Beech Hill Community Primary School

Beech Hill Community Primary School Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU4 8BW

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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.  The school is led effectively and improving. Leaders have successfully implemented improvement strategies which have moved the school forward significantly.  The quality of teaching is regularly kept under review so that staff develop their teaching skills well.  Good teaching is enabling current pupils in all year groups to make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils are achieving well.  The pupils’ behaviour and knowledge of safety are good.  The school has an attractive learning environment. Pupils take great pride in its appearance and in their work.  The school knows what it needs to do better and is working hard to improve those aspects, such as attainment in mathematics.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is enhanced well through lots of opportunities to take responsibility and involvement in a good range of extra activities.  Parents think highly of the school and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

appreciate all that the school offers. Staff enjoy working at the school, and serve the pupils and their families well.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils’ achievement in mathematics has not been as good as in reading and writing.  More-able pupils are not always challenged enough.  Teachers do not always take sufficient account of what pupils already know and can do to ensure that all groups make maximum progress in lessons.

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Information about this inspection

 Thirty-three lessons or parts of lessons were observed. Three were jointly observed with the headteacher or other senior staff.  Discussions took place with the headteacher, various members of staff, members of the governing body, including the Chair, a group of pupils and a member of the local authority’s advisory staff.  The inspectors heard pupils read and observed the teaching of reading skills.  They sampled pupils’ work in different year groups, examined records of pupils’ progress, and read the school’s own evaluation of its strengths and weaknesses and its improvement plan. A range of other documentation was examined, including that relating to safeguarding.  The views of staff were sought and 64 responded to a written questionnaire.  The inspectors looked at Parent View, the government’s website for parents’ views about their children’s school, but the five respondents did not constitute enough to generate a report. The

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Information about this inspection

school’s own very recent parental survey was studied.

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Inspection team

Peter Sudworth, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Lindsay Hall Additional Inspector David Wolfson Additional Inspector Angela Podmore Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is much larger than the average-sized primary school. There are 30 classes in total with four in most year groups and five classes in Years 2 and 4.  Almost all pupils are from minority ethnic groups, the majority from Bangladeshi or Pakistani backgrounds, and most speak English as an additional language. A small number are from other European and African backgrounds. A very small percentage of the pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium, which provides additional government funding for pupils who are looked after by the local authority or known to be eligible for free school meals, is above the national average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action is lower than the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also lower than average.

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Information about this school

 The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The proportion of pupils who join or leave partway through their primary school education is much higher than usually found. So far during the current academic year, 36 pupils have left and 26 pupils have joined.  The school manages its own children’s centre.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise pupils’ attainment and speed up their progress in mathematics further, by ensuring that:  all teachers use the agreed methods set out in the school calculation policy  pupils know what they need to do to get to the next level in their work.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Make sure teachers plan and use their knowledge of what pupils know and can do effectively to adapt and set work that helps all groups to make rapid progress.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 On starting in Reception, children’s attainment is often well below that which is expected nationally, and many have very limited communication skills. Good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage enables children to achieve national expectations by the end of Reception. From their different starting points children make good and often rapid progress in this key stage.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ continue to make good progress in English as they progress through the school. Results at the end of Key Stage 1 are broadly average, as they are at the end of Key Stage 2. However, current rates of progress in all year groups are improving and there is an upward trend, confirmed by the school information in all year groups. Results at the end of Key Stage 2 have been improving continuously for three years.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Furthermore, marked improvements in mathematics testify to the effective work which has been undertaken to improve this aspect of pupils’ development. However, there is still more work to be done, particularly in ensuring continuity in the teaching of basic calculation skills.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils show good writing skills. The proportions of Key Stage 2 pupils making and exceeding nationally expected progress were above average in 2013. This is helped by staff paying good attention to the teaching of phonics (the sounds that letters make). In the past two years, results in the Year 1 phonics national check were above average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ handwriting and setting out of their work are usually of a very good quality and this helps their accuracy.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good arrangements to provide extra help for pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs ensure that these pupils are given the help that they need. They make good progress, as do pupils who at first speak little English.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school has addressed the attainment gap between pupils who are supported by the pupil premium and other pupils. In 2013 eligible pupils in Year 6 were on average half a term behind their classmates in reading, and a term and a half behind in writing and mathematics. The gaps have narrowed this year and there is now little difference between these two groups of pupils throughout the school. In fact, the most recent data show that eligible pupils in Year 6 are currently ahead of other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The progress of more-able pupils presents a mixed picture. They were being challenged well through investigative tasks in a mathematics lesson in Year 6 which really made the pupils think hard. By contrast, older able pupils sat through the same work as other pupils in English lessons and consequently they were not extended sufficiently.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff’s good relationships with pupils enable lessons to proceed smoothly. Their knowledge of pupils and their families is supported effectively by the children’s centre. Teaching assistants provide good support for teachers and are always actively involved with individuals or small groups in support of pupils’ good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Learning resources are used well to help pupils’ understanding. In a Year 2 lesson about time, pupils had individual clocks so that they could move the fingers to different positions. Their understanding increased as a result.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of pupils’ own work to illustrate their understanding. In a Year 6 class, individual pupils came to the front to explain how they had worked out particular mathematical calculations. These demonstrations also increased their confidence in speaking in English in front of others.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers make good use of reminder lists for different types of writing so that pupils know what needs to be included to be successful. This helps in developing pupils’ knowledge of different writing styles, such as diary writing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Good teaching in the Reception classes of a wide range of stimulating outdoor and indoor activities helps the children’s language and personal development.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of different aspects of English, including reading, is good and recent improvements to the teaching of mathematics have improved the quality of teaching. Teachers encourage the pupils to use a good variety of English vocabulary, and when pupils do not know the meaning of words they demonstrate with actions effectively so that pupils can understand. In a Year 4 lesson, the teacher ‘stooped’ her back to illustrate the meaning of this word.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Regular marking of work ensures that pupils know how successful they have been, but they are not always shown what they need to be able to do in order to get to the next level, particularly in mathematics.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Sometimes teachers stick too rigidly to shared year group planning rather than using it flexibly to meet the needs of their particular pupils, particularly the more-able pupils. As a result, these pupils sometimes mark time when they sit through parts of lessons such as introductions which are too easy for them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Parents agree. Pupils are enthusiastic learners and demonstrate good attitudes to work. Pupils behave well around school, such as keeping to the left in the corridors and walking rather than running in school to prevent accidents. The school’s focus on different values supports pupils’ good conduct. They are, for example, consistently polite and considerate to one another. There have not been any recent exclusions.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils welcome the wide range of responsible tasks they can take part in, for example as prefects or members of the eco team looking after the school environment. Some act as ‘peer mentors’ in supporting others who need help.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils report that bullying is very rare and that pupils will not tolerate any such incidents. Records show few incidents of bad behaviour. Pupils say, ‘We don’t define people by race in this school.’

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attendance is above average and has improved significantly since the last inspection. The school is working hard to improve the punctuality of the few pupils who do not arrive on time.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils are aware of the dangers of cyber-bullying but agree that it is not a problem for them. They feel very safe in school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Links with other schools widen pupils’ experiences. The school council members, for example, visit another school and they spend time in one another’s classes on these exchange visits. Year 5 pupils visit another school and share projects together.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher leads the school very well and makes sure teachers can flourish. She has a good working partnership with the deputy. The children’s centre is also well managed. The members of the senior leadership team have clear roles and meet together daily so all are kept up to date.

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The leadership and management are good

 Subject leaders know what is expected by the headteacher and tackle any weaknesses effectively. The mathematics subject leader has recently revised the policy for carrying out calculations and included more use of applying and using mathematics skills. Reviewing samples of work is helping to make sure that staff are following the new guidance.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils study a good balance of subjects including science, in which they have an opportunity to apply their mathematical and writing skills when recording investigations. The good range of after-school activities extends pupils’ interests.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium money has been well spent. School data show that the attainment gap between pupils eligible for this funding and those who are not has narrowed significantly this year. Extra staffing has facilitated small group teaching with some individual tuition, quickening these pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary schools sports grant has been used wisely to extend the range of sports activities including increasing swimming provision. The use of a physical education (PE) adviser has strengthened staff’s skills in teaching PE, for example in athletics. The increase in activities is improving pupils’ physical well-being and helping them to reach the performance levels they are capable of.

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The leadership and management are good

 The reviews of staff performance are arranged well and all staff are included. Those for teachers are clearly based on the national Teachers’ Standards. Links with other schools are effective in supporting staff training.

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The leadership and management are good

 Good links with parents are supported by senior staff meeting parents in the playground at the start of the day, giving parents an immediate link if they have any questions or concerns.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority keeps in termly contact with the school to gauge its progress and discuss its development. It provides courses for staff and also for governors.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Individual governors are linked to specific subject areas. They visit lessons to gain insight into the quality of teaching and how it is developing.  Governors understand the system to review the performance of teachers and other staff, and how it links to their pay.  They are familiar with the way in which the pupil premium is spent and its impact on eligible pupils’ achievement, and also the increase in sports activities as a result of primary funding.  Training has given them a better understanding of how to interpret school progress information.  They make sure safeguarding requirements are fully met.

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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 131089 Local authority Luton Inspection number 442630

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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 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 780 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Chapman Headteacher Debbie Bosher Date of previous school inspection 11 July 2011 Telephone number 01582 429403 Fax number 01582 487680 Email address beechhill.primary.admin@luton.gov.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 and 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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