Beacon Rise Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 13−14 March 2012 Inspection number 377879 Beacon Rise Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 109133 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 377879 Inspection dates 13−14 March 2012 Lead inspector Colin Lee

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 404 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Paul Rodman Headteacher Christopher Thomas Date of previous school inspection 24 September 2008 School address Hanham Road Bristol BS15 8NU Telephone number 01454 867232 Fax number 01454 867232 Email address beaconriseprimary.school@southglos.gov.uk 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. Inspectors observed the teaching of 14 teachers in 26 lessons. Meetings were held with members of the governing body, staff and groups of pupils. Inspectors took account of the responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at the school’s data on pupils’ attainment and progress, the school development plan, other planning documents and procedures for keeping pupils safe. Inspectors analysed 116 questionnaires completed by parents and carers, as well as speaking to a group of parents and carers. Questionnaires completed by staff and Key Stage 2 pupils were also analysed.

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Information about the school

The school is larger than an average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in 14 classes, two in each year group. Ninety four percent of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs is slightly below average. The school meets the government’s floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. It has received awards for many aspects of its work, including the International Schools, Artsmark, Healthy Schools and Eco awards. 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

 This is an outstanding school. The headteacher’s inspirational leadership has fostered a drive for excellence shared by all members of the school community. This has produced wide-ranging improvements since the last inspection and led to outstanding achievement by all groups of pupils.  The oldest pupils’ high levels of attainment in English and mathematics are the result of the consistency of progress by pupils over time from the moment they start school. Progress is never less than good in any year group and it is particularly rapid in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Years 5 and 6. Progress in lessons by different groups of pupils is slightly variable, especially in Key Stage 1, where more-able pupils are occasionally not moved on to more challenging work as soon as they are ready.  The impact of the high quality teaching is seen in pupils’ outstanding achievement across much of the curriculum and their excellent spiritual, moral,

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Key findings

social and cultural development. Inspection evidence confirms the views of parents and carers who returned questionnaires. All think that teaching is at least good and are impressed by the way that teaching helps pupils develop the key skills in communication, reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers use the whole curriculum very effectively to improve these skills. They encourage older pupils to constantly think about how to improve their work but younger pupils have too few opportunities to do this.  Pupils’ excellent behaviour helps lessons have a calm but busy working atmosphere. Pupils say they feel very safe in school, which reflects parents’ and carers’ views. Pupils also say bullying of any form is non-existent, and rare incidents of inappropriate behaviour are dealt with quickly.  Leadership and management are outstanding at all levels. Management of performance is given high priority by senior leaders. They ensure that teaching

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Key findings

is continually improving by carrying out rigorous checking of both teaching and pupils’ progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment and increase their progress, particularly in Key Stage 1, 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 by July 2012, by:  ensuring that the more-able pupils are moved on to work that gives them further challenge as soon as they show they are ready for it  providing more opportunities for pupils to reflect on their learning in the course of lessons and think for themselves about how it can be improved.

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Achievement of pupils

Several lessons seen in Year 6 showed why achievement is outstanding. Not only was work of a high standard being produced but pupils of all abilities made rapid progress. This was due to an obvious love of learning and a strong motivation to improve. In literacy lessons, pupils wrote descriptions of characters that had a richness of vocabulary. They constantly reviewed their own work and that of others as they concentrated not only on improving the quality but also on learning about grammatical features such as use of punctuation and types of clauses.

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Achievement of pupils

This high quality of learning is evident throughout the school. Pupils make excellent progress in developing language and literacy skills because they are constantly using them. A Reception physical education lesson on the effects of exercise was as much about speaking skills as physical activity. The children talked enthusiastically and knowledgeably about what was happening to their hearts, the blood moving round their bodies, the best foods for giving them energy and how best to recover after exercise. With a smile on his face, one child’s solution to cooling down was ‘use a fan’. This is typical of pupils’ rapidly developing confidence in speaking and maturity that was exemplified in an assembly led by Year 5 pupils. They acted out Greek myths and legends in short dramas where action and expressive speech had a humour that delighted and enthralled the parents, carers and pupils watching.

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Achievement of pupils

Such communication skills are the foundation for the reading skills that are currently one of the school’s main priorities. Children start school in Reception with skills below those expected for their age. Linking of sounds and letters (phonics) is learned very successfully in all classes and this is a key reason for the above average reading attainment by the end of Key Stage 1. A continuing love of reading is evident in Year 6 pupils, whose impressive fluent, expressive reading is matched by excellent comprehension and a mature ability to discuss themes, characters and meaning in their books. This indicates why reading attainment is well above the national average at the end of Year 6.

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Achievement of pupils

There is a similarly impressive picture of attainment in writing and mathematics, where standards are also well above average in Year 6. The progress of most groups of pupils matches that in reading. There are just a few occasions when more-able pupils do not make sufficiently rapid progress in lessons due to them not being moved on quickly enough to work that continues to stretch them. Disabled pupils or those with special educational needs make consistently similar progress to their 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 peers. This often outstanding progress owes much to the skilful support provided by the deputy headteacher and teaching assistants who work with these pupils and others whose circumstances make them vulnerable.

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Quality of teaching

Typically outstanding features of teaching include the thoroughness of planning, the high quality of marking and the use of assessment to plan the next stages in pupils’ learning. Senior leaders have focused teachers on ensuring a high quality of learning in every lesson. Teachers achieve this by providing stimulating learning activities that excite pupils to a point where, as was often observed in lessons, they cannot wait to get started on the tasks teachers are explaining that each group will be doing. These tasks are carefully matched to pupils’ abilities and needs and each task builds systematically on what has been learned before. Tasks for the more-able pupils are well planned but are not always introduced as soon as the pupils are ready.

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Quality of teaching

In the best lessons, pupils are regularly stopped in order to review for themselves how well they are doing and how work might be improved. Such self-assessment is an excellent feature of older pupils’ lessons. Younger pupils do not do this often enough and more usually only consider how well they have learned towards the end of the lesson. This limits their awareness of step-by-step progress during the lesson. Assessment over the longer term is sharply focused on measuring progress each term in reading, writing and mathematics. Teachers do this very effectively and use the information well to identify any pupils falling behind. They then monitor carefully the impact of the programmes introduced to help pupils to catch up. Pupils’ attainment is assessed thoroughly across the whole curriculum. Teachers use the broad, balanced curriculum very effectively to develop key skills in literacy and information and communication technology. Pupils say how much they enjoy reading

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Quality of teaching

books or using the internet to find out more about their topics. Some Year 3 pupils, talking about their Tudors topic, said how much they were enjoying writing their version of a conversation between Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh before he set off on a voyage. Their learning of the use of speech marks was thoroughly consolidated. Teachers consider carefully the impact of learning activities on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development by providing, for example, many opportunities for collaborative work and using the school’s many international links to develop pupils’ understanding of cultural differences.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Outstanding behaviour, both over time and day by day in lessons and at playtimes, is due to the guidance pupils receive on what is acceptable behaviour, the involvement and decisions of the pupils themselves about how they should behave, and the very effective, consistent behaviour management by all adults.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils reflect the view of the vast majority of parents and carers when they say that they feel completely safe in school. They also explain what they have learned from the wide ranging safety education they receive. They show vigilance in tasks, such as using equipment in science lessons or moving apparatus in physical education. Pupils 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 say there is almost no bullying in school and they show a good understanding of different types of bullying. Some older pupils explained the meaning of cyber bullying and showed sensitive awareness of the possible effects of behaviour such as repeated name-calling. Others reinforced that gender or racial discrimination is non- existent in school. Pupils show respect for others in many situations, for example

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

through the harmonious relationships evident at playtimes. The school has invested heavily in improving play facilities and resources, with a designated play co- ordinator. Pupils enjoy the variety of stimulating opportunities for creative play, which have helped to eliminate almost all incidents of inappropriate behaviour. This has added to pupils’ enjoyment of school. High rates of attendance further confirm this enjoyment.

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Leadership and management

The high quality of leadership and management is the corner-stone of the school’s success. Questionnaires returned by parents, carers and staff repeatedly praised the headteacher’s leadership and creation of, as one parent put it, ‘a united and totally inclusive school’. The commitment to collective responsibility has produced considerable improvements in provision and pupils’ outcomes since the last inspection that show there is an outstanding capacity for sustained improvement in the future.

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Leadership and management

The headteacher and senior leadership team’s thorough self-evaluation of strengths and weaknesses identifies key priorities for school development planning. Clear targets are set and progress towards meeting these is monitored regularly. The leadership of teaching is exemplary, with constant monitoring of teachers’ lessons and planning, and pupils’ achievement in their work across the curriculum and their performance in regular assessments. The latter is carefully analysed by the deputy headteacher, with class teachers, to check progress and plan how it can be further improved. This assessment data show that high attainment is not confined to English and mathematics, but is evident across much of the excellent curriculum. The curriculum and the overall quality of teaching are consistently improved by professional development matched to individual and whole-school needs. The outstanding promotion of equal opportunities and tackling discrimination are central

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Leadership and management

to the school’s ethos. The school is vigilant in ensuring that all groups of pupils have a curriculum matched to their needs and that all maintain comparable rates of progress. Many learning activities are planned that provide excellent promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Leadership and management

Governance is outstanding. The governing body ensures that safeguarding arrangements are meticulous and that staff are thoroughly and regularly trained in attending to health and safety, risk assessment and child protection issues. Close cooperation with staff as well as independent monitoring and evaluation of school improvement mean that the governing body is insightful, very well informed about the school’s work and confident in providing challenge to hold the school to account.

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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 academy 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 Beacon Rise Primary School, Bristol, BS15 8NU

I am writing to thank you for helping us during the inspection of your school. We especially enjoyed talking to you and listening to your views. We have taken these views into account in writing this report. Beacon Rise Primary School is an outstanding school. Here are some of the main findings from the report.

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Inspection of Beacon Rise Primary School, Bristol, BS15 8NU

 You all work hard and many of you are making excellent progress in your work. By Year 6, standards are well above average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Those of you who find learning difficult are getting excellent extra help and you are all making exceptional progress.  We have asked your teachers to give those of you who find learning easy harder work as soon as you are ready for it, so that you do not spend too long on work that is too easy.  You are taught outstandingly well and teachers check your progress carefully. Many of you think carefully about how you can improve your work, but we want this to happen more often in Years 1 and 2 in particular.  Your behaviour is excellent and we were very impressed by how well you get on with one another.  You say you feel very safe in school. This is because all the adults do an excellent job in looking after you.  All the staff and governors work very well together to help the school to

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Inspection of Beacon Rise Primary School, Bristol, BS15 8NU

All of you can help your teachers to make Beacon Rise Primary School an even better school by continuing to work hard to improve and enjoying your learning. Thank you once again for your help during our visit, and best wishes for your work in the future.

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Inspection of Beacon Rise Primary School, Bristol, BS15 8NU

Colin Lee 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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