West End Academy is a slightly smaller than average primary school located in the former mining village of Hemsworth. The percentage of disadvantaged children and the school deprivation indicator are slightly higher than the national average. Almost all of our children are from a White British background. The proportion of SEN children is broadly in line with the national average.

Ofsted’s last Section 8 inspection, which took place in July 2019, judged that the academy continued to be good. The last Section 5 visit was in May 2015. Overall, the academy was judged to be a good school with outstanding behaviour and outstanding leadership and management:

• The school is very calm and orderly. Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to learning. They work hard and are keen to do well. Most are resilient and persevere with challenging tasks. Pupils of all ages cooperate well to share resources and to complete collaborative tasks. Their conduct is exemplary and they are friendly and polite.
• Staff say that leaders provide an appropriate balance of support and challenge. They have many opportunities for professional development and could give examples of how it has improved their teaching. They especially value the opportunities they have to support each other and to visit other schools.
• Pupils speak with enthusiasm about the opportunities that school life offers. They enjoy a wide range of subjects and say that visitors and educational visits enhance their work by ‘bringing learning to life’. Many enjoy the wide range of sporting opportunities and after-school clubs. Pupils are encouraged to take on a range of additional responsibilities, and some explained how they support others by being part of the ‘Top Team’.

The academy aspires to be an outstanding school and we have extremely high expectations for all of our children. The academy will continue to evaluate and adapt to ensure the quality of teaching is outstanding at the next Section 5 inspection. We have put challenging targets in place for this academic year. These targets include focussing on improving the progress that our children make during their time in Key Stage 2.

From July 2018, the school has been sponsored by Waterton Academy Trust. We recognise the importance of working with others and there are plenty of opportunities for staff to do this within the trust. This allows the school to grow further on its journey to outstanding