Westmoor Primary School

Inspection of Westmoor Primary School Southgate, Killingworth, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Tyne and Wear NE12 6SA

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 October 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 22 and 23 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has very high expectations of its pupils, both academically and socially. The school’s new curriculum builds on pupils’ prior learning well from the Nursery Year to Year 6. It is enhanced by educational visits and visitors to the school. Lessons are calm, purposeful and interesting. Children settle quickly into the school’s routines on entry to Nursery and Reception. Many children skip into school with excitement in the mornings. Pupils, by the time they leave Year 6, achieve high standards in reading, writing and mathematics. They are prepared very well for the demands of secondary schooling.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school, attend regularly and arrive on time. They behave well in and around school. Parents, carers and pupils appreciate the wide range of extra-curricular activities provided, including netball, Italian and craft clubs. Many pupils benefit from the roles of responsibility they undertake in school. They experience leadership and citizenship first hand.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff and pupils benefit from the school’s strong focus on mental health and well-being. Breaktimes are calm and harmonious. Friendliness, cooperation and teamwork abound. Pupils treat each other, staff and visitors with courtesy and respect. The school deals with rare instances of unacceptable behaviour swiftly.

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

Pupils, including those in mixed-age classes, access a curriculum that is matched well to the aims of development matters in the early years, and the national curriculum in Years 1 to 6. The revised curriculum is beginning its second year of implementation. Pupils achieve exceptionally well in English and mathematics by the end of key stage 2. Older pupils, who have learned the revised curriculum for just one academic year, have gaps in their existing knowledge in some other subjects.

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

The school identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) expertly. On occasion, there is a mismatch between these pupils’ needs and their targets. The school is undertaking a review to ensure that pupils with SEND have their needs met well consistently.

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

Reading is a high priority at Westmoor. The proportion of pupils achieving the standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check has risen over time. It is above the national average. Reading skills are developed from the start of the Nursery Year. For example, the three- year-old children clap the syllables in the names of fruit and vegetables correctly. The school’s phonics programme is delivered with expertise. The books that early readers are given to read match the sounds that they have learned. These pupils gain reading confidence and fluency quickly. Pupils benefit from the high-quality reading books in school and from visits to the local library.

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

Children enter the Nursery and Reception classes happily. The early years classrooms are welcoming and safe. Relationships between children, staff and parents are exceptionally strong. Staff have very high expectations of the children in their care. The early years 22 and 23 October 2024

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curriculum meets their individual needs precisely. The children make exceptional progress from their starting points. A parent, echoing the views of others, reported: ‘My son joined the nursery in September. The transition was excellent. He is very settled, loves coming to school and can talk about the expectations and routines in his class.’

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Most pupils attend school regularly and on time. Pupils eligible to receive pupil premium funding do not attend school as often as their peers. On occasion, pupils talk over each other and do not listen to each other’s points of view. The school applies the behaviour policy consistently. Clear and decisive action is taken to address occasional inappropriate behaviours. Pupils understand the school’s rewards and consequences. They delight in receiving caught-being-good cards from an adult who has seen them ‘doing the right thing’. The school encourages pupils to be the best version of themselves.

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The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is exemplary. Through weekly assemblies, pupils are aware of what is happening locally, regionally, nationally and internationally. For example, pupils’ knowledge of democracy was enhanced by following the recent local and national elections. Pupils’ understanding of different religions is enhanced by educational visits and visitors. The pupils have a deep understanding of individual rights and liberties. Many pupils articulate that ‘nobody is better than anyone else’. Pupils have a strong understanding of how to keep themselves safe when working and playing online. They recognise which relationships are healthy and which are not. At an age-appropriate level, pupils understand consent as choosing to give permission.

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The school has acted on external support and advice diligently since the last inspection. Leaders, including governors, know the school’s strengths and areas that need further development. The newly formed governing body has a great deal of relevant expertise. Governors support and challenge the school incisively. The governing body considers the well-being and workload of leaders, teachers and support staff well. Staff and pupils enjoy school life at Westmoor Primary School.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is new and not embedded in some foundation subjects. This means older pupils have gaps in their knowledge. The school should continue to embed the curriculum while identifying and addressing the gaps in pupils’ knowledge.  The school’s provision for some pupils with SEND is not matched precisely to their needs. This means that some pupils’ needs are not met fully. The school should continue to review its identification of, and provision for, pupils with SEND. 22 and 23 October 2024

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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). 22 and 23 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Westmoor Primary School is bigger than the average-sized primary school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The chair of governors, previously the vice-chair, took up post at the beginning of the current academic year.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 22 and 23 October 2024

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders.  The lead inspector spoke with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body, and the school’s development partner from North Tyneside local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, and art and design. 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. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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Inspection team

Belita Scott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Olie Flitcroft Ofsted Inspector 22 and 23 October 2024

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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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