Beckbury CofE Primary School

Beckbury CofE Primary School Beckbury, Shifnal, TF11 9DQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Pupils’ behaviour is excellent and they have a clear understanding of how to keep themselves and others safe. The school is a calm and purposeful place where outstanding manners are the norm.  Pupils’ attainment is above average at the end of Year 6 and the gap between reading and writing is closing.  Pupils make good progress as they move through the school. Most achieve well, especially in their reading.  Teaching is good. Staff use questions well, both to assess what pupils know and to encourage them to work things out for themselves.  The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of the pupils is at the centre of the school’s work.  The headteacher provides strong and determined leadership that focuses on improving teaching and drives the school forward. Governors are knowledgeable about and supportive of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Occasionally, staff do not make clear enough to pupils exactly what needs to be improved in their work.  In a few lessons, teachers take too long to explain to pupils what they need to do and this slows their learning.  Pupils are not given enough opportunity to respond to the advice given when teachers mark their work.

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Information about this inspection

 The lead inspector observed parts of six lessons, taught by three teachers. This included several joint observations with the headteacher. The lead inspector also listened to several pupils read and looked at samples of recent work.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, teachers, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. Discussions also took place with groups of mixed ability pupils.  The lead inspector took account of the views of 18 parents and carers as noted on the on-line parent questionnaire (Parent View). He also spoke to some parents at the start of the school day. The lead inspector also noted the five responses to the staff questionnaire and a letter from a parent.  The lead inspector observed the work of the school and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s own information on pupils’ progress; planning and monitoring information;

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Information about this inspection

and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Steven Cartlidge, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is a much smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There are no pupils from ethnic minority groups.  A below average proportion of pupils are supported by the pupil premium, which in this school provides additional funding for those known to be eligible for free school meals and other groups.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average, as is the proportion of supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  Pupils are taught in mixed-aged classes.  An independent Nursery is based on the school site. This provision is not managed by the governing body and is the subject of a separate report.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure that the quality of teaching is consistently effective and increase the proportion that is outstanding by:  checking that staff always involve pupils in the assessment of their work, so that they are clear about what they can improve  giving pupils time to respond to the advice given  ensuring that the organisation of lessons is effective, so that pupils are fully involved throughout  ensuring that teachers’ explanations are not too long, so that pupils have more time to work independently.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The number of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage is small and they enter with skills and experiences that are broadly typical for their age. All have a positive attitude to learning and this has had a positive impact on their progress, with the vast majority over time making good or better progress and reaching a good level of development. Due to the strong focus on teaching the skills of early reading and writing, children are well prepared for Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 At the time of the previous inspection standards were above average in Key Stage 1 and slightly below in Key Stage 2. Standards have been maintained in Key Stage 1 and those in Key Stage 2 are now above the national averages. Pupils in Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 maintain very positive attitudes to learning resulting in maintained positive progress, with the vast majority over time making good or better progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Over the past year the school has improved the organisation and use of assessment information to track the progress made by individuals and groups. This has helped identify which pupils need support and improved the overall progress made. The most able in the school are identified quickly, set appropriate and challenging work and often achieve over time good or better progress. Progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in Years 1 to 6 is good for all groups of pupils of different abilities and from different backgrounds.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In recent years standards in writing for pupils in upper Key Stage 2 have not been as high as those in other areas. The school has been involved in various initiatives and recent samples of pupils’ work indicate a much stronger picture, with all of the pupils writing well for their age.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive specific additional help in lessons on an individual basis. Effective use of teaching assistants successfully help pupils grow in confidence and make good progress towards their individual targets.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupil premium funding is used very effectively. It is used to fund, for example, additional staff and activities such as educational visits. Last year there were too few pupils entitled to pupil premium funding to comment upon their progress in English and mathematics without identifying individuals.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has started using the new primary school funding by buying into local sports partnerships and employing a sports coach for one day a week. Pupils are already talking enthusiastically about the new sport activities available at lunch time and after school, but it is too early to evaluate the impact of these initiatives on developing healthy lifestyles and better physical wellbeing for pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The headteacher has done a great deal since the last inspection to transform the quality of teaching. A key strength has been that the she often sets an example of excellent teaching and has a strong focus on continually improving skills through coaching other staff. All staff have high expectations of what the pupils can achieve and of their behaviour. Because pupils are keen to live up to the expectations of the adults around them, this helps them to make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the early Years Foundation Stage, effective use is made of the outdoor area to promote good learning. During the inspection children had the chance to work on matching identical paper socks. The children described their paper sock and then found the matching sock that was somewhere in the outdoor area. Because the activity interested the children and they were highly enthusiastic, their language developed well. The strong emphasis on promoting writing is also having an excellent impact on children’s skills and progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use questioning well to consolidate and extend learning. For example, in a Year 5 and 6 English lesson pupils made excellent progress in understanding the power of persuasive language when writing letters. The teacher used questions very well to prompt pupils to think of alternative ways of using language and pupils worked in pairs to assess their progress using sophisticated subject-specific vocabulary. Occasionally, teachers’ introductions to learning go on for too long when pupils are capable of moving on more quickly.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants work well in partnership with teachers to support individuals, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, the most-able pupils, and those eligible for the pupil premium. Their progress is carefully checked to ensure that they are achieving their learning targets.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work is generally thorough and supports pupils’ progress. However, in a few instances, marking does not provide pupils with clear guidance on what they need to do in order to improve, and teachers do not always check that they have responded to the comments and learned from the advice given.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Occasionally lessons are not as well organised and activities not closely enough matched to the pupils’ individual abilities. As a result, some pupils do not understand clearly what they need to do and others, mainly the most able, have to undertake tasks that are too easy for them before moving onto more challenging work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 The behaviour of pupils is typically excellent in and around the school. Pupils are consistently polite to each other, to staff and to visitors. This is shown in the very calm arrival of the pupils each morning and the sensible way that they move around the school site. The school’s strong focus on the personal development of the pupils supports their social and moral development very effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils say that behaviour is always well managed. They have a clear understanding of the sanctions that will be used if they should fall below teachers’ high expectations. However, they told the lead inspector that teachers never allow learning to be disrupted by poor behaviour. Staff and parents and carers agree.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning which has a positive impact upon their achievement. They listen carefully to the explanations of staff and to the ideas of others. This was very well illustrated in an English lesson by Year 5 pupils who avidly listened to each other’s writing tasks and then animatedly joined in paired discussions about what the strengths and areas for improvement each had. Work is usually neatly presented, and pupils take pride in themselves and their school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils can clearly explain that bullying is a repeated action and know that inappropriate behaviour is never tolerated in school. Pupils understand how to keep safe and can explain what cyber-bullying is and what to do if it occurred. Attendance is high and pupils arrive punctually.  The great majority of staff and parents agree that behaviour at the school is good. The vast majority of the parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire (Parent View) would have no hesitation in recommending the school to others.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers and governors are ambitious for the school to do well. The headteacher provides very determined leadership, promoting a clear focus on continual improvement. She drives school improvement, with a clearly articulated vision for the future.

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The leadership and management are good

 The analysis of pupils’ progress and accurate evaluation of the school’s work provide all teachers, and the governing body, with a clear understanding of the school’s performance, including the Early Years Foundation Stage. This ensures that improvement planning is sharply focused on identified weaknesses. This is seen, for example, in the successful action taken to raise attainment and demonstrates the school’s capacity for continued improvement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The leadership of teaching is good and the school places a high priority on improving teaching through good quality training. Teachers’ performance is checked and information is used from lesson observations and from information about pupils’ progress to set teachers’ targets for improvement. There is a clear understanding that decisions about promotion and pay rates will be based on the impact of teaching on pupil progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium funding is used effectively and has helped develop the role of the teaching assistant. Pupils identified in need of additional support, including those eligible for pupil premium funding, disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, are well supported. The school evaluates its expenditure on the supported provided through data which shows that pupils are making similarly good progress to their classmates.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders ensure that different groups of pupils have an equal chance to succeed, and they tackle any instances of discrimination effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 In this small school, the broad range of topics and subjects taught promote a positive attitude to learning from pupils across all subjects and with all staff and this leads to pupils achieving well. Pupils’ learning is enhanced through various clubs and out-of-school activities. The school has recently been awarded Beacon Status as a church school by the Diocese of Lichfield. This award is given in recognition of the good work the school carries out ‘to support Religious Education, Worship, Spirituality and Christian Distinctiveness’. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is a key strength, epitomised by a Year 6 pupil’s comment about the school continually raising funds through various charitable events in order to help another school in Africa.

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The leadership and management are good

 Primary school sport funding is being used to buy into a local sports partnership and employ a sports coach for one day a week. In the early part of the school year, the school is entering an inter-school cross country championship meeting and is encouraging all pupils in Years 1 to 6 to join in.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority is providing the school and headteacher with good support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school: - The governing body is well informed. It challenges and supports the school, and using the data available, compares its performance with schools nationally. Governors have a deep insight into the quality of teaching. They ensure that the use of additional funds from the pupil premium improves the achievement of the pupils for whom the funds are intended. The governing body oversees the management of finance and resources expertly and ensures that the salary progression of staff is justified. Governors rigorously check safeguarding practice and, as a result, safeguarding procedures meet current legal requirements.

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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 123460 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 426978

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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 Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 59 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Rev Keith Hodson Headteacher Barbara Parker Date of previous school inspection 25 January 2012 Telephone number 01952 750287 Fax number 01952 750287 Email address Admin.beckbury@shropshirelg.net 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

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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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