Westfield Junior School

Inspection of Westfield Junior School Westfield Road, Hinckley, Leicestershire LE10 0LT

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Inspection dates: 26 and 27 October 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 26 and 27 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Westfield Juniors love coming to school. They are happy to belong to this supportive school community. They benefit from positive and encouraging relationships with each other and with the staff. Leaders ensure that the school’s ‘Super Six’ values are at the heart of everything they do.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils look after each other and behave well. They make sure that everyone has a friend to play with. They understand the school rules of ‘be ready, show respect and be safe’. Pupils are keen to talk about the importance of being kind. They told inspectors that they would feel comfortable speaking to any member of staff if they had any worries. Pupils say that bullying is rare. They have every confidence that staff would sort out any problems straight away. Pupils say that they feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their responsibilities, including being ‘Westfield Wombles’ litter pickers and ambassadors for reading. They enjoy activities after school, such as cooking and clay modelling.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious, and have high aspirations, for pupils. They have made recent improvements to the curriculum. They know there is more work to do to develop this, so that all pupils achieve as highly as they could.

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better?

The headteacher and phase leaders have made positive changes to pupils’ experiences in school. They have a clear vision and high expectations. Leaders introduced a new curriculum in September 2022. This curriculum identifies the specific knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and in what order. In some subjects, such as mathematics, leaders provide clear guidance about what to teach and when. This helps teachers to plan learning that builds logically on pupils’ prior knowledge. As a result, pupils develop their understanding of concepts well over time.

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better?

Some subject leaders do not reliably know how well all groups of pupils learn in lessons. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Senior leaders have identified inconsistencies in how the curriculum is delivered and how well subject leaders support staff. Some subject leaders do not provide enough guidance for teachers to develop their subject knowledge and deliver curriculums well. Consequently, some groups of pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.

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better?

Leaders and staff foster in pupils a love of reading. They ensure that pupils have regular sessions to listen to and discuss stories and poems. Leaders have selected a wide range of books, which reflect life in today’s modern world. Leaders ensure that the books match the sounds pupils know. Staff use assessment well to identify 26 and 27 October 2022

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pupils who need extra phonics support. Pupils receive interventions to help them become fluent readers. Pupils understand the importance of reading. They love sending messages online to their favourite authors. There is a buzz of excitement when authors reply to pupils and send their books to them.

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Pupils are polite and respectful. They follow well-established school routines. Pupils behave well in lessons and during social times. Playtimes and lunchtimes are a joyful experience. Staff help pupils to organise games and make lots of friends.

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The pastoral support that staff provide for pupils is a strength. Relationships between adults and pupils are warm and nurturing. Pupils know how to keep mentally and physically healthy. They use various strategies to help reduce anxiety, such as ‘worry monsters’. Pupils learn about respecting differences. One pupil, typical of many, told the inspectors, ‘Everyone has equal rights. People should not make fun of others for being different.’ While pupils learn about different religions and faiths, their understanding of these is fragile.

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Pupils talk with pride about leadership opportunities, such as school councillors and house captains. Leaders ensure pupils experience a range of activities to develop their talents and interests. Pupils contribute to the local community through regular charitable work.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. Teachers, including those at the early stages of their careers, value the support that they receive from senior leaders and governors.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Staff are well trained to notice and report any signs of concern. Leaders keep detailed records to enable them to make quick decisions to support families in need of help. Leaders, including governors, ensure the school’s recruitment procedures are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils have a good awareness of staying safe, including online. They know to report concerns to an adult and not to share personal information with strangers.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not given sufficient guidance on how to effectively adapt provision for pupils with SEND, particularly in the SEND Unit. The curriculum is not successfully adapted to meet the needs of some pupils with SEND. Leaders need to ensure pupils with SEND are given suitably adapted work, which is more 26 and 27 October 2022

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closely aligned with their personal targets, so that they achieve as well as they could.  Some subject leadership training has not had the desired impact on the quality of education for all groups of pupils as leaders intended. Some subject leaders are not able to provide the support and guidance that colleagues need to deliver the curriculums well in these subjects. Leaders should ensure that all subject leaders have the knowledge and skills to provide the support and guidance to colleagues, so that the full curriculum is delivered as intended.  Leaders in some subjects do not monitor their curriculum areas in enough detail. Consequently, they do not have a clear understanding of how well pupils secure knowledge over time across the school. Subject leaders need to check all groups of pupils’ knowledge acquisition across the whole school, so they can assure themselves of the quality of education being provided within their subject area.

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 Pupils do not have a developed understanding of fundamental British values and other faiths and cultures. They are not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be. Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a deeper understanding of these aspects of the curriculum.

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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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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. 26 and 27 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227771 Type of school Junior

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 has 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.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, the phase leaders, subject leaders and a range of staff, including an early career teacher.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, 26 and 27 October 2022

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spoke with teachers and spoke with pupils about their learning. They visited les- sons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, inspectors reviewed school policies, procedures and records. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors also spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text com- ments. Inspectors met with staff and considered responses to Ofsted’s staff sur- vey.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Monaghan Ofsted Inspector 26 and 27 October 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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