Oswaldtwistle West End Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Oswaldtwistle West End Primary School Aspen Lane, Oswaldtwistle, Lancashire BB5 4QA

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Outcome

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

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is James McBride. This school is part of the LET Education 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), Steve Campbell, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jenny Woodward.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Oswaldtwistle West End Primary is a friendly, welcoming school. Pupils are happy here. Kind staff know pupils well and give them the support that they need to succeed. This helps pupils to feel well cared for and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is keen for all pupils to achieve well. The improvements that the school has made to the curriculum help pupils to learn successfully across most subjects. Staff make careful adaptations to help pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn and play well together. They enjoy breaktimes and make full use of the school’s well-resourced grounds. For example, pupils enjoy playing football, basketball or chatting with each other. Older pupils show the youngest pupils how to behave well and how to make good friends. Pupils said that they value the time that they spend in the school’s wildlife area, learning about the school’s bees.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school helps pupils to develop as kind and caring citizens. For example, pupils take part in litter picking around the local area. They learn about environmental issues and how to care for the world around them. The school choir enjoys singing at community events.

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

The school has strengthened its curriculum. In most subjects, this has ensured that pupils’ knowledge builds in carefully ordered steps. 10 and 11 July 2024

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On the whole, well-trained staff deliver the curriculum successfully. They carefully check how well pupils, including pupils with SEND, are learning. Typically, staff plan activities that support pupils’ learning well. Where needed, they revisit previous aspects of the curriculum. This helps to ensure that pupils remember what they have learned.

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In a small number of subjects, the school has not defined the essential knowledge that pupils need to acquire. This means that, sometimes, staff are not clear about the knowledge that pupils need for future learning. On occasion, in these few subjects, pupils do not learn some important aspects of the curriculum.

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Reading is at the heart of the school’s curriculum. This starts in the Reception Year, where children learn new language through stories and rhymes. Staff share a wide range of texts with their classes. Pupils value the daily opportunities that they have to enjoy reading.

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The school has strengthened its phonics programme. For example, pupils read books that are carefully matched to their phonics knowledge. Older pupils benefit from a range of support to help them to read confidently. However, the school has not ensured that those younger pupils who fall behind with their phonics knowledge are supported to catch up quickly enough. This slows their development into fluent readers.

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Staff are thorough in identifying any additional needs that pupils may have. Staff adapt their delivery of the curriculum well so that most pupils with SEND learn successfully alongside their peers.

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Pupils treat staff and each other with kindness and respect. The school makes sure that everyone understands how they should behave. This starts in the Reception Year, where children learn to follow routines. For the most part, pupils are attentive and engaged in class. The school provides effective support to those pupils who may need extra help to behave well. Pupils are keen to take on positions of responsibility, such as acting as school councillors and play leaders.

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The school carefully monitors pupils’ attendance. Most pupils attend school often. Where this is not the case, the school takes swift and effective action.

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The school helps pupils to develop personally as well as academically. Pupils typically commented that ‘it’s okay to be different here’. They learn to value diversity. For example, pupils from a local special school are regular and valued visitors to the school. This partnership helps to build pupils’ understanding of the world around them. Pupils develop confidence through performing in concerts and plays with their peers.

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Trustees and governors know the school well. The trust has effective processes in place to check how well pupils are learning, including pupils with SEND. Staff share expertise with colleagues across the trust. This helps to reduce their workload. The trust considers staff well-being when making decisions. Staff are proud to work at the school. 10 and 11 July 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not identified the knowledge that pupils should learn well enough. This sometimes hinders teachers from delivering the most important knowledge that pupils will need for their future learning. The school should refine its curriculum thinking in these subjects so that teachers are clear about the essential knowledge that pupils should learn.  The school’s approach to supporting pupils at the early stages of reading is not fully effective. Some pupils who fall behind their peers do not catch up quickly enough. The school should ensure that teachers are supported to address these pupils’ gaps in phonics knowledge swiftly.

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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 predecessor school, Oswaldtwistle West End Primary School, to be good in April 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.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school. 10 and 11 July 2024

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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 July 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 February 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Oswaldtwistle West End Primary School converted to become an academy school in March 2022. When its predecessor school, Oswaldtwistle West End Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  The school does not use any alternative provision for pupils.  The school offers before- and after-school provision for its pupils.

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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 the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher and other school leaders. She spoke with a representative of the local authority and the school adviser. She also met with 10 and 11 July 2024

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the CEO, members of the board of trustees and members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, she discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers and spoke with some pupils about their learning. The inspector also looked at samples of pupils’ work and listened to pupils from Years 1 and 2 read with a familiar adult.  The inspector considered some other curriculum areas by speaking with leaders and reviewing pupils’ work.  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 puts pupils’ interests first.

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 The inspector considered a wide range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation document.  The inspector spoke with pupils to gather their views on behaviour, safety and learning. She observed pupils’ behaviour during social times. The inspector took account of the findings from Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  The inspector considered the views of staff shared through discussions and Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  The inspector took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments. She also spoke with some parents and carers as they brought their children to school.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Stevens, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 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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