Beaconside CofE Primary School

Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 Senior leaders and governors work together highly effectively. This partnership has helped to ensure that teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved since the previous inspection.  The newly appointed middle leaders have been key to ensuring that the provision and pupils’ achievement in their subject areas have improved.  From a low starting point pupils, including the more able, make good progress. Although results in Key Stage 2 dipped in 2015, particularly in reading, school assessments show that current pupils in Year 6 are making good progress and achieving well.  The quality of teaching, including in the early years, is good. Teachers and teaching assistants regularly and accurately monitor and assess how well pupils are performing.  Pupils with disability and those with special educational needs are well cared for and make good progress.  Pupils behave well. The strong ethos of the school is reflected in the high standards of conduct and

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This is a good school

concern for others.  Governors are fully involved in the life of the school. They challenge and support the leadership team and have a clear view of the strengths of the school and the actions which need to be implemented in order to improve further.  The school’s work to promote British values is good. Pupils have a well-developed understanding of their rights and responsibilities.  The school provides a safe and secure environment. Attendance is in line with the national average.  Parents are highly positive in their views of the school, and are happy that their children are safe and well looked after.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching assistants are not always effectively deployed and a small number of pupils do not always work hard to complete a good amount of work in their lessons.  The development of reading across the school needs to be better coordinated across the different phases. Reading homework needs greater prioritisation and a small number of pupils need to accelerate their reading performance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the quality of teaching to outstanding by: ensuring that all pupils understand the rate at which they need to complete work in lessons so that they accelerate progress ensuring that teachers’ planning provides clarity as to the role of teaching assistants within lessons so that they effectively support pupils to maximise their progress sharing outstanding teaching and learning experiences across the school, to further raise quality in all classes.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Further improve the provision for reading by: developing a more systematic and consistent approach to the development of reading across the school targeting pupils who need to accelerate their performance in reading and providing additional appropriate support ensuring reading is prioritised in homework provision so that pupils are reading regularly at home.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The leadership and management team and the governing body have tackled the areas for improvement from the previous inspection head-on. Highly effective training, good systems for monitoring the quality of teaching, and regular meetings to check pupils’ progress, have all helped to ensure that both the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement are now good.  Leadership and management are good because the headteacher has skilfully developed the newly appointed leadership team to secure the necessary improvements in teaching. The quality of pupils’ writing and reading in Key Stage 2 has improved.  Middle leadership is improving rapidly and is a growing strength of the school. Newly appointed leaders have already had a positive impact on improved pupil progress in their areas of responsibility. Leaders of subjects, particularly English and mathematics, are engaged in systematic checking of pupils’ work and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

challenging all staff to ensure standards are at least good. As a result of the checks the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress have improved since the previous inspection.  The performance of staff is checked regularly through observation and reviews of pupils’ work. Staff have clear targets which are linked to their professional development. Staff are very appreciative of the development opportunities which they say have contributed to improved performance. The school’s performance management system links performance to pay and ensures that teachers are guided and supported in improving their practice.  The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and tackles discrimination effectively. While the school has a strong Christian character, other faiths are recognised and celebrated. Assemblies are a priority and of high quality. During the inspection pupils were offered

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and took the opportunity to reflect on moral and social issues. Pupils’ singing was impressive and they greatly enjoyed this experience.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Lessons in personal, social and health education and in other areas of the curriculum ensure that they have a good understanding of cultures other than their own. Pupils get many opportunities to learn about democracy. For example, the school council is elected by all the pupils in the school. Pupils enjoy being given responsibilities, such as sports leaders. They take these responsibilities seriously, understanding that caring and respecting others is very important. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Links with the wider community are strong, including those with the United Parish of Penrith and St Andrew’s Church. The school works in partnership with other schools, including the Eden Schools

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

Partnership. The school ensures that older pupils are well supported as they make decisions about moving on to secondary school.  The school is very proud of its inclusive nature. It serves a very diverse community and pupils come from a wide range of backgrounds and have a range of needs, skills and attributes. The school celebrates this and additional funding is used wisely to ensure that the needs of disadvantaged pupils are met. The gap between their progress and that of other pupils is closing. Equality of opportunity is promoted consistently and effectively because leaders have made sure that all pupils achieve as well as they should.  The pupils are very appreciative of the many extra-curricular opportunities. All children benefit from being able to attend rounders, cricket, gymnastic and ‘make it’ clubs. Government sports funding has been used effectively. Specialist coaches have helped class teachers to improve their skills in teaching gymnastics

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and other sports. This funding is used to support the school teams, which compete with great success in the Eden Schools Sports Partnership.  The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to the online Parent View questionnaire would recommend the school to other parents.  The governance of the school Since the previous inspection the members of the governing body have reorganised themselves into streamlined and more effective committees. They have played an instrumental role in ensuring that improvements have been made. Governors have a clear focus on raising achievement. They ask more challenging questions about pupils’ performance than in the past. They play a full part in the school’s self-evaluation process. They have a clear understanding of the targets the school has set for pupils’ attainment and progress compared with national standards, and of the assessment data which underpin them. Governors

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

supplement this with organised visits to check that reported improvements are taking place. Governors are aware where there are links between teachers’ pay increases and pupils’ progress. They are informed by the headteacher where support has been provided to improve teaching and how any underperformance has been tackled. Governors have a clear understanding of standards of teaching and check the school’s monitoring to ensure that standards are maintained. Governors are fully aware of the ways in which additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and for physical education is used and they check its allocation and effectiveness carefully. Governors are very committed to promoting the inclusive nature of the school. British values of democracy and tolerance are actively promoted. While the school is underpinned by Christian values, governors welcome the celebration of diverse faiths among the pupils.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Governors are trained in safer recruitment and monitor policies and procedures to ensure that they are implemented effectively.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Pupils make good progress because good teaching helps them to achieve well. Teachers’ expectations are high, yet realistic, and they plan activities which stimulate pupils’ interest and extend their skills. Pupils take pride in their work, which is presented well with clear joined up writing in books across the school.  Pupils benefit from lessons that are well planned and the subject knowledge of their teachers helps them to develop, consolidate and deepen their knowledge and skill level. Pupils are helped to take their thinking deeper through the skilful questions teachers put to them. Teachers keep a close eye on how pupils are getting on in class and take steps to move them on quickly in their learning when they have mastered key concepts. This ensures pupils are suitably challenged.  Writing is improving and pupils make good use of classroom stimuli to produce work that is well presented and includes high-quality content, spelling and grammar. For example Year 6 pupils worked

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

with great enthusiasm in producing and presenting their written work as part of a debate. In this work they utilised dialogue, alliteration, synonyms, metaphors and similes.  The teaching of mathematics is good and is improving through a programme of training and support for staff. In mathematics, skills are taught in a logical way so that pupils learn how to reason mathematically. This enables pupils to apply their knowledge to solving problems systematically. They are able to draw on their understanding and choose the most efficient methods to arrive at a solution.  The school’s reading programme is helping pupils to make good progress. The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) is a strength of the school. Scores in the Year 1 phonics check are in line with the national average. Throughout the school pupils enjoy reading and on most occasions work is set at the right level for pupils and this enables them to read confidently and derive meaning from text.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

School leaders are currently reviewing teaching provision because at the moment strategies to improve reading across the school are not sufficiently cohesive. Pupils who have difficulty in reading are supported through extra reading sessions. However, a small number of pupils are not sufficiently supported to ensure they catch up with their peers.  Pupils are very appreciative of the opportunities they have to develop their reading, writing and communication skills across the curriculum within different themes, such as castles, Mexico, electricity, London and Vikings. Pupils say that this helps make their lessons interesting and it is ensuring that they embed key skills while engendering a love of learning.  Teachers provide the pupils with good feedback in lessons. They look for opportunities to move pupils on in their learning during lessons. However, they do not always sufficiently plan to ensure that support

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

provided by teaching assistants maximises the progress of all pupils.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. Pupils are developing as confident and resourceful learners. Pupils to whom inspectors spoke could name at least one adult in whom they could confide any concerns and they were confident that these would be addressed.  The older children are given responsibilities during the school day. As sports leaders they support the play of the younger children. They do this with great pride and appreciate the importance of their role.  Pupils say that bullying is uncommon and that any unkindness that does arise is dealt with quickly by teachers or the headteacher. Pupils have a good understanding of prejudice-based bullying such as racism, which they say never happens at school. Pupils across the school have a good understanding of homophobic bullying which they say is wrong because people should not be judged because of their

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Personal development and welfare

differences.  Pupils learn about safety awareness through a curriculum which caters for their personal development, health and welfare needs. They are taught how to adopt a healthy lifestyle, and how to avoid dangers. They learn about road safety and how to cycle safely. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe when using the internet. They can assess dangers and risks well and have a good understanding of safe and unsafe situations.  The very popular breakfast and after-school clubs are much appreciated by those who attend. Year 6 pupils, and a high proportion of disadvantaged pupils, are benefiting greatly by their attendance because the club promotes and supports their learning.  Pupils say that they are happy and feel safe in school. Parents agree and say that they are very happy with the ways in which their children are cared for.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good and this is agreed by pupils, staff and parents. From the time pupils enter the school good behaviour is expected and encouraged. Pupils who enter the school with behavioural difficulties are well supported so that they are able to concentrate and make progress.  Pupils are welcoming, friendly and courteous. They conduct themselves well around the school. They are independent and orderly. There is no litter and no coats or any clothing on the floor. They show respect for the school environment.  Pupils play well together at breaktimes and during wet playtimes behaviour is good. This is because there is a clear behaviour management system in place which is understood and respected by pupils.  In classrooms, pupils’ behaviour is typically good. Pupils often support each other’s learning well when working in pairs and groups. Occasionally, however, a few pupils do not always complete an appropriate

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Behaviour

amount of work in the time provided and this can slow their progress.  Staff are trained in behaviour management and the behaviour policy is applied consistently and effectively. Specialist staff work effectively with pupils who have emotional, social or behavioural problems.  Pupils look forward to coming to school. Attendance rates have improved since the previous inspection and attendance is now in line with the national average. Following up absence assiduously with parents has helped to secure improvements among the groups that have found regular attendance difficult in the past.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Overall, pupils’ achievement is good. They join the school with a range of skills and abilities in comparison to other children of their age and as a result of good teaching they make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. By the end of Year 6 most pupils are now achieving age-related expectations.  Teachers in Years 1 and 2 build on the good start which children make in the Reception class and thorough assessment ensures that pupils progress well from their individual starting points. Results at the end of Key Stage 1 have improved year on year and are now close to the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.  Test results at the end of Key Stage 2 have been similar to the national average in previous years. However, in 2015 results dipped, especially in reading. The school has carefully analysed these results and has taken positive action to ensure that standards return to their former level.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 All available evidence, including work in pupils’ books, data and the school’s assessment information, shows that pupils are now making accelerated progress in reading, writing and mathematics across all classes.  Mathematics has been an area where there have been some very positive improvements in the achievement of the pupils. Pupils are now achieving well in this subject because they are encouraged to practise calculation skills and make best use of the latest computer technology to develop their mental mathematics skills. Teachers make mathematics interesting, ensure that pupils understand and apply efficient calculation methods, and consistently challenge them to attain high standards.  Writing has been targeted as an area where pupils can improve their performance. Current data and work in pupils’ books show that the overwhelming majority of pupils make good progress in writing across all

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Outcomes for pupils are good

classes, and that rapid improvements are being made in Key Stage 2. This is due to the close monitoring of teachers’ practice and pupils’ progress. Pupils are given frequent opportunities to write extensively and enjoy the opportunities they have to write in their topic work. Standards of writing were close to the national average in 2015 and school data for the current year show that a significantly larger proportion of pupils are working towards the higher levels.  The school has worked hard to improve the provision and outcomes in reading across the school. New initiatives have been implemented and these are impacting at different phases of the school. Reading is promoted well in all subjects. Pupils spoke with enthusiasm about the books and authors that are used to inspire and guide their learning, particularly in the powerful reading sessions. Reading is promoted well throughout the school. Pupils thoroughly enjoy reading for pleasure and are now attaining in line with the

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Outcomes for pupils are good

national average at both Key Stage 1 and 2.  The most-able pupils are progressing well. A good proportion of these pupils are working towards achieving above age-related expectations. Work in pupils’ books shows that the most-able pupils make good progress because they are set challenging work.  The special educational needs leader ensures that all teaching assistants who work closely with pupils with disability and those with special educational needs receive specialist training. As a result of effective additional sessions these pupils make at least good progress and sometimes do better than their peers.  The school has acted swiftly and effectively to reverse the trend in the progress of disadvantaged pupils and others. School data for the current year show that this gap has been closed. In Year 6, disadvantaged pupils are now performing in line with their peers. Disadvantaged pupils in all other years are making

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Outcomes for pupils are good

good progress, matching the achievement of other pupils. The funding allocated for disadvantaged pupils is used wisely, principally to provide them with specialist support and teaching.

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Early years provision is good

 The leadership and management of all aspects of early years provision are good. The early years manager, teachers and teaching assistants have a good understanding of how children learn, and ensure that they make good progress in all areas of learning.  Early years staff have very high expectations of what children are capable of achieving and are constantly looking for new ways of working with parents, assessing how well children are performing, and reorganising provision to support children’s development.  Children joining the school in the early years usually have skills and levels of understanding below those typical of their age, particularly in communication and social skills. The school concentrates on these in the children’s first term to help children catch up quickly and learn successfully in other areas. As a result of good teaching, achievement by the end of the Reception Year in recent years is in line with that

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Early years provision is good

typically found in schools nationally.  The current Reception class are on track to enter Year 1, with the percentage achieving a good level of development above the national average. Transition to Year 1 is effective and pupils who do not achieve a good level of development receive booster provision in the first term to ensure their progress is accelerated.  In the early years good provision ensures the children enjoy, and are motivated in, their learning. Adults take every opportunity to extend children’s language and numeracy skills by regularly asking them about the things that they are doing. They make good use of the indoor and the outdoor spaces to develop children’s skills. An example of this was when children had great fun in exploring and sequencing numbers in the outdoor area.  The children are very skilled in independent activities without adult supervision. They are capable of maintaining focus and interest when working with their friends. They talk to each other about their

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Early years provision is good

learning and this is helping in their progress. Staff plan carefully to help children make good progress through a range of imaginative activities.  Children respond to these stimulating tasks by behaving well and learning enthusiastically. Children’s progress is carefully recorded and leaders make sure that any children who may need additional help quickly receive appropriate support. For example, individual attention from adults helps children who need support, to listen, interact sociably and express themselves coherently.  Children behave safely at all times. They move around their indoor and outdoor learning areas sensibly and considerately, and understand the need to take turns and help their friends.

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School details

Unique reference number 112423 Local authority Cumbria Inspection number 10002265 This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 459 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Judith Markey Headteacher Timothy Glendinning Telephone number 01768 840868 Website www.beaconside.cumbria.sch.uk Email address admin@beaconside.cumbria.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 15 October 2013

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Information about this school

 Beaconside Church of England is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding is broadly average. Pupil premium funding is additional government funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The number of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils with disability and those who have special educational needs is broadly average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school provides a breakfast and an after-school club on the school site. This is managed by the

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Information about this school

governing body.  A new deputy headteacher has been appointed since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed 17 lessons, one of which was a joint observation with the headteacher.  In addition, inspectors made a number of short visits to classrooms and watched sessions where pupils were taught in small groups.  Meetings were held with staff and a representative from the local authority.  A meeting was held with nine governors.  Inspectors talked to pupils informally in class and at breaks and listened to pupils read.  A number of documents were scrutinised, including the school’s own information about pupils’ learning and progress, planning and monitoring documents, minutes of governor meetings, the development plan, records relating to behaviour and attendance, and safeguarding information.  The inspectors took account of the 67 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View. They also met informally with parents and took account of the school’s own parental questionnaires.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke to staff and took account of the views of the 18 members of staff who had completed Ofsted’s staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Andrew Morley, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector David Fann Ofsted Inspector Lisa Crausby Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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