West Jesmond Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.

Pupils' excellent progress and high achievement are driven by the school's aspirational target setting. Ensuring success for every pupil is at the heart of this highly inclusive school's work. Pupils who are disabled, have special educational needs, or speak English as an additional language are supported to make exceptional progress to achieve as well as their peers.

High expectations and excellent relationships underpin high quality teaching. Staff expect pupils to work hard which they willingly do. Behaviour is exemplary in classrooms and during social times in the playground.

Pupils are friendly and caring with one a...nother, happily following the excellent example set by older pupils in Year 6. Excellent pastoral care ensures pupils are safe and secure in school. Pupils feel safe and thrive in this supportive learning community.

Early years provision in the Reception classes is outstanding. Children settle quickly in the vibrant, exciting environment because of the care and attention they receive when they join. The exciting curriculum fires pupils with a love of learning and the curiosity to constantly find out about new things.

While it has developed rapidly under the deputy headteacher's leadership, it is not yet consistently excellent in every class. The many memorable learning experiences in and out of school provide excellent support for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Excellent leadership by the headteacher and deputy headteacher ensures that excellent practice is shared, so that middle leadership is constantly improving and driving the school forward.

The school is developing an impressive record of developing its leaders. Governors hold the school's leaders robustly to account for their performance and are very well informed about the quality of teaching. Together with the headteacher, they provide an inspirational vision for the development of the school and its contribution to the wider learning community in the locality.

Information about this school

The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, those supported by the pupil premium, is well below average. The pupil premium is additional government funding to provide help pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and for pupils looked after by the local authority.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is below average. Almost half the pupils are from minority ethnic groups and speak English as an additional language. Early years provision is full time.

The school met the government's current floor standards in 2014, which are the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress at the end of Year 6. Since the previous inspection, there has been a high turnover in staff. Since that time, the governing body has appointed a new headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher.