Western Road Community Primary School

Inspection of Western Road Community Primary School Southover High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1JB

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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 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy to come to school. They arrive each day knowing that they will learn about a lot of different and interesting topics. The school’s wide and varied curriculum contributes to their feeling of excitement.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high ambition for its pupils and is committed to giving them the broadest possible education. Pupils’ achievement meets this ambition, as demonstrated by pupils’ success in national end-of-key-stage assessments.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, rightly, feel part of a welcoming school community and appreciate the positive relationships that they have with staff and each other. Pupils feel safe and know whom to report any concerns to. They describe the school as ‘kind’, ‘welcoming’, ‘fantastic’ and ‘fun’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know the school’s values well. They recognise how these help to develop a shared understanding of how to treat one another. Pupils behave well across the school’s calm and focused learning environment. At social times, pupils play energetically and kindly. They take turns and share equipment. Pupils are proud of how the school council helped to choose the new play equipment. This reflects how pupils recognise that their contributions to their school community are valued and acted upon.

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

The school’s curriculum is thoughtful and sequenced well. It has been strengthened since the previous inspection and clearly sets out what pupils need to know at each stage. This helps pupils to steadily build their knowledge over time. However, in some subjects, pupils have less opportunity to practically apply what they have already learned as they explore new learning. The school recognises this. It has identified ways to improve the opportunities that pupils have to use their knowledge and practise their skills. In addition, improvements are being made to the checks that teachers make to ensure pupils remember what they have learned.

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

Reading is a priority across the school. Children in the early years are helped to recognise letters and sounds. They regularly encounter stories and texts that develop their communication and vocabulary. Phonics is taught consistently. Pupils who need extra help catch up quickly through impactful, closely targeted support. Should pupils be at risk of falling behind, they are supported through prompt interventions. A diverse range of texts help older pupils to understand more about the world and link with their wider learning across the curriculum.

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

The school ensures that staff are well informed about pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities. The school quickly identifies pupils’ needs. Staff make appropriate adaptations to pupils’ learning so that what they learn is as rich and ambitious as that of their peers. Staff have the training and expertise required to ensure that pupils with more complex needs can learn and achieve. 4 and 5 February 2025

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The early years class is an exciting and vibrant place in which to learn. Children delight in exploring themes that run through the curriculum. For example, they are engrossed in the habitats and animals that they learn about. Staff link activities to promote children’s use of number, mark making and motor development, while encouraging imaginative and communicative interactions.

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Pupils’ behaviour around the school is positive. Staff have high expectations. Any pupils who find managing their behaviour more difficult are supported to improve through individualised help.

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Pupils’ wider development is enhanced by a range of additional opportunities, such as clubs and activities. ‘Muddy Mondays’ in the early years and regular outdoor learning for all year groups enrich pupils’ experience of school. Pupils understand what it means to treat others with respect, and they rightly recognise that the school is a respectful community. However, some pupils have a less well-developed sense of difference, particularly around an age-appropriate understanding of the protected characteristics. Additionally, their knowledge of other faiths and cultures does not always support them to be well prepared for life in modern Britain. The school recognises this and is committed to ensuring that pupils have the breadth of knowledge that they need to thrive beyond the school community.

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The school benefits from strong community links, including regular visitors to talk about careers, keeping safe or local history and traditions. Parents are highly positive about the school and the further opportunities provided to enrich pupils’ learning. Staff are proud to work at the school and feel part of a team dedicated to giving pupils a strong education. School leaders, including governors, have a shared understanding of the school’s vision and aims. This results in effective checking to ensure that the education pupils receive is impactful and suits the needs of the pupils in the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not yet fully realised its vision for how pupils will practically apply the knowledge and skills they are taught. Consequently, pupils are less confident in remembering and then using what they have already learned. The school should continue to implement the curriculum in these subjects so that both the essential knowledge and skills that pupils need build securely over time.  There is variability in how well the school’s wider development offer helps pupils gain age-appropriate knowledge about fundamental British values and the protected characteristics. This means that some pupils are not always as well prepared for life in 4 and 5 February 2025

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modern Britain as the school intends. The school must continue to develop the personal development curriculum so pupils are well prepared for life beyond school.

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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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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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

 The school is part of The Lewes Co-operative Learning Partnership, with one other school.  The school uses no 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 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.  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 4 and 5 February 2025

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taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the special educational needs and disabilities coordinator, curriculum leaders and other staff.  The inspectors met with the chair of governors and other members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors listened to a sample of pupils read. Inspectors also viewed a range of pupils’ work from other subjects in the wider curriculum.  The inspectors examined a range of documentation provided by the school, including leaders’ self-evaluation and improvement plans.

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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.  The inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the responses to the confidential staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Ed Mather, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephen Cattell His Majesty’s Inspector 4 and 5 February 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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