Westfield Community School

Inspection of Westfield Community School Montrose Avenue, Pemberton, Wigan, Lancashire WN5 9XN

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Inspection dates: 10 and 11 December 2024

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

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Until November 2020, the school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as outstanding for overall effectiveness at its previous inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. The school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since May 2013. Since September 2024, schools have not been awarded an overall effectiveness grade. 10 and 11 December 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Westfield is a calm school, where pupils feel happy and safe. Pupils strive to meet the school’s high expectations of behaviour. They treat one another with respect and consideration. Children begin to learn the importance of these qualities from the moment that they join the early years. The school provides effective and nurturing support to pupils who need extra help in managing their emotions. Pupils trust that staff will help them if they have any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school holds high ambition for its pupils to achieve well. This includes those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are keen to learn and they make the most of the opportunities that the school provides for them. Across much of the curriculum, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are able to take on a range of responsibilities. These include ‘ambassadors of English as an additional language’. These pupils welcome new arrivals to the school, who are new to learning English and help with translation. School prefects and members of the school council also contribute to the life of the school. Such opportunities build pupils’ understanding of duty and how to use their talents to help others.

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

On entry to the school in the early years, many children do not have the skills and knowledge which are typical for their age. This is particularly the case with respect to their speech, language and communication. The school works steadfastly to overcome any barriers which children have with their learning. An ambitious curriculum and the school’s high expectations support children in the early years to be ready to learn.

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

In addition, the school manages a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision) which mainly supports pupils with speech, language and communication needs. Although these pupils make good progress from their starting points, many struggle to achieve the standards expected for their age. This is reflected in the provisional performance data in 2024, which showed that by the end of Year 6, pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was significantly below the national average. The proportion of pupils who met the phonics screening check by the end of Year 1 was also significantly below the national average.

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

The school has taken assertive action to improve the consistency with which reading, writing and mathematics is taught. In the main, pupils currently at the school achieve well in these subjects. That said, some pupils have gaps in their understanding of important vocabulary across subjects. Pupils can read many of the words, but they do not know what they mean. This limits their understanding of what they read.

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

In other subjects, the school has set out most of the important knowledge that pupils should learn from the Nursery Year to Year 6. The curriculum is ambitious for pupils, including those with SEND. Teachers design learning activities that build on what pupils already know. They also identify and provide timely support to address gaps in knowledge 10 and 11 December 2024

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that pupils have. This helps pupils to build up a deep body of knowledge across a range of subjects, although some gaps in pupils’ understanding of vocabulary remain.

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There remain a few subjects where the school has not set out all of the key knowledge that pupils should learn. Therefore, some content is not taught in sufficient detail. Consequently, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and they do not learn as well as they should in these subjects.

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The school has effective systems that accurately identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND at an early stage. High-quality training for staff informs well-chosen resources and support for these pupils. This helps pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils attending the specially resourced provision follow a curriculum that is tailored to meet their individual needs. Staff prioritise the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics, alongside developing pupils’ independence. The school works effectively with a range of external professionals in supporting these pupils to achieve well.

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The phonics programme is delivered consistently by well-trained staff. Pupils who need extra help in learning phonics are quickly supported. Carefully selected books help pupils to experience success when reading. This supports many pupils to become fluent readers by the end of key stage 1. Parents and carers value the information that the school provides to help them support early reading at home.

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Children in the early years and across the school are very well behaved. They learn with little disruption to their activities from their classmates. The school has put in place a range of effective strategies that are beginning to reduce the number of pupils who are persistently absent from school.

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Pupils experience many opportunities that prepare them well for life in modern Britain. They learn about healthy relationships and understand the importance of having a healthy diet. Pupils enjoy the range of trips that the school provides. These include visiting museums and taking part in residential trips.

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Governors are knowledgeable across their areas of responsibility and have a strong focus on the quality of education. Staff are positive about what the school has done to further support their workload and well-being. This includes changes to the marking policy and ensuring that they have the time to carry out their different roles and responsibilities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 December 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils have gaps in their understanding of important vocabulary across a range of subjects. This means that these pupils struggle to comprehend some important information in the texts that they read. The school should ensure that there is increased emphasis on identifying and addressing the gaps in vocabulary that limit pupils’ reading comprehension.  In a few subjects, some essential content is not taught in sufficient detail. Consequently, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and they do not learn as well as they could. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking in these subjects so that pupils can achieve well.

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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 December 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 9 and 10 May 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school operates a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. This caters for pupils with speech, language and communication disorders aged 4 to 11. At the time of the inspection, there were five pupils on roll at the specially resourced provision.  The governing body operates a breakfast club.  The school does not make use of alternative provision.

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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). 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. 10 and 11 December 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors completed deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing, music and science. 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.  The inspectors also looked at the curriculum and pupils’ work in some other subjects. The lead inspector observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors spoke with the headteacher, other school leaders and members of staff.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair. He also spoke with representatives of the local authority.

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 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 observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons. They spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school. They also considered the views of pupils shared through Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  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 some parents. They considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Robinson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicky Parkinson Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 December 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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