Beaumont Hill Academy

School report Beaumont Hill School Salters Lane South, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 2AN

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils and students throughout the academy make good and better progress in mathematics, communication skills and their personal development. Their progress in reading and writing skills sometimes lags behind.  Older students and those in the sixth form do well in their examination courses and are well prepared for further learning. Their personal development is outstanding.  Teaching is good and there is also some outstanding practice. Pupils make good progress in lessons because staff have expert skills, have high expectations for pupils’ learning and their relationships with pupils are built on respect.  Pupils’ behaviour is typically good over time. This view is supported by the views of most parents and staff.  Good management of staff performance is supported well with some unique opportunities for professional development because of the learning community in the Education Village.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 There is good leadership and management with good support from the governing body. The senior leadership team ensured that the area for improvement noted in the previous inspection report for Beaumont Hill School was fully met before conversion to an academy. There is a strong capacity for further improvement in the new academy.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Not all teaching is of the very highest quality. The outstanding practices that exist in the academy are not shared with all staff fully.  Currently, some pupils do not achieve as well in English as they do in mathematics and other areas of learning.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 14 lessons, one of which was observed jointly with the acting headteacher. They also made a number of other short visits to classrooms and other learning activities, including two learning walks, one of which was undertaken jointly with a member from the senior leadership team.  Meetings were held with the Chair of the Governing Body, pupils, parents, senior leaders and staff.  A range of school documents were examined including the academy improvement plan, the academy’s data of pupils’ achievement, records relating to behaviour, safeguarding, attendance and the governing body minutes.  There were no responses from parents to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View). The views of parents attending the meeting during inspection, a parent survey conducted by the school and 65 responses from the staff questionnaire were taken into account by the inspection team.

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Inspection team

Michele Crichton, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Sally Hicks Additional Inspector Anthony Kingston Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Beaumont Hill Academy converted to an academy on 1 April 2012. When its predecessor school, Beaumont Hill School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be outstanding.  There is currently an acting headteacher.  It is a part of a Multi-Academy Trust of five schools, three of which are co-located with Beaumont Hill in the Education Village, Darlington.  Beaumont Hill Academy caters for pupils who have a wide range of disabilities and those with special educational needs, including those with complex learning needs, others who have an autistic spectrum disorder and others with identified behavioural, emotional and social difficulties.  All pupils on roll have a statement of special educational needs.  The vast majority of pupils are of White British heritage, with a very small number from other minority ethnic backgrounds.  The majority of pupils are from Darlington and a small number of pupils are referred from other

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Information about this school

authorities.  A higher-than-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium. (The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children that are looked after.)

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure that teaching is more consistently outstanding in order to accelerate pupils’ progress, especially in English, by:  sharing with all staff the outstanding practices that exist within the academy  taking every opportunity for pupils to complete relevant and interesting reading and writing tasks in all subjects  expanding the creative approach to grouping pupils to enable more to make accelerated progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The majority of pupils start at the academy with levels of ability much lower than those in mainstream schools and have a wide range of needs.  Pupils of all ages and abilities, including those known to be eligible for the pupil premium, make good progress from their individual starting points. Some pupils make outstanding progress.  All pupils make more progress in developing their communication skills and mathematics than they do in English, particularly reading and writing.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage get off to a good start. For example, they develop a wider vocabulary and become increasingly confident when working with numbers.  Wherever it is possible and suitable, pupils access provision from other schools within the ‘Education Village’. This means they benefit socially from being close to their own friends but mixing with others in a different school. It also means they benefit academically because they

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The achievement of pupils is good

are in lessons where the pace and level of work is better suited to their needs.  All pupils achieve some form of accreditation by the time they leave the academy. The proportion of passes at GCSE level is rising each year in a range of different subjects.  The sixth form, ‘Carlbury’, is good. Students achieve well and make good academic progress. Their personal development skills are outstanding. They gain confidence, independence and a range of skills that prepare them well for their next stage in life or learning.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is at least good and at times it is outstanding. In the majority of lessons, activities are interesting, engaging and well matched to pupils’ abilities. There is strong teamwork between teachers and support staff who provide highly sensitive support for all year groups.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, teachers establish and develop a range of children’s skills. For example, they make ‘scenes’ in shoe boxes where staff skilfully weave in learning about the world, extend vocabulary and develop number skills.  In the sixth form, carefully planned curriculum experiences, such as working in the café area and the practice of using literacy and numeracy skills in context result in academic achievements that are at least good. For example, evidence that their personal skills soar is clear as students thoroughly enjoy being centre stage in rehearsals for the latest summer production ‘Carlbury

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The quality of teaching is good

Crescent’.  Sometimes, the way pupils of all abilities are grouped, for example for literacy learning, means they all make good but not outstanding progress in their learning. There are a small number of examples where staff have been resourceful and have grouped pupils in different ways. When this happens, pupils’ achievement is accelerated, especially for those who are more-able and need more challenging work.  Pupils’ achievement in communication and mathematics is very good but is not consistently outstanding in their reading and writing. Progress is slowed very occasionally when pupils spend too long going over facts they already know. Sometimes, staff miss opportunities for pupils to develop a reading and writing task in other subjects.  Feedback during lessons and the marking of pupils’ work are personal to their individual needs. Pupils’ work is regularly marked, teachers make comments about their understanding of the

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The quality of teaching is good

lesson and where their learning needs to move to next.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Beaumont Hill Academy is calm and orderly. It is evident that good relationships exist between staff and pupils. Behaviour routines are well established and pupils enjoy learning.  The majority of pupils behave responsibly around the academy and in lessons. Pupils say they feel safe because there are always staff nearby to encourage good behaviour or to manage behaviour that is not acceptable. They have appropriate levels of understanding that bullying is wrong and also that it can come in different forms.  The majority of pupils arrive at the academy eager to learn and are punctual. Attendance is broadly average currently, but improving.  Pupils feel valued in the academy and this view is supported by parents and staff. The vast majority of parents are supportive of the academy. They recognise that their child is making good and better progress in a range of areas.  During the inspection, a group of parents spoke directly to the inspectors. Comments that were

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

agreed by all parents were, ‘The school has transformed my child’s life - he now has one. I can’t speak highly enough about staff’ and ‘Our children are all so different and the staff see them as individuals. The small steps are celebrated. The children feel good and we feel good.’

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The leadership and management are good

 Senior leaders, including governors, are ambitious for pupils to have only the best opportunities. Since the move to become an academy, there have been changes, including to staff and responsibilities. Although there are many positive changes and developments in the academy, these are at various stages and have not had time to take full effect on students’ achievements.  Senior leaders are focused on raising the quality of teaching to the highest level. For example, very close monitoring of teaching and high levels of professional development for staff are influencing the consistency of outstanding teaching. However, staff do not have sufficient opportunities to share and learn from some of the outstanding practices within the academy.  Leaders ensure that pay increases for staff are clearly linked to their performance and the progress their pupils make.  The academy chain offers appropriate support to senior leaders. There is no discrimination and

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The leadership and management are good

both pupils and staff feel they are valued in their academy community. For example, careful and systematic tracking systems make sure that each pupil is achieving the best they can. Leaders check that the pupil premium is used to best support eligible pupils’ individual needs so that they make good progress.  For staff, the ‘Village Offer’ means they can choose their own appropriate and relevant professional development from any that is given by the schools within the Education Village.  All pupils benefit from a good curriculum that supports their needs and interests and grows with them as they move through the academy. It ensures that by the time pupils leave the academy they have some form of accreditation.  The vast majority of staff members who completed the inspection staff questionnaire spoke highly of the academy’s leadership and how proud they were to be part of the academy. Parents too are overwhelming in support of the academy and the education that their children receive

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The leadership and management are good

and enjoy.  Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development plays a valuable role in pupils’ ability to learn and achieve. Structured activities and experiences give opportunities to explore and develop their own values, beliefs and attitudes towards other people. For example, there are a variety of residential events, a range of outside visitors, regular visits to museums and other places of interest. There is also daily contact with a range of pupils in the Education Village.  The governance of the school:  Governance is good. Governors have helped shape Beaumont Hill’s future with its move to becoming an academy and are an integral part of improving it even further. The governing body challenges and supports the academy in equal measure. Governors are knowledgeable about data and the progress and achievement of all pupil groups, including those eligible for the pupil premium. Governors are very aware of the importance of improving the quality of

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The leadership and management are good

teaching and are closely involved in the management of staff and their opportunities for training. Governors also take full advantage of courses they think that would benefit their own practices such as developing the monitoring role of governors.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 138093 Local authority Darlington Inspection number 403758

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Academy special School category Non-maintained special Age range of pupils 2–19 Gender of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 238 Of which, number on roll in sixth form 29 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jim O'Neill Statutory Headteacher Susan Richardson Acting Head of School Clare Devine Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01325 254000 Fax number 01325 254222 Email address admin@educationvillage.org.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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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School details

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 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

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School details

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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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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