Westover Primary School

Inspection of Westover Primary School Westover Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO3 6NS

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 5 and 6 May 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this friendly, welcoming and caring school. They are happy and they feel safe and well cared for. Staff and pupils treat each other with respect. There is a strong sense of teamwork all round. Although bullying is rare, pupils are rightly confident that staff sort it out immediately. The school’s values, which include, kindness, resilience, curiosity and creativity, flow through all areas of everyday life. One pupil shared, ‘You should believe in yourself and never give up!’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at Westover. Leaders have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils, including children in early years, are absorbed in their learning. They strive to ‘earn rewards’ for working hard and behaving well. Pupils try their best and look out for each other. They take pride in the leadership roles and responsibilities they have. For instance, pupils have roles as playtime leaders, library leaders, sports leaders and eco-leaders.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know how to keep healthy and the benefits of daily exercise. At breaktimes, they look forward to catching up with their friends and love keeping active. Pupils happily engage in a game of basketball, football, playing skittles or climbing the trim trail.

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better?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to learn a curriculum that is broad, interesting and stimulating. They are determined to make sure that all pupils, including those with SEND, are well prepared for the next stage of their education. Across subjects, leaders have identified the most important knowledge that they intend pupils to learn and remember well. They have thought carefully about the order that pupils learn this essential knowledge. The curriculum in early years lays the right foundations for children’s future learning.

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better?

Overall, staff use their strong subject knowledge to support pupils to practise and remember what they have learned effectively. This helps pupils and children in early years, to securely build their knowledge over time. However, leaders know that in a few subjects, pupils do not achieve as well as they could. This is because some teachers’ subject knowledge is variable. Supported by the trust, leaders are ensuring that teachers continue to benefit from training to develop their subject expertise.

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better?

Leaders ensure that reading is a top priority. Staff regularly read high-quality texts to pupils to nurture their love of reading. Children in Reception Year are immersed in books and engaging reading activities. Each week, pupils look forward to visiting the well-stocked library to choose a book to share with their families. Leaders have recently introduced a new phonics programme. Well-trained staff deliver this effectively. They check that pupils know and use their phonics knowledge correctly. Pupils read books that match the sounds they have learned. If pupils fall behind, 5 and 6 May 2022

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they receive regular and effective support to help them catch up. Consequently, pupils learn to read with fluency and with comprehension.

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Pupils behave well and look forward to their lessons. The learning environment, both inside and outside, is inviting and vibrant. It is a hive of purposeful activity. Children in early years develop crucial skills for learning, such as curiosity, independence and resilience. Pupils with SEND receive effective support that enables them to access the full curriculum. Staff quickly identify any barriers to learning. They work hard to ensure that these pupils’ needs are met and that they are fully included in the full range of school activities.

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There is a respectful culture in the school. Pupils act in a kind and considerate manner. Pupils learn how to be responsible citizens, including in early years. They regularly make donations to the local food bank and raise funds for the charities they support. Pupils have a strong understanding of equality. Pupils explain that it is ‘fine to be different and that everyone deserves to be treated the same’. Pupils learn about different faiths and religions. They talk knowledgeably about the rule of law and mutual respect. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Trust leaders have robust systems in place to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of leaders’ actions. They have a thorough knowledge of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Leaders make effective use of the support provided from the trust. Leaders actively support staff’s well-being and are mindful of their workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise the welfare and safety of pupils. Recruitment checks are carried out in a timely manner. Staff receive regular training to help them identify any pupils who may be at risk of harm. They understand the process for reporting any concerns they may have. Staff follow these processes quickly and diligently. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to try to secure appropriate support for pupils and their families. Leaders use the curriculum and a range of visitors to help pupils learn about the dangers they may face, including online, water and road safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers have variable subject knowledge. This limits how well pupils, including children in early years, develop their knowledge and understanding. Leaders need to continue providing training to develop teachers’ expertise so that they can deliver the curriculum successfully. 5 and 6 May 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 5 and 6 May 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227470 Type of school Primary

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 October 2018, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Hamwic Education Trust. Since the last inspection, there has been several changes to leadership. The current headteacher was appointed in September 2020.  The school is in the process of moving to a single form of entry. It currently has three mixed-age classes for Years 4 and 5.  The school is currently using one alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, school leaders, staff and pupils. 5 and 6 May 2022

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 The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer and the school standards officer of the Hamwic Education Trust. She also had a telephone discussion with the chair of the board of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To inspect safeguarding, inspectors checked the single central record of recruitment checks and talked to leaders responsible for safeguarding. Inspectors also talked to a range of staff and pupils informally.  Inspectors considered the responses to the confidential staff survey and spoke to a range of staff about their views of the school.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View questionnaire

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and the additional free-text responses. The lead inspector talked with some parents on the morning of the second day of the inspection.  Inspectors considered responses to the pupil survey. They met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to pupils informally during social times and in lessons.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including the school development plan and pupil premium funding plan.

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Inspection team

Louise Walker, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nina Marabese Ofsted Inspector 5 and 6 May 2022

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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