Upper Beeding Primary School

School report Upper Beeding Primary School

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School Road, Upper Beeding, West Sussex, BN44 3HY

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Early years provision Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 School leaders show high levels of commitment to ensuring that the school is as good as it can be for its pupils. This, together with the headteacher’s unremitting focus on improving the quality of teaching, has resulted in pupils making excellent progress from their starting points, leading to outstanding achievement.  Governors have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the school’s performance. They are highly ambitious for the school, and have strongly supported leaders in their successful drive to improve teaching and to accelerate pupils’ progress.  Leaders have thoughtfully and imaginatively developed the school’s curriculum so that it provides pupils with extensive opportunities to develop their skills, talents and interests.  The curriculum contributes very effectively to pupils’ spiritual and moral development and to their preparation for life in modern Britain.  Pupils’ cultural development is considerably

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

enhanced by the school’s strong focus on the arts, especially music.  Pupils’ excellent behaviour has a highly positive impact on their learning. Their excellent attitudes contribute strongly to their academic achievement.  Pupils are keen to take on responsibility, are polite and attentive to adults, and are considerate and helpful to one another.  Pupils feel extremely safe in school and know how to keep themselves safe in a variety of situations. They have no concerns about bullying and their understanding of its causes helps them to prevent it from happening.  Teachers are extremely enthusiastic as well as knowledgeable about the different subjects they teach. They plan lesson activities closely matched to pupils’ abilities and interests.  Teachers check pupils’ progress very regularly and give them detailed feedback on their work. Most teachers give pupils regular opportunities to respond to and to show that they have learned

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

from their comments.  Pupils throughout the school make excellent progress and achieve extremely well in a large number of subjects, including English and mathematics. Expert and dedicated staff ensure that disabled pupils as well as those with special educational needs achieve as well as their classmates.  Children in the Reception classes benefit from excellent facilities, both indoors and outdoors, as well as outstanding teaching. As a result, they make extremely good progress in their learning and in their personal and social development.  Parents are highly supportive of the school. An overwhelming majority say they would recommend it to others.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 18 lessons. Two of these observations took place jointly with the headteacher. The inspectors also made shorter visits to a number of other lessons and activities. They examined samples of pupils’ written work together with school leaders, and listened to pupils read.  Inspectors met groups of pupils, the chair, vice chair and two other members of the governing body, as well as members of staff. The lead inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also held informal discussions with a number of parents.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a range of documents, including the school’s records of pupils’ attainment and progress, and of their attendance. They examined safeguarding procedures, as well as the school’s self-evaluation, and its processes for monitoring staff’s performance and setting

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Information about this inspection

targets for teachers.  In planning and carrying out the inspection, inspectors took account of 74 responses to the Ofsted online survey, Parent View and six letters which they received from parents. They also considered 33 questionnaires completed by members of staff.

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Inspection team

Robin Gaff, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school. The number of pupils on roll has increased substantially since the school’s last inspection.  The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and of those who are learning English as an additional language are well below the national average.  Children join the early years in one of the two Reception classes, where all the children attend full time.  The proportion of pupils who are supported by the pupil premium is well below the national average. This is additional government funding provided for disadvantaged children who are looked after or known to be eligible for free school meals. In recent years, the number of disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 has been very low.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average. Most of these pupils have moderate or specific learning difficulties, or additional speech, language and

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Information about this school

communication needs.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  Since the school’s last inspection, there have been several changes of staff. The present headteacher was appointed to her post in September 2010.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 To further support pupils in the progress they make, all teachers should make sure that pupils always have sufficient opportunities to respond to teachers’ comments on their work and to show that they have benefited from them.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The headteacher is passionately committed to ensuring that all pupils achieve as well as they can. Together with her senior colleagues, she has established a harmonious community where highly effective teaching is the norm and pupils adopt the high standards of behaviour which staff expect of them.  School leaders have built on the strengths identified by the previous inspection and eliminated the weaknesses, especially in the teaching of English. They have ensured, for example, that pupils now acquire a firm grasp of the rules of English, spelling, punctuation and grammar. As a result, standards in this area are rising rapidly.  Leaders have substantially improved the accuracy of teachers’ assessment of pupils’ attainment, especially in Key Stage 1. They quickly identify any pupils who are at risk of falling behind so that the barriers they are experiencing can be overcome.  Subject leaders and others who have responsibility for particular aspects of the school’s work show high

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The leadership and management are outstanding

levels of expertise and dedication in carrying out their roles. They work very closely together in making sure that effective practice is shared among staff for pupils’ benefit.  Teachers and other adults working in the school share leaders’ ambitions and priorities for the school. They implement the school’s policies with a high degree of commitment, and of consistency. Staff, including those new to teaching, speak highly of the support they have received from leaders, as well as from their colleagues, and of the training and coaching from which they have benefited.  Leaders carry out frequent and robust checks on the quality of teaching and of pupils’ work. They have ensured that any salary increases relate explicitly to teachers’ success in raising pupils’ achievement. Leaders recognise that not all teachers are as yet making the most effective use of the school’s marking policy, and have already developed specific plans to address this.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 The school makes very effective use of the extra money it receives to raise the attainment of the small number of disadvantaged pupils who are eligible for it. Leaders have also enhanced disadvantaged pupils’ well-being and self-confidence by making sure that they are not prevented, for financial reasons, from taking part in out-of-school activities. This demonstrates the school’s strong and successful commitment to promoting equality of opportunity and to tackling any potential discrimination.  Leaders have used the additional funding the school receives to increase participation in sporting and physical activities and raise pupils’ levels of skill and fitness. It has done this by significantly increasing the number of sports available to pupils and by developing teachers’ ability to teach physical education successfully. This has resulted in more pupils taking part in a wider range of activities, and in increased

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The leadership and management are outstanding

success in events such as inter-school competitions.  The local authority has accurately assessed the school’s performance. It has helped to ensure that the expertise of its staff is used effectively to support other schools locally, where it has had a significant impact on pupils’ achievement.  The curriculum enables pupils to achieve extremely well in a range of subjects and disciplines, and strongly promotes their enjoyment of and enthusiasm for learning. Leaders have worked successfully with other local schools, as well as with parents and pupils, to develop the curriculum. They have ensured that it provides pupils with a rich variety of experiences and has an extremely positive impact on their academic achievement and their personal development.  The high profile which the school places on the arts enables pupils to develop strongly their skills and talents in this area. Music plays a very prominent part in school life, as do the creative arts. This is evident

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The leadership and management are outstanding

from pupils’ extensive and enthusiastic participation in musical activities, and in the quality of their artwork. This aspect of the curriculum contributes extremely effectively to pupils’ spiritual and cultural development. It has also led to the school gaining a number of national awards.  Pupils benefit from many opportunities to learn about different faiths and traditions, as well as the variety of lifestyles to be found in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world. Together with their participation in the work of the school and arts council, this gives them a good understanding of fundamental values such as respect for others and democracy. In this way, the school helps to ensure that pupils are extremely well prepared for life in modern Britain and the wider global community.  Leaders take great care to ensure that the school’s child protection policies and procedures are robust. They make sure that government requirements for safeguarding pupils, including those particular to the

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The leadership and management are outstanding

early years provision, such as specific and regularly updated training for staff, are securely met.  Many parents went out of their way to let inspectors know how much they appreciate the school’s work. They highlighted in particular the approachability of staff and the frequent, helpful information they receive about their children’s progress. A number of parents commented extremely favourably on the staff’s knowledge of their children’s interests and abilities, and their success in catering for them, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs.  The governance of the school:  Members of the governing body have an extensive knowledge and acute understanding of the school’s performance, including how well pupils are achieving compared to those in other schools nationally. This helps them to hold leaders firmly to account and to set them demanding but realistic targets for

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The leadership and management are outstanding

improvement. Through their regular visits to the school and the detailed reports they receive from the headteacher and other members of staff, governors gain a strong awareness of how good teaching is. They understand and fully support what the headteacher has done to improve its quality. This includes the eradication of unsatisfactory practice, as well as the linking of pay rises for teachers to their success in meeting their own and the school’s targets. Governors take very good care of the school’s resources. This has helped to ensure that the school has coped very well with the increased numbers of pupils on roll. Governors know precisely what has been done to ensure that extra funding, including money provided to support disadvantaged pupils, is used successfully to close any gaps in achievement and to enhance pupils’ well-being. They regularly review policies, including for safeguarding pupils, to make

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The leadership and management are outstanding

sure they are effective. Governors are extremely keen to preserve the school’s distinctive character and to ensure that it continues to improve still further.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. Pupils quickly develop a thirst for learning. They are highly attentive to teachers and other adults in the classroom, and listen avidly to each other’s contributions to discussions. Pupils are also very keen to share with visitors their extremely positive views of the school.  Pupils respond promptly to teachers’ instructions. This enables lessons to proceed smoothly and without interruption. Pupils say, and the school’s records confirm, that low-level disruption of any kind is extremely rare and dealt with very effectively should it occur.  Pupils show that they have a very well developed understanding of the importance of good behaviour. In the playground and around the school, pupils behave maturely and sensibly. They show great consideration for others, and older pupils take the initiative in helping younger ones. Pupils from different backgrounds work and play harmoniously together.

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Behaviour

 Pupils benefit from many opportunities to take on responsibility, for example as school or arts council members, ‘eco-warriors’, sports ambassadors or music monitors. They take pride in carrying out these roles.  These factors demonstrate the school’s high level of success in promoting pupils’ moral and social development.  Staff make sure that pupils understand and live up to the school’s high expectations of them in terms of behaviour. They have also succeeded in strongly improving the behaviour of the very small number of pupils who have caused concern.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Pupils report that they feel completely safe in school and that the staff look after them extremely well. They have an excellent understanding of how to keep themselves safe, when, for example, using the internet, or in very hot weather.  Pupils are not concerned about bullying. The school makes sure that they are very well aware of the different forms it can take, such as persistent name-calling and cyber bullying. Pupils’ highly responsible attitudes enable them to sort out minor disputes and disagreements themselves.  Pupils’ attendance has been consistently well above average and the school has been successful in reducing the absences of the very small number of pupils whose attendance has been inconsistent.  Almost all the parents who responded to the Parent View survey agreed that their children feel safe and are well looked after by the school. None of those parents who spoke or wrote to the inspectors expressed

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Safety

any concerns about behaviour or their children’s safety. A very small number of parents indicated in their responses to the Ofsted survey that they disagreed that the school makes sure its pupils are well behaved or that it deals effectively with bullying. Inspectors, however, found no evidence to suggest that any concerns these parents may have are well founded.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 The quality of teaching over time throughout the school is consistently at least good and often outstanding. Teachers establish extremely productive working relations with pupils. They have very high expectations of pupils of all abilities in terms of both behaviour and work. Classrooms are extremely well organised and well equipped. They feature stimulating displays, including of pupils’ work, which enhance pupils’ learning.  Teachers’ secure knowledge of different subjects and of pupils’ abilities enables them to explain topics and lesson activities clearly and accurately, and to adapt activities to match pupils’ needs. Their strong interest in the subjects they teach inspires their pupils to learn.  Leaders’ successful drive to improve the teaching of English has resulted in this previously relatively weaker area now being as strong as others. This is reflected, for example, in teachers’ ability to enable

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

pupils to reach well-above-average standards in writing. Teachers make sure that pupils learn to use sophisticated language accurately, in different styles and for a range of purposes, such as writing poems and stories, as well as scientific reports. High-quality teaching is now resulting in rapidly rising levels of attainment in spelling, punctuation and grammar.  Teachers help pupils to choose reading books which correspond to their interests as well as their current levels of ability. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about their love of reading. They also very much appreciate how much teachers have promoted this and have helped them to develop their reading skills.  Highly effective teaching of mathematics ensures that pupils gain a very sound grasp of mathematical principles. Teachers make sure that pupils can apply this knowledge successfully in solving, for example, increasingly complex problems in arithmetic and geometry.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 Teachers check very carefully on pupils’ progress in lessons. This enables them to vary activities if pupils are not responding to the tasks as they had expected. Teachers mark pupils’ written work accurately, give them detailed comments about what they have done particularly well, and make sure that they understand what they need to do to make it even better. Examples of pupils’ work show that some teachers are giving pupils regular opportunities to show how they have made use of teachers’ comments to extend their own learning. This is not yet the case, however, in all subjects throughout the school.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics and in a range of other subjects is excellent. The levels of attainment which they reach indicate that they make outstanding progress from their different starting points. This includes pupils from different backgrounds, including the very small number learning English as an additional language.  Pupils in Key Stage 1 build on the extremely good start they have made in the Reception classes. By the end of Year 2, their work, including that which rigorously assessed against national standards, shows that their levels of attainment are above, and in some cases well above, national averages.  Pupils’ overall attainment in national tests in English and mathematics at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2014 was significantly above the national average. It had also risen at a faster rate than found nationally over the past few years. Current Year 6 pupils’ work, as well as the school’s own reliable records of their

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

attainment, indicates that they are reaching even higher standards, and that their progress has accelerated. This, together with pupils’ extremely well developed communication and social skills, shows that they are very well prepared for secondary education.  Pupils’ work in a number of subjects shows that they are acquiring knowledge and developing skills which are often well above those expected for their age group. In Year 6, for example, pupils are able to translate accurately into English short passages in French, and make up dialogues about their likes and dislikes. They make very good use in, for example, science investigations, of a range of applications and software. The quality of pupils’ singing, and of their work in art and design on display around the school, shows that they are reaching equally high standards in these areas.  The most-able pupils respond extremely well to teachers’ high expectations of what they can achieve.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

Their work shows that they can cope well with topics and tasks usually found in secondary education. For example, Year 6 pupils enjoy and benefit from studying mathematical topics such as Fibonacci sequences and the ‘golden ratio’.  The very small number of disadvantaged pupils in Year 6 makes it inappropriate to compare their attainment and progress with that of other pupils in the school or pupils nationally. However, it is clear from their work and their responses in class that, throughout the school, disadvantaged pupils are benefiting considerably from the extra support they receive. As a result, they make sustained progress so that any gaps in their attainment are closing rapidly.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs in all year groups achieve as well as other pupils. This is because staff, drawing on the expertise where appropriate of outside professionals, are adept at

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

identifying their particular needs. Teachers adapt tasks carefully to ensure that these pupils can benefit from them, and teaching assistants help them to develop their self-confidence so that they can participate fully in classroom activities.

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The early years provision is outstanding

 Children start school in the Reception classes with levels of knowledge and skills which, overall, are broadly typical for their age. They make rapid progress in their learning and in their social, personal and physical development, so that, by the end of the year, their skills and attainment are above those expected for this age group.  Children gain a secure grasp of phonics (the links between sounds and letters) because it is taught extremely thoroughly and accurately, and because teachers make learning to read and write exciting. This enables children to read with increasing confidence and precision. Beginning by learning to recognise and then to write their own names and those of everyday objects, they go on to write, for instance, simple but lively stories and descriptions of what they have done in school. Children benefit from many opportunities to develop their number skills by, for example, counting the peas in a pod and arranging them according

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The early years provision is outstanding

to their size, or measuring the distance travelled by toy cars.  Children are highly engaged in their work and play. They cooperate extremely well with adults and with one another. They also learn to work by themselves by choosing from the different ‘challenges’ which adults set for them. Children also learn to take pride in their work, and to develop strongly their physical skills. This was evident when two children showed the whole class extremely elaborate symmetrical ‘dragons’ they had made using plastic connecting rods.  Adults model good behaviour to a very high standard, and appropriately praise and reward children’s excellent conduct. Children respond willingly and promptly to the well-established routines which the staff have created. For example, they quickly finish and carefully tidy up after individual and group tasks before gathering together for whole-class activities. Children are very well aware of how to keep themselves safe

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The early years provision is outstanding

when, for instance, they use outdoor play equipment.  The quality of teaching in the early years provision is outstanding. Teachers work very closely with teaching assistants and other adults to make excellent use of the exceptionally wide range of resources for learning provided for children, both indoors and outdoors. They regularly and thoroughly assess children’s progress, both during and following the completion of lesson activities. Teachers’ planning of tasks for children is firmly based on an extremely detailed knowledge of their interests and abilities. This enables staff to ensure, for example, that disadvantaged and disabled children, and those with special educational needs, are able to make as much progress as others.  Early years leaders’ knowledge and understanding of the characteristics and needs of this age group are extremely well developed. This enables them to ensure that children can thrive in a secure and highly

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The early years provision is outstanding

stimulating environment, and are very well prepared to start Year 1.  Staff liaise very productively with parents and with other early years settings to ensure that children settle in quickly and smoothly when they start school. Parents are highly appreciative of the weekly newsletters they receive and the suggestions for how they can reinforce and extend at home what their children have learned at school.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 125857 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 449660

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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 325 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Malcolm Gordon Headteacher Becky Linford Date of previous school inspection 11–12 March 2010 Telephone number 01903 812288 Fax number 01903 816401 Email address office@upperbeeding.w-sussex.sch.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

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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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