Westfield Junior School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve outcomes so that pupils’ attainment in the key stage 2 national tests, and their progress from key stage 1 to key stage 2, is at least in line with the national average by:
  • providing plenty of opportunities for pupils to apply their writing skills to extended pieces of work across a range of subjects
  • continuing to develop pupils’ confidence in reading and understanding high-quality texts
  • ensuring that activities in lessons meet the needs of different groups of pupils, particularly the most able, so that all pupils are challenged to do their very best.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Standards fell after the previous inspection in November 2011 when the school was judged to be outstanding. Leaders and governors now have a realistic view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. The school’s development plan identifies clearly the right areas to improve and suitable actions to address them. The school is now good and improving.
• The headteacher and other leaders have driven improvements in teaching and learning, which have led to a rise in expectations and standards. The headteacher supports middle leaders and encourages them to be creative and take responsibility in their subject areas. They have, for example, initiated a new assessment system to track the development of pupils’ key skills from first teaching through to when they have secure understanding. This has allowed class teachers to quickly identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding.
• Leaders have created a climate of high expectations within which both staff and pupils can thrive. The school’s values, such as tolerance and respect for the rule of law, pervade all areas of school life and reflect the values of modern Britain. Pupils are well prepared for life beyond Westfield Junior School.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding effectively to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged pupils. Regular pupil progress meetings identify where there is a need for extra support either to help a pupil to catch up or, increasingly, to boost their progress. This means that in most year groups their attainment is at least in line with other pupils. Teachers have become more skilled at supporting disadvantaged pupils in class, especially those who speak English as an additional language.
• Knowledgeable and experienced leadership of the provision for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities ensures that this funding is spent well. Regular evaluation of the impact of the extra support provided by teaching assistants means that this can be adapted quickly to meet changing needs. Consequently, pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities achieve well.
• Leaders have designed a curriculum which meets the needs of pupils and gives them an understanding of a wide range of topics across a broad range of subjects. School trips and visitors link closely to the curriculum and are very popular with pupils as they ‘bring learning alive’. This term, for example, Year 4 pupils will visit Colchester Castle as part of their work on the Romans and Year 5 will experience some rainforest animals first-hand. Pupils also benefit from a rich programme of extra-curricular opportunities such as ‘dungeons and dragons’ club and Latin club.
• Sport has a high profile at the school and many pupils participate in the school teams that regularly enjoy success at local and county level. Additional funding to enhance pupils’ experience of physical education and sport has been used well to broaden the range of sports available to pupils in extra-curricular clubs and to engage more of them in regular sporting activity. The impact of this funding is monitored carefully through pupil questionnaires and surveys as well as participation figures.
• The headteacher has developed a productive working relationship with the main feeder infant school over the past year. In summer 2017, teachers from the junior school joined teachers from the infant school to check and discuss end of key stage 1 assessments for the first time.

Governance of the school

• The governing body now has a secure knowledge of the strengths of the school and the areas where improvement is needed.
• Governors hold teachers to account for the performance of pupils and have supported the headteacher in withholding pay awards when teachers have not met their targets relating to pupils’ progress.

• Governors have managed a reduced budget well to ensure that the provision for disadvantaged pupils and those who have SEN and/or a disability has been maintained.
• Governors were too slow to take action to address the fall in standards following the previous inspection. They did not ensure that prompt action was taken to ensure that the school was ready to meet the raised expectations of the new national curriculum when it was introduced.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Leaders ensure that all staff training is up to date and that staff are confident in their duties regarding child protection. Leaders rigorously follow up concerns with external agencies and clearly place pupils at the heart of their work. As a result of teachers’ diligence and persistence, and the care and understanding of the designated safeguarding lead, pupils are kept safe.
• Governors visit the school regularly to check that systems to safeguard pupils are thorough. Procedures to check the suitability of staff who work in the school are effective.

• Pupils told inspectors that school is a safe place and parents agree that their children are well looked after at Westfield. Pupils talked confidently about how they are taught to keep themselves safe in the world outside school, from learning the ‘green cross code’ to understanding how to report any concerns they may have when using the internet. The school also makes sure that older pupils are ready for the challenges of managing social media.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• The quality of teaching, learning and assessment is strong across year groups and subjects. Senior leaders have ensured that teachers have time to plan together and this means that there is consistency in what is taught and how it is taught. Teachers plan learning to follow a logical sequence so that pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding develop well over time.
• Teachers plan activities that quickly engage the interest of pupils and allow them to make good progress through the lesson. Timely and astute questioning by teachers and teaching assistants not only checks understanding but prompts pupils to think more deeply about their learning. This was seen in a Year 4 history lesson when pupils were making their own aqueducts out of card. Effective questioning made pupils think about how they could alter their designs to ensure that their aqueducts had the right angle to allow water to flow at the correct rate. They were encouraged to apply their mathematical, scientific and design skills to solve the problem.
• Relationships between pupils and staff are very positive and in every classroom the high expectations teachers have of behaviour are met by pupils. Routines are well established and respected by pupils. Teachers expect all pupils to use full sentences when answering questions and speaking in front of the class. Teachers model the use of correct subject specific language and insist that this is used by pupils. Pupils who speak English as an additional language benefit particularly from these expectations and make good progress in acquiring new vocabulary and grammar.
• Teaching assistants are well trained to meet the needs of the pupils they support. They provide one-to-one and small group support for individuals who need to catch up or develop learning skills. They work closely with teachers and provide support for these pupils in the classroom as well. This means that they are able to ensure that gains made in support sessions are maximised so that pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities, and those who are disadvantaged, make good progress.
• Teachers routinely provide pupils with opportunities to work both collaboratively and independently. In lessons, pupils use their ‘talk partners’ to help them work through ideas before sharing them with the whole class or committing them to paper. The school has found that this helps pupils to feel that classrooms are safe places to make mistakes. Pupils talked enthusiastically about how developing this attitude has really improved their learning because they do not give up when they cannot do something straight away.
• Reading has a high profile in the school and pupils read widely and for pleasure. Following the disappointing reading outcomes in the 2017 national tests, leaders promptly identified where teaching had not been effective and introduced a new focus on developing pupils’ skills in looking for the subtler meanings in texts. Work in pupils’ books shows that this is already having a positive impact.
• Pupils’ literacy books show that teachers focus on ensuring that pupils develop the technical skills they need to be good writers. However, teachers do not provide enough opportunities for pupils to put these skills into practice in extended pieces of writing, particularly in Years 3 and 4. This means that pupils do not develop their confidence quickly enough in writing at length and in different styles.
• Teachers do not always make the most of opportunities in lessons to match activities to the ability of different groups of pupils. At times, pupils of all abilities are given the same tasks to complete, which means that some pupils do not make the progress they are capable of, either because the task is too easy for them or because it is too hard.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• The spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness of pupils is developed well. For example, lively displays on school walls celebrate different cultures and religions. Assemblies explore the meaning of national ceremonies such as Remembrance Sunday. Lessons on subjects as diverse as ‘What it means to be a Buddhist’ and the creation help pupils respect the differences in their cultures and beliefs. Pupils embrace the expectation that they can work productively with everybody and take responsibility for the way their actions may affect others. Senior leaders monitor the emotional as well as the academic needs of pupils they have identified as vulnerable. The special educational needs coordinator ensures that pupils receive the support they need to overcome the difficulties they face.
• Pupils relish the opportunities they are given to take on roles of responsibility. To be elected to the school council, pupils write a manifesto and make their case in a speech to their classmates. Year 6 pupils run the school tuck shop, act as ‘buddies’ for other pupils at lunchtimes and take on peer mediator roles helping younger pupils to resolve friendship issues. These roles are valued and respected by younger pupils because of the way Year 6 pupils conduct themselves.
• Pupils have a clear understanding of what bullying is. They told inspectors that there is very little bullying in the school. Most pupils have never come across it. School records support this but also show that on the rare occasions when bullying occurs it is dealt with swiftly and effectively. All pupils who spoke to inspectors were confident that they would be listened to if they went to an adult with a problem.
• Provision in the school to support vulnerable pupils is good. Pupils can post a request to talk privately to an adult through the ‘talk box’. Pupils told me that these requests are responded to immediately and that, ‘Somebody will come and find you straight away.’

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils enjoy their time at school and show positive attitudes towards their learning. This is demonstrated through the high attendance rates of all groups of pupils.
• Pupils reported that their learning is rarely disrupted by the behaviour of others and that, in most cases, a reminder from the teacher is sufficient to make them remedy their behaviour. Observations in lessons during the inspection fully support this view.
• Playtimes and lunchtimes are well supervised, but pupils manage their own behaviour at these times very effectively. In assemblies, minimal supervision is necessary because all pupils understand and meet the high expectations of behaviour.

• Pupils work hard in lessons because they are keen to do their best. On occasions, when pupils’ interest is not fully engaged by the activities provided by the teacher, or when the pace of learning slows, some younger pupils become restless and lose focus on the purpose of the lesson.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Leaders regularly track pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics from their starting points. This information, supported by observations in lessons and a detailed scrutiny of the work in pupils’ books, shows that pupils currently at the school are making good progress in all areas and across all year groups.
• Pupils’ are now making good progress overall because teachers are skilled at identifying where they have gaps in their knowledge and skills and address these immediately. This is particularly effective in Years 5 and 6 where pupils are starting to make more rapid progress.
• The proportion of pupils in Year 6 who are currently working at the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics is higher than the proportion who reached this standard by the end of key stage 2 in 2017. An increasing number of pupils are working confidently at greater depth especially in reading and mathematics. Disadvantaged pupils also performed better in reading and mathematics in 2017 than in 2016.
• Disadvantaged pupils and those who speak English as an additional language are making at least similar progress to other pupils in the school. In the past, these pupils have not made the progress necessary for them to achieve as well as other pupils nationally by the end of key stage 2. In most year groups, because of well-targeted and effective support, the progress of these pupils is accelerating and their attainment, compared to other pupils nationally is improving.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are given support that meets their individual needs and this ensures that they make good progress from their very varied starting points. Some pupils make particularly strong progress in both their emotional and educational development. This is because the school works exceptionally well with parents to plan what support will best help individual pupils.
• Pupils make good progress across the wider curriculum. Teachers track whether pupils are developing the skills needed in all subjects, such as history and science, as well as in reading, writing and mathematics. Specialist teachers in French and computing ensure that pupils develop the breadth of knowledge that will allow them to successfully access the key stage 3 curriculum when they move to secondary school.

• Inspection evidence shows clearly that, as a result of improvements in the quality of teaching, outcomes overall are now good and improving. This improving picture has not yet been reflected fully in results of the key stage 2 national tests.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 110698 Cambridgeshire 10037196 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Junior School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 7 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 340 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mark Amey Lucy Roberts 01480 375 005 www.westfield.cambs.sch.uk office@westfield.cambs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 10–11 November 2011

Information about this school

• Westfield is a larger than average junior school, which has increased its intake from two to three classes in each year group since the previous inspection.
• The majority of pupils are White British and speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils who come from minority ethnic backgrounds or who speak English as an additional language is average but increasing.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is average as is the proportion who have a statement of special educational need or an education, health and care plan.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified documents on its website.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed pupils learning in every class and across a range of subjects. Many of these visits were carried out jointly with the headteacher.
• Inspectors scrutinised information provided by the school relating to the progress and attainment of its pupils. This was cross referenced with a detailed look at what progress looked like in pupils’ books.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils in lessons and talked to different groups of pupils about their learning and school life.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other senior and middle leaders, members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.
• Inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised documentation relating to the management of the school, including the school’s arrangements to ensure that pupils are safe.
• Inspectors took account of the views of parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) as well as those who talked to inspectors when they arrived with their children at school in the morning, or who phoned, wrote letters or emailed.

Inspection team

Lesley Daniel, lead inspector Shân Oswald Brenda Watson Stewart Caplen Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector