Beckbury CofE Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 25–26 January 2012 Inspection number 380658 Beckbury CofE Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 123460 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 380658 Inspection dates 25–26 January 2012 Lead inspector Clive Lewis

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 52 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Keith Hodson Headteacher Barbara Parker Date of previous school inspection 9 July 2007 School address Beckbury Shifnal TF11 9DQ Telephone number 01952 750287 Fax number 01952 750287 Email address admin.beckbury@shropshirelg.net achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspector observed six lessons. All teachers and support staff were seen working with children. Meetings were held with pupils, members of the governing body and members of staff. Questionnaires from 47 parents and carers were analysed. The inspector took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work, looked at documentation including teachers’ planning documents, and examined tracking and assessment data.

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Information about the school

Beckbury Church of England Primary School is a much smaller than average rural school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below the national average. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average and there are no pupils for whom English is an additional language. The proportion of pupils supported with a statement of special educational needs or at school action plus is greater than the national average. The current headteacher has been in post for just over one year. The school met the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for attainment and progress, last year. The school has achieved the Healthy Schools award, Safer Schools Partnership award and an Eco Green Flag award. An independent Nursery is based on the school site. This provision is not managed by the governing body and will be the subject of a separate report.

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Information about the school

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 Beckbury is a satisfactory school. It has been through a period of significant discontinuity in staffing since the last inspection but is now stable and improving rapidly under the leadership of the new headteacher.  The headteacher has successfully introduced a number of initiatives designed to arrest previous underachievement and instil a culture of accountability in the staff and pupils, although subject coordinators do not currently play a strategic role in improving standards in their subjects.  Progress in Key Stages 1 and 2 is now satisfactory overall. Standards in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 2 and Year 6 are now average. Pupils’ progress in writing is not yet as rapid as in reading and mathematics, because pupils do not receive enough opportunities to use their writing skills across the curriculum.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make satisfactory

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Key findings

progress.  Although teaching is now satisfactory across the school, teachers do not consistently use assessment and tracking data to plan work appropriate to the wide range of age and ability in each class.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make satisfactory progress in developing their skills and knowledge across a wide range of areas. Their overall achievement is satisfactory.  Pupils have extremely well-developed personal skills and a good understanding of how to keep safe. Pupils’ behaviour and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are excellent.  The revised curriculum is appropriately broad and balanced and pupils receive a good variety of exciting activities and experiences through visits, residential stays and visitors to school.

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Key findings

Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment and progress across the school by:  improving the consistency and quality of teaching to the level of the best practice by planning lessons which are well paced and take full account of tracking and assessment data in order to ensure appropriate challenge for the wide range of age and ability groups within each class  improving the curriculum by ensuring teachers plan more opportunities for pupils to practise and reinforce their writing skills across the full range of subjects  developing the roles of subject coordinators by ensuring that they are supported in their areas of responsibility and encouraged to take a more active role in improving pupils’ attainment and progress.

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Achievement of pupils

Children typically start in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills and capabilities broadly in line with those expected for their ages. Children make satisfactory progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage year and are now making satisfactory progress overall as they move through Key Stages 1 and 2. Attainment by the end of Year 2 and Year 6 is in line with national averages. Observations during lessons, however, demonstrate that pupils’ progress is improving rapidly due to better teaching and the whole-school focus on improving standards in reading, writing and mathematics. Daily phonics lessons and regular guided reading activities ensure reading is taught well and consistently across the school. Due to the whole-school focus on the enjoyment of books and the greatly improved reading resources, standards in reading are now above average by the end of Key Stage 1, although standards in writing remain broadly average. Standards in reading at the end of Year

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Achievement of pupils

6 are average. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress because of the appropriate support provided by teachers, teaching assistants and outside agencies. The very large majority of parents feel that their children are making good progress. The inspection found that, although this hasn’t been the case in the recent past, improvements made under the leadership of the present headteacher are beginning to lead to improved rates of progress across the school.

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Quality of teaching

Although there have been significant improvements in the quality of teaching, it is not consistently good enough to ensure the rapid progress pupils must make in order to raise attainment; good lessons are still in the minority. Teachers ensure classroom routines are made clear and are regularly reinforced. Relationships between teachers Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

and pupils are good and pupils demonstrate extremely positive behaviour and good attitudes to work in lessons. Learning is structured carefully and all pupils contribute to lessons. In one good Year 3/4 literacy lesson, for example, the teacher demonstrated very good relationships with the pupils and high expectations of work and behaviour. Pupils were drafting a report on a historic character from the Victorian era – an example of how the school is working to make the curriculum more relevant to pupils by making links between subjects. Pupils talked enthusiastically about their characters, including Queen Victoria, Darwin and Dickens, and in their drafting demonstrated a good awareness of the success criteria for their work. Pupils knew precisely what they were expected to do and as a result were well-motivated and made good progress. Teachers are developing a better understanding of the progress the pupils in their care are making due to the regular

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Quality of teaching

analysis of assessment and tracking data but they are not yet making full use of the accurate data they now have about each pupil in planning their lessons. In a number of otherwise satisfactory lessons, work was not well matched to the range of ages and abilities in the class. In a small number of otherwise satisfactory lessons, the pace of learning was inconsistent after a brisk start. Teaching in the Early Years Foundation Stage is satisfactory. All staff monitor and record children’s progress effectively on a day-to-day basis and observations and achievements are recorded in individual pupil profiles. Teachers plan well with good attention to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Although the very large majority of parents feel that the quality of teaching in the school is good, the inspection found that this is not yet consistently the case.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Observations during lessons and around the school confirm that pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and a credit to the school. Pupils show very high levels of engagement, courtesy, collaboration and cooperation in and out of lessons. School documents and discussions with pupils confirm that there is no bullying and that this excellent behaviour has been maintained over time. Pupils show respect for the feelings and beliefs of others. They have mature attitudes to learning and develop considerate relationships with peers and adults. They understand the need for healthy lifestyles and exercise. All groups of pupils feel safe at school at all times. They understand what constitutes unsafe situations and are highly aware of how to keep themselves and others safe. All parents and carers who responded to the questionnaire agreed that their child was safe in school and that behaviour was good. Pupils have a good

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

range of opportunities to contribute to school and local communities through the work of the school council and regular collections for a number of charities. They take on responsibility and play a constructive role in the school and, through the school council, have had some influence on decisions about school life. Pupils say they enjoy coming to school, and this is reflected in consistently high levels of attendance. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage clearly enjoy school and have settled into routines well, playing happily both together and individually, indoors and out.

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Leadership and management

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Leadership and management

The new headteacher, with the full support of the governing body and the local authority, has achieved a great deal in a relatively short time in the school. She has dealt appropriately with the turbulence in staffing and has begun to tackle areas requiring further improvement with rigour. She has successfully introduced a number of initiatives designed to drive improvement. Although most of these will need more time to demonstrate impact, some improvements are already showing positive results. These include improving the quality of teaching so that it is now satisfactory or better across the school and revising the curriculum so that it better meets the needs of pupils and promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well. One parent commented, ‘Over the last year the school has extended considerably the extra-curricular opportunities available; this has been very well received by the children and provides an enriched school life.’ The school’s

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Leadership and management

assessment and tracking systems have been significantly strengthened and pupils are now beginning to become involved in self-assessment of their own work. Termly pupil progress meetings have been introduced so that staff are gaining a better understanding of data and how to use it to plan their lessons. Subject leadership is developing well but teachers with new subject responsibilities have not yet had sufficient time to make a significant impact on standards or teaching in their subjects.

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Leadership and management

The governing body has a satisfactory overview of the school's work and its future priorities and members are beginning to provide a good level of support and challenge. The headteacher has developed very good relationships with the great majority of parents and carers and these contribute well to pupils’ learning and progress. This fully inclusive school places the promotion of equality of opportunity at the heart of all its work. It adopts recommended good practice for safeguarding pupils across all areas of its work and quality assurance and risk assessment systems take full account of the views of pupils and their parents and carers. Parents and carers are extremely supportive. One, typical of many, wrote, ‘Beckbury is a lovely school, where both of our children have been very well provided for by extremely conscientious and caring members of staff. Their strengths and personalities are recognised and celebrated, encouraging and enabling them to achieve their very

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Leadership and management

best.’ The school identifies dangers, fosters a realistic understanding of risk and helps pupils to keep themselves safe. Although it is too soon to observe the full effect of the initiatives introduced by the headteacher, her drive and enthusiasm , together with the improvements in teaching and learning and in pupils’ progress, demonstrate the school’s satisfactory capacity to maintain and sustain improvement.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 46 8 0 Primary schools 8 47 40 5 Secondary schools 14 38 40 8 Special schools 28 48 20 4 Pupil referral units 15 50 29 5 All schools 11 46 38 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 August 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academ y converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Beckbury CofE Primary School, Shifnal, TF11 9DQ

Thank you for welcoming me to your school and for talking to me about what you do there. Beckbury Church of England Primary is a satisfactory school. Those who lead your school do so satisfactorily and provide you with appropriate care and guidance. It is to your credit that most of you behave extremely well and get on very well with each other and with all the staff. You told me you really enjoy coming to school and you show this by your high levels of attendance – well done for that.

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Inspection of Beckbury CofE Primary School, Shifnal, TF11 9DQ

However, I want your school to improve standards by:

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Inspection of Beckbury CofE Primary School, Shifnal, TF11 9DQ

 making sure your teachers always make good use of their knowledge about what each of you can do to plan work to match your abilities  giving you more opportunities to use your writing skills in other lessons – for example, in geography and history lessons  giving teachers in charge of subjects opportunities to observe each others’ lessons so that they can find ways of making teaching and learning even better.

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Inspection of Beckbury CofE Primary School, Shifnal, TF11 9DQ

You can all help by always doing your best.

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Inspection of Beckbury CofE Primary School, Shifnal, TF11 9DQ

Once again, thank you for being so welcoming during my visit.

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Inspection of Beckbury CofE Primary School, Shifnal, TF11 9DQ

Clive Lewis Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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