A Brighton primary school has been graded outstanding in all areas after a two-day inspection by the education watchdog Ofsted.
Three inspectors found that Westdene Primary School, in Bankside, Brighton, was “a joyous school”, the independent watchdog said, in a report that was published on Monday (11 November).
Ofsted said: “There is a ‘just right’ atmosphere where every member of the school community is encouraged to be themselves. Individuality and uniqueness are recognised and celebrated.
“Relationships between adults and pupils, and among pupils, are kind, supportive and respectful. Throughout the school pupils are polite, friendly and relaxed.
“Pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at less structured times is highly positive. Pupils understand the value of teamwork, and this is reflected in the way that they support each other when learning or playing.
“Expectations for pupils’ learning and achievement are exceedingly ambitious. The curriculum is a powerfully designed tool, enabling pupils to successfully acquire vital knowledge while developing their understanding of diverse ethical issues.
“The vast extracurricular offer enables pupils to pursue wider interests, such as early morning Rhythm Masters during which pupils learn to rap.
“The school’s systematic approach to teaching reading is embedded and pupils have books matched accurately to the sounds that they know.
“Routine opportunities exist for pupils to practise their reading. Staff are trained well and pupils learn to read with confidence and fluency.
“Any pupil who struggles to learn to read, is given extensive and bespoke additional support that enables them to catch up.
“Pupils attend school regularly. Oversight of attendance is meticulous. Whenever necessary, additional support is provided to families to ensure that positive attendance continues.
“Pupils take increasing responsibility for their own learning. They use a known route (brain, book, board, buddy, boss) to solve queries with maximum independence.
“The strong personal, social and health education curriculum supports pupils to develop resilience and powerful learning behaviours. For example, pupils learn to recognise and manage emotions, as well as learning about safety, including online.
“A myriad of well-chosen activities exist to promote pupils’ personal development and to promote pupils’ understanding of difference and equality.
“A raft of leadership roles enables pupils to experience responsibility and to make a positive contribution to school life. There is a very strong take-up across the extensive range of activities on offer.
“Attendance at enrichment activities is tracked to ensure that disadvantaged pupils’ experiences are purposefully enhanced. Barriers to participation in the school’s personal development offer are actively identified and removed.
“Leaders, including the governing body, are successfully meeting their mission of ‘embedding excellence and equality’.
“There is a profoundly inclusive culture and a relentless drive for continuous school improvement. For example, additional capacity has been added to the SEND team to ensure that pupils’ identified needs are met well.
“Curriculum content and resources have been reviewed to ensure that all pupils can see themselves, their families and their heritages reflected in the school’s curriculum.
“Staff are unanimously proud to work at the school. They benefit from a robust professional development offer, which helps them to continue strengthening their skills. Staff feel supported by leaders, with their workload considered.”
The school said: “The dedication and commitment of everyone in the Westdene school community including pupils, staff, parents/carers, governors and the wider community is reflected in the report.”
The acting joint heads Jenny Stratton and Lisa Hagon said: “We are absolutely delighted with the outcome and could not be more proud of every single member of the Westdene team.
“Our children were fantastic ambassadors for the school and they engaged enthusiastically with the inspection team to share and celebrate their learning and personal development.
“Our staff demonstrate dedication and commitment to delivering our shared aims and ambitions on a daily basis.”
The chair of governors Charles Haywood said: “The outcome is a testament to the strong teamwork and sense of community in our school.
“We are proud of all of the pupils and the professionalism of our staff and governors plus we are thankful for our hugely supportive community of parents/carers.”
The school has 468 children on the roll.
The acting joint heads stepped up when long-serving head Debbie Crossingham retired in April.
The new head Ian Lopatin is due to start in January.
To read the full report, click here.
