Westerton Primary Academy

Inspection of Westerton Primary Academy Hesketh Lane, Tingley, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF3 1AR

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 October 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

The principal of this school is David Livie. This school is part of Leodis Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Joanne Barton, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Nick O’Donovan.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Westerton Primary Academy as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 24 and 25 October 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. They consider it to be a welcoming and friendly place. The school has high expectations of pupils. Pupils are highly motivated to work hard and do their best. Most pupils have high levels of attendance. The school has effective procedures in place to support pupils to attend regularly. This helps pupils to benefit from all that the school offers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are polite and friendly. Adults and pupils demonstrate strong relationships across the school. The school has recently revised its behaviour policy. The introduction of the ‘6C’s’: courtesy, consideration, commitment, consistency, cooperation and citizenship, make clear to pupils what is expected of them. Pupils use these values well to guide their conduct around school. Pupils who struggle to regulate their behaviour are supported well by kind adults. Pupils with leadership roles, such as play leaders and school councillors, are strong role models to their peers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has successfully prioritised the pastoral support of pupils. Pupils know that the mental health and well-being team are available to help them if they have a problem or concern. Pupils feel safe and happy in school.

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better?

The school’s leadership team has changed significantly in recent years. New and established leaders have made some impressive changes to the school. The impact of many of their actions is already clear to see. Within a short period of time, the school has improved the standard of education pupils receive, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

The school has implemented a well-designed and ambitious curriculum. The knowledge and skills that pupils must learn have been carefully sequenced. Subject leaders have ensured that curriculum plans build upon what children learn in the early years. This provides children with a smooth transition into key stage 1. Subject specialists from the secondary school in the trust have helped to inform the design of the curriculum. Staff benefit from collaborating with these specialists through subject network meetings. This high-quality training develops teachers’ practice. It enables them to teach the curriculum with confidence. From a young age, pupils’ work is of high quality. Pupils are rightly proud of what they produce.

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better?

In most subjects, clear systems are in place to support pupils to remember what they have learned. For example, lessons begin with an opportunity for pupils to use and apply their prior learning in an increasing range of contexts. In some parts of the curriculum, the important knowledge that pupils must learn has not been precisely identified. Where this is the case, pupils struggle to recall and articulate what they have learned. This makes it difficult for pupils to make connections to concepts across the curriculum. 24 and 25 October 2023

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Pupils with SEND are supported well in lessons. Adults are knowledgeable about the individual needs of pupils. They make sure that tasks are suitably adapted. For example, teachers provide paper copies of the whiteboard display so that pupils are able to refer to information with ease. This inclusive approach enables pupils to fully access the school’s curriculum.

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The school has implemented a consistent approach to the teaching of phonics. Pupils read books that are matched closely to their phonics knowledge. They learn to read with increasing fluency and accuracy. The school ensures that pupils at risk of falling behind are supported effectively. Pupils in key stages 1 and 2 benefit from daily whole-class reading sessions. Over time, pupils become increasingly proficient readers. They gain confidence in reading with intonation and expression. This makes reading interesting and enjoyable. Most pupils develop a love of reading.

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Well-established routines in the early years enable children to become independent learners. Children enjoy learning through play in the indoor and outdoor areas. Adults provide purposeful opportunities for children to explore and develop new skills. Children develop their concentration by engaging in activities for increasingly sustained periods. For example, during the inspection, some children in the Nursery class used different-size containers in the water tray to build an understanding of which held the most water.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Visitors to the school, such as the police community support officer, help pupils to make informed choices about their safety and well-being.

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Those with responsibility for governance provide appropriate support and challenge to leaders. They check that the decisions they make do not adversely affect staff workload or well-being. Some parents and carers do not consider the school’s communication strategies to be effective. They do not consider some of the information they receive as helpful or as informative as it could be.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some parts of the curriculum, the school has not broken down sufficiently the essential pieces of knowledge that pupils need to know. It is difficult for pupils to articulate connections to concepts across the curriculum and for teachers to check that pupils have learned what is intended. The school should further refine the curriculum so that teachers clearly understand the small pieces of knowledge that pupils need to know.  Some parents do not consider the school’s communication strategies to be 24 and 25 October 2023

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effective. Parents do not feel appropriately informed about what is happening in school and how to support their child’s learning. The school should work with parents to improve its communication strategies.

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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’ 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). 24 and 25 October 2023

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 27 January 2010, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Leodis Academies Trust.  The school is a well-above-average-size school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is below average.  The principal and deputy principal took up their posts in September 2022. Some other members of the senior leadership team were appointed during the last academic year.  The school does not use any alternative provisions.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 24 and 25 October 2023

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, English, history, computing and music. 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.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors 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 puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors met with the principal, deputy principal, vice-principals and early years

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leader to discuss the developments in the school.  The lead inspector met with representatives from the board of trustees and the school’s local governing body. A separate meeting was held with the trust’s chief executive officer. A meeting was also held with representatives from the trust’s human resources team as part of discussions about safeguarding.  The views of parents were considered through Ofsted’s questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View. In addition, inspectors spoke to parents at the school gate. Inspectors also reviewed responses to staff and pupil questionnaires.  An inspector met with two groups of support staff.  Inspectors visited the school’s out-of-school provision, Kids Club.

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Inspection team

Matthew Harrington, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Amanda Devaney Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 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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