Westmoor Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Westmoor Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Westmoor Primary School. They enjoy school and are enthusiastic to learn.

The school is welcoming and inclusive. Positive and nurturing relationships are important here. Because of this, pupils feel happy and safe.

Pupils are determined to succeed. This reflects the high aspiration the school has for all pupils.

The curriculum in reading, writing and mathematics is effective from the start of early years.

Pupils generally achieve well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are particularly well supported to le...arn. Disadvantaged pupils make effective progress.

Pupils value the diversity of the school community. They demonstrate their understanding of equality and fairness. The school's values include respect and responsibility.

These are evident in how staff speak to pupils and how pupils care for each other and their environment.

In lessons, pupils are focused and demonstrate positive attitudes to learning. They move around school calmly.

Pupils respond well to behaviour expectations that are clear, simple and fair. Bullying is extremely rare. Some pupils use the term 'bullying' incorrectly to describe minor disagreements.

Leaders are aware of this and are addressing this misconception.

At playtime, the school council and leaders have introduced varied activities, such as den building and a mud kitchen. Pupils enjoy these activities and say that they make everybody happy.

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

The school's curriculum is ambitious, engaging and well structured. Pupils achieve well in core subjects. In early years, the school's curriculum prepares children for what they will learn in key stage 1.

Teachers have good subject knowledge. They check pupils' understanding and select activities that strengthen and extend pupils' knowledge. Pupils produce high-quality work.

In design and technology, Year 1 pupils are proud of their work. They design, make and evaluate an impressive range of puppets to use in the class puppet theatre.

Pupils with SEND learn the same curriculum as their classmates.

Pupils' needs are quickly identified and effective steps put in place to support them. Pupils flourish under the skilled care and guidance of their teachers and support staff. Pupils with SEND thoroughly enjoy school life, both academically and socially.

The school has focused on developing pupils' vocabulary across all subjects. In mathematics lessons, pupils discuss their learning and use mathematical vocabulary extensively and effectively. This is not the case across the full range of subjects.

Opportunities for pupil discussion in some subjects are more limited. Pupils do not always get the opportunity to rehearse their thinking and to use ambitious vocabulary and language structures. As a result, pupils do not have the language skills necessary to produce ambitious pieces of writing.

Reading is at the centre of pupils' learning. Leaders ensure that pupils can read well so that they can learn the rest of the curriculum. Pupils of all ages enjoy a wide range of books.

Older pupils enthusiastically recommend books to their friends. Pupils at the early stages of reading benefit from well-structured phonics lessons. Staff provide pupils with support to learn the sounds they find difficult to remember.

On occasions, opportunities to read with an adult do not always give sufficient focus to developing fluency.

Pupils' overall attendance at school is stubbornly low. Leaders are tenacious in their attempts to address this issue.

This has led to some improvement. Work continues with parents to promote the importance of good attendance.

The support for pupils' personal development begins in the early years.

Pupils learn the importance of being healthy, happy and safe. Pupils are active citizens in school life. School ambassadors regularly help with events in school.

Other pupils play a part in organising the school's outdoor play initiative. Pupils contribute purposefully to the local community. The school council has recently created a local food bank.

The school's range of extra-curricular clubs reflects pupils' wider interests. Football, cricket and computing are firm favourites. Trips to London and Filey beach are popular, as well as events such as the school fairs.

Governors share the high ambition for the school. They provide leaders with useful support and challenge. Leaders have listened to staff views and have taken many steps to reduce staff workload.

Staff speak extremely highly of leaders' consideration for their well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The foundation curriculum does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to develop their oracy skills and to use and apply the vocabulary they have been taught.

In these subjects, pupils cannot always confidently remember and apply important vocabulary and language in their oral and written work. The school should ensure opportunities to develop oracy across the wider curriculum are increased and that pupils are given opportunities to demonstrate their thinking through ambitious discussions and writing tasks.

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 January 2015.