Western Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to raise the proportion of pupils reaching the higher standards of attainment by ensuring that they are able to tackle work at the right level of challenge as soon as they are ready, making even greater use of their desire to learn.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher, senior leaders, staff and governors have a compelling vision based on their seven ‘success’ themes and the school’s 16 ‘beanstalk’ values. This results in a culture of support and care for individuals, which permeates this inclusive, nurturing and high-achieving school.
• Ably supported by trust members and the governors, the headteacher has shown determination and resilience in the face of the restrictions presented by a Victorian building and the limited outdoor space available to pupils, particularly in the early years. This is highly valued by parents who are overwhelmingly supportive of the school.
• Almost all parents who responded to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, would recommend the school to another parent. Parents are particularly complimentary about the school’s commitment to their children’s well-being and the progress that they make. One parent spoke for many when she said: ‘My children are very happy at this school because it is a very friendly place where everyone is made to feel very welcome and included.’
• Subject and key stage leaders are key drivers for school improvement. They take full responsibility for the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. Each team works seamlessly together to make sure that their work maximises pupils’ learning and progress. There are regular reviews of what has worked well and what needs to be done next. No pupil is allowed to fail, as strategies are implemented immediately to boost their progress. This reflective approach is highly successful and creates a whole-school focus on rapid action and improvement.
• The headteacher and governors invest significantly in staffing. They ensure that teachers and their assistants receive tailored support and training so that they are highly effective in their roles. Teachers are encouraged to take control of their own professional development. They undertake innovative strategies focused on school priorities, such as the effective use of augmented reality to improve boys’ writing. These and other aspects of teaching are used to inspire and support the work of other schools in the Red Kite Learning Trust.
• Staff benefit from coaching, mentoring and regular reviews. Those new to teaching feel exceptionally well supported. As a result, teachers flourish and new and aspiring leaders evolve quickly. This is an important and successful feature of leaders’ work. All staff are set challenging targets through the appraisal system, to make sure that there is a collective push to meet aspirational targets.
• The SENCo, who also leads the inclusion team, provides appropriate, compassionate and effective support for a wide and diverse range of pupils. Funding to support pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is used well. The SENCo identifies, and implements, suitable provision so that these pupils make very good progress. The SENCo rigorously checks the impact of strategies used and, where necessary, changes the response until the pupil makes the desired progress. This demonstrates strong leadership.
• Leaders keep a close check on the progress of each pupil in the school. The pupil premium funding is spent well. The small proportion of disadvantaged pupils benefit from well-targeted support that enables them to make similar progress to other pupils in school and nationally.
• The curriculum is outstanding. It is broad and balanced, inclusive and enriched due to the extensive range of activities that the school offers. Through careful planning, all groups of pupils learn effectively about a wide range of topics. The school’s ‘success’ themes provide the framework for pupils to challenge stereotypes and develop leadership and life skills. Subjects ignite their creative and imaginative skills. The powerful promotion of independent thinking and learning means that pupils know that ‘being an effective learner forever’ is the cornerstone to their work ethic and success.
• The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a strength and is woven into the life of the school, including the curriculum. This reflects fundamental British values of democracy. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 respectfully discussed transgender issues, and they carefully reflected on complex aspects of diversity. In a mature discussion, pupils in Years 3 and 4 provided reasoned, moral and ethical views about how plastic is affecting our world. Pupils have many opportunities to make decisions and contribute to the school’s highly influential ‘supporting success’ groups. There is total respect for all and a zero-tolerance approach to any form of prejudice.
• Leaders use the primary school sports funding imaginatively to enable teachers to improve their skills by working alongside specialists in sport who assist in the teaching of physical education. Pupils enjoy participating in a wide range of games and activities, including archery and judo, which have a positive impact on their participation and enable them to adopt a healthy way of life. Pupils were proud to tell inspectors about the whole-school archery competition that they are currently organising for themselves.

Governance of the school

• Governors are dedicated and uncompromising in their ambition for the best education for pupils. The commitment of governors to the school’s culture of high aspirations, respect for others and for learning is without question. They share the headteacher’s passion for excellence with humanity and use their role to reinforce the high-quality relationships across the school.
• Governors work closely and actively with the school. They are well informed and have an accurate understanding of its strengths, and also those areas that need to be further developed. This is because they receive a wide range of information, and make regular visits to the school to carry out learning walks and look at pupils’ books. Governors are skilled in using this information wisely, and this enables them to challenge the school robustly.
• Governors bring a broad range of skills and expertise to their role. This enables the governing body to carry out its responsibilities and duties effectively, including the management of staffing levels. For example, governors support the headteacher’s decision to secure the well-being of teachers and pupils by providing additional specialist staff to support teachers and the inclusion team.
• The governing body is held to account robustly by members of the Red Kite Learning Trust. It ensures that governors and leaders uphold the school’s distinctive vision through clear strategic plans for development. Partnerships with other schools in the trust are helping the school to improve further.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and governors are actively involved to ensure that all processes and procedures are undertaken robustly.
• The school is a nurturing, caring environment in which every pupil is valued and cared for. Staff have very positive relationships with pupils and they know them well. Staff are alert to any changes in pupils that may indicate a concern. Staff and governors receive regular and appropriate training for their roles and responsibilities.
• Pupils feel safe in school. Pupils spoke knowledgeably about how to stay safe, including on the internet. Pupils said that safety issues are regularly covered in assemblies. They are confident in knowing that there is always a trusted adult in the ‘Junction’ that they can speak to if they are worried about something. The aim of this provision is to nurture the mental health and well-being of pupils. The small-group environment leads to effective support for those who need it.
• Safeguarding records are up to date and referrals are followed up promptly and are well documented. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to support pupils and their families at the earliest opportunity. Staff in the inclusion team use their expertise sensitively to provide support for those pupils who may be vulnerable.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• High expectations, stimulating lessons, highly effective marking and feedback, and challenging work characterise the school’s outstanding teaching over time. Teachers are enthusiastic when engaging pupils in interesting topics and classroom activities. These factors ensure that all pupils make excellent progress, including those who are disadvantaged or have SEN and/or disabilities.
• The quality and regularity of monitoring by leaders, as well as through observations, secures a consistent approach to teaching, learning and assessment. Key elements which the school knows work well, such as the use of ‘hot and cold tasks’, ensure rapid progress and high levels of pupil engagement in all classes, and in pupils’ work books.
• Working relationships between adults and pupils are a strength of the school. Teachers carefully scaffold learning, developing links with previous and current work. There are regular opportunities for pupils to discuss their learning with one another, which helps them to reinforce and deepen their understanding. Teachers use questioning well to continually probe pupils’ thinking, encouraging them to justify their answers and to reflect on their work. On occasion, pupils who are capable of completing the most challenging tasks are not moved on as soon as they are ready. This leads to occasional repetition in pupils’ learning.
• Teachers and teaching assistants have strong subject knowledge. They use this well to develop pupils’ skills and understanding in all curriculum areas, particularly in geography, computing and art. Teachers’ expertise and stimulating tasks enabled pupils in Years 3 and 4 to make rapid progress to design algorithms to create a motorised monkey. In Year 2, pupils quickly learned how to accurately use computer coding to manipulate an on-screen character who was searching for jewels.
• Planning is highly effective and teachers make sure that lessons are carefully put into context. For example, pupils in Year 2 excitedly recounted their visit to Bradford science museum as part of their space topic. This was used skilfully by the teacher to inspire outstanding writing about what they had seen and the activities they had undertaken.
• Teachers demonstrate high expectations and secure subject knowledge in phonics. As a result, challenging tasks are set and pupils’ phonics skills are very strong. Teaching assistants are skilled contributors to pupils’ learning in phonics because they have received effective training. They are also effective in small-group situations, where the intervention is well matched to the abilities of pupils. Support for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is exceptional. They learn alongside their peers in a highly nurturing environment. Expectations of this group are high.
• Reading is a strength of the school. Pupils demonstrate a love of reading and talk about the stories and characters with enthusiasm and interest. Pupils’ progress in reading is rapid because of the strong focus every class has on books, reading and developing a good understanding of different types of text.
• Pupils’ writing is of a high standard throughout the school and is improving rapidly for boys, especially in key stage 1 and lower key stage 2. A range of strategies, such as the introduction of a boys’ writing club, ‘free write’ books, pupils’ learning landmark checklists and writing interviews with senior staff, are successful in enabling pupils to maximise their excellent vocabulary and to reach their potential.
• Pupils’ work in mathematics shows deep learning in a range of mathematical topics. Pupils confidently use calculation strategies, helping them achieve above average results. The most able pupils in Year 6 benefit greatly from opportunities to work with specialist secondary school teachers of mathematics, from within the trust.
• Parents are clear about what their children are learning and how well their children are doing. Homework is valued by parents, who say that it prepares pupils well for secondary school. Work completed at home has the same high level of expectation and is well presented.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Pupils from a wide range of backgrounds work and play harmoniously together. They learn, through many visits and visitors, about the cultural and religious history of different faiths.
• Pupils’ enthusiasm for learning permeates the school. Pupils take great pride in their work and they try hard to receive their ‘Western proud moment’ stickers.
• Pupils say that they feel safe, and this is reflected in their overwhelmingly positive responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire. Pupils also talked positively about the school’s approach to restorative justice, which promotes a strong sense of community and partnership among pupils of different ages. Some pupils benefit greatly from attending the weekly counselling sessions in the confidential space of ‘The Retreat’, where children say that they also feel safe.
• Pupils have an excellent understanding about healthy living and how to keep themselves safe. Through assemblies, the curriculum and the work of the ‘striving to be technologically capable’ success group, pupils learn about how to stay safe online and about the potential dangers associated with social media.
• Pupils are articulate and confident. They are at ease when talking about their work and they are refreshingly honest and insightful about aspects of their work that need improvement. They provide encouragement to their classmates; they recognise and celebrate each other’s strengths.
• Pupils have plentiful opportunities to contribute to the work of the school and take their responsibilities seriously. Members of the ‘success group forum’ are elected by their classmates, and work alongside teachers as part of a team responsible for a wide range of activities, including developing the school curriculum, organising community events and ensuring equal opportunities for all.
• The school and external organisations provide numerous clubs at lunchtimes and after school, including art, meditation, mindfulness, knitting, film and sport, as well as a range of games and crafts which are available in the school ‘Hub’.
• Pupils are encouraged to aim high and work hard to realise their ambitions. In this way, the school helps pupils to understand the wide range of exciting opportunities available in their future lives.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.
• Pupils know that their behaviour and attitudes contribute significantly to their learning. Their conduct is impeccable, both in class and around the school. Pupils have immense self-discipline. They are polite, respectful and reflect on the consequences of their actions.
• Behaviour incidents in school are very rare. Pupils said that behaviour is always good, and parents are overwhelmingly positive about behaviour in the school. The opportunity to take on additional responsibility, for example as a house captain or school ambassador, also inspires pupils.
• Pupils’ attendance is above average, because pupils enjoy their school and they value their education. Pupils’ attendance and punctuality are closely monitored by the inclusion team, whose staff are an asset to the school. They know pupils and their families well and have earned their trust through their determination to help those who face challenging circumstances.
• When pupils or their parents are not coping very well and need some support, they are either referred by staff or they self-refer to the ‘Junction’, where pupils and/or families receive timely, practical and emotional support within a safe and confidential environment.
• The school is highly successful in establishing productive relationships with parents to enable them to gain a greater understanding of how they can help to improve their children’s learning, particularly in the early years.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils’ academic progress and their personal development are treated with equal importance. Consequently, pupils make excellent progress from their starting points to develop into mature, thoughtful young people by the time that they leave school. They are extremely well prepared for the next stage of their education.
• Phonics teaching is outstanding. Pupils’ attainment in the Year 1 phonics screening check is consistently above the national average. Pupils show a clear progression in their reading skills as they move up through the school. They enjoy reading regularly and, by the end of Year 6, they have developed a wide range of skills and read as much for pleasure as for learning.
• Pupils’ achievements in the 2017 tests at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 were very high in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard in the tests was above average. In addition, progress in mathematics was above average, and in reading progress was significantly high and in the top 10% of all schools in England.
• A higher than average proportion of girls achieved greater depth in key stage 1 and the higher standards in key stage 2 in reading, writing and mathematics in 2017. Boys’ outcomes at greater depth in all three subjects were below average in key stage 1. In key stage 2, boys’ attainment in writing at greater depth was below average and reflected the slow progress made by those who joined the school in Year 6 in 2017. Successful strategies have led to rapid improvement and a much higher proportion of boys are currently reaching the higher standards in reading and mathematics and greater depth in writing across the school.
• The number of disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities in Year 6, in 2017, was too low to report on their achievement compared to that of other pupils, both within the school and nationally. Evidence from the school and in pupils’ books shows that both groups of pupils are currently making at least good progress in all classes. This is because of the excellent support provided by teaching assistants under the determined leadership of the SENCo. These pupils make very good progress socially, emotionally and academically from their varied starting points because staff cater precisely for their individual needs.
• Pupils of all abilities do well. A high proportion of pupils, not just the most able, are working beyond age-related expectations across many subjects. This is because teachers have an in-depth knowledge of each pupil’s learning and how to support them. It is also because of the well-devised systems for checking pupils’ progress and the way leaders thoroughly analyse the assessment information. This is endorsed by the highly impressive work seen in pupils’ books.
• Those pupils who speak English as an additional language make rapid progress. The strong focus on developing reading and writing skills, and the expert teaching of phonics, all make a strong contribution to pupils’ mastery of the English language.
• It is an expectation that all pupils will be presented with work that makes them think hard about their learning and grapple with demanding activities. As a result, pupils soak up the challenges that they receive and are motivated to want to do more.

Early years provision Outstanding

• Children in the early years get an excellent start to their schooling. The early years leader brings strong expertise and a clear vision for a multi-sensory environment which promotes effective learning. There is a strong emphasis on providing care and nurture as well as challenge and ambition. Staff have established consistent routines, which enhance all aspects of the children’s experiences at school.
• Activities are age-appropriate and show clear progression from the two-year-old provision through to Nursery and Reception. As a result, children are well prepared for Year 1.
• Children in early years have a first-rate experience. Their starting points are in line with what is typical for their age, although there are variations from year to year and from pupil to pupil. However, teachers are skilled in assessing children’s skills and providing activities that meet their individual needs. As a result, there has been a consistent improvement in children’s above-average outcomes over the past three years.
• Nearly all pupils currently in Reception are set to achieve a good level of development at the end of the year, and a high proportion are expected to exceed this. This represents considerable progress. The small number of children who have not yet met all of the learning goals have additional barriers and needs which are being supported well.
• Highly trained and skilled teachers and teaching assistants have high expectations of children, and they plan activities which consistently provide the right level of difficulty for all ability groups. Adults also strongly promote children’s emotional well-being and help them build effective relationships. Children’s thinking is extended through sensitive intervention by adults, who ask probing questions to make connections in their learning and to deepen their understanding. As a result, children are articulate and talk confidently about what they are doing. This momentum is maintained as each activity has a clear learning purpose.
• High expectations and precise attention to the developmental stage of every child mean that staff know how to support each child’s learning so that all do well. The small number of disadvantaged children also benefit from highly tailored intervention, supported by pupil premium funding. Work in books shows children’s achievement accelerating through the year.
• Every opportunity is used to extend children’s vocabulary. For example, adults model effective speaking and listening and provide many opportunities for repetition of key words in sentences. The school makes effective use of the speech therapist, who works with individual children to develop their language skills. The use of phonics to develop children’s reading skills is strong so that they make rapid progress.
• The Nursery classrooms are vibrant, with stimulating displays, and exciting areas for the children to investigate and explore. Children learn exceptionally well, whether they are being taught directly or working on their own. They are almost always totally engaged in their learning.
• Reception classrooms are also stimulating and well organised. Pupils are adept at working independently. A group of boys worked purposefully together to build a red rocket. They used a high standard of vocabulary and were confident in negotiating how they would approach their task. Another group of children were excited to explain to the inspector the facts that they had learned about great white sharks as part of their marine life topic.
• Although the school has rightly identified the limitations of the external learning areas, adults use these areas creatively to maximise the space available. There are excellent opportunities for children to use their imagination, develop their dexterity and improve their language, communication and observational skills.
• Adults are highly vigilant and ensure safeguarding procedures are followed rigorously. Children are taught how to keep themselves safe and what to do if they are ever worried. Children are exceptionally well behaved and demonstrate perseverance and resilience and respect for one another.
• Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the provision and the ‘incredible progress’ that their children are making. They appreciate the ‘excellent communication’ and open-door policy, where they can see their children learning. One parent explained how delighted she was that she could use the school’s online assessment system to see when her child had visited a farm, watched chicks hatch and saw caterpillars turn into butterflies. Parents also value the effective breakfast club provision in early years.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 142220 North Yorkshire 10048397 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy converter 2 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 489 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Jayne Sorrell Cheryl Smith Telephone number 01423 502 737 Website Email address www.western.n-yorks.sch.uk admin@western.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• Western Primary School became an academy in August 2015. The school is a founder member of The Red Kite Learning Trust, which is a multi-academy trust comprised of six schools.
• The Red Kite Learning Trust is a company limited by guarantee and a charitable trust. Responsibility for the academies that make up the trust is entrusted to the board of trustees. There is a separate committee for each academy, which is known as a local governing committee.
• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.
• This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.
• The large majority of pupils are of White British or Any other White background.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below average.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below that seen nationally. A small number of these pupils have an education, health and care plan.
• The school provides full-time places for children in the Reception classes and part-time places for children in the Nursery. The school established nursery provision for two-year-olds in January 2017.
• Classes are organised as single-year groups in key stage 1 and mixed-age groups in key stage 2.
• The school provides out-of-school care in early years in the form of breakfast and after-school clubs.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors undertook a series of short, focused visits to classrooms and longer lesson observations in each class. A number of these were conducted jointly with senior leaders.
• Formal and informal discussions took place with senior leaders, including governors, subject leaders, pupils, parents and the chief executive officer from the multi-academy trust.
• Documentation relating to the school’s website and safeguarding, including the record of recruitment checks, was scrutinised.
• The school’s self-evaluation, plans for improvement and analysis of current pupils’ attainment and progress were evaluated.
• Inspectors, together with senior and middle leaders, scrutinised pupils’ work in different subjects.
• Inspectors listened to several pupils read individually.
• Pupils’ behaviour was observed by inspectors in lessons and during break and lunchtimes.
• Inspectors considered the 67 parents’ responses to Ofsted’s free-text service and the 90 parental responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. Inspectors spoke with parents and considered the school’s own surveys of parents’ views. Inspectors also took account of the responses to questionnaires from 38 members of staff and 128 pupils.

Inspection team

Cathy Morgan, lead inspector Peter Marsh Gillian Wiles Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector