The Westgate School

The Westgate School is a happy, orderly school where strong staff–pupil relationships support clear ambition for pupils to be equipped for life. Achievement has strengthened, and published GCSE and A Level outcomes are now in line with national averages, with particular improvement for disadvantaged pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This was the school’s first routine inspection since the pandemic, after a long period without routine section 5 inspection; it is a single-academy trust with a resourced provision for pupils with physical disabilities, and it receives no overall effectiveness grade under current arrangements. Inspectors found good provision across the inspected areas, including education, behaviour, personal development, leadership and sixth form. Strengths include staff subject knowledge and training, strong SEND support, impressive sixth-form independence, a well-structured careers programme, a carefully planned personal development curriculum, improving attendance and effective safeguarding. The school is managing considerable leadership and staff change under a headteacher appointed in 2023. Concerns remain that recent behaviour expectations are not fully embedded, especially during unstructured social times, with some pupils unkind to each other and inconsistent application of rules. Some classroom tasks do not consistently build on pupils’ prior learning, so some pupils do not learn as well as they could. Early reading support is still being established, and leaders recognise more work is needed to engage parents and explain the purpose of changes.

Strengths

• Strong relationships between staff and pupils create a happy school.
• Clear ambition for pupils to achieve and be equipped for life.
• Academic achievement has strengthened, with GCSE and A Level outcomes in line with national averages.
• Outcomes are improving for disadvantaged pupils, including those with SEND.
• Staff have strong subject knowledge and benefit from a comprehensive training programme.
• Support for pupils with SEND is a notable strength, particularly in the sixth form.
• Sixth-form students demonstrate impressive independent working skills.
• Reading is prioritised and promoted through a range of activities.
• Careers provision is comprehensive, well structured and valued by pupils.
• Personal development is carefully planned and delivered in an age-appropriate way.
• Attendance is improving due to well-considered support for pupils and families.
• The school is orderly, with clear routines and high expectations.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff feel supported and value their professional development.

Areas for Improvement

• Recent behaviour expectations are not fully embedded, especially during unstructured social times.
• Some pupils are unkind to each other, and mutual respect is not consistently evident.
• School rules are applied inconsistently, which some pupils see as unfair.
• Some pupils do not always report problems such as bullying or unkindness.
• Some classroom tasks do not link well enough to pupils’ prior learning.
• In some lessons, tasks do not match what pupils need to learn next.
• Early reading support for pupils at the earliest stages is still being established.
• Leaders recognise that more work is needed to engage parents and explain changes.

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 The Westgate School attended 90.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 30.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 19.0% of pupils at The Westgate School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 8 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 The Westgate School had 14.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 46.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 10.5% of pupils at The Westgate School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 6 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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Westgate School received £7,739 and spent £9,798 for each of its 1,284 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £278,000 (£217 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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What is The Westgate School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Westgate School is Good, from an inspection in February 2025.

When was The Westgate School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Westgate School was last inspected in February 2025.

How many pupils does The Westgate School have?

The Westgate School has 1,273 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Westgate School cover?

The Westgate School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Westgate School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 42.5, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Westgate School?

The Westgate School is at Cippenham Lane, Slough, Berkshire, SL1 5AH.