Westwood Infant and Nursery School

Overview

Westwood Infant and Nursery School is described as a ‘happy school’ where pupils are ‘looked after and nurtured’ within a positive environment. Leaders and staff are united in their aim to ‘Plant seeds to help little minds grow’, fostering courteous and inquisitive learners who enjoy their time at school. The inspection found that the school provides a good quality of education, with effective safeguarding and strong personal development outcomes.

Strengths

• Phonics is ‘taught consistently well’ using a new programme, enabling pupils to ‘decode new and more complex texts’.
• Pupils ‘develop a love of reading’ through engaging daily story sessions and access to the ‘library lodge’.
• The early years setting is ‘exciting and vibrant’ with ‘well established’ routines and careful consideration for the youngest pupils.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) enables them to ‘learn the same curriculum as their peers’.
• The school is ‘well led and managed’ by a ‘dedicated and cohesive staff team’ with ‘good capacity for continued improvement’.

Areas to improve

• In a small number of foundation subjects, the curriculum does not clearly specify content, leading to ‘inconsistent’ pupil recall.
• The early years curriculum lacks precise detail for two-year-olds, preventing leaders from checking if they are ‘reaching the milestones that they should’.
• Attendance is low, with ‘too many pupils’ persistently absent; current actions have not yet resulted in ‘sufficient improvement’.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘The arrangements for safeguarding are effective’, with robust systems, regular staff training, and a curriculum that teaches pupils how to stay safe.