Leigh Westleigh Methodist Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.

This is a happy, successful and improving school. Determined and skilled leadership by the associate headteacher, executive headteacher and governors has led to improvements in teaching and pupils' achievement. Staff feel valued and appreciated.

They respond very effectively to the guidance they receive. As a result, teaching is at least good and improving. The school delivers a good range of subjects and learning experiences that pupils enjoy.

These promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. Pupils have a good understanding of British values. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain by the ...time they leave Year 6.

Strong relationships exist with parents, external agencies and partners. Governors provide rigorous challenge and support. They are passionate about their role and fully committed to continuous improvement.

Pupils' behaviour is good and sometimes outstanding. Pupils are proud of their school and feel safe. Their eagerness to learn is reflected in their good punctuality and broadly average and improving attendance.

Pupils have highly positive and trusting relationships with staff. These boost pupils' self-esteem and willingness to try their best. Pupils make good progress from their starting points.

As a result, standards across the school are rising. Provision in the early years is good. Children achieve well and sometimes outstandingly so from their different starting points.

It is not yet an outstanding school because : Pupils' rate of progress in writing is not always rapid enough to make up sufficiently for any previous underachievement. A few teachers do not always provide tasks that stretch pupils' abilities and meet their learning needs. This is particularly so for boys and the most able.

Teachers' marking is not always used to help pupils improve their work. It is not always crystal clear how the effectiveness of actions planned by leaders to improve teaching and achievement will be evaluated.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.

Leigh Westleigh Primary School converted to become an academy on 1 September 2013. When its predecessor school, Leigh Westleigh Methodist Primary School was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding overall. The school is part of the Acorn Trust.

An executive headteacher leads both schools in the academy. The other school is Bedford Hall Methodist Primary School. Each school has its own associate headteacher.

There have been significant changes in staffing in the last two years, including the appointment of a new assistant headteacher. Westleigh Children's Centre is attached to the school. This is part of the Leigh, Lowton and Golborne children's centre group.

The executive headteacher co-leads this group. The school shares its Nursery with a private provider, Honey Bears Day Care. These settings are subject to separate inspection arrangements.

Reports for these settings may be viewed at www.gov.uk/ofsted.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic communities is much lower than average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils eligible for support through pupil premium funding is well above average.

This additional government funding is provided for those pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority. The school has a full-time Reception class and a part-time Nursery. Parents are able to purchase additional time in Nursery from Honey Bears Day Care.

There is a larger proportion of boys than girls in many classes. In 2014, the school did not meet the government's current floor standard, which is the minimum expectation for pupils' achievement in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. The school works in close partnership with the Leigh, Lowton and Golborne Schools' Partnership.