Westwood is a happy, thriving community-based primary school located in the heart of the town of Buckley, Flintshire. We currently have over 240 learners on board, from Nursery to Year 6, with additional provision for Early Entitlement. Our three year average for pupils eligible for Free School Meals is around 48%.
We are proud that parental engagement is central to our success at Westwood. Our Westwood Family are the heart and soul of our school, and central to the decisions we make. Our collaborative and supportive approach with our families is what makes us stand out in our Buckley Community.
We are proud to be the school at the heart of the Buckley Community, with the Buckley Community at our heart!
We are extremely proud of our work as a community school and often visit our local businesses to give the learners first hand experiences before creating role play areas in school. We provide rich learning experiences throughout local community, our local environment, a mixture of whole school topics, projects and themed weeks to keep the learners motivated and keep them enthusiastic about their learning.
The health and well-being of our pupils is of upmost importance at our school. To improve the health and well-being of our learners. We provide opportunities each week to use our generous outdoor space and outdoor classroom to develop their skills through varied experiences.
At Westwood, we teach predominantly through the medium of English but we place a great importance on the Welsh language and bilingulism. We are currently working towards the Silver Award for Campus Cymraeg, having already achieved the Bronze Award.
We were a pilot school for the modern foreign language curriculum with a small cluster of North Wales schools. All of our children learn French and we are leading the way locally as a primary school setting providing a third language weekly, from Nursery to Year 6, as part of our learners new currciulum experiences ~ trilingulism!
As a school we ensure that the needs are met of all learners through high quality teaching and learning provision. Our committed and dedicated staff provide a safe and nurturing environment that offers rich learning opportunities developing 21st century skills. Our Universal Provision includes whole class teaching, effective differentiation, collaborative activities, intervention groups and appropriate adjustments to allow access to the school facilities and curriculum.
We carefully consider on our learners development and progress, with further targetted and acute levels of intervention using a range of evidence based researched programmes and activities to ensure each learner is able to succeed and fulfill their potential.
During their time at Westwood Community Primary School, most learners will make the expected progress in their individual learning. If a learner is not making the expected progress, we gather the correct information to identify any areas of improvement and ways which we can further support their learning. In addition, we use assessment data, work collaboratively with outside agencies and professionals and build positive relationships at home.
Health and Well-being
Health and Well-being is a high priority at Westwood Community Primary School and is at the heart of everything we do. By using a collaborative approach, learners are able to develop their own curriculum alongside staff and the local community. The various school council groups and pupil voice promote this approach across each year group.
Our unique designated health and well-being room is always available and is the hub of our growth mindset approach at school. We celebrate successes, encourage a positive mindset and inspire learners with ways to cope with challenging situations in everyday life, building thier resilience and well-being toolkit.
We also promote a positive approach to Wellbeing and Behaviour and use various schemes at Westwood Community Primary School including, KiVa, ELSA, Jigsaw, Talk Boost and dots to support our children at many levels.
Inclusiveness
We pride ourselves on the inclusiveness at Westwood Community Primary School, and our most recent Estyn inspection illustrates this.
'The school provides an exceptionally caring and inclusive atmosphere where all staff help pupils to feel safe and secure in their learning environment' Estyn.
Our school will continue to develop the strong and positive relationships with our families and local community. We hold various days across the school year, linked to our new curriculum that enable us to further develop our positive relationships with our local community.
Imagine a school where the efforts and achievements of all stakeholders are recognised and valued. Where its pupils and staff are happy, safe and motivated within a stimulating, nurturing and state of the art learning environment. Think of a school where the whole community is unified and consistent with its development whilst keeping the children central to any decisions made. This is Westwood Community Primary School, at the heart of the Buckley Community, with the Buckley Community at its heart.
Our Stakeholder Vision
At Westwood Community Primary School, we aim to be your school of choice by creating a nurturing, supportive and kind school community, where children are happy, valued and have a voice. Our children are encouraged by their successes, excel in their achievements and are inspired to be learners for life.
Westwood Community Primary School Mission Statement
This focuses on the four purposes, which is at the heart of our curriulum and its design, and echoes the voices of each of our stakeholders.
At Westwood Community Primary School our mission is to nurture healthy confident individuals who are ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society. Team Westwood will ensure the best possible education for the children in its care, celebrating successes and nurturing efforts so that each member of the Westwood Community family has a voice, can develop as an individual and flourish as a 21st century learner.
At Westwood Community Primary School our mission is to develop ambitious, capable learners who are ready to learn throughout their lives. We strive to create a safe, secure and stimulating environment that promotes and nurtures the development of growing minds; where pupils feel happy, empowered and inspired to learn effectively.
At Westwood Community Primary School our mission is to nurture ethical informed citizens who are ready to be citizens of Wales and the world. We will foster a strong sense of self, of family, of community and belonging, where children develop kindness and a mutual respect for themselves, each other and the environment.
At Westwood Community Primary School our mission for our learners to be enterprising confident individuals who are ready to play a full part in life and work. Everyone will be encouraged to try their best, attend regularly and achieve their full potential academically, creatively, personally, socially and emotionally. High quality and engaging learning experiences will be provided for all children and we will celebrate successes, innovation and aspiration.
What do we mean by 'Curriculum'?
A curriculum should be considered the heart of any school. Our curriculum is a joined up way of thinking to realise our vision and ensure our learners are ambitious, enterprising, ethical and healthy citizens. Our curriculum is broad and balanced - it incorporates the voices of our stakeholders. It is suitable for learners of different ages, abilities and aptitudes. It provides appropriate progression for learners and includes a range of provision to ensure this.
Why do we teach it?
To provide high quality teaching experiences, which excite and motivate children in the classroom and beyond. Our stakeholders worked in collaboration to design a curriculum that not only develops and clearly considers the needs of our children, it establishes the local opportunities, develops the importance of Cynefin and the skills of the 21st Century Learner.
How do we teach it?
Teaching staff are the facilitators of learning. Considering the needs, views and stages of learners they will design fun, challenging and progressive experiences. Learners will have opportunities to influence their learning through Pupil Voice, where teaching staff as the experts coach the learning in an appropriate direction considering the views and ideas of learners. Learners will influence the design of their learning and also to present their work in their own unique personal way.
Our Westwood Community Primary School Curriculum contains the 6 Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLE), it encompasses the Statements of What Matters, incorporates the 12 Pedagogical Principles and reflects the Principles of Progression. It includes the required curriculum elements and embeds the statutory elements and mandatory Cross-Curricular Skills and the Integral Skills which underpin the four purposes of the curriculum.
The four purposes are the heart of the Curriculum for Wales (CfW) and core of Westwood Community Primary School’s curriculum.
They underpin all aspects of our curriculum design, planning and teaching. Our vision and values as a school support the four purposes and we summarise below what they mean for us. Our learning experiences and teaching methods will always aim for this.
The Curriculum for Wales (CfW) gives us the freedom to design our own content based on: the 6 Areas of Learning and Experience and their What Matters Statements, Cross Curricular Skills Development and 5 Cross-Cutting Themes.
The What Matters Statements for each Area of Learning and Experience will be the basis of our planning for progression, depth and breadth of skills and knowledge and for learner progress.
Our Westwood curriculum embeds the mandatory cross-curricular skills and the integral skills which underpin the four purposes of the Curriculum for Wales.
Literacy, numeracy and digital competence skills are essential in enabling all learners to be aware of the four purposes. These three mandatory cross-curricular skills are embedded and developed across all the Areas of Learning and Experience (AoLE). This will allow our learners to access the whole curriculum and to equip them with the relevant lifelong skills, knowledge and understanding.
Our learners are given opportunities across the curriculum to:
- Develop speaking, reading, listening and writing skills.
- Develop their understanding and confidence in using a variety of technologies to allow them to communicate effectively.
- Enhance their use of everyday Welsh language patterns.
- Explore the outdoors and develop relationships with the local community.
- Develop a solid foundation to lead a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
At Westwood Community Primary School, we carefully consider the mandatory elements of the Curriculum for Wales when planning. Throughout each stage of planning, whether it be weekly, mid-term or long-term, we always aim to ensure our learners are provided with high-quality and inspiring learning experiences. Furthermore, we plan to ensure that our provision and teaching develops the integral skills that underpin the four purposes.
In addition, while designing our curriculum at Westwood Community Primary School we have included the five cross-cutting themes. We have considered the statutory elements of the CfW.
Below you will find a visual that illustrates the half term themes that will be focused on throughout our school during each academic year. These six themes have been chosen to allow our teaching staff and learners to sculpt unique opportunities at Westwood Community Primary School.
Our school website is where you can locate the summary of our curriculum for Weswood, up-to-date planning documents and find more details about what each year group will be learning. We have been very fortunate to trail various planning approaches over the past 2 years to find what suits our school best. As the CfW becomes statutory in September 2022, it is important to note that planning documents may change in the future. You can also find New Curriculum guides for parents.
Excellent teaching is essential if we are to realise the four purposes, our vision as a school and the requirements of the Curriculum Framework. Ensuring a high-quality learning environment is vitally important to us at Westwood Community Primary School, for both learners and practitioners. Consistency of ethos in every class across the school is of paramount importance for us to ensure a safe and inspiring learning environment so that our learners can take risks, make mistakes confidently and work in an atmosphere of mutual respect and appreciation of everyone’s efforts.
We constantly reflect upon, share and develop our teaching practices, based on our understanding of the 12 pedagogical principles set out in the Curriculum Framework and the practices we find to be successful in our school.
As we evolve the CfW at Westwood Community Primary School, experimenting and innovating confidently as practitioners is very important for us and we shall collaborate closely within our school and across the consortium to ensure the highest possible quality of learning experiences and teaching for our learners.
The school is a learning organisation. This means that we constantly research and learn about effective teaching and value professional learning and research-based practice to develop and improve our teaching skills.
Five principles of progression underpin progression across all AoLEs. The principles are as follows.
Increasing effectiveness
As learners progress, they become increasingly effective at learning in a social and work-related context. As they become increasingly effective they are able to seek appropriate support and independently identify sources of that support. They ask more sophisticated questions and find and evaluate answers from a range of sources. This includes increasingly successful approaches to self-evaluation, identification of their next steps in learning and more effective means of self-regulation.
Increasing breadth and depth of knowledge
Learners need to acquire both breadth and depth of knowledge. As learners progress, they develop an increasingly sophisticated understanding of concepts that underpin different statements of what matters. They see the relationships between these and use them to further shape, make sense of and apply knowledge. This consolidates their understanding of concepts.
Deepening understanding of the ideas and disciplines within the Areas
Holistic approaches are particularly important in early learning as learners engage with the world around them. Learners should become increasingly aware of ways in which ideas and approaches can be coherently grouped and organised. As they progress they need to experience and understand disciplinary learning in each of the Areas and see these in the context of the four purposes and the statements of what matters.
Refinement and growing sophistication in the use and application of skills
Learners need to develop a range of skills including: physical, communication, cognitive and Area specific skills. In the early stages of learning, this range of skills includes focus on developing gross and fine motor; communicative and social skills. They also develop the skills of evaluating and organising information in applying what they have learned. As learners progress, they demonstrate more refined application of existing skills, and will experience opportunities to develop new, more specific and more sophisticated skills.
Over time, learners become able to effectively organise a growing number of increasingly sophisticated ideas, to apply understanding in various contexts and to communicate their thoughts effectively, using a range of methods, resources or equipment appropriate to their purpose and audience.
Making connections and transferring learning into new contexts
Learners should make connections with increasing independence; across learning within an area, between areas, and with their experiences outside of school. Over time these connections will be increasingly sophisticated, explained and justified by learners. They should be able to apply and use previously acquired knowledge and skills in different, unfamiliar and challenging contexts.
Our learners are at the centre of the transition process. We support all learners along the learning continuum, as they move between the different classes, year groups and settings. An integral part of our processes is the well-being of our learners; we recognise the needs of each individual. The understanding of each individual learner is gained from our assessment strategies is crucial in supporting this process.
The Purpose of Assessment
Assessment plays a fundamental role in ensuring each learner is supported and challenged to their individual needs. We use strategies that contribute to developing the holistic picture of each learner, identifying their strengths, the ways in which they learn best and their areas for development. All this helps inform the next steps in teaching and learning.
The CfW has a central feature of a continuum of learning ranging from ages 3 to 16 and is a central feature to the new curriculum design. At Westwood, we utilise various assessment strategies that enable each individual learner to make progress at the appropriate pace, ensuring they are supported and challenged accordingly. We have used Incerts and, more recently, started to use Taith360 as an assessment and tracking tool.
Our assessments support individual learner progression on a day-to-day basis (Assessment for Learning, AfL), helps identify, capture and reflect on the progression of each learner over the academic year and provides teaching staff with a better understanding of group progress to help evaluate and reflect on our teaching practice. We also encourage and promote various self and peer assessment strategies with our learners.
Communicating and engaging with Parents/Carers
We communicate effectively with Parents/Carers on an ongoing basis to foster positive relationships to engage them in purposeful and meaningful dialogue. When undertaken well, effective communication between the school and home can have a positive impact of the progression of the learner. Parents/Carers are also able to further understand how they can best support their child/children outside of the school environment.
At Westwood Community Primary School we have developed and implemented various processes that support effective two-way communication with our Parents/ Carers. When developing these processes, consideration has been given to using a wide variety of different communication means, for example, face-to-face, letters and digitally through using emails, Seesaw and the school website. Information on any support, interventions or additional learning needs required for the learner's development is shared throughout the year with Parents/ Carers.