West End Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

West End Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and adults value being part of this happy and inclusive community. As one parent said: 'The support, emotionally as well as educationally, for our children from the school is excellent.' Pupils are proud to represent their school in leadership roles, such as digital leaders and climate crew.

School leaders and staff are ambitious for all pupils. They encourage pupils to work hard in their lessons. This helps pupils to achieve well.

Pupils leave the school well prepared for the next stage of education. Pupils are polite and eager to talk about the things they learn about in ...their lessons. The school has high expectations for how pupils present their work, although, at times, this high standard is not met.

Leaders of individual subjects are knowledgeable and pupils are taught a wide range of important information in lessons.

Pupils are respectful and kind to one another and bullying is rare. They know that if they have a problem, staff in school will support them.

Pupils attend school regularly. At social times, pupils play well with one another. There is a wide range of clubs, including well-being, photography and cricket, that pupils enjoy attending after school.

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

The school has developed a curriculum which carefully sequences the important information that all pupils need to know. This is fully inclusive of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers have secure subject knowledge.

They are aware of the importance of high-quality teaching to meet the needs of all pupils in their care. All subject leaders review their subject areas regularly. This helps them recognise swiftly where any further improvements can be made.

It is evident that reading is a school priority. Pupils know that being able to read is important. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they start school.

The phonics programme is suitably resourced. All adults are well trained and deliver phonics effectively. Pupils read books containing sounds they know to help develop their confidence.

They practise reading daily. Additional sessions are provided for pupils who need extra help. Teachers have created reading areas in classes and developed a library at the heart of the school.

Pupils use this space regularly. This helps to ensure that pupils develop a love of reading and learn to read well.

While, overall, pupils achieve well, at times, there is inconsistency in how new learning is modelled by teachers.

In some subjects, teachers' explanations and examples lack precision. This leads to confusion for pupils in understanding how they can use, and build upon, what they already know and can do when presented with learning new information.

The curriculum in subjects such as art and design is particularly ambitious.

For example, pupils can demonstrate their understanding of how they use different shading techniques learned in Year 4 to move on to scumbling in Year 5 when creating work inspired by Claude Monet. Most pupils are proud of their work and, generally, take care with the presentation of it. However, this is not consistently the case.

On occasions, pupils' handwriting is illegible and poorly presented. In some classes, this is not addressed by teachers.

Most pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

Teachers make sure that the curriculum is adapted and pupils are supported sensitively to meet any specific needs they might have. Staff are well trained to recognise and help those pupils who need any additional support.

Pupils behave well and are respectful and polite to one another and to others.

This view of positive behaviour is also held by staff and by the vast majority of parents and carers. Pupils are proud to be members of the school community and take part in many local events and shows, representing the school well. Pupils' attendance at school is good.

The school has introduced a personal development curriculum that ensures that pupils are well-rounded, knowledgeable citizens. This helps meet the school's vision that all pupils will be personally, socially and environmentally responsible. Pupils learn about different types of relationships and how to keep themselves healthy.

They have a growing understanding of fundamental British values, such as democracy and respect.

Staff enjoy working at the school. They say that their workload and well-being are well managed by leaders and governors.

They recognise that, being a small school, there are additional roles that leaders and staff play, yet they are supported well to do so.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• With the introduction of the curriculum, sometimes the explanations and examples teachers give to guide pupils' learning, in some subjects, are not as precise as they could be.

As a result, pupils are unable to use what they already know to support their new learning. The school needs to ensure that all new information is more consistently and precisely explained to pupils so that they can make the necessary connections to support new learning. ? Teachers do not consistently address the quality of the presentation of pupils' work.

In some classes, pupils' writing and letter formation is incorrect, which is not addressed. The school needs to ensure that teachers are clear about their expectations for the presentation of pupils' work, including correct letter formation, and that these expectations and standards are applied consistently across all classes.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2015.

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