Whitegate End Primary and Nursery School

Inspection of Whitegate End Primary and Nursery School Butterworth Lane, Chadderton, Oldham, Greater Manchester OL9 8EB

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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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 Good 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at this welcoming school, which is built on strong relationships. Pupils know adults will listen and help whenever needed. From the very start of the early years, children thrive in this nurturing environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants pupils to succeed academically. It has redesigned its curriculum to ensure that it is suitably ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils enjoy learning. Recent improvements to the curriculum mean that many achieve well across a range of different subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well during lessons and at playtimes. They are polite and well-mannered. They listen carefully and typically stay focused on their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils flourish in their various roles and responsibilities. These include acting as head pupils, sports captains and eco-heroes. Pupils learn to care for living things, for example, the school dog Rudi. This helps pupils to develop empathy and respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips and clubs beyond the academic curriculum. For example, pupils spoke excitedly about cooking and sports clubs, as well as residential trips abroad and theatre visits. These experiences enable pupils to develop exciting new interests and find undiscovered talents.

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

The school has worked effectively to secure improvements to the quality of the curriculum since the last inspection. It has raised the bar for pupils’ achievement. The school’s most recent published data does not reflect the strength of its educational offer.

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

In 2024, some pupils’ attainment, for example in mathematics at the end of key stage 2, was significantly below the national average. This is because many pupils had gaps in their knowledge as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and weaknesses in the previous curriculum. The school has taken appropriate action to tackle this weakness. As a result of this positive work, many current pupils learn well.

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

Improvements to the curriculum mean that staff are clearer about the learning that they need to focus on during lessons. This includes in the early years, where the curriculum for most areas of learning outlines the essential knowledge that children should learn in readiness for key stage 1. Nevertheless, in a few remaining subjects, including some areas of learning in the early years, the school is still refining its work to ensure that staff are clear about what they want pupils to learn. This means that, sometimes, staff find it difficult to design learning that helps pupils to gain important knowledge. On occasion, this hampers the depth of subject knowledge that some pupils acquire.

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

Typically, staff deliver the curriculum well. Most staff use the school’s strategies to identify and address pupils’ misconceptions or gaps in their knowledge. However, from time to 28 and 29 January 2025

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time, some staff do not check that pupils’ knowledge is secure before introducing new learning. This hinders how deeply some pupils learn.

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Reading is a priority. Staff are well trained to support pupils with learning to read. They quickly identify when children in the early years, and pupils in key stage 1, do not keep pace with the phonics programme. Staff give pupils the help that they need to catch up. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know and have learned. This helps them to read with increasing fluency and confidence.

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Pupils with SEND are at the core of the school’s work. Staff identify pupils’ barriers to learning accurately and efficiently. Adaptations to teaching are made to ensure pupils with SEND get the support they need. This helps these pupils to achieve well.

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Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school. They engage in their learning and are attentive during lessons. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes settle in well. They receive effective support to learn classroom routines and expectations. This helps children to learn and to play cooperatively alongside each other.

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The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly. The school provides effective support for families where attendance is a concern.

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The school provides a wide range of high-quality opportunities to nurture pupils’ personal development. Pupils are taught about faiths and cultures that may be different to their own. They learn about diversity among people and families. Pupils understand the concepts of democracy, respect and tolerance. They understand that rules are there to keep them safe. Pupils are well prepared for their future lives.

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Staff are happy and proud to work at this school. The school is considerate of their workload and well-being. Governors support the school well. They have a range of skills that allow them to understand the school and support its development. Governors are well informed about the school’s curriculum.

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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, including some areas of learning in the early years, the school is still determining the knowledge that pupils and children should acquire and when they should learn it. This makes it difficult for teachers to design learning activities that build on what pupils already know. The school should refine its curriculum thinking in these subjects to enable children and pupils to develop a deep and rich body of subject knowledge. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 Occasionally, staff do not identify or address gaps in some pupils’ knowledge before they introduce new learning. This means that these pupils’ knowledge is not as secure as it could be. The school should support staff in checking that pupils have successfully embedded prior knowledge before they introduce new curriculum content.

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Kimberley Painter

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 and 26 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher has been appointed to the school. The headteacher took up post in September 2022.  The school does not make use of alternative provision 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. 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. 28 and 29 January 2025

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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 met with the headteacher and with other school leaders.  The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair of governors, and spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors discussed the curriculum in some other subjects. They spoke with pupils about their learning in some of these subjects and looked at samples of their work.

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 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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at breaktimes.  Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school’s strengths and areas for improvement and documents relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. Inspectors also spoke with some parents during the inspection.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff. There were no responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Victoria Burnside, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachel Pars Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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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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