Westfield Community School

Westfield Community School is a calm, happy and safe school where pupils behave well and treat each other with respect. Inspectors found the school performing well across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, although under the current framework no overall effectiveness grade is awarded. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic and its first since a long period of exemption following an outstanding judgment in 2013. The school also runs a specially resourced provision for pupils with speech, language and communication needs. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with SEND, and pupils are keen to learn. The early years curriculum is strong and helps children overcome low starting points, while SEND identification and support are effective. Phonics is taught consistently, behaviour is very good, and pupils benefit from a wide range of personal development opportunities, including responsibilities and trips. Governance is knowledgeable, staff feel supported, and safeguarding is effective. The main areas for improvement are pupils’ gaps in subject vocabulary, which limit reading comprehension, and a few subjects where essential content is not yet taught in enough detail. Provisional 2024 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6, and in the Year 1 phonics screening check, were significantly below national averages. Leaders have already taken action to improve consistency in reading, writing and mathematics, but more work is needed to close these gaps.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe in a calm school environment.
• Pupils behave very well and show respect and consideration for one another.
• The school has high expectations and ambition for all pupils, including those with SEND.
• Effective nurturing support helps pupils manage their emotions and worries.
• The early years curriculum is ambitious and helps children overcome barriers to learning.
• SEND needs are identified early, with high-quality staff training and well-chosen support.
• The specially resourced provision offers a tailored curriculum and effective work with external professionals.
• Phonics is delivered consistently by well-trained staff, helping many pupils become fluent readers by the end of key stage 1.
• Pupils have good opportunities for responsibility and personal development, including ambassador, prefect and school council roles.
• Personal development prepares pupils well for modern Britain through healthy relationships, diet and a range of trips.
• Governors are knowledgeable, focused on education quality and supportive of staff workload and well-being.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils have gaps in subject vocabulary that limit their reading comprehension.
• A few subjects have not fully set out essential knowledge, so some content is not taught in enough detail.
• Provisional 2024 outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6 were significantly below national averages.
• The proportion of pupils meeting the phonics screening check by the end of Year 1 was significantly below the national average.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Westfield Community School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.4% of pupils at Westfield Community School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Westfield Community School had 18.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 4.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.8% of pupils at Westfield Community School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has resourced provision with 8 pupils.

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Westfield Community School received £8,711 and spent £8,558 for each of its 435 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £283,000 (£650 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wigan · Wigan local authority: places and applications

What is Westfield Community School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Westfield Community School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Westfield Community School last inspected by Ofsted?

Westfield Community School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Westfield Community School have?

Westfield Community School has 450 pupils on roll.

What age range does Westfield Community School cover?

Westfield Community School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Westfield Community School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 46% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Westfield Community School?

Westfield Community School is at Montrose Avenue, Pemberton, Wigan, Lancashire, WN5 9XN.