Beechwood Primary School

Beechwood Primary School Kentmere Avenue, Leeds, West Yorkshire, LS14 6QB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Achievement of pupils in Key Stage 2 is not yet good.  Progress is too variable between Key Stages 1 and 2.  Too few pupils make enough progress in mathematics at Key Stage 2. Fewer pupils in this school than nationally reach the higher levels of attainment in this subject.  Teaching is not consistently good or better across the school.  Work provided for pupils does not always match their needs.  Pupils are not always given enough opportunities to improve their learning.  Adults do not always provide enough opportunities for pupils to work on their own.  Not enough teachers have the skills required to raise standards in mathematics.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 as a result of good and outstanding teaching.  Pupils supported by the pupil premium and those with special educational needs do well.  Pupils behave well around the school. They feel safe because teachers look after them.  Regular checks by leaders and managers on the quality of teaching are ensuring improvements in performance in Key Stage 2 and in the standard of teaching; pupils’ achievement is rising as a result.  Leaders, managers and the governing body collect a wide range of evidence and use it to make improvements. Recent test results show standards have risen in all subjects, clearly demonstrating that this is an improving school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 22 lessons, including parts of lessons. All teachers were observed at least once. Four lessons were observed jointly, one with the headteacher, one with the deputy headteacher and two with the leader of mathematics.  The inspectors met with staff, pupils, parents and four members of the governing body plus a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors took into account 16 staff questionnaires and considered information from previous school surveys carried out with parents and pupils. There were not enough responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) to take into account.  The inspectors reviewed work in pupils’ books and listened to pupils read. They observed pupils moving around inside and outside the school and at different times in the day.  They observed the school’s work and considered a number of documents, including the school’s own evaluation of its performance, its improvement plan and minutes from governors’ meetings.

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Inspection team

Jonathan Woodyatt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Stephen Fisher Additional Inspector Jonathan Chicken Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school.  The large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is similar to that in other primary schools. The proportion supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is much higher.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding is much higher than average. (The pupil premium is additional funding for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and children that are looked after by the local authority.)  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  Over the last few years, there have been changes in the teaching staff at the school, including teachers leaving or joining the school, or changing classes in Key Stage 2.

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Information about this school

 The school runs the ‘Early Birds’ breakfast club.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good and better by:  providing work for pupils that fully matches their needs so that they can quickly progress to the next level  making sure that questioning and marking always give pupils opportunities to improve their work  ensuring that adults give pupils the right amount of support to be able to work successfully on their own.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to develop teachers’ skills in the teaching of mathematics to raise attainment and improve progress further in Key Stage 2.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils’ standards of attainment in Key Stage 2 are not high enough because of weaker teaching in previous years.  There is inconsistency in the progress made between pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2. Levels of attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 typically improve year by year. However, levels of attainment at the end of Key Stage 2 have been more variable and until this year had fallen in mathematics.  Mathematics results in 2011 and 2012 and reading results in 2012 show that by the end of Key Stage 2, standards fell well below national standards and not enough pupils reached the higher levels of attainment that were expected given their starting points at the beginning of Year 3. Although standards in writing fell, they were broadly average. However, there is clear evidence of recent improvements in the rate of pupils’ progress and the proportions of pupils reaching the higher levels in all these subjects have increased because leaders have been raising standards in

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

the quality of teaching.  Children start school in the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills well below those expected for their age, particularly in personal development and communication and language. Children make good progress and reach levels closer to those expected for their age by the end of the Reception class.  Pupils continue to make good progress throughout Key Stage 1 and leave Year 2 with levels in reading, writing and mathematics expected for their age.  Checks on pupils’ phonic skills (the knowledge of letters and sounds to help read unfamiliar words) carried out in Year 1, show that the majority of pupils exceed the levels expected for their age. Key Stage 1 pupils who read out loud to inspectors could demonstrate that their reading skills were helping them to be competent at reading previously unseen books.  Point scores in national tests showed that pupils who are eligible for the extra funding through

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

the pupil premium reached standards that were lower in 2012 than those not eligible for these funds and other pupils nationally. The extra support that the school is providing with this funding has enabled eligible pupils to catch up and make the same progress as others in the school in reading, writing and mathematics. Therefore, the school has ensured that any gaps are being successfully closed.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs are well provided for by adults, both in the classroom and in additional small-group and one-to-one activities. As a result of this effective support, they make good progress. This reflects the school’s strong commitment to equality of opportunity and to tackling discrimination.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Although good and outstanding teaching was observed in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1, the quality is not consistent in Key Stage 2.  The skills of teachers in Key Stage 2 have not been sufficiently high to ensure that enough pupils made the best progress in mathematics. Teaching in mathematics, has not ensured that pupils have been able to learn well because teachers did not know how to make the necessary improvements.  In the teaching that requires improvement, teachers do not plan tasks for pupils that fully match their needs. Work is sometimes too hard for some pupils and too easy for others. As a result, some pupils do not do as well as they should.  Teachers do not always provide opportunities for pupils to benefit the most from lessons. In some lessons, teachers do not fully explore through questioning what pupils have been learning in order to ensure that they have deepened their understanding and can explain what they have

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

learnt. Evidence in pupils’ books shows that marking, although undertaken regularly, sometimes lacks guidance on how pupils can make their work better next time.  Teaching assistants and specialist teachers make a highly effective contribution to guiding the learning of different groups of pupils, such as those with special educational needs or those who have fallen behind. They are involved in activities in and out of the classrooms and provide specialist support with reading and mathematics. Sometimes, when adults provide support for a group of pupils throughout a lesson, they limit the opportunities for those pupils to practise working on their own, for example, to solve problems.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well when playing outside on the playground or when moving around the school. In many lessons, they display high levels of enthusiasm and repeatedly show respect for adults and other pupils. They get on well with one another and their positive attitudes ensure the school is calm and purposeful.  Pupils are keen to learn and respond well to their teachers’ instructions and other adults. Occasionally, when learning activities are not matched to their needs, their attention slips. When this happens, teachers and teaching assistants quickly ensure pupils get back to their work.  In conversations with inspectors, pupils said that there is little bullying or racist behaviour and that if it occurs, it is dealt with quickly and effectively by teachers. The school’s records confirm this and show that pupils’ behaviour over time is good.  Pupils feel safe and very well cared for in school. They know that they can always talk to an

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

adult if they are worried about anything. They say that teachers are very supportive and know them well. They appreciate the extra help they get in small groups or in one-to-one sessions to help them improve.  The school has employed a member of staff who works successfully with pupils and their families to improve attendance levels. As a result, levels have improved over time and are now broadly average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher regularly reviews the quality of teaching in lessons. He has improved the accuracy and use of information that shows how well pupils are doing. Recently he reorganised staffing and class structures in Years 5 and 6. This is in addition to providing ongoing support and training for teachers to develop their skills. As a result, the quality of teaching is improving.  Leaders and managers systematically track the progress of pupils through regular pupil progress meetings. They plan carefully for individual needs and ensure that effective support is provided at an early stage for those who are at risk of falling behind in their learning, through good quality one-to-one support from specialist teachers. Currently this is less effective in some lessons where teachers’ planning does not take sufficient account of pupils’ individual needs.  Opportunities for teachers to improve their skills through additional training or support have not

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The leadership and management are good

been frequent or effective enough, particularly for the teaching of mathematics.  Increased rigour in the checking of the school performance has led to changes in staffing; the employment of specialist teachers and increased opportunities for training and support have brought about improvement. For example, results of recent national tests show that standards have risen but that there is still some work to be done.  Parents are very positive about the improvements that they see in their children’s progress and skills. They told inspectors that teachers were very caring and confirmed that their children are well looked after and safe in school. They felt that they were kept fully informed through parents’ evenings and could raise issues with teachers when required.  The curriculum offers pupils opportunities to develop their social, moral, spiritual and cultural experiences through a range of activities, trips and talks by visitors, which helps them to reflect

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The leadership and management are good

on how to live in a diverse global society. For example, pupils were able to visit Paris on a school trip. Pupils can attend the ‘Early Birds’ breakfast club at the start of every day.  The local authority reviewed the performance of the school and decided that it requires only ‘light-touch’ support.  The governance of the school:  The governing body is fully aware of the school’s recent performance because governors are provided with lots of information, understand the school data, ask pertinent questions and spend time in the school with staff. Governors contribute fully to the school’s own evaluation of its performance. They use this knowledge to ensure that they link pay closely to improvements in the performance of the headteacher and teachers and clearly hold leaders to account for this. They use the school’s finances well to employ staff who have the right skills to meet pupils’ needs and to support their ambitious plans for improving the school’s

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The leadership and management are good

resources. The governing body fulfils its statutory duties, including ensuring that safeguarding procedures comply with national 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 107920 Local authority Leeds Inspection number 412944

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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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 428 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Tom Clarke Headteacher Simon Hilton Date of previous school inspection 15 June 2010 Telephone number 0113 2930250 Fax number 0113 2930249 Email address boffice@leedslearning.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

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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