West Lodge Primary School

Inspection of West Lodge Primary School West End Lane, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 1AF

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected 13 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 8 and 9 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide great care and nurture for all pupils. Pupils here are very happy and kept safe. Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This helps pupils to achieve highly and be ready for their next stages of education. Pupils are articulate, confident and self- assured.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Staff ensure that they have clear routines in place which are consistently understood by all. Pupils follow staff’s high expectations. They are polite and courteous. Working relationships between staff and pupils are excellent. Leaders do not tolerate any bullying and deal with any incidents seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders encourage pupils to respect and understand differences. For example, the ‘annual festival of light’ helps pupils to explore different faiths and beliefs. Pupils have access to a wide variety of enrichment opportunities. These include many extra-curricular clubs, such as cricket, dance and robotics. Parents and carers valued these experiences on offer. They were overwhelmingly positive about the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders help pupils to take on wider responsibilities. For instance, pupils took their roles as playground assistants, digital leaders and house captains seriously. Leaders help pupils to consider how to help the environment, including through sustainability.

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better?

Leaders have developed an ambitious curriculum offer for pupils across all subjects. They consider the key knowledge and skills they want pupils to learn and when. Subject leaders think carefully about the subject-specific skills they want pupils to gain. For instance, in science, pupils develop strong scientific knowledge before they undertake practical work. This helped pupils in Year 4 to draw careful conclusions about the impact of different liquids on teeth.

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better?

Teachers check pupils’ understanding regularly. They identify any misconceptions in pupils’ understanding and address these effectively. Leaders ensure that teachers have strong subject expertise to help pupils build a deep body of knowledge. For example, in French, Year 5 pupils used spoken vocabulary well to describe themselves and their families.

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better?

In mathematics, teachers build on pupils’ prior learning well. This helps pupils to develop fluency and problem-solving skills confidently. In early years, children develop across all areas of learning well. Sometimes adults’ interactions in Reception do not deepen children’s communication and language skills as well as they should.

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better?

Leaders have a consistent and well-developed approach to reading across the school. They consider a range of high-quality texts for pupils to read, including traditional tales in early years. Leaders identify pupils who fall behind in reading 8 and 9 March 2023

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through regular assessments. They support these pupils to catch up quickly so that they become fluent and confident readers. However, in Reception, weaker readers do not receive as precise support to help them keep up with the phonics programme. This is because staff do not address children’s phonics misconceptions sharply enough. Leaders have worked diligently to provide additional support for staff to improve consistency in early years phonics teaching.

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Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND accurately. They work closely with specialists so that they provide pupils with bespoke support. Staff know pupils’ individual needs well. They consider the resources to use to help pupils with SEND carefully. This includes those pupils with complex needs.

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The school is a calm and orderly environment, where pupils attend regularly. Pupils enjoy their playtimes, where they behave extremely well and support each other. Teachers encourage pupils to have highly positive attitudes toward learning. Pupils focus very well in lessons and do not disrupt learning. In early years, staff support children to follow routines and take turns.

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Leaders provide excellent opportunities to develop pupils’ character. They encourage pupils to raise funds for charities and support others. Leaders promote pupils’ physical and mental health development. For instance, regular mindfulness sessions help pupils to concentrate and reflect. Pupils have many opportunities to play musical instruments and take part in musical productions. An ambitious personal, social, health and economic programme helps pupils to develop a deep understanding of equality.

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Leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas to improve. They work highly effectively to continue to strengthen all areas of the school. Those responsible for governance have a deep and detailed understanding of the school’s work. They have strong strategic oversight of their responsibilities and provide very strong challenge and support. Leaders provide staff with well- planned opportunities for professional development. Staff are proud to work at the school and spoke highly of how leaders supported their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that there is a strong culture of safeguarding. All staff are well trained and know how to identify and report any concerns. Leaders work closely with external agencies to provide support for families. They deal with any concerns swiftly. Leaders have a detailed understanding of vulnerable pupils and provide timely and effective help.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught about how to keep safe, including online. Leaders support pupils to learn about healthy relationships and consent in an age-appropriate way. 8 and 9 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In Reception, staff do not ensure that children’s phonics misconceptions are addressed sharply enough. This means that the weakest readers do not segment and blend words as accurately or quickly as they could. Leaders should continue with their positive work to ensure that all Reception staff check and help children to read with accuracy and confidence.  Sometimes, adults’ interactions in Reception do not help children to develop their communication and language skills effectively. This leads to some children not building a deep body of knowledge and vocabulary across all areas of learning. Leaders should ensure that all staff in Reception have highly-developed skills to use interactions with children to deepen their learning.

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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. 8 and 9 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 and 11 March 2010, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The proportion of pupils with education, health and care plans is above the national average. The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, Kaleidoscope, which caters for 18 pupils with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.  The school does not use any alternative provisions.

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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 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 held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history, science 8 and 9 March 2023

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and computing. They met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, visited lessons, spoke with teachers, discussed with pupils about their learning and considered samples of their work.  The curriculum in other subjects was considered as part of the inspection.  Inspectors checked safeguarding procedures, including the recruitment checks made on staff. They met with staff responsible for safeguarding, staff and pupils to consider the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe. Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to safeguarding.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils, parents and staff through both discussions and responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Noeman Anwar, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Madeleine Gerard His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 March 2023

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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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