Westfield Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud to be a part of this welcoming and caring school. The atmosphere in and around the school is calm and orderly. At playtime and lunchtime, pupils of all ages play together well.

Older pupils care for their younger peers. 'Playground buddies' ensure everyone has someone to talk to or play with. At lunchtime, the 'chill zone helpers' invite their peers to unwind and take part in mindfulness activities.

The school enriches pupils with educational experiences and extra-curricular activities. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), take part in the many clubs the school offers. These range from sporting a...ctivities such as cricket, football and taekwondo, to the school choir and science club.

There is something for everyone.

The school has links with local care homes where pupils sing to residents and complete activities together, such as colouring. Pupils are keen to look after the environment and plant trees in the local area.

This helps pupils develop into responsible and active citizens.

Academically, pupils do not progress as well as they could. Pupils do not remember key content well enough.

Some work given to pupils is not matched well to their needs, and pupils with SEND are not supported as well as they could be.

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

The school is on a journey of improvement. However, the lack of strategic oversight of the school's work has hampered its progress since the last inspection.

This means that some weaknesses in the quality of education pupils receive have gone unnoticed for too long.

The school has developed a curriculum that outlines what pupils will learn and when they will learn it. Careful consideration has been given to the skills and key content that pupils need to build over time.

However, too often pupils do not remember the key knowledge they have learned. This means that they struggle to make links between what they have already been taught and what they are learning now.

Staff use assessment regularly to check pupils' understanding.

When pupils have difficulty understanding their work, they are supported and given extra help. However, pupils who progress quickly through their work are not always provided with tasks that help them to deepen their knowledge and/or reach a higher standard. As a result, these pupils do not progress as well as they could.

Staff, parents and carers are quick to identify and inform the school of any pupils who may have SEND. However, it often takes too long for pupils' needs to be assessed. In the interim, these pupils do not have the delivery of the curriculum adapted well enough to meet their needs.

Once pupils are assessed, the time taken to review their 'personal support plans' takes too long. This means that the needs of some pupils with SEND are not met quickly enough.

As soon as children start in pre-school, they learn how to read and say basic sounds.

This foundation is built on in Reception where children start to make connections between the sounds they know. By the end of Year 1, most pupils have achieved the expected standard in reading. Those pupils who struggle to read, receive personalised intervention through one-to-one support or small group sessions.

As a result, these pupils catch up.

Staff have high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils live up to these.

When behaviour falls short of what the school expects, they receive guidance about changing their behaviour for the better. This works well to improve pupils' behaviour.

Personal, social and health education is first taught to children in Nursery.

Here they learn topics such as how to stay safe and manage risk. This learning is built on and revisited as pupils progress through the school. The curriculum takes into account what is happening in the local area to develop vigilance and awareness among pupils.

Over time, governors have not ensured that they have the knowledge to hold leaders to account for the quality of pupils' education. They have not equipped themselves with the skills needed to provide supportive challenge to improve standards. This has slowed the school's progress in moving forward.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Governors have not equipped themselves with the skills and knowledge needed to hold leaders to account. This has meant that pupils' outcomes have not improved as much as they should have.

The school should ensure that governors develop the expertise to have strategic oversight of what is working well and what is not so that they can hold leaders accountable for the school's performance. ? It often takes too long for pupils with SEND to be assessed. Furthermore, once they are assessed, the school does not check on the impact of support plans early enough.

This means that the needs of some pupils with SEND are not being met quickly enough. The school should ensure that pupils with SEND are identified and given the right support in a timely manner. ? The work given to pupils is not always well matched to their needs.

Too often, pupils with a secure understanding are given more of the same work to complete. This means that pupils do not deepen their knowledge and/or reach a higher standard. The school should ensure that the delivery of the curriculum is tailored to pupils' needs so they deepen their understanding and achieve higher standards.

• Sometimes, pupils are unable to remember the key knowledge they have learned. This means that they struggle to make links between what they have previously learned and any new learning. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise to assess pupils' understanding of previously taught key concepts and use this information to inform what should be taught next.