Bealings School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 10–11 July 2012 Inspection number 395460 Bealings School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 124595 Local authority Suffolk Inspection number 395460 Inspection dates 10–11 July 2012 Lead inspector Gillian Salter-Smith

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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 99 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jonathan Christie Headteacher Duncan Bathgate Date of previous school inspection 10 July 2009 School address Sandy Lane Little Bealings Woodbridge IP13 6LW Telephone number 01473 622376 Fax number 01473 612147 Email address bealings_school@yahoo.co.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

Gillian Salter-Smith Additional Inspector

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. Eight lessons, four teachers and a number of teaching assistants were observed teaching and supporting learning. Two lessons were observed jointly with the headteacher. Pupils from Years 1, 2 and 6 read to the inspector and talked about their reading. Meetings were held with a group of pupils, staff and members of the governing body. The inpector spoke with parents and carers as they brought their children to the Reception class one morning and to those visiting a Year 5 and 6 art exhibition held at the end of a school day. The inspector observed the school’s work including the weekly whole- school meeting and lunchtime activities. Documents looked at included the school summary of its self-evaluation, the school development plan, governing body minutes, risk assessments and documents relating to safeguarding. Questionnaires scrutinised included 52 from parents and carers and those received from staff and

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Information about the school

The school is much smaller than an average-sized primary school. Most pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds is above average and the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is similar to most schools. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is well below average. The proportion of pupils supported by school action or with a statement of special educational needs is above average. A significant number of pupils join the school at times other than the usual start in the Reception class and similarly leave the school at times other than the end of Year 6.

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Information about the school

The school meets the current floor standards which set the government’s minimum expectations for attainment and progress. 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

 Bealings is an outstanding school. Pupils become confident and competent learners and are highly motivated because they experience an exciting, memorable curriculum and are expertly taught. Consequently, pupils’ achievement and their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development are outstanding.

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Key findings

 Pupils make rapid and sustained progress from varying starting points when they join the school. Attainment by end of Year 6 is well above average. Pupils joining the school mid key stage, disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those who speak English as an additional language all make equally rapid progress.

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Key findings

 Within the context of imaginative situations that are made real to pupils, teachers are highly adept at inspiring pupils so that they want to find out and do more and more. Teachers know individual pupils very well because of their close monitoring of progress and they very carefully guide the development of skills within the learning contexts.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ exceptional commitment to learning is evident in their total immersion in activities and eagerness to write, find things out, plan, and solve problems. Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding and pupils feel very safe in school. Through the weekly whole-school meeting run by pupils, they have a strong say in what happens in school. However, there is no forum to consult pupils fully on what helps or hinders their learning.

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Key findings

 Leaders, staff and the governing body share a very strong commitment to the achievement of all pupils. Staff are constantly seeking to improve learning experiences and teaching is monitored frequently. Well-focused professional development and performance management of all staff result in high quality provision. Overall, parents and carers are highly supportive of the school. A few have concerns about how well the school communicates with them and how 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?

 Develop the say that pupils have in the school to include their views on what helps them to learn and what may hold them back.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve communication with parents and carers by exploring how best to use all means of communication, including the school’s website and on-line communication, to:  share with parents and carers how their children are involved in learning in classrooms and how they are guided in learning basic skills  providing a forum through which parents’ and carers’ views can be expressed and considered.

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Achievement of pupils

Children thrive in the Reception class. They settle and get busy quickly each day. They are captivated by events that ‘happen’, such as ‘a rabbit going missing’. These situations are very real to the children, their imaginations are stimulated and they are eager to talk about what might have happened and to write about what is going on. Children communicate exceptionally well with each other, for example, one child explained very carefully to another child how to use the stethoscope to hear the heart beat of the dog who was poorly in the vet’s surgery.

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Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ engagement in learning and ability to work independently is outstanding. In a Year 5/6 lesson, pupils took on the role of Scott’s Antarctic explorers on the point of losing a motorised snow sled through the ice into the sea. Building on their research, they expressed the feelings of the men involved in role play. The high quality diary extracts written subsequently were very well structured, used a wide range of sensitive descriptive language and included many imaginative similes. On another occasion, pupils persisted doggedly with challenging calculations on the differences and averages in temperature in order to decide when best to plan an expedition to the Antarctic.

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Achievement of pupils

Attainment on entry to the Reception class is variable from year to year. Language and numeracy skills are often weaker. Pupils throughout the school make rapid and sustained progress from their starting points and attainment by the end of Year 6 is well above average in English and mathematics, with a high proportion reaching high levels (Levels 5 or 6). Pupils enjoy reading a great deal and are well supported in their early reading. By the end of Year 2, attainment in reading is broadly average and by the end of Year 6, it is well above average. Where there have been differences in achievement between groups of pupils, for example in mathematics, 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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Achievement of pupils

these have been recognised, tackled and gaps closed. Pupils joining the school mid key stage settle in very well and make rapid progress. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, and those who speak English as an additional language, are very well supported and their progress is similarly outstanding. Inspection evidence supports the view of the vast majority of parents and carers, that their children make at least good progress.

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Quality of teaching

Teaching is consistently good with much that is outstanding. In the Reception class, adults carefully plan extensive activities indoors and outdoors which include a very good balance of those that children select for themselves and those led by adults. Adults listen carefully to children’s interests and plan highly meaningful activities that are totally engaging. Careful assessment of each child’s progress ensures that individuals are suitably guided and challenged in their early reading, writing and number especially. When working out how many bottles of milk would be needed in the kennels to feed the dogs, one more-able child was challenged to work out how many bottles would be needed for nine dogs, who each drank six bottles. When eagerly writing about the recently hatched chickens, staff used the opportunity to help children learn the letter sounds ‘ch’ and ‘ck’.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers’ high levels of expertise in planning and teaching within an exciting and meaningful curriculum ensure pupils are engaged and eager to carry out tasks. Teachers track pupils’ progress closely and ensure that pupils receive the guidance they need in basic skills. Teachers consistently set high expectations of pupils and match tasks to individual needs to ensure that all are challenged. In a Y1/2 lesson, pupils eagerly prepared presentations to the ‘Olympic committee member’, who would be ‘visiting’ the school very soon, on why the transport they had designed for the games should be the one that the committee chose. They wrote avidly in great detail about how the models they had made would work. Adults worked alongside pupils guiding their use of basic skills. Individual pupils knew what they were trying to improve in their writing, such as keeping close to the line and forming smaller letters. More-able pupils were challenged to write clear separate paragraphs,

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Quality of teaching

introductions and conclusions. Letter recognition and spelling were developed very well in context. The teaching of early reading is especially good and as pupils move through the school they develop a real interest in reading and secure skills. The email sent by the Olympic committee was looked at closely by the class and new letters and sounds and tricky words were identified and practised. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs benefit from much additional support. Class teachers match tasks to individual needs closely and teaching assistants provide support that enables pupils to improve their skills and confidence in working independently.

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Quality of teaching

Almost all the responses from parents and carers support the view that teaching is at least good. A few expressed concerns about the guidance pupils receive in developing basic skills. Inspection evidence shows that pupils develop a wide range of secure basic literacy and numeracy skills that they apply extensively across the 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

curriculum and prepare them very well indeed for the next stage of education, though handwriting is seldom cursive.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour and attitudes to learning are outstanding. Pupils are avid learners. They carry out much independent work and they collaborate exceptionally well in teams. Most are highly adept at managing their own behaviour and they are polite, courteous and respectful. Case studies demonstrate how pupils with behavioural and emotional difficulties settle into the school very well and make excellent improvement in their behaviour and learning. Serious misbehaviour and racist incidents are extremely rare and records show they are followed up appropriately with discussions with pupils on tolerance, understanding and respect for others.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils say they feel very safe in school and part of ‘a big happy family’. The vast majority say behaviour is good. They understand what bullying is and how it can upset people in different ways, including through the use of modern technology. They say it is very rare and when it occurs, adults help them to resolve differences quickly. Pupils’ very good awareness of keeping themselves safe was evident in their discussion during the school meeting on why the goal posts in the play area were out of action. Pupils have a say in much of the school’s activity through participation in whole school meetings. Pupils respond with respect to different views. Year 6 pupils take on the chair and secretary roles confidently. However, there is no forum through which pupils can express their views on what helps or hinders them in learning. Parents and carers responding to the questionnaire are unanimous in considering their children are kept safe in school and that behaviour is good.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance is consistently above average.

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Leadership and management

Leaders, staff and the governing body are highly committed to sustaining excellent provision and outcomes. School improvement planning is informed by precise monitoring of teaching and of pupils’ progress, and thorough performance management. Staff are confident, reflective practitioners who readily share best practice within and beyond the school. They contribute to high quality professional development that is well focused on school priorities. Improved tracking of progress and early identification of where pupils fall behind have led to highly effective interventions so that pupils have caught up and exceeded expectations. Outstanding provision and outcomes have been maintained since the previous inspection, demonstrating a strong capacity to improve further.

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Leadership and management

The governing body ensures that arrangements for safeguarding and child protection meet requirements. Members are highly supportive of the school and a number are regular visitors who experience the school at first hand. Some are new to their role and have undergone training to prepare for the role.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum provides highly positive and memorable experiences using 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

imaginative situations in which pupils become engrossed. The class ‘company’ sets clear guidelines and a moral framework in which to operate and accepts ‘commissions’ for the ‘experts’ they have become. Year 3/4 pupils became ‘experts’ in using chromatography to identify real smarties from fakes that may be illegal substances. Pupils worked rapidly to produce a report for the ‘Olympic drug testing representative’. The mathematical and scientific concepts they came to understand were advanced for their age. These wide ranging projects have a highly positive impact on pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development as do the many high quality opportunities for art, sport and music. In a debate on the rights and wrongs of holding the Olympic Games, Year 1 and 2 pupils clearly expressed their strongly held views, reflecting their deep thoughts and beliefs on the moral and social consequences of the games.

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Leadership and management

The strong commitment to equality of opportunity is evident in action taken to close the gaps in performance between groups of pupils. Discrimination is not tolerated; pupils learn tolerance and understanding through the pervading expectation of respect for all. Parents and carers are highly supportive of the school although a few do not feel that communication is well managed.

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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 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 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 to 31 December 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

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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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 Bealings School, Woodbridge, IP13 6LW

Thank you for the warm welcome you gave to me when I visited your school. Bealings is an outstanding school. You are a credit to your school and I was pleased to see that you enjoy school a great deal. You behave exceptionally well and say you feel very safe in school. You are taught exceedingly well through activities that captivate your interests and contribute to your outstanding achievement and all- round excellent personal development.

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Inspection of Bealings School, Woodbridge, IP13 6LW

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing you engrossed in your ‘company’ activities, fulfilling your ‘commissions’. The Year 5 and 6 sea detectives produced excellent diaries that described the moment the motorised snow sled was lost. Year 3 and 4 pupils worked hard to complete their investigations and reports for the Olympic committee. Year 1 and 2 pupils composed strong arguments for and against the Olympic Games. These activities, together with the excellent guidance from your teachers and other adults, are helping you to achieve outstandingly well.

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Inspection of Bealings School, Woodbridge, IP13 6LW

Your outstanding leaders, the governing body and staff are clearly focused on making sure that you have every chance to do your best. I have asked them to listen more carefully to what you have to say about what helps you to learn and what might hinder you, so that they can help you to learn even more. I have asked them to find more ways to show your parents and carers how you are learning when you are in school and to find more ways of hearing their views.

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Inspection of Bealings School, Woodbridge, IP13 6LW

Do continue to attend school as well as you do and make the most of everything the school has to offer you.

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Inspection of Bealings School, Woodbridge, IP13 6LW

Gillian Salter-Smith 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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