Beanfield Primary School

Beanfield Primary School Farmstead Road, Corby, NN18 0LJ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected 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 Requires improvement 3

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

 Standards of writing are too low. Pupils do not write enough at length, including in other subjects.  Spelling mistakes are not routinely corrected.  Pupils’ achievement in 2013 fell well short of what is expected nationally.  Teaching requires improvement because not enough is consistently good and more-able pupils are not always given sufficiently demanding work to do.  The quality of marking varies. Pupils do not always act upon the advice they are given.  Leaders, managers and governors were not able to raise standards enough in 2013, so the school fell below government floor standards.  Leaders involved with disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, including those in the Unit, do not set ambitious enough targets for their achievement.  Phase leaders do not play a sufficiently active role in managing the performance of the teachers in their phases.

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The school has the following strengths

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language are supported well and make good progress.  Strong leadership from the principal and vice principal, supported well by the Trust, has led to rapid improvements in teaching and pupils’ progress this year.  Children make a good start in the Nursery.  Standards are rising and the attainment of the current Year 6 is close to average.  Pupils behave well in and around the school. They say they feel safe at school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 29 lessons or parts of lessons, including some jointly with the principal and vice principal.  Members of the inspection team heard pupils read and, with the principal and vice principal, looked closely at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors looked at a wide range of school documents, including development plans, policies, self-evaluation reports, monitoring files, safeguarding and subject materials, evidence of the school’s partnership work and information for families.  Meetings were held with groups of pupils chosen at random. Discussions were held with senior leaders, phase leaders, subject leaders, teachers and other staff, the Chair of the Governing Body and another governor, and representatives from the Brooke Weston Trust.  The inspectors noted eight responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and spoke informally to parents in the playground. They also considered the school’s own survey of

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Information about this inspection

parental views.  The inspectors considered the staff questionnaires that were completed.

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Inspection team

Nick Butt, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Paul Lowther Additional Inspector Rosemary Barnfield Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school. It is growing to have three forms of entry in every year group. At present, this is the case in Reception and Key Stage 1.  Beanfield Primary converted to become an academy school in September 2012. It is sponsored by the Brooke Weston Trust. When its predecessor school, of the same name, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be satisfactory.  Most pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is average.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium (which in this school provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals) is above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus, or with a statement of special educational needs, is also above average.

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Information about this school

 The school offers specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs in the form of a unit (the Unit) for 33 pupils with severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties and autistic spectrum disorders.  In 2013, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment by the end of Key Stage 2.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Move teaching to consistently good or better by making sure that:  work is sufficiently demanding for more-able pupils  marking shows all pupils how to improve their work and teachers check that pupils have acted upon their advice.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve attainment in writing by:  giving pupils more opportunities to write at length, including in subjects other than English  consistently supporting pupils in improving their spelling  helping all pupils to develop neat presentation of their work and handwriting.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  leaders setting challenging targets for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including in the Unit  ensuring that teaching assistants are given the guidance they need to support pupils effectively in the Unit  developing the roles of phase leaders; for example, in taking more of a lead in managing teachers’ performance.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Progress across the school was patchy in 2013. While Year 6 pupils made good progress in their final year (the first year of the academy), their attainment was very low in all subjects. Many pupils in different year groups had gaps in their knowledge and understanding because of previous experiences of weak teaching.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, standards at the end of Year 2 were below average in reading and well below average in writing and mathematics. This year, improvements to teaching mean that progress has accelerated and pupils currently in Year 2 are working close to average attainment in reading and writing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The Year 1 check on phonics (the sounds that letters make) showed pupils to be below the expected standard, and too few met the required standard when retaking the check. The school has taken steps to make the teaching of phonics more effective and pupils in the current Year 1 are on track to be closer to last year’s national average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 This year, progress has been more rapid across the school and pupils currently in Year 6 are reaching average standards in reading and mathematics. However, they are still not doing so well in writing. Writing is weaker across the school because pupils have too few opportunities to write at length, including in subjects other than English. Sometimes spelling errors go uncorrected, and some pupils’ handwriting is not neat enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils enjoy reading. They are given books to read that challenge them and they understand what they are reading. They talk with enthusiasm about their reading and they read with expression.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In mathematics, new approaches to teaching and individual sessions with pupils to consider their progress have helped to bring about improvements. Pupils achieve well as they become more skilful in calculating. Teachers have a greater understanding of where the gaps in pupils’ knowledge lie, because they know in more depth how well they are doing.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs varies because teaching is inconsistent in its support for these pupils. Not all make good progress. Expectations of what these pupils can achieve are not always high enough.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of pupils in the Unit requires improvement because their experiences vary according to the quality of teaching. The impact of teaching assistants is inconsistent because teachers do not always give them clear guidance about how to support pupils’ learning.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The progress of pupils supported by the pupil premium is similar to other pupils and has accelerated this year. In 2013, this group of pupils was over a year behind their classmates in mathematics, almost two terms behind in reading and a year behind in writing. Gaps for the current Year 6 are much narrower, especially in reading. However, in some year groups, there are still significant gaps between eligible pupils and the others.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 In 2013, too few pupils achieved the higher levels of attainment. Sometimes, more-able pupils are given work to do which is too easy and this slows their progress.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Pupils who speak English as an additional language achieve particularly well because learning is adapted to support their specific learning needs.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children join the Nursery with skills typically below what is expected for their age. They get off to a good start because adults work well together to engage them and keep a careful record of how the children are doing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 While the school has done much to tackle previously inadequate teaching, not enough teaching is consistently good or better.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 All teachers regularly follow the school’s new marking policy. However, in some cases, the advice they give to pupils through marking does not show pupils how to improve their work. Teachers do not always check that pupils have acted on the guidance effectively.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Relationships are very good between staff and pupils. Pupils are clear about what they are going to learn and know how they can be successful because teachers share this with them.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are mostly very positive about learning and they work hard. For example, Year 6 pupils were engrossed in writing diary entries in role as passengers recording their first impressions of stepping onto the Titanic. They knew exactly what was expected of them in using interesting vocabulary, and one pupil wrote, ‘I was flabbergasted!’ In this lesson, it was very clear that all pupils were ‘on board’.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Where teaching is most effective, teachers set challenging tasks which are at the right level for pupils. This was observed to be working very successfully in a guided reading session in Year 4. In this lesson, pupils who speak English as an additional language, in particular, made outstanding progress as they used an application to help them translate specific vocabulary into their own languages.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Unit, strong teaching occurs when effective teamwork between teachers and teaching assistants engages pupils and supports them in their social and emotional development as well as meeting their academic needs. However, this is not consistently the case, as expectations are sometimes too low as to what pupils can achieve.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Nursery, children learn well because teaching excites them and develops their understanding in a range of areas. For example, children have plenty of opportunities for writing, both inside and outside the classroom. In Reception, children were writing about a toy farm.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Books show that, in some classes, pupils do not write enough. Sometimes their writing in their ‘learning journey’ (topic book) is not as good as in their English books. Nonetheless, there are some examples of superior quality work being produced; for example, in Year 4, on the Second World War.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils say there has been a ‘massive improvement’ since the school became an academy. They have positive attitudes to learning and enjoy their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils welcome the school’s new behaviour policy and have had a say in refining it. They are friendly towards one another and behave well around the school. One said, ‘It’s like everybody’s known each other their whole life.’ Inspectors observed a very calm wet playtime.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In the Unit, behaviour plans are used to encourage good behaviour, and pupils have opportunities to socialise; for example, through shared meals. They attend whole-school assemblies and clubs and go on visits with the other pupils. Pupils accept difference and know that discrimination is not tolerated.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour is not outstanding because, at times, pupils become distracted when the work does not fully engage them.

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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 say that bullying is not an issue. They say there is always somebody to turn to if they have a worry. They say they feel safe in school and know about different types of bullying, such as cyber-bullying.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe, including when using social media sites.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance has risen considerably this year and is now above average. This is as a result of the school’s work to reward good attendance and to work with families who struggle to get their children to school on a regular basis or on time.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because leaders, managers and governors were not effective in raising standards in 2013 and end-of-year results were too low at both Key Stage 1 and 2. Leaders who take responsibility for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, including in the Unit, do not set targets that are sufficiently challenging to ensure that pupils make the progress of which they are capable.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has benefited from the dedication and passion of its principal and vice principal, who have helped the school grow from uncertain beginnings to form a stable and confident staff team. Their powerful vision to move the school rapidly to good is shared by all staff, who know exactly what is expected of them to bring this about.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Much has been done to improve all aspects of the school’s work and the impact is evident in pupils’ good behaviour and positive attitudes to learning, and in the rise in attendance. While teaching is improving and progress is accelerating, this is not yet reflected in published results. Although the present Year 6 are on course to do much better this year, attainment in writing is still not good enough.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 While disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs have not been set targets to do the best they can, other pupils are set aspirational targets to promote good or better progress, and they are responding positively to these.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 With the support of the Trust, leaders and managers have introduced systems that track very clearly how well pupils are doing and, at frequent stages during the year, show them how different groups perform. This enables them to hold staff to account and to support any pupils at risk of falling behind promptly.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and managers have been developing the roles of subject and other leaders, enabling them to have a positive impact on improving teaching and accelerating progress. However, the management of teachers’ performance is undertaken currently only by senior leaders and phase leaders, in particular, are not as involved in the process as they could be.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school makes sure that all pupils are treated equally. Pupils from the Unit mix happily with other pupils.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school has received high-quality support from the Brooke Weston Trust and there are very strong links across the other schools in the Trust for sharing best practice and undertaking training. However, leaders and managers are not dependent on the Trust but access its expertise and support according to the school’s priorities.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders and managers have an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness and inspectors agreed with their judgements during joint lesson observations. Leaders have ensured that almost all of the previous inadequate teaching has been eliminated.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The subjects that pupils take are interesting and take account of their views. There are plenty of visits and pupils enjoy an excellent range of clubs.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The primary sports premium is being spent on developing the skills of staff in teaching physical education, training for lunchtime supervisors to lead games, extra sports clubs and access to the local sports partnership. This has resulted in greater participation in sport by pupils, including disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs, and reduced incidents of misbehaviour at lunchtimes.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well through the activities that pupils undertake and through the school’s promotion of its virtues, such as ‘relationships’.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Parents are very positive about the school and the changes that have taken place since it became an academy.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  The governing body is very knowledgeable about the school and is very well informed about the quality of teaching and how pupils are performing. Governors bring a wide variety of expertise to support and challenge the school. Together with the Trust, the governing body sets demanding targets for senior leaders and holds them to account very well. The impact of this work is more apparent this year, as teaching is improving and standards are rising. Leaders know about the impact of the pupil premium and the sports funding. They are clear that teachers should only be rewarded for good or better performance. They ensure that safeguarding arrangements meet 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 138672 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 440105

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 542 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jan Banham Principal Leyton Smith Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected Telephone number 01536 262000 Fax number 01536 408629 Email address admin@beanfieldprimary.org 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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