West Park Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

West Park Primary School continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Mandy Hall.

This school is part of Ad Astra Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Andy Brown OBE, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Chris Simmons.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending West Park Primary School.

They model the values of the school with pride. Respect, for example, is very important to them. Pupils treat all members of the school community with the same high level of regard.

Pupils warmly welcome visitor...s. They are keen to learn more about others.

The school has high expectations for pupils.

Pupils behave very well in lessons and are quick to settle into their learning. Pupils are inquisitive. This helps them meet the high academic standards the school has for them.

Pupils achieve well in end of key stage tests and assessments.

Pupils enjoy the range of clubs on offer. They appreciate clubs such as guitar, gardening and art club.

They also value taking on leadership roles in the school. Pupil play leaders support other pupils at lunchtime to engage in different activities, such as giant foam Jenga. Pupils take these roles very seriously.

They enjoy helping their younger peers in the school.

Pupils value the care they receive from adults. On the rare occasions that bullying happens, the school takes swift and effective action.

Pupils are safe in this kind and caring school.

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

The school has carefully considered the broad curriculum that pupils study. Frequent opportunities to revisit previous learning ensure that pupils recall knowledge well.

Pupils draw upon this knowledge to help them with new learning. For example, pupils in Year 5 describe how their previous learning about area in mathematics helps them to understand perimeter.

Pupils learn to read quickly.

Highly trained adults teach pupils the skills they need to be effective readers. Children in early years impressively understand the different sounds that can be made by the same letter. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities experience the same high-quality support.

The school accurately identifies pupils who need extra help. Pupils catch up quickly if they fall behind. This is due to effective intervention.

Pupils display a love of reading. They confidently describe their favourite books. Ambitious texts ensure that pupils experience a range of literature.

For example, Year 6 pupils enjoyed reading `A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens.

Pupils enjoy learning in their wider foundation subjects. They passionately describe the qualities of varied works of art.

Pupils learn about different artists and enjoy their learning about Pablo Picasso. In some of the wider foundation subjects, however, the key knowledge and end points that pupils should reach are not clearly identified. As a result, pupils progress through some parts of the curriculum at a slower pace than they are capable of.

Children in early years benefit from a stimulating learning environment. The outdoor areas provide them with many opportunities to explore. Children enjoy developing their gross motor skills on the balance equipment.

They practise finer skills in the mud kitchen. In the 'sunflower café', Nursery-age children make snacks and also wash up. Reception-age children then 'buy' their snacks using the correct money.

Children in early years benefit from the happy and caring start that they get to their education.

The school ensures that the personal development curriculum that pupils experience is broad. Pupils enjoy the different trips that they go on.

The school develops pupils' cultural awareness with visits to places of worship, such as a mosque in Newcastle. Pupils take their leadership responsibilities seriously. The school council gathers views of its peers and asks the school to make changes.

The introduction of outside games is a result of the school council. Pupils enjoy playing snakes and ladders during breaktime and lunchtime.

The school teaches pupils how to look after themselves.

Children in early years learn about keeping their teeth healthy through a visit from a dental professional. Pupils also understand how to keep themselves safe online. They know that people may not be who they say they are in an online message.

Adults in the school recognise the care that is being taken to support their workload and well-being. The school, trust and local academy committee ensure that this is a priority. Staff are proud to work at the school.

They create a happy environment where pupils attend highly, enjoy learning and are safe.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In some foundation subjects, the school has not precisely identified the knowledge and skills it wants pupils to acquire.

This means that pupils' progression through the curriculum is not always clearly mapped, meaning they do not always progress at the pace they are capable of. The school should continue to review the curriculum and develop clarity in plans.

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 November 2018.