Westfield Primary School

Inspection of Westfield Primary School Clayton Crescent, Runcorn, Cheshire WA7 4TR

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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 16 and 17 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this happy school. They try hard to live up to leaders’ expectations to be ready, respectful and safe. Pupils have strong relationships with staff. This helps them to feel safe. If bullying should occur, adults deal with it effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Improvements to the curriculum mean that pupils achieve well in most subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and outside the classroom. They display high levels of respect for each other and for adults. Pupils have excellent manners. They take great pride in celebrating each other’s talents and successes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, especially those with SEND, benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular activities. For example, they can attend clubs such as sewing, gardening, choir and basketball. Pupils said that leaders listen to their views. For instance, they suggest new clubs that they would like leaders to introduce.

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better?

Leaders have successfully addressed the areas for improvement from the previous inspection. They have successfully brought about many changes. As a result, pupils now enjoy a good quality of education.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum offer from the early years to Year 6. They have selected the most important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn.

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better?

In most subjects, teachers have strong subject knowledge. This enables them to deliver the curriculum effectively. Teachers break down information into small steps and select appropriate activities and resources. However, on occasion, in the early years, staff do not provide children with the meaningful learning activities that enable them to learn all that they should. Leaders ensure that teachers revisit the most important information regularly to help pupils remember what they have been taught.

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better?

Leaders have recently adapted the curriculum in a small number of subjects to meet the needs of pupils in the modified class structure. However, teachers are not fully equipped to find out and then address the gaps that pupils may have in their learning as they start to learn the new curriculums. This stops some pupils from developing a secure body of subject knowledge.

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better?

In 2022, the published outcomes for the end of key stage 2 were below the national average for reading, writing and maths. This was because there was a high number 16 and 17 May 2023

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of pupils who joined the school during Year 6. Typically, most pupils currently in the school achieve well.

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Leaders ensure that developing a love of reading is a priority across school. Teachers read to pupils regularly. Pupils listen intently to the stories that teachers read. Pupils also make use of their local library. Teachers work closely with parents and carers to encourage and support reading at home.

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Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start in the Reception class. Leaders have successfully introduced a new phonics programme. All staff have been trained effectively so that they deliver the programme consistently well. Pupils practise reading with books that closely match the sounds they have learned. Leaders are quick to identify any pupils who are not keeping up. They put extra support in place to help pupils to catch up. Older pupils read widely and often, and with increasing fluency.

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Leaders have made sure that staff have received the training that they need to be able to identify pupils with SEND. Pupils with SEND are supported very well. Teachers use a range of strategies to make sure that pupils with SEND can access the same curriculum as their peers. Teachers carefully select the strategies they use to meet the needs of pupils.

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Leaders provide many opportunities to enhance pupils’ personal development. Pupils, including those with SEND, enjoy the opportunities that leaders provide for them to take on leadership roles. They also make positive contributions to the wider community by fundraising for local charities and donating to a local foodbank.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. They listen well in lessons and focus on their learning. On the rare occasions that any disruption occurs, staff deal with it quickly and effectively.

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Leaders have raised the profile of school attendance. As a result, there has been a considerable improvement in pupils’ attendance and punctuality. Pupils said that the incentives leaders offer motivate them to attend school regularly.

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Staff said that they feel very well supported. They believe that leaders take account of their workload and well-being. Governors know the school well. They are ambitious for pupils and staff. They provide appropriate challenge and support to drive improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff know the pupils and their families very well. This helps them to identify those who may be at risk of harm. Staff report their concerns immediately and leaders act on these concerns swiftly. Leaders seek timely support from external agencies where 16 and 17 May 2023

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required. Leaders follow up their concerns tenaciously until pupils and families get the help that they need.

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Leaders make sure that pupils learn about how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils learn about road safety and the dangers of drugs. They also know how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils make effective use of many different strategies to let someone know if something is worrying them.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. This is because teachers do not routinely identify the gaps that pupils have in their knowledge. Leaders must make sure that teachers make better use of assessment strategies to identify gaps in knowledge and address these before moving on to new learning.  A small number of children in the early years do not learn as well as they could. This is because sometimes, staff do not provide children with opportunities to engage in meaningful learning activities that are matched to the curriculum. Leaders should make sure that staff receive the support and guidance they need so that children progress well through the intended 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. 16 and 17 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268307 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 18 May 2021, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The number of pupils on roll has fallen since the last inspection. As a result, leaders have changed the organisation of classes.  Leaders make use of one registered alternative provision.  The governing body operates a breakfast club 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

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, staff and members of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. 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 16 and 17 May 2023

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and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to some pupils read.  An inspector also spoke to pupils about their learning in some other subjects.  Inspectors talked with pupils in meetings and around the school at breaktimes and lunchtimes.  An inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text responses. An inspector also reviewed the responses to the online surveys for staff and pupils.  An inspector looked at the documentation provided by leaders, including minutes from meetings of the governing body, information about new pupils starting at the school and a range of documentation relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors checked the arrangements for keeping pupils safe. They looked at a range of documentation and spoke to leaders and staff. Inspectors also spoke to pupils about whether they feel safe in school.

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Inspection team

Collette Mather, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Shameem Patel Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 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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