Westminster Community Primary School

Inspection of Westminster Community Primary School John Street, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH65 2ED

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Emma Dunn. This school is part of the Weaver Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Annette Williams, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Julian Cobley. 9 and 10 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and settled at this friendly school. They value learning in the friendly, family atmosphere. Everyone is made to feel welcome and included. Pupils benefit from the care that they receive from staff, who know them well. Staff notice quickly if any pupil needs extra support and make sure that they receive the help that they need with their learning or to manage their behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In recent years, the school has raised its expectations of what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), should achieve. Improvements to the curriculum have enabled pupils to achieve increasingly well across a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils typically behave well. They are attentive in lessons and work hard. This means that learning is rarely disrupted. Pupils of all ages enjoy playing and learning together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to take on roles of responsibility in the school, such as becoming play leaders and school councillors. They spoke with enthusiasm about how they are making the school a better place to be. The school provides a wide range of clubs and educational visits to broaden pupils’ experiences. This helps them to discover new talents and interests.

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better?

Support from the multi-academy trust has driven forward improvements to the quality of education for pupils. This means that current pupils attain better than some of the most recent published data would suggest, particularly in mathematics.

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better?

The school has created a highly ambitious curriculum. The small steps of knowledge that pupils should learn are carefully ordered, from the Reception Year to the end of Year 6. This ensures that staff are clear about what pupils need to learn and when subject content should be taught.

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better?

Staff, including those in the early years, are well trained to deliver the curriculum effectively in most subjects. Support from the trust has helped them to develop their subject-specific expertise. Staff make regular checks on how well pupils have understood what has been taught. This helps them to spot any gaps in pupils’ learning and provide extra support to address these gaps. As a result, most pupils remember their learning well. They make meaningful connections between their current and previous learning. This prepares pupils well for the next stage of their education.

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better?

In a few subjects, the school does not have enough oversight in how well the curriculums are being delivered. Recent changes to the way in which a few subjects are led mean that some staff are familiarising themselves with the expectations of new roles. This means that the school is not as adept at picking up weaknesses in 9 and 10 July 2024

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teachers’ expertise. At times, this hinders some pupils from making the progress that they should through these curriculums.

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Reading is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. Children in the early years eagerly anticipate their daily story sessions. Older pupils benefit from the high-quality texts that their teachers share with them. This helps most pupils to expand their vocabulary and develop their knowledge across the curriculum. However, the school does not ensure that older pupils practise their reading as often as they should. On occasion, this hinders how fluently and confidently some of these pupils read. In turn, this affects how well these pupils access the wider curriculum.

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From the beginning of the Reception Year, children follow a well-structured phonics programme. Staff are adept at spotting any pupils who struggle to keep up with the programme. These pupils benefit from regular support. Pupils typically develop into accurate readers by the time that they leave the school.

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The school identifies the specific needs of pupils with SEND at the earliest opportunity. It ensures that the support it provides meets these needs effectively. Teachers make sure that the delivery of the curriculum is carefully adapted so that these pupils access the same ambitious curriculum as their friends. This enables pupils with SEND to achieve well and to participate in all aspects of school life.

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The school places a high priority on supporting pupils’ well-being. Winston, the school dog, enhances this work and is a much-loved member of the school community. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful. Pupils conduct themselves well around the school. From the early years to Year 6, pupils demonstrate a positive attitude to learning. This helps them to achieve their best. As a result of the school’s determined efforts, most pupils attend school more regularly than they did in the past.

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The school has designed an ambitious programme to support pupils’ wider development. Pupils learn to recognise and value the richness and diversity found in modern-day Britain. This helps them to build an increasing knowledge of differences between people.

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Staff enjoy working at the school. They appreciate the support that they receive from the trust and the school to fulfil their roles effectively. Trustees and members of the local governing board have a keen understanding of the school’s strengths. They have prioritised appropriate areas for further improvement. Trustees and governors challenge and support the school well.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 9 and 10 July 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some older pupils do not practise their reading as often as they should. As a result, some of these pupils do not read with confidence and fluency as well as they could. The school should ensure that pupils have sufficient high-quality opportunities to practise their reading and become increasingly confident, fluent readers.  In a few subjects, the school’s checks on curriculum delivery are underdeveloped. This means that the school is not sufficiently alert to gaps in staff’s expertise in making sure that pupils learn all that they should. At times, this slows some pupils’ learning in these subjects. The school should ensure that it increases its oversight of these curriculums so that pupils develop a deeper body of knowledge in these subjects.

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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). 9 and 10 July 2024

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Website www.westminsterprimary.cheshire.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Westminster Community Primary School converted to become an academy in May 2022. When its predecessor school, Westminster Community Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to require improvement overall.  The school is part of the Weaver Trust.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.  The school offers a breakfast club for pupils.

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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. 9 and 10 July 2024

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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.  The inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, discussed the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, looked at a sample of pupils’ work, spoke with teachers and talked with pupils about their learning. The inspectors also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in some other subjects. The lead inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the local governing body, including the chair of the local governing body.

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 The lead inspector held meetings with the chair of trustees and the chair of the local education committee. She also met with the CEO of the trust.  The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. They also considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They also considered the views of staff shared through Ofsted’s online staff survey.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school and their views of behaviour and bullying. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Inspectors spoke with some parents and carers. They considered the responses

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to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Julie Barlow, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Neil Le Feuvre Ofsted Inspector 9 and 10 July 2024

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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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