Westoe Crown Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Westoe Crown Primary School Sea Winnings Way, South Shields, Tyne and Wear NE33 3NS

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 October 2023

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Outcome

Westoe Crown Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s vision of ‘Expect the best, achieve success’ is clear from the first moment of arrival in the school. Pupils are happy, polite and considerate. They demonstrate exemplary behaviour and attitudes. Bullying and poor behaviour are very rare. Pupils and parents agree that staff would deal with this effectively if it did happen. Adults in school promote positive relationships with each other and with the pupils. Pupils talk positively about the strong collaboration of pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at the school feel safe, and they are safe. Parents agree with this. Regular training for all staff and governors ensures that everyone working in school places a high priority on safeguarding.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s high expectations for pupil achievement and behaviour are understood and shared by all. These high expectations enable pupils to achieve well. Staff endeavour to identify and nurture individual talents beyond the academic wherever possible. The school’s ‘Westonbury’ festival allows pupils and staff to sing and perform together, for example. A parent’s comment reflected the views of many others: ‘They really do have the children’s best interests at the heart of everything they do.’

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

From children’s first days in Nursery or Reception, they benefit from a well-considered curriculum that aims to give all children a positive start to their education. Staff tailor the provision in early years to meet the developmental needs of the children. These needs include high focus on developing communication and language skills in addition to physical, social and emotional development. A love of shared songs, rhymes and books pervades the Nursery environment. Well-trained adults then build on this strong foundation within the teaching of phonics and early reading. This means that most children enter Year 1 ready for their next stage of learning. 10 and 11 October 2023

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As pupils move through school, they access an appropriate curriculum and are encouraged to develop a love of reading and a curiosity of the world around them. Those who need additional support to develop strong phonics knowledge receive this interaction from skilled adults. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about the attractive reading huts on the playground. They told inspectors that they love the opportunity to spend time in them to practise their reading.

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Most subjects taught within school have clear and well-planned curriculums in place. The school has identified a small number of foundation curriculum subjects that require further review. The curriculums in these subjects are not as well established as others. This impacts on pupils’ ability to acquire the knowledge and key concepts set out in the curriculum long-term design.

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The school has considered the implementation of the wider curriculum to ensure that children with special education needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are able to access the same curriculum as their peers. Where this is not the case, staff ensure that effective scaffolding, adaptations and support help pupils to catch up.

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The atmosphere in classrooms is calm, orderly and purposeful. Pupils across the school respond quickly to adult instructions and follow well-established classroom routines. This includes the very youngest children in early years. As a result, lessons proceed without interruption. Pupils of all ages show high levels of focus and concentration. This allows teachers to teach the curriculum effectively. The school makes sure that teachers deliver the religious education and PSHE curriculums with consistency. Pupils learn about different world faiths and cultures, the fundamental British values and healthy relationships. Pupils are developing a very strong sense of equality and respect for others.

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Pupils speak with eloquence and clarity about their wider opportunities, both within and outside of school. Older pupils talked with excitement about the Year 6 residential trip to Thurston. Other opportunities on offer include the eco council, the buddy system on the school playgrounds and the school’s enterprise curriculum.

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Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s areas to develop. They are well informed by school leaders. This allows them to offer effective challenge and hold leaders to account. Staff appreciate the work that leaders do to support them. They are adamant that leaders consider their workload and well-being. Staff believe that the school does all it can to remove unnecessary and burdensome tasks to allow them to focus on educating the pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 October 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not fully established the key concepts and knowledge that pupils should learn and remember in a small number of foundation curriculum subjects. This limits pupils’ learning in these subjects. The school should ensure that it refines the curriculum so that pupils are able to acquire the intended knowledge consistently across all curriculum subjects.

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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 December 2013.

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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 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

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 May 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The number of pupils at this school is well above average.  A new headteacher and deputy headteacher were appointed for September 2023.  A private provider operates the on-site breakfast club.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this ungraded inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 that school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 10 and 11 October 2023

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 The inspectors met with the headteacher, school leaders, other school staff, representatives of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to pupils from Year 1, Year 2 and Year 3 reading to a familiar adult.  An inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central register; met with those responsible for safeguarding; 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 puts pupil’s interests first.

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 Inspectors considered the responses to the staff and pupil online surveys and Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Richard Beadnall, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew James Ofsted 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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