Westgate Primary School
Scarborough Road, Otley, LS21 3JS
Westgate Primary School is a community school school in Otley. According to the latest government data, it has approximately 255 pupils and allows entry for children aged 3-11.
About Us
ABOUT OUR SCHOOL
Westgate School is situated in the west of Otley, a traditional West Yorkshire market town only about 8 miles from Leeds city centre. Westgate is a one-form entry primary school which means that there is one class for every year group, from Reception to Year 6. All 7 classes have a maximum of 30 children in each and every class teacher is supported by a teaching assistant.
The idea for our logo came from one of our pupils and depicts our mission statement - Striving for Excellence, Caring for Children. It shows two children following the path to excellence, but because we have close links with the local community, the picture also shows the River Wharfe and the Chevin, the hill which overlooks the town. We take part in various Otley events every year such as the Carnival and Victorian Fair and support the local children’s hospice with weekly donations from our families and regular special events. We all love our logo and use it on our uniform, on all our letters and on our signs.
Our ethos can be summed up in the words of our mission statement:
Striving For Excellence, Caring For Children
It means that every child matters at Westgate and every decision we take is based on making sure that what we do is in the best interests of the children. We have consistently high standards as measured both by results in the National Tests (SATs) and the progress children make from different starting points, with very pleasing numbers of children achieving at or above age-related expectations at the end of key stages one and two, but it is every bit as important to us that the children at Westgate feel happy and secure, that they respect each other and that they have the self-confidence and self-esteem to achieve their full potential. We don’t just want them to be highly numerate and literate, we want them to have the opportunity to develop their talent in art, music and sport as well.
• We have very special children who work hard and who genuinely care about each other and other people.
• There is a real sense of parents, staff and pupils working happily and successfully together.
• We are very much involved with the local community.
• We have high standards of achievement and behaviour.
• The staff are highly skilled and committed to ensuring the best for every single pupil.
The Westgate Vision
At Westgate Primary School, we are committed to promoting the highest possible standards of teaching and learning, to enable everyone to fulfil their potential.
We will always put the best interests and well-being of the children at the heart of everything we do.
To develop self-esteem, we will respect the uniqueness of every member of the school community and value their contribution.
We will ensure that the learning environment we provide is safe and well-ordered to stimulate high standards of achievement and behaviour.
We will build strong collaborative partnerships with parents and the local community and promote respect for and understanding of other communities with an appreciation of diversity.
We want to encourage innovation, so that all members of the Westgate community are able to develop the skills and confidence to cope with the demands of the twenty-first century.
Our Aims
To ensure we achieve our Vision, and so that we can sustain a happy, successful school, we will aim to:
• plan a curriculum that is differentiated, stimulating and utilises technology;
• encourage life-long learning;
• set achievable but challenging goals for improvement;
• embrace change positively and manage it effectively;
• value diversity and encourage inclusion;
• seek opportunities to contribute to and benefit from the local and wider community;
• expect, recognise and celebrate success;
• foster respect for the concept of a sustainable environment;
• establish clear, fair boundaries for behaviour and model the highest possible standards of professionalism;
• ensure that everybody associated with Westgate is kept fully informed about the work of the school so that they will value, respect and listen to each other.
Pupil Voice and Investors in Pupils
A fundamentally important part of the ethos at Westgate is the emphasis placed on personal development and responsibility for all pupils. This is recognised in the fact that that we have held the Investors in Pupils Award since 2006. Children are encouraged to take responsibility for their own learning and behaviour, through personal target-setting, rewards and the way the curriculum is structured. The viewpoints of our pupils feed into decision-making at Westgate and children are encouraged to understand every aspect of school life and have their say. Our well-established School Council is made up to representatives from Y1 to Y6, elected by the children each year and provides one of the formal mechanisms for children's views to be heard. Our aim is to prepare all children to be active and responsible citizens as they grow up. You can find out more about Investors in Pupils by clicking on the link below.
Commitment to Race Equality and Challenging Racism
We are very proud to have held the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard, level 2, since 2007. This is reflected in the way we promote diversity and tackle racism throughout our curriculum. Children are taught to challenge stereotypes and value each other for the person they are, regardless of ethnicity or skin colour. Our Race Equality Working Party includes staff and parents and they are pro-active in moving our school even further on with issues of equality. We have links with schools overseas, in Nepal, Kenya and Spain, and sponsor a child through ActionAid. You can find out more about the Stephen Lawrence Education Standard through the link below.
We have tried to give you a broad overview of the school and you have the option of downloading further useful information, if you need it, from our website www.westgateprimary.co.uk. Have a look through it all then email us with your comments. We welcome visitors and want you to come and see the children, meet the staff and feel the happy atmosphere for yourself. We would also be pleased to learn more about the school from former pupils. Don’t hesitate to get in touch and thank you for taking the time to read this.
Striving for excellence, caring for children
Helen Carpenter
Headteacher
Our Childcare Provision
Our Out Of School Hours club provides a safe environment with a range of fun activities for children from Reception to Year 6, supervised by staff who know all of the children well.
The children come along any time between 07:55 and 08:55 and they are escorted to their classes when it is time for registration. They are welcome to bring some breakfast and we can provide bowls, plates, spoons, mugs, etc.
The children are free to choose from a range of activities including drawing and colouring, board games and floor games. Indoor bats and balls are there for the more energetic, as well as mini-pool and air hockey. When the weather is fine the children use the outdoor space and we also use the large screen in the school hall for films and playing on the Wii. Each week there is a special activity.
The club caters for up to 40 children and normally includes children from Reception right through to Year 6. A few children attend nearly every day and others only occasionally. They all seem to enjoy it and look forward to coming. Our adult to pupil staffing ratios are a maximum of 1:8 for children in key stage 1 and foundation stage and 1:10 for key stage 2, or where there is a mix no more than 6 of this 10 may be in the younger range.
Because WOOSH is OFSTED registered (ref EY335886), parents can use childcare vouchers to pay for their child's place.
The children who attend the after school session are collected from their classroom, by Mrs Chilton and Miss Ingle/ Mr Pollhammer, at 15:15. They are taken to the Foundation Unit for a freshly-prepared snack and then to the hall for a variety of activities including use of the library and the computer suite. They can be collected at any time up to 18:00.
There is an information leaflet available for you to download from our website www.westgateprimary.co.uk; if you have any further queries about the Extended School Provision please contact the school office on 01943 462349.
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