Westgate Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Westgate Primary School Bowling Green Street, Warwick, Warwickshire CV34 4DD

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Outcome

Westgate Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils are proud to belong to this friendly and welcoming school. One parent described it as ‘a village school in a town’, and many others share this view.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and built on trust. There is a sharp focus on safeguarding. Pupils know who to speak to if they have any concerns and know that adults will keep them safe. Parents appreciate all that staff and leaders do for their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour, and pupils live up to these. There are clear rules and routines and a positive atmosphere. Pupils understand what bullying is and know that staff will deal with it promptly if it happens. Pupils who find it difficult to manage their behaviour are very well supported.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the best for each pupil and have set high standards for their learning. Staff share this vision and support all pupils well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a variety of clubs and enjoy experiences that broaden their interests. However, more needs to be done to make pupils aware of their rights and responsibilities in modern Britain.

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

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Subject leaders have created an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum that enables all pupils to achieve well. Teachers are supported to deliver lessons that pupils enjoy. Teachers do this by making lessons active, and pupils talk about their lessons being ‘fun’. Planning shows what has already been taught, and teachers remind pupils of this before moving on to new learning, so pupils can see that their knowledge is gradually building. 3 and 4 July 2023

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Leaders have put detailed assessments in place so that teachers know what has been learned and leaders can see how well pupils are doing. This enables teachers to identify gaps in learning or to correct any errors. Teachers do this well, but they are less vigilant with other aspects of pupils’ learning. For instance, expectations for handwriting and the words that pupils should know in each subject, including how to spell them, are clearly identified in school policies, but these aspects are not consistently addressed by teachers.

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Leaders prioritise reading. They have made sure that staff are experts in the teaching of reading. Leaders have also worked with parents to encourage reading at home. Phonics teaching starts as soon as children have settled into the Reception class. Children listen well in groups and practise their sounds carefully. Teachers check pupils’ learning regularly and provide effective support to make sure that they keep up or catch up. There is an emphasis on the love of reading across the school, to which pupils respond with enthusiasm. This includes an extra library of books, provided by the local authority, which pupils can take home and keep.

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Classrooms are calm and well-organised spaces. Learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of others because staff are skilled in helping pupils to manage their emotions. The school is successful in managing pupils’ behaviour. There have been no suspensions in the last three years. The youngest children settle well into the routines of their Reception class and enjoy their time in early years. Activities and resources are carefully chosen. They listen well and respond positively to the adults around them.

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Leaders ensure that the needs of all learners are met. There are robust assessment procedures in place so that any additional needs can be identified quickly. Leaders have developed effective relationships with external agencies to ensure that specialist support or advice are available when needed. In lessons, pupils with SEND are well supported to work alongside their friends.

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Pupils take part in a variety of activities. There is a range of clubs, and visits are thoughtfully planned to support learning and to give new experiences, such as the visit to Kenilworth Castle. Leaders carefully check to make sure that anyone who wants to join a club can do so. There are opportunities for pupils to take on roles of responsibility, such as becoming a school council member, house captain or ambassador. However, not enough is done to help pupils to develop an understanding of the world they will move into, and their place within it, as they grow up.

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Governors are well informed about the work of the school. They ask questions to make sure that decisions are in the best interests of pupils. Leaders take workload and staff well-being into account when new initiatives are consulted upon. Staff feel that they are well supported.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise the safeguarding of pupils. The well-established system for reporting any concerns is fully understood by staff. Staff receive regular and appropriate training. Leaders 3 and 4 July 2023

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take prompt action in response to any concerns and make referrals to outside agencies when appropriate.

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Pupils are taught how to stay safe, both online and offline. They know that they can speak to any staff in school if they have any concerns. The website contains a wealth of information for parents, so they are better informed about how to keep their child safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not consistently check and/or identify when pupils use incorrect subject vocabulary or spell important words incorrectly. As a result, errors and misconceptions are missed. Leaders should ensure that teachers check pupils’ work in line with the school’s own assessment policy so that their written work improves.  Leaders have not fully prepared pupils for life in modern Britain. For instance, pupils are not able to speak about democracy and are not sure who makes the rules or how they are enforced in the UK. Leaders should ensure that the values which define life as a citizen in a modern and diverse Britain are embedded so that pupils have an understanding of, and can articulate in an age-appropriate way, those rights and responsibilities.

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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 February 2014.

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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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10268917 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website https://www.westgate-primary.com/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 31 January 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Both the headteacher and the deputy headteacher were appointed since the last inspection.  The school has a breakfast club and an after-school club operating on the site. This provision is operated by the school.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school has suffered from significant disruption for the past year due to building works caused by the unsafe fabric of the building. Classes have previously been moved off the school site and located in local authority buildings. During this inspection, two classes were working in temporary spaces within the school.

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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. 3 and 4 July 2023

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 The inspector met with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. She met with five members of the governing body, including the chair. She also spoke to a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, art, and science. For each deep dive, the inspector 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.  The inspector also observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  The inspector spoke formally and informally to groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Safeguarding documents were checked, including the checks that leaders make to ensure staff’s suitability to work with children. She checked that staff implement safeguarding policies and procedures effectively across the school.  The inspector considered responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text

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responses.  The inspector spoke to parents to gather their views about the school.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and pupil survey.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included policies and curriculum documents, SEND records, behaviour records and attendance records.

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Inspection team

Anne Potter, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 3 and 4 July 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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