Westfield School

Overview

Westfield School continues to be a good school, providing specialist support for pupils with complex neurodevelopmental and learning needs. The inspection confirms that pupils are happy, safe, and achieve well due to the "effective and precise support" provided by staff who know them very well.

Strengths

• Staff provide "precise and individualised support" in lessons, creating engaging activities that meet pupils' needs and help them become "independent and resilient learners."
• There is a strong sense of warmth in relationships, with pupils feeling safe and trusting adults; behaviour is "mostly positive" and social times are well supported.
• The core curriculum areas are "well-sequenced and ambitious," with clear definitions of knowledge order, particularly for early literacy and numeracy.
• Assessment is effectively used to identify knowledge gaps, allowing staff to implement extra activities, such as in early reading, to support progress.
• A precise personal development programme, including "forest schools" and social education, helps pupils build skills for community participation and respect for difference.

Areas to improve

• The school must prioritise the "ambitious design and sequencing" of foundation subjects where curriculum mapping is incomplete, ensuring staff have the necessary training to implement these consistently.
• Ongoing development and support are needed for new middle leaders to fully realise their vision and ensure consistent curriculum implementation in foundation subjects.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."