Denton West End Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Denton West End Primary School Balmoral Drive, Denton, Manchester, Lancashire M34 2JX

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 October 2023

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Outcome

Denton West End Primary School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Sharron White. This school is part of a trust called Denton West End Primary School trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is a single academy trust overseen by a board of directors, chaired by Suzanne Mountain.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. They learn the ‘golden rule’ of treating each other as they want to be treated; for example, they are kind to each other. Pupils are happy and well cared for. They know that they can put their name in the ‘worry box’ if they want to talk to an adult about anything.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school helps pupils to understand their feelings and how they impact on their conduct. They learn practical strategies to help them adjust their behaviour, such as breathing exercises. Around the school, pupils behave positively. They are polite to adults and to each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are encouraged to be independent. This starts in the early years, where children learn how to look after themselves, such as by putting on their own coats before they go outside. As they get older, pupils take on wider responsibilities. For example, ‘language leaders’ help their peers to learn about Spanish culture and language and ‘peer mediators’ support pupils with minor friendship issues.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high expectations for pupils’ achievement are met. By the end of key stage 2, pupils achieve highly in national tests. They benefit from opportunities to enrich their learning through trips and workshops which are linked to the topics that they study.

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

In the recent past, the school has redesigned the curriculum. The ambition for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), has increased. Careful thought has been given to what pupils should learn. Staff understand how the 10 and 11 October 2023

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curriculum is organised from the early years to Year 6. This means that they can design learning activities that build on what pupils already know.

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Across the curriculum, staff have secure knowledge of the subjects that they teach. They are alert to any misconceptions that pupils might have and address these as they arise. In lessons, staff focus on the key knowledge that pupils should learn. In some subjects, pupils have regular opportunities to revisit that important learning so that staff can check that they remember it. However, in other subjects the school has not thought as carefully about the essential knowledge that pupils should remember over time. This includes the children in the early years. When pupils revisit their learning, staff sometimes do not emphasise the most important information that pupils should know. This means that some pupils develop gaps in their learning which are not swiftly identified.

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Recently, the number of pupils with SEND at the school has increased. Secure processes are in place to identify the needs of these pupils. Staff receive detailed information about how to support them to access the curriculum. Pupils with SEND contribute confidently to lessons alongside their peers. Typically, they learn the curriculum well.

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The school promotes a love of reading among pupils. This begins in the Nursery class, where children are immersed in a wide range of rhymes, songs and stories. Parents and carers are encouraged to support their children with reading. For example, parents of children in the Reception class are invited into school for ‘reading parties’, where they share stories with their child.

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Children in the Nursery class enjoy activities that promote recognition of sounds and letters. This helps to prepare them to learn phonics. Staff receive specialist training to deliver the phonics programme effectively. Where pupils are struggling with their phonic knowledge, staff identify whether they need to keep up or catch up and tailor the support accordingly. Pupils in all year groups read to adults frequently. This helps pupils across the school to learn to read accurately and fluently.

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Pupils are attentive in lessons. They enjoy discussions with their ‘learning partners’, then quickly refocus on staff when they are asked to. Lessons are rarely disrupted by poor behaviour.

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The school provides opportunities for pupils to learn about life in modern Britain. For example, pupils learn about democracy before casting their votes in a ballot box to decide which charity the school will support. They learn about diversity. Pupils spoke very positively about the ways in which the school encourages them to treat everybody equally.

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The school engages with parents to ensure that they can support their child’s learning at home. For example, parents are invited to workshops, where they can find out about the curriculum.

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Trustees have a broad range of expertise. They work closely with the school to continue to improve the quality of education that it provides. Staff said that their workload has 10 and 11 October 2023

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reduced in recent years thanks to changes that the school has made. For instance, they appreciate the time that they are given to devote to curriculum design.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not thought as deeply as it should about the essential knowledge that pupils need to know and remember over time. This means that in these subjects some pupils do not build on their prior learning as well as they should. The school should ensure that it has effective processes in place for pupils to revisit and consolidate their prior knowledge before moving on to new learning.

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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 July 2018.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and 10 and 11 October 2023

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protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding ( this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 10 and 11 October 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 24 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a single academy trust called Denton West End Primary School trust.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 her evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with the headteacher, other leaders and staff.  The inspector met with representatives of the trust board.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, history, and art and design. She met with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed some samples of 10 and 11 October 2023

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pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils. The inspector also reviewed documentation about the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar member of staff. She spoke with some pupils about their reading.  The inspector met with pupils to ask about their experience of school. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspector met with groups of staff. She considered responses from staff to Ofsted’s survey.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She also spoke to some parents at the end of the school day.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that

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puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation documents and minutes of trust board meetings.

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Inspection team

Sally Rix, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 October 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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