in the 2014 national test results. Throughout the school, progress is rapidly gathering pace.  Parents’ views are very positive. Parents recognise how well the school has developed in a relatively short time.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not outstanding overall because there are inconsistencies in quality. Time is not always used as well as possible to maximise learning opportunities for all pupils.  Sometimes, the first part of the lesson does not prepare pupils well enough for the tasks they are expected to do.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning in a range of lessons and from samples of pupils’ work. There was a joint observation with the headteacher in one lesson. Some of the work sampling was done with senior staff.  Inspectors discussed the school’s work with staff members, governors, pupils and representatives from the Wakefield City Academies Trust.  Also taken into account were the views of 12 parents who responded via Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View), a survey of parents’ views conducted by the school and questionnaires completed by members of staff.  Inspectors examined a range of documentation including, assessment data, curriculum information, minutes from governing body meetings, safeguarding documents and the school’s own view of its work.

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Inspection team

Kevin Johnson, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized primary school. Almost all pupils are White British.  West End Academy became an academy school on 1 October 2013. It is now part of the Wakefield City Academies Trust.  The headteacher was appointed to the post in September 2014. Prior to that he had been supporting the school’s leadership.  There have been several changes in teaching staff since the school became an academy.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those supported by the pupil premium funding is above the national average. The pupil premium is additional funding the school receives for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is average.  The school meets current government floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 Provision for children in the early years is part time in Nursery and full time in the Reception Year.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of teaching further by:  ensuring that time is used to the full in lessons to advance pupils’ learning  making sure that pupils are always fully equipped with the precise knowledge and skills they need to tackle their work independently and confidently.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Excellent leadership from the headteacher, who is amply supported by school staff, governors and the multi-academies trust, has secured the very strong culture of learning and supportive ethos of the school. Pupils talk about harder and more interesting learning and parents are proud of their children’s achievements.  Pupils learn in a climate where all discrimination is very strongly challenged and there is equality of opportunity for all. Teaching is consistently good, and opportunities for pupils to enjoy learning and develop very high standards in personal behaviour, relationships and attitudes are plentiful.  Support from the multi-academies trust is highly effective. It enables the school to draw on the skills and expertise of its partner members to share the best practice and compare standards and quality in order to maintain its drive for improvement.  Leaders’ unfailing focus on teaching quality has been crucial to the school’s success. The highest

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The leadership and management are outstanding

expectations are clear and non-negotiable. The quality of teaching is checked frequently and aspects for improvement are followed up quickly by senior leaders. Professional support and training for teachers are extremely well managed and have a very positive impact on their development, and subsequently, on pupils’ progress.  Key leadership roles and accountabilities are distributed clearly throughout the senior team members. They are a very effective team, and provide excellent role models for colleagues with regard to best practice and professional relationships. They oversee the school’s performance and have an accurate view of how well the school is doing.  Middle leaders, responsible for individual subjects, are very effective. They have adapted the primary national curriculum skilfully to pupils’ needs and interests. Some exciting and enriching activities are added that provide first-class opportunities outside lesson time for pupils to foster their skills and interests and to

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The leadership and management are outstanding

improve the overall quality of their learning.  Leaders’ use of the allocated primary school sports funding has greatly improved the physical education curriculum and increased opportunities for sport and pupils’ well-being. Pupils are more competitive and successful in cross-country running and multi-sports tournaments, for example. The quality of teaching in lessons is enhanced as a result of teachers working with specialist coaches.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted exceptionally well. Pupils are keen to take on responsibilities and through that they develop their strong sense of reliability and fairness. Pupils understand how the democratic process works because they are given opportunities to express their views and negotiate. They learn to be tolerant of others and to take an interest in, and learn from, other cultures. Pupils acquire the skills, understanding and the values that they need to live as reliable members

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The leadership and management are outstanding

of a community in modern Britain extremely well.  Leaders check the impact of the use of the pupil premium funding carefully. They are committed to ensuring that disadvantaged pupils have equal opportunities with others to achieve their best. Governors are aware of the rapid progress made by pupils in that group so that they achieve as well as others in the school.  Safeguarding arrangement are thorough and fully meet statutory requirements. Staff are fully trained to deal with safeguarding issues and are acutely aware of their responsibility to protect pupils. Written guidance for staff, parents and pupils is very clear and easily accessible. Leaders are very watchful over pupils’ attendance which has improved quickly since the school opened. It is currently securely in line with the national average and continuing to rise.  The governance of the school:  Governors have had an enormous impact in setting standards and helping to create a renewed ethos in

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The leadership and management are outstanding

the school. Their vision for the school and their expectations are clear. Through the multi-academies trust they provide all the support that the school needs to help its rapid progress. Governors check the quality of the school’s work rigorously and work very effectively with school leaders to make sure expectations and quality of work are maintained. Governors are very familiar with national assessment data and use this well to compare the school’s academic performance with that of others, and to plan improvements. They have a very clear overview of teaching quality and of the performance management of teachers, which they consider carefully when rewarding successful work. Financial management is efficient, including the use of the pupil premium funding for disadvantaged pupils and the sport funding for development of sport in the school.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Pupils enjoy school. ‘Delightful and different,’ are some of the words they choose to describe it. They are proud to wear the uniform of West End Academy, and Year 6 pupils particularly set an excellent example in the way they arrive smartly dressed and ready for their learning.  Pupils always work hard in lessons. They listen well to their teachers and to one another when testing their ideas about work. Their excellent behaviour in lessons is a major factor in the rapid progress they make.  Politeness and good manners are hallmarks of pupils’ behaviour around the school. They invariable show respect toward adults and are mindful of other pupils at playtimes, which are full of activity.  They manage their own behaviour very well, for example, by behaving respectfully during assemblies and demonstrating good manners in the dining room.  Pupils judge their own behaviour highly and say that their enjoyment of learning is never interrupted.

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Behaviour

 Pupils’ highly positive attitudes set the scene for the enthusiastic way they contribute to every day school life. The active school council seeks out pupils’ views and leads the way, for example, in charitable fund- raising. Play leaders help to keep others safe and active in the playground and maintain fair play. Older pupils are reading buddies for younger ones. Many other tasks carried out routinely by pupils help school days to run smoothly.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils are fully aware of potential dangers in and outside school, including those linked to use of the internet, and they know how to respond to them.  They demonstrated their excellent understanding of bullying and how to deal with it in an assembly by answering all of the headteacher's questions correctly during an exciting quiz game.  Pupils state firmly that there is no bullying in the school, and that offensive name-calling is virtually non- existent. School records confirm that such incidents are extremely rare. They also show the level of concern staff members have, and the support provided for pupils who may be considered potentially vulnerable.  Pupils say that theirs is a safe school where they are cared for very well. Parents’ responses endorse that view.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Since the school opened as an academy, leaders have worked hard to raise the skills, determination and morale of the teaching staff. Teachers have responded well. Feedback from senior leaders and external advisers has been fully embraced, resulting in teaching that is consistently good, and at times, outstanding.  Expectations of what pupils can achieve are high. This is made clear to pupils and followed up through well-thought-out activities that challenge all ability groups. Resources to help pupils learn are matched well to the tasks that pupils do. Technology is used well. Pupils use it confidently as a means of learning.  Ongoing assessment is used well so that planning builds effectively on the skills and knowledge pupils already have. Progress is checked by adults as pupils work so that errors are picked up quickly, and corrected, to ensure that pupils make good progress in their lessons. Pupils’ thoughtful assessment of

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The quality of teaching is good

their own work means that they always have a good understanding of what to improve. Written feedback from teachers also provides good help for pupils to improve their work.  English is taught well. By the end of Year 6, pupils read confidently and with good understanding. They know how important it is to be able to read well and for different purposes.  There is a consistent emphasis on the teaching of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Learning in these sessions moves along at a good pace. These skills are used well by pupils in their writing, which overall shows good and sometimes excellent improvement over the year. There is a good range of writing across the curriculum. Impressive work was seen in science and geography books, for example, where pupils used appropriate subject language well when recording their work. Equal importance is given to writing whether in English or topic work.  Learning in mathematics is challenging. It focuses well on multiplication tables, number systems and how

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The quality of teaching is good

numbers work. The school’s emphasis on calculation means that pupils are more skilled in using what they know when solving number problems.  However, pupils are not always able to make progress on their own because teaching does not always enable them to take that extra step. Pupils learned how to measure angles, for example, but were uncertain about how to use that knowledge to construct a shape because that next step was not made clear for them, nor was their time for them to discuss and reason out a method. As a result, their learning slowed down when practical work began.  Teaching assistants generally make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning when activities start. They work effectively alongside teachers or with smaller groups. They know the pupils well and cater well for their particular needs.  Time is not always managed as well as it might be to add pace to learning. For example, pupils may have

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The quality of teaching is good

to wait unnecessarily after finishing one challenge, before starting the next and occasionally groups could be expected to start learning activities more promptly than they do.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well from their starting points since the school opened.  In Key Stage 1, pupils build well on the positive start they make in the early years.  The proportion of pupils in Year 1 who reached the expected standard in phonics (letters and the sounds they make) was below the national average in 2014. Currently, more pupils are working at a higher level in phonics than previously because of improved teaching.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 showed a rising trend in 2014 when pupils’ attainment was average. School assessment data and standards seen currently in pupils’ writing and mathematics indicate the trend has continued over the year. Progress is good and virtually all pupils are working at levels equal to or above those expected for their age.  Pupils have made good progress in reading over the year. They enjoy stories from the good range of

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The achievement of pupils is good

books available to them and more pupils are reading at the higher Level 3.  Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014 showed good improvement and reached commendable levels since the school opened. Pupils’ current work confirms a continued upward trend with good improvements especially in mathematics and in the numbers of pupils in all subjects working at or beyond Level 5.  Year-on-year progress in Key Stage 2 is good with pockets of outstanding progress for some pupils. Pupils in Year 3 consistently make better than expected progress. Disadvantaged pupils, who are supported by the pupil premium, who are currently in Year 6, have made exceptional progress from their starting points.  Disadvantaged pupils did not attain as well as all pupils nationally in 2014. Their attainment in Year 6 was the equivalent of approximately two terms behind in reading, writing and mathematics. The picture is

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The achievement of pupils is good

similar when disadvantaged pupils’ attainment is compared with other pupils in the school. These gaps in attainment have been closed in the current Year 6.  The most able pupils are well provided for and the school works hard to ensure they reach their potential. The curriculum has been planned to provide higher challenges for them, including more challenging homework. Additional teaching from the headteacher stretches the most able mathematicians. This has a good impact, and some pupils are currently working at the highest possible Level 6.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress. The special educational needs coordinator has good background knowledge and understanding of pupils’ particular difficulties and plans well to ensure their needs are met. She works well with colleagues within the multi- academies trust and with outside agencies to support specific needs, such as speech and language

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The achievement of pupils is good

difficulties. Provision for pupils is good under the school’s new leadership and staff have a clear accountability for pupils’ good progress.

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The early years provision is good

 When children enter the nursery, approximately half have abilities below those typically expected for their age. Aspects of their personal development and communication skills are at early stages. Mathematical understanding is also lower than expected. By the end of the Nursery Year a considerable number of children catch up and only a small number are still working towards expected levels.  Good progress continues in the Reception class so that the majority of children reach good levels of development and some exceed those levels. Overall, children achieve well and are suitably prepared for their transition into Year 1.  Leadership of the early years is strong. The leader’s specialist knowledge has helped staff to improve their teaching and establish an effective early years unit. Systems for checking progress and setting next steps are well established. Links with parents are good. The leader regularly checks the effectiveness of

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The early years provision is good

provision to ensure children make the progress they should.  Teaching is good. Topics and themes are chosen to match children’s interests, and skills are developed effectively around those themes. Children’s current interest, for example, centres on space and planets. Their good independent writing in reception about what food they will take on their ‘space picnic’ clearly shows the good progress they make in their reading and writing. Their very acceptable spelling confirms the good grounding they have in phonics.  Activities outdoors reflect learning in the classroom and provide good opportunities for follow-up work in mathematics, for example, which challenges children’s physical coordination, as well as their mathematical understanding.  Adults engage children well in conversation, asking questions to encourage curiosity and thinking, and to improve their communication skills.  Provision for children’s well-being is excellent and behaviour and personal skills are developed

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The early years provision is good

exceptionally well. A good example of this was when the nursery children came in from their outdoor activities to settle immediately on the carpet to enjoy a story. Their behaviour was excellent. They sustained concentration for the whole session and their comments on the story showed how interested they became, as well as how much their personal skills had advanced over the year.  In the Reception class, children show excellent levels of personal development. They tidy up on their own initiative, for example, take appropriate care over their personal hygiene and work happily in groups or independently. They are very keen to learn and are always very courteous.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 140003 Local authority Wakefield Inspection number 450112

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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 Academy sponsor-led Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 245 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mike Ramsey Headteacher Chris Johnson Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01977 723705 Fax number 01977 723706 Email address cjohnson@wcatrust.org 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 and 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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