An Oldham school which had been rated ‘outstanding’ has been downgraded to ‘good’ by Ofsted inspectors.

Westwood High, located on Kelsall Street, is an Islamic faith independent school with annual fees ranging from £1,400 to £2,750 per year.

The school, which has a nursery (Westwood Kindergarten), primary school (Westwood Prep), high school, and sixth form, has 347 pupils on its roll. While registered as a single-sex school for girls, the school has admitted boys from the nursery year to year six.

The school was inspected by lead inspector Jane Dennis and inspector Stuart Perkins between October 3 and October 5, with the report published on November 28.

The Islamic faith school, where all pupils speak English as an additional language, was mostly praised for its ‘high aspirations’ and well-behaved pupils who ‘enjoy attending school’ and ‘develop their confidence and independence’ through extra-curricular activities.

Sign up to our newsletters to get the latest stories sent straight to your inbox.

The report went on to praise the school’s emphasis on pupil wellbeing and mental health, as well as ‘strong and supportive relationships’ between staff and pupils starting from the early years. Nursery children were said to ‘enjoy learning stories and rhymes by heart’, with pupils said to ‘read widely and often’.

The school’s provision for those with special educational needs/disabilities was also praised, with inspectors saying pupils with SEND ‘receive the help that they need to succeed’.

However, while most of the school’s subjects were praised, with inspectors saying that ‘the school has thought deeply about what pupils will learn and when this knowledge will be taught’, the thinking behind the curriculum in some parts of the school was said to be ‘less developed’.

Follow The Oldham Times on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Threads.

The report says: “Where this is the case, some pupils find it hard to remember their learning over time.

“For example, in a small number of subjects, some pupils find it tricky to solve more complex problems because they cannot remember the smaller parts of knowledge that they need.”

The report concludes by telling the school to ensure that staff involved in the teaching of early reading are ‘equipped sufficiently well to deliver the phonics programme with confidence’, with some pupils said to ‘not learn to read as quickly and as fluently as they could’.

A representative for the school told The Oldham Times “We don’t want to make a comment”. 

If you have a story, I cover the whole borough of Oldham. Please get in touch at jack.fifield@newsquest.co.uk or click to send me a message on WhatsApp or on Signal on 07517566383.