West Road Primary Academy

Inspection of West Road Primary Academy West Road, Moorends, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN8 4LH

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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

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The headteacher of this school is Julie Woodward. This school is part of Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by two chief executive officers (CEOs), Helen Redford-Hernandez and Garath Rawson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Pippa Dodgshon. 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a safe and happy school. Staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils generally meet those expectations well. The school motto is ‘to learn, to grow, together’. This ethos can be seen in the strong relationships between staff and pupils, which underpin a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Most pupils enjoy coming to school. At social times, they get along well together. If pupils fall out, they resolve it themselves or, if needed, staff help them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The ambitious curriculum is well thought through. Pupils generally engage and learn well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support. A small number of pupils with SEND follow a bespoke curriculum that meets their needs well. Children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 get off to a positive start to their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a wide range of opportunities that extend beyond the curriculum. For example, there are various extra-curricular clubs, including ‘computer whizz’, ‘art attack’ and ‘just dance’. Pupils raise funds for charities and support the local food bank. An annual careers fair helps pupils to learn about jobs in the local area. Some pupils are working with the local council to help them design a new park.

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

The work of the school has rapidly developed since the last inspection. Leaders at all levels, including those with responsibility for governance, know the pupils and community well. Robust processes are in place to ensure good communication between the trust board, the local governing body and the school. This ensures that trustees and governors have a clear understanding of the school’s effectiveness. The trust provides highly effective training and networking opportunities for staff. Staff welcome and value the support of the trust. Staff morale is high.

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

The quality of the school’s curriculum has strengthened considerably. In most subjects, the school has identified what pupils need to learn. Most of the knowledge and skills are broken down into the steps that pupils need. In lessons, teachers provide regular opportunities for pupils to revisit prior knowledge. This helps pupils to remember what they learn. It also allows teachers to check how well pupils have understood concepts. Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They address misconceptions effectively. Pupils, including those with SEND, usually learn well. However, some aspects of the curriculum that pupils need to learn are less well defined. When this happens, staff do not draw out and emphasise important knowledge, and pupils do not deepen their understanding.

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

Where necessary, staff adapt the teaching of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. If these pupils need more help, the school ensures that effective support, such as speech and language therapy, is in place to meet pupils’ needs. The school seeks out and takes expert advice to ensure that staff’s work is effective. 4 and 5 February 2025

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Pupils enjoy reading. Books are celebrated across the school. Staff are well trained in reading instruction. Pupils learn to read quickly. Reading books are carefully matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils who need help to catch up with reading are well supported. Older pupils regularly practise reading aloud, which develops their expression and confidence.

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In the early years, the content of the curriculum is carefully considered. What children learn in Reception builds securely on what they learn in Nursery. The school designs purposeful activities to help children to explore concepts further. Staff seize opportunities to develop children’s vocabulary. Staff in the early years are well trained to identify children that might have SEND so that the right support can be put in place early. Children learn the knowledge and skills that they need for Year 1.

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The school is highly effective in helping pupils to come to school regularly. Leaders work closely with each family to understand their situation. This work ensures that each family gets the right support. This is a real strength of the school. The school has a consistent approach to managing pupils’ behaviour. Staff are trained well. Rules and routines are clear, which helps pupils to stay on track.

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The curriculum for pupils’ personal, social and health education is well designed to prepare them for life in modern Britain. Pupils remember some aspects of the curriculum in more depth than in others. For example, pupils have a secure breadth of knowledge of online safety. Some pupils’ knowledge of other faiths and cultures is less secure. The school offers pupils a broad range of experiences that go beyond the curriculum. A new ‘pupil passport’ is enabling the school to track pupils’ participation more effectively. Pupils with SEND are fully involved in the life of the school. There is a wide range of pupil leadership opportunities, including roles as well-being ambassadors and mini police. Pupils are proud to take on leadership roles and make a positive contribution to the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The school takes purposeful action to safeguard pupils and follow up concerns. On occasion, the school’s records do not fully reflect the actions that it has taken to keep pupils safe.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not broken down some of the important knowledge that pupils should learn clearly enough. Where this happens, staff do not draw out and emphasise important concepts. Therefore, pupils’ understanding lacks depth. The school should ensure that staff know how to break down and emphasise important concepts so that pupils deepen their understanding of aspects of the curriculum.  On occasion, the school’s records do not fully reflect the actions that it has taken to keep pupils safe. When this happens, pupils continue to be safe but the narrative of the 4 and 5 February 2025

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school’s work to support them has minor gaps. The school should make sure that its records fully reflect the actions taken to keep pupils safe.

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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

CEOs of the trust Helen Redford-Hernandez and Garath Rawson Headteacher Julie Woodward

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 November 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Brighter Futures Learning Partnership Trust.  The school provides some places for two-year-olds.  The school makes use of one unregistered alternative provider.

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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. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  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 senior leaders, including the headteacher and the deputy and assistant headteachers who are currently leading the school. The lead inspector also met with two trustees, three members of the local governing body and both CEOs.  Deep dives were carried out in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, art and history. 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 discussed and reviewed the curriculum in some other subjects.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.

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 Inspectors spoke to pupils formally and informally about their learning and their experiences at school. An inspector also spoke to parents as they dropped their children off at the school gate.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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 throughout the school day, including during breakfast club, during lesson visits and at breaktime. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their views on behaviour at the school.  Inspectors reviewed the parental responses received through the Ofsted online questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. Inspectors also considered the responses received through Ofsted’s staff and pupil questionnaires.

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 An inspector spoke to a representative of the local authority.

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Inspection team

Zoe Helman, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Sam O’Brien Ofsted 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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