Setting

Mr Leyton Smith Principal Beanfield Primary School Farmstead Road Corby NN18 0LJ

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School

Following my visit to your academy on 9 July 2014, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the academy since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the academy was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in May 2014. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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School

Senior leaders and governors are taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection.

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Evidence

During the inspection, meetings were held with the Principal, the Vice-Principal and other senior and subject leaders, the Vice-Chair of the Governing Body, and a representative of the academy sponsor to discuss the action taken since the last inspection. The academy action plan was evaluated. You joined me on a tour of the academy, including the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs in the form of a unit (the Unit), where I spoke informally with pupils. I scrutinised some pupils’ books and viewed other school documentation. The single central record was checked.

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Context

Since the last inspection, a class teacher has resigned and will leave at the end of the academy year. The English subject leader intends to return from maternity leave Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T : 0121 6799169 Direct email : mathew.mitchell@serco.com in September. Four new class teachers have been appointed for the new school year. Four new cover supervisors have been trained from the existing staff and they will take up their roles in September.

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Main findings

You have responded quickly and positively to the findings of your last inspection. Your action plan is correctly focused on raising attainment for all pupils, including those pupils attending the Unit. Well-defined, measureable actions to improve teaching are linked to a robust system for checking their success. Clear, challenging targets for better outcomes for pupils demonstrate the sense of urgency to raise achievement. You, other leaders, the governing body, and the Brooke Weston Trust share this urgency. However, the governing body’s role within the plan, including how governors will check on the success of its actions, is unclear.

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Main findings

You and the Vice-Principal have developed a strong sense of purpose among the staff team. You have reorganised the responsibilities of subject and phase leaders within the academy and their roles are now clearly defined. Subject leaders and phase leaders know what is expected of them and they understand that they are accountable for the outcomes of pupils in their phases and subjects. As a result, they are beginning to challenge teachers to improve their work to raise standards across the school.

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Main findings

The quality of teaching is improving. Training to improve teachers’ performance has resulted in better planning to meet the needs of different groups of pupils, including the most able. Tailored, individual support, often provided for by lead teachers from the academy trust, has been effective in addressing areas of weakness in teaching. As a result, teachers have raised their own expectations of what pupils can achieve.

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Main findings

Teachers have improved the quality of their marking; they are now providing pupils with comments that support them to deepen their understanding of their work. As a result, the progress pupils make is accelerating in English and mathematics, including the progress of pupils within the Unit. However, the rates of progress are not yet consistent across year groups and subjects.

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Main findings

Ofsted may carry out further visits and, where necessary, provide further support and challenge to the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The Director of Primary Provision for the Brooke Weston Trust has worked alongside the Principal, Vice-Principal, and the governing body to develop the school action plan. The academy trust has provided effective support to help improve the quality of teaching through lead teachers who have worked with individual teachers to improve their work. It has also supported senior leaders by checking the quality of improvements in pupils’ outcomes and teachers’ assessments. It has brokered effective partnerships with other academies within the Trust to support the development of key leaders within the academy.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body, the Director of Children’s Services for Nothamptonshire and the Director of Primary Provision for the Brooke Weston Trust and the Department for Education.

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