Westlands School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 14 May 2024

Pupils value the school's highly inclusive and ambitious ethos. At the heart of this are the schools 'RADAR Values'. These are used to help pupils develop positive, purposeful attitudes to learning which support them to achieve well. The school emphasises the importance of pupils being considerate and kind to others. Around the school, they reflect this through their calm and orderly conduct. Pupils contribute positively to the school community. Through the range of different leadership roles, they help run events in school. The school council provides pupils with opportunities to discuss issues of importance to them, alongside contributing their ideas about changes to the school. Pupils know they can share any worries with staff in their 'communities'. They are confident they will be listened to and they value the support given by pastoral staff. Pupils benefit from a wide range of extra-curricular experiences. They proudly talk about participating in activities, such as school productions or helping to look after animals on the school farm. Parents and carers value how these opportunities help to prepare pupils for the future. One parent captured the views of many, saying, 'The school supports pupils to believe in themselves and raises their aspirations.'

What the school should improve

• In some lessons, teachers do not always check pupils' understanding carefully. As a result, some pupils continue to have misconceptions which are not corrected. The school needs to ensure that teachers in all lessons identify less secure aspects of pupils understanding and address these through further teaching.
• Too many disadvantaged pupils are regularly absent from school. These pupils are missing key learning, which affects their achievement. The school needs to embed and further refine its approach to addressing absence so that it can robustly secure improved attendance for these pupils.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)