Westleigh St Paul's CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 October 2024

This is a warm and welcoming school. Pupils are happy here. They stated that their teachers are kind and encouraging, which pupils value highly. Pupils also said that the staff make them feel safe, comfortable and confident at school. The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Children in the early years make a positive start to their schooling, often from low starting points. Many pupils achieve well across much of the curriculum by the end of Year 6. Pupils make the most of the extra-curricular clubs on offer. These range from the Spanish club to singing and sports clubs. Pupils also talked fondly about their school trips to a farm and a zoo. Pupils appreciate the opportunities to take on responsibilities around the school. For example, the head and deputy head pupils help to marshal parents' evenings and take visitors on tours of the school. Prefects and playleaders are also on hand to help make sure that breaktimes and lunchtimes run smoothly. Pupils conduct themselves well during these social times as well as in their lessons. They are empathetic and embrace the differences of others, particularly their classmates with SEND.

What the school should improve

• The school is still considering its expectations for how some subjects should be delivered by teachers. This sometimes leads to pupils not acquiring important knowledge. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking in these subjects and provide clearer curriculum guidance to staff.
• The school's checks to establish how well curriculums are being delivered, and the impact of these curriculums on pupils' learning, are not as rigorous as they could be. This means that, sometimes, issues with curriculum delivery are not addressed swiftly. The school should make sure that its approaches to evaluating the effectiveness of its curriculums are robust.
• The governing body's oversight of the school's strategic improvement work is not as effective as it could be. This sometimes limits its ability to provide robust challenge and support to help drive forward the school's ongoing development priorities. The governing body should ensure that it has sufficient insight into the strategic development of the school and oversight of the subsequent work of school leaders to bring about the desired improvements.

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