Westdale Infant and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Westdale Infant School Digby Avenue, Westdale Lane, Mapperley, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG3 6ET

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Outcome

Westdale Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Westdale Infant School is a welcoming and friendly place to be. Leaders ensure that Westdale is ‘a happy community where magical things happen’. Pupils model the school’s ‘rainbow values’. They are kind, respectful and work hard. The ‘Smile Team’ makes sure that nobody is left out. New starters to the school soon settle in and make friends.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff take the time to get to know pupils as individuals. They use this knowledge to construct an ambitious and engaging curriculum. Staff give pupils lots of opportunities for new experiences through the ‘passports for life’. These opportunities include singing in the local church and playing the ukulele.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to have additional responsibilities in school. These include the pupil parliament and class ambassadors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders expect all pupils to behave well. Pupils live up to these expectations. Classrooms are calm and harmonious. In lessons, pupils listen well and are eager to contribute to discussions. Unkind behaviour is rare. Pupils know that they would get help if they had a problem. Pupils feel safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Comments such as, ‘Westdale is a fantastic school, my child has loved every moment here,’ are typical.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have created an engaging curriculum that aims to develop pupils both academically and personally. At the heart of the curriculum is a focus on developing pupils’ ‘superhero learning powers’. Pupils are resilient, confident and reflective. Staff provide caring support for pupils’ emotional well-being. The pastoral support for pupils is a strength of the school. 23 and 24 May 2023

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Across all subjects, leaders have thought carefully about the knowledge that pupils should acquire. They have designed a curriculum that sets out the sequence of learning from the early years to Year 2. They have considered how topics and concepts link together. Leaders have ensured that teachers are clear about what to teach. This helps pupils to build on prior learning over time. Pupils can talk about what they know and remember with confidence.

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In some foundation subjects, leaders have not yet developed the systems for checking what pupils need to know and remember. In these subjects, leaders do not have a precise enough understanding of where there may be gaps in pupils’ knowledge. As a result, future learning does not always address any knowledge gaps pupils may still have.

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Leaders make reading a key priority. All staff are trained in how to teach the new phonics programme. As a result, they teach phonics well. Leaders ensure that the books pupils read match their reading ability. They help pupils who struggle with reading to catch up quickly. This helps pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to read fluently. Pupils love to read. They enjoy reading with Bess, the school dog.

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Children in the early years get off to a strong start. Staff immerse them into a vocabulary- rich environment where they often hear songs, rhymes and stories. Children make a positive start in reading. All children, including those with SEND, enjoy learning together. Staff and children have positive relationships. The indoor environment supports children’s development of language and early number skills well. Leaders want to develop the outdoor area further, so that it fully supports children’s development in all areas of learning.

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Staff help pupils to become independent from a young age. Clear routines mean that lessons flow without distraction. Pupils strive to walk the ‘rainbow carpet’ to receive awards for their good behaviour in assemblies. They love to earn house points for their team.

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Leaders encourage pupils to develop a strong sense of community pride. Pupils are active citizens in the wider community. Staff teach the importance of equality, respect and inclusion, which prepares pupils well for their next stages of learning.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders listen to them. They appreciate the actions of leaders to help them manage their workload and support their well-being. Governors challenge and support leaders well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise pupils’ safety and well-being. Staff receive regular safeguarding training. They know how to identify and report any signs of concern. Leaders respond swiftly to support pupils who may need help. They work effectively with external agencies and do 23 and 24 May 2023

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not hesitate to escalate concerns to ensure that the right actions are taken to keep pupils safe.

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Leaders keep accurate records of checks on the suitability of adults and visitors. They have appropriate procedures in place to manage any allegations. Governors check aspects of the school’s safeguarding work often.

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Pupils learn about how to stay safe, including when online, in an age-appropriate way.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, leaders have not yet developed the systems for checking what pupils need to know and remember. In these subjects, leaders do not have a precise enough understanding of where there may be gaps in pupils’ knowledge. Leaders need to ensure that the systems for checking pupils’ knowledge can be used to identify gaps in pupils’ precise knowledge, inform the next stages of the curriculum and plan for pupils’ future learning.  Through the indoor provision, children benefit from meaningful learning opportunities in the early years classes. However, the quality of the outdoor environment does not match that of the indoor areas. Outdoor resources do not promote children’s learning as well as they might. Leaders should ensure that the early years environment supports the implementation of the curriculum equally well across all areas of the provision.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014. 23 and 24 May 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Emma Estell (Co-Headteacher) Rebecca Lewis (Co-Headteacher) Website www.westdaleinfants.com

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has an on-site nursery, which caters for three-year-old children. This provision was visited as part of this inspection.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the co-headteachers, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator and a range of other staff. The inspector met with representatives of the local governing body and spoke with a representative of the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, the inspector reviewed school policies, procedures and records. The inspector met with the designated safeguarding leads and spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe. 23 and 24 May 2023

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, spoke with teachers and spoke with pupils about their learning. The inspector visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspector met with groups of staff and pupils and considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Kirsty Norbury, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 23 and 24 May 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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