Ormskirk West End School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this warm and inviting school. They value the positive relationships that they have with staff. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), feel safe and happy in school.

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They fulfil the school values by behaving in 'the West End way', showing aspiration, resilience and respect when they are in class. Some olde...r pupils act as behaviour mentors and are positive role models to younger children.

Following a period of change, the school has raised its expectations of what pupils can and should achieve. Pupils achieve increasingly well in some subjects. However, weaknesses in less developed areas of the curriculum mean that some pupils do not develop a deep body of knowledge over time.

Some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.Pupils benefit from a wide range of activities that enhance the curriculum. For example, they work with a local laboratory and participate in science projects.

Some pupils have undertaken an archaeological dig in the school grounds and others have formed a rock band as part of a music project. These experiences help to nurture pupils' talents and broaden their expectations for their futures.

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

The school has created an ambitious curriculum.

In the main, subject curriculums have been thoughtfully ordered from the beginning of the early years to the end of Year 6. This means that staff know the learning sequence and the content to deliver. However, in some subjects, this is not as clear cut.

Hence staff are uncertain as to what specific content should be taught and by when. In addition, lessons are sometimes not designed to ensure that pupils learn and remember the intended knowledge. Consequently, some pupils develop gaps in their learning.

During lessons, staff check that pupils have understood and learned the important information from each lesson. However, where the school is still refining its approaches to the curriculum, checks on learning are not as purposeful as they are in the more established subjects.

The school has prioritised the teaching of early reading.

It has made sure that staff who deliver the phonics curriculum are well trained. As soon as they join the Reception Year, children start to learn sounds and the corresponding letters. Where pupils struggle with reading, the school makes sure that they receive the help that they need to develop into confident and fluent readers.

Staff quickly identify any additional needs that pupils may have. Pupils with SEND receive appropriate support from skilled staff. Staff make necessary adaptations to their teaching to enable pupils with SEND to learn successfully.

Where pupils have complex needs, the school works closely with families and external professionals to make sure that pupils' needs are met.

In the Reception Year, staff design activities to excite the children and to create meaningful learning opportunities. They model rich language and vocabulary to engage children in conversation and develop their speaking skills.

This helps younger children get off to a positive start.

There is a purposeful atmosphere throughout the school. Pupils are friendly and confident when talking to visitors.

However, staff's expectations of behaviour in less structured times do not consistently match the school policy. As a result, pupils' adherence to the rules can wane when they are not in a formal lesson situation.

The school prioritises attendance and has recently invested in strategies to reform its approach to it.

Staff build strong relationships with parents and carers to identify and overcome any barriers that stop children coming to school. This helps to promote a positive culture to attendance across the school community. Improvements are evident in rising rates of attendance and punctuality.

The school offers an array of experiences to support pupils' personal development. For example, pupils are keen to attend dance, singing and sports clubs. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online and how to stay physically and mentally healthy.

They have a secure understanding of fundamental British values. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Governors understand the school community well.

They know about the school's outcomes in terms of pupils' attainment and attendance. Governors are a committed group who support the well-being and workload of staff.

Staff are positive about the support that they receive to manage their workload and to protect their well-being.

They appreciate that ample time is allocated for them to complete any additional tasks.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some curriculum subjects, the school has not identified the precise knowledge that pupils should learn and when this should be taught.

This means that, sometimes, pupils' learning does not build on what they already know. This leads to gaps in pupils' knowledge. In these subjects, the school should make sure that teachers know what pupils should learn and by when, so pupils can build a secure body of knowledge over time.

• In a few subjects, staff do not select activities that support them to implement the school's curriculum as intended. This prevents some pupils from developing the depth of subject knowledge of which they are capable. The school should ensure that staff are well trained to implement the curriculum effectively in all subjects.

• The school does not support some pupils, including those with SEND and children in the early years, to develop self-regulation and to manage their own behaviour successfully. Consequently, some pupils' conduct in unstructured times does not meet with the school's expectations. The school should strengthen staff's expectations of behaviour at unstructured times and ensure that policies and procedures are followed consistently.

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.

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.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in June 2019.

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