Admissions Procedure

Admissions for 5-11 year olds are managed centrally by Education Leeds. If you are moving to Otley, give us a ring and check if we have spaces in the year group you are interested in or to arrange a visit. For places in Reception, parents need to use the LEA preference form which is sent to your home address, by Education Leeds, early in the school year prior to their starting in Reception. This can also be done on-line by following the link at the bottom of this page. Parents can put their child on the waiting list for the Nursery class at any time. If places are available, children may start Nursery the term after their third birthday. Parents can request a morning or afternoon placement, although this is again dependent on places being available. We are also able to offer what is known as ‘flexible provision’. The children attend for 2½ consecutive days, either all day Monday and Tuesday, plus Wednesday morning or Wednesday afternoon and all day Thursday and Friday. These places are limited for each session and are usually allocated on the basis of need such as a family where both parents work at the beginning or end of the week. There is a charge to cover the additional hour at lunchtime each day and for the provision of a snack. If you would like to know anything more about getting a place for your child at Westgate, please ring Alison Finlay in the school office – 01943-462349.

Open Door

Westgate Primary School has an open door policy. We welcome all visitors to come and see the school and prospective parents are always invited to visit us. If you are interested in doing so, please don’t hesitate to telephone and make an appointment. You are welcome to see the school at work and to have the opportunity to ask specific questions about what we do and what we hope to achieve. For children already at the school, teachers are available at the end of each school day and parents and carers are also invited to share more formal contact at twice yearly open evenings. We want our communication to be a two-way process, so as well as sharing concerns, staff will take the opportunity to share good news about the children. We ask that parents do the same and celebrate children’s successes with us, as well as any worries. It is really important that we build a picture of the whole child, their strengths and interests. If parents have a particular concern, we ask them always to discuss it with the class teacher first. It is usually the class teacher who has all the information and will be best placed to answer the questions. The class teacher will then, if necessary, consult one of the senior teachers.

Out of School Clubs

We have an Out of School Club called Westgate Out of School Hours (WOOSH) which is run by Mrs Chilton. It meets in the morning from 7:55am until the beginning of school and in the afternoon from the end of school until 6:00pm. For more information please ring the school office (01943 462349) or Mrs Chilton (07949603317).


School Dinners

In September 2008 we opened our new kitchen so that all meals can be prepared on the premises. The kitchen is run by Leeds Catering Agency and we liaise with them regularly so that the meals comply with our Healthy Schools Policy. School Dinners are very popular and uptake has almost doubled since we started cooking on site. The menu for the week can be downloaded below. Also there is a link to The Catering Agency website.

Friends of Westgate

The Friends of Westgate is our formal Parent AND Teacher Association and has both a fund-raising and social function. Not only have many useful resources been bought for the school through the annual Christmas Fair and Sponsored Walk but staff, parents and children have enjoyed attending some of the events such as the Beetle Drive and children’s disco. The Friends also organise our prize-winning entries in the carnival. Meetings are held every half-term and it is a good way of getting to know other parents.

If you would like to know more about the work they do, pop into the school and the office staff will put you in touch with someone who will help.