West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School Marlborough Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN12 4HD

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Outcome

West Park CofE Primary (Controlled) School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

West Park is a safe and happy school where pupils get high levels of care and support. As a result, pupils work hard and do their best. Pupils reflect and live the school’s vision of ‘Let your light shine’ through expectations such as ‘Be kind, be safe, be your best.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

High expectations of pupils’ behaviour and learning start in the Reception class. Staff apply routines consistently. This helps children settle into school and make friends quickly. From this strong foundation, pupils throughout the school consistently reach their teachers’ high expectations. As a result, all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Staff provide the care and attention that pupils need to build their confidence and positive attitudes towards their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships are strong at every level. Pupils feel secure because they trust the adults who look after them. They are confident there is someone to listen if they have a concern or are anxious. Bullying is rare. If it does happen, adults take swift and appropriate action.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school puts pupils at the centre of all that it does. Pupils’ personal development is meticulously planned into the curriculum. This provides many openings for pupils to grow and have positive experiences. Pupils take advantage of all the leadership roles on offer to them. These help to grow confidence and develop personal responsibility. 18 and 19 March 2025

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

The school has developed an ambitious curriculum to capture pupils’ imagination and inspire their learning. Interesting topics link learning across the curriculum to help pupils develop their understanding and subject-specific vocabulary. The school has sequenced learning carefully so that in most subjects, pupils learn the right knowledge in a logical order. As a result, pupils achieve well in many subjects.

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

The school makes sure that the youngest pupils get off to a good start with reading. Phonics is well embedded in the school. Knowledgeable staff teach phonics regularly and consistently. This ensures that children rapidly move on from initial sounds to building words. If pupils are falling behind with reading, the school takes swift, effective action to make sure they catch up quickly. As a result of this strong foundation, reading is improving across the school. Older pupils focus on developing fluency to help them improve comprehension.

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

Early number is taught well. Pupils build on this so that they can progress from counting from 0 to 10 to undertaking calculations. The school has rightly focused on arithmetic to give pupils the basic skills that they need. There is a clear emphasis on mathematical language. This empowers pupils to accurately describe their understanding of mathematical concepts. The broad sequence of learning in the mathematics curriculum has been established across the school. However, some pupils have developed gaps in their learning over time. The school recognises the need to precisely identify the key knowledge and concepts pupils need to learn so that they can build on what they already know and understand.

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

In many subjects, teachers have good subject knowledge and high expectations of learning and behaviour. They plan interesting lessons that engage pupils’ interest. Teachers make links between subjects, such as computing and science, so that pupils can use skills learned in one subject to help them understand another. Pupils build secure foundational skills. They secure precise vocabulary to explain their thinking. Teachers regularly check on pupils’ understanding and offer support to make sure that pupils do not develop misconceptions

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

Pupils behave very well in lessons and around the school. They like learning and coming to school. This is reflected in their regular attendance and the enjoyment they show in lessons, where they try hard and do their best. Instances of low-level poor behaviour are rare and well managed by staff so that there is minimum loss of learning. ‘Marvellous moving’, where pupils respect one another’s space, is highly effective and contributes significantly to a calm and ordered school.

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

Pupils are tolerant, accepting and charitable towards one another. They are very proud to be part of the school and have great respect for staff and one another. This is a result of the many opportunities the school provides for pupils’ personal development. Pupils recognise the benefits and risks when using the internet. They understand the importance of staying healthy, both in body and mind. The school offers high levels of emotional support to make sure that all pupils have the confidence to take on the many roles of 18 and 19 March 2025

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responsibility available to them. Worship leaders help plan assemblies and lead prayer. Values ambassadors look after the welfare of others. Pupils take part in many clubs and activities after school.

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Staff trust school leaders. They feel listened to and are consulted on changes that might affect their workload or well-being. They appreciate the time that is given to complete tasks and the opportunities they have for professional development. Leaders have created a strong support structure within 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 aspects of the mathematics curriculum, the school has not specified the essential knowledge and skills that pupils need to know. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge, which slows their progress. The school should clearly define what pupils need to know, so that pupils build new learning on solid foundations of knowledge and achieve as well as they could.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in December 2019. 18 and 19 March 2025

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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). 18 and 19 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 3 and 4 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 As a Church of England school, the school’s next section 48 inspection is due in the next academic year. The previous section 48 inspection was in November 2017.  The school has two specially resourced provisions for pupils with SEND, called ‘The Willows’. These are for pupils with education, health and care plans. These pupils are placed by the local authority. One of the resourced provisions is for pupils with physical disabilities. The other is for pupils with communication interaction needs. The majority of pupils in both resources are fully included in mainstream classes with personalised support that is appropriate to their needs.  There is before- and after-school care managed by an external provider.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 18 and 19 March 2025

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 This was the first inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the lead inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the special needs coordinator and other senior staff, including subject leaders. He met governors, including the chair of the governing body. He spoke to a representative of the local authority and a representative of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the views of parents submitted via Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. They also reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for the school’s staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Bill James, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Bateman Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 March 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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