Beamont Community Primary School

Beamont Community Primary School O’Leary Street, Warrington, Cheshire WA2 7RQ

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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 provide strong leadership and a drive to promote learning. Enthusiastic and committed staff and governors share their ambition. Consequently, the quality of teaching and learning has rapidly improved since the last inspection.  Pupils achieve well in school, particularly in phonics and writing. They make good progress from their starting points and are well prepared for their next stages of education.  Teachers have high expectations of pupils in all subjects. Teachers’ effective use of questioning and weaving of opportunities to practise essential skills across different subjects promote learning well.  Pupils’ conduct around the school is excellent. They are eager to learn and participate well in the activities provided for them.  The provision for pupils’ welfare and personal development is exemplary. Pupils’ well-being is at the heart of the school’s caring ethos. Personal development is strongly promoted and ensures

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This is a good school

pupils’ raised aspirations and self-esteem. Pupils act maturely in posts of responsibility.  Governors know the school well because they visit the school regularly and receive good-quality information from senior leaders and external consultants. They ask probing questions and hold leaders strongly to account.  The quality of teaching in the early years is rapidly improving because of strong leadership and the effective use of the outdoors to promote learning. As a result, pupils get a good start to their time in school and are prepared well to continue learning in key stage 1.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Senior leaders have not fully developed the skills of middle leaders who are new to the school or to their posts of responsibility.  Governors do not make the best use of middle leaders in school to inform their evaluation of the school’s performance.  Disadvantaged and lower ability pupils have not fully closed the achievement gap with their peers in school or other pupils nationally, particularly in mathematics.  A minority of pupils’ attendance is not good enough.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of leadership and management by ensuring that: – all middle leaders are given opportunities to develop their skills so as to match the leadership of English, mathematics and the early years – governors make best use of the knowledge and expertise found in all levels of leadership in the school to support their evaluation of the school’s performance.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in school, including early years, to accelerate the progress of disadvantaged and low-ability pupils, particularly in mathematics.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The strong leadership from the headteacher and other senior leaders is an engine for sustained improvement. The headteacher has a clear vision and high expectations of herself and her staff to provide the best quality of education for pupils. Senior leaders’ tenacious pursuit of improvement has resulted in the improved quality of teaching that pupils receive. Their enthusiasm is contagious and leads to a motivated and committed staff who are dedicated to improvement.  Leaders’ robust and rigorous monitoring has led to their deep and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. School improvement planning is detailed and focuses on appropriate priorities. Leaders regularly review the impact of their actions and make good use of external quality assurance professionals to check their accuracy.  The school’s broad and balanced curriculum, complemented by a wide range of additional extra-curricular

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

clubs, ensures that pupils develop their academic, creative and sporting skills. For example, football, rugby and judo clubs develop sporting prowess, while computing, guitar, sewing and Spanish clubs promote pupils’ academic and creative achievement.  Leaders’ effective use of the additional sports funding grant provides specialist coaches who improve teachers’ skills and provide high-quality training for pupils. Funding is used to widen pupils’ experiences and promote their participation in sports such as archery. Consequently, pupils increase their safe participation in sport and develop healthier lifestyles.  Leaders communicate regularly and effectively with parents, particularly with those for whom English is an additional language. The provision of audio books in a variety of languages including Polish, Lithuanian and Hungarian means that parents new to the country are well informed about essential school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

information. Leaders make good and safe use of social media to share information with parents about the experiences and learning pupils undertake. Most parents are overwhelmingly supportive of the school. A very small minority of parents expressed some concerns over how leaders deal with allegations of bullying. However, inspectors found no evidence to substantiate these views during the inspection.  Leaders and governors ensure that all staff are effectively trained to keep children safe from the dangers of extremism and radicalisation.  This is an inclusive school where leaders’ effective promotion of fundamental British values ensures a culture of tolerance, respect and safety. Pupils’ spiritual, moral and cultural understanding develops well because of the range of experiences they receive, including educational visits to a variety of places of worship, and museums such as the Liverpool World Museum. Consequently, pupils are well prepared for

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

life in modern Britain.  Through the effective use of the pupil premium grant, leaders enable disadvantaged pupils to participate fully in educational visits and extra-curricular activities such as music lessons. Additional support for disadvantaged pupils in core subjects is managed well. This has led to rapid improvements in the rates of progress disadvantaged pupils make and narrowing of the achievement gaps with other pupils.  The leadership of early years, mathematics and English is strong. Middle leaders are clear about their roles and responsibilities and have good subject knowledge. However, some middle leaders, including those who are new to their roles, do not have enough opportunity to develop fully their skills in monitoring and evaluating their subjects.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 The governance of the school The governance of the school is strong. Governors know the school well because they visit the school frequently and ask searching questions of senior leaders. Governors make good use of external quality assurance professionals to check the accuracy of information they receive from senior leaders. However, governors do not make the best use of the knowledge and expertise of middle leaders to inform their evaluations. Governors sometimes do not check information published on their behalf to ensure it is of the highest quality. Governors regularly evaluate their own performance and take appropriate actions to address any gaps in their knowledge through appropriate training. Governors have a detailed knowledge of the school’s performance management policy, including its links to teachers’ pay, and ensure that it is implemented robustly. Detailed reporting by senior leaders

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

ensures that governors are well informed about the priorities for staff development and how they are linked to the school’s priorities for improvement.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. – The governing body ensures that the school meets statutory requirements for safeguarding, including by careful checking of the suitability of all adults who work in the school. – Checks relating to safeguarding are thorough and complete and all records are kept meticulously. Any concerns regarding the safety or welfare of children are acted upon promptly and rigorously. Consequently, the school has a culture of safety where pupils’ welfare is paramount. – Well-trained staff, led by a specialist safeguarding coordinator, deal appropriately with child protection concerns and are constantly vigilant.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teachers and teaching assistants use questioning effectively. They probe and evaluate pupils’ understanding of concepts, and engage them in learning by encouraging pupils to explain their answers. Consequently, teachers have a secure understanding of where pupils have gaps in their knowledge and amend their teaching to address them. For example, in a mathematics lesson focusing on percentages, pupils were asked to talk through how they had arrived at their answers. This allowed the teacher to identify some simple conceptual errors and immediately put into place support to ensure they did not recur.  Reading and writing are taught systematically across the school by teachers with strong subject knowledge. As a consequence, pupils become fluent readers. They relish their trips to the library and enjoy reading sessions that challenge and stretch their understanding of a wide variety of texts and genres. Pupils’ work displayed around the school shows how teachers use effectively the study of a range

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

of writing to stimulate pupils’ imaginations, broaden vocabulary and improve writing skills. For example, a recent study of the book ‘How to live forever’ resulted in high-quality writing, where Year 6 pupils wrote instructions explaining how to make imaginative potions to sustain eternal life. Teachers’ good knowledge and confident use of technical terms promote pupils’ understanding and confidence in writing. For example, in Year 1, pupils wrote sentences to describe the actions of a small penguin that they had been learning about in lessons; they confidently explained the effective use of expanded noun phrases and adverbs.  Phonics, the sounds that letters represent, is taught well because appropriate training and monitoring ensure teachers and teaching assistants have secure knowledge. They use these effectively to systematically teach phonics and ensure that pupils make good progress.  Teachers’ strong and effective use of links between subjects provides pupils with plentiful opportunities to

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

practise the application of newly acquired skills across the curriculum. For example, in a history lesson in Year 4, pupils used mathematical skills to investigate the different uses of floor space in Anglo-Saxon dwellings.  Teachers make good use of homework to consolidate and extend pupils’ learning. Homework is given regularly and appropriate deadlines are set for completion. The school’s homework club provides all pupils with additional support, access to resources and an appropriate environment in which to complete the work.  Skilled and committed teaching assistants, who are well trained, effectively support learning for both least-able and most-able pupils using a variety of strategies across the school.  The quality of mathematics teaching has improved significantly because teachers receive clear leadership and effective training from the subject leader. Teachers enhance pupils’ mathematical knowledge and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

understanding through the imaginative use of real situations that require them to apply their skills. Teachers have high expectations of all groups of pupils, and mathematics lessons move at a brisk pace. Pupils are frequently challenged to apply their skills to solve complex problems. For example, Year 6 pupils identified all the possible combinations of the dimensions of three separate rooms to reach a target total floor area. Sometimes, however, teachers’ expectations are too high and the complexity of the tasks too difficult for some pupils, particularly the least able. As a result, sometimes low-ability pupils’ pace of learning slows because they do not fully understand the concepts being taught.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Pupils show immense pride in their school and in the presentation of their work. Pupils speak highly of their teachers and say that they help them. One pupil said that they thought their teachers were fantastic, because they helped all pupils to learn.  Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, both in the community and while online, because of the high- quality guidance and teaching they receive. Pupils develop a deep understanding of risk because of additional visits from safety experts and because of their participation in national events such as safer internet day. Leaders’ effective sharing of information about how to keep safe using the school website, social media pages and special events ensures that parents are equally well informed about keeping their children safe at home in the community and online.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils, particularly those in key stage 2, show maturity when they undertake roles of responsibility such as those as school councillor, play leader, eco leader and stairs monitor. The school council works closely with school leaders and feels that leaders listen to and act upon what it has to say. Councillors are instrumental in bringing about improvements to the school, including the development of the outdoor spaces.  The caring ethos of the school is shown in pupils’ behaviour towards each other. Playtimes are harmonious, and older pupils act as play leaders and frequently look after younger siblings and friends.  The personal development and welfare support for pupils who are vulnerable is excellent. Pupils and parents for whom English is an additional language are able to access school information easily because of translated signs and bespoke audio books, narrated by pupils, that explain school routines. The

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Personal development and welfare

effective use of interpretation services helps parents to explain and overcome any worries or concerns they may have.  Dedicated, well-trained pastoral welfare and safeguarding staff are vigilant and respond rapidly and appropriately to provide additional support for parents to ensure that pupils are safe and well cared for.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils’ conduct around the school is excellent. Pupils are impeccably polite and welcoming; they hold doors open for adults and eagerly engage in conversations to share what they have been learning.  Pupils have a secure understanding of bullying; they say it rarely happens. They are confident that adults will deal with any issues quickly and effectively.  The school has higher rates of fixed-term exclusion than seen nationally. Leaders use exclusion as a last resort. The reasons for exclusion are appropriate and are in line with the school’s behaviour policy. Few pupils reoffend and the achievement of those who have been excluded has steadily improved because of the quality of support they receive.  Staff use rewards, including house points, effectively to celebrate pupils’ academic and social successes, including their attendance. Pupils proudly wear their golden stars, awarded for full attendance.

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Behaviour

 Leaders recognise the importance of school attendance in ensuring pupils’ future success. Their appointment of a learning mentor and pastoral support worker through the pupil premium grant reflects this importance. Consequently, pupils’ attendance is monitored rigorously and any necessary support and challenge provided quickly. As a result, attendance overall, including that for disadvantaged pupils, is rising rapidly. However, a minority of pupils do not attend often enough to ensure that they get the best education. Leaders are aware of this and continue to work diligently to improve the attendance of these pupils.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Outcomes for pupils have improved since the last inspection and work in pupils’ books shows this improvement to be continuing.  Pupils make good progress in their understanding of phonics because of the good teaching they receive. As a result, the proportions of pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, who achieve the expected standards in the Year 1 screening check show sustained improvement and are line with national figures.  In 2015, the achievement of pupils leaving the school was not as good as that seen in 2014. The proportion of pupils achieving the standards expected for their age at the end of key stage 1 was in line with national averages in reading and mathematics but below in writing. At the end of key stage 2, the proportions were below national figures in reading, writing and mathematics combined but in line with proportions seen nationally in each individual subject. The proportions of pupils reaching the highest

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Outcomes for pupils are good

standards in reading and writing were similar to the national figures but below national proportions in mathematics.  In 2015, pupils made less progress from their starting points in reading and mathematics than that which was expected of them. In writing, however, the progress made by all groups of pupils was in line with national figures. The proportion of disadvantaged pupils who made expected progress from their starting points in reading and writing was the same as national figures for non-disadvantaged pupils and close to their peers in school. However, in mathematics, the proportion of disadvantaged pupils making expected progress was lower than that seen for non-disadvantaged pupils both nationally and in school.  The work in the books of pupils currently in school shows much improved outcomes in every year group, particularly in mathematics and writing. Better quality and teaching that is more systematic have clearly

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Outcomes for pupils are good

improved pupils’ outcomes, so that they are now good. According to the school’s extensive and detailed monitoring and leaders’ accurate assessment, approximately eight out of 10 pupils are attaining what is expected for their age. Similarly, the rates of progress that pupils make are increasing rapidly, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Disadvantaged pupils’ rates of progress and levels of attainment in all subjects are improving rapidly, particularly in mathematics. Consequently, achievement gaps between them and the non-disadvantaged pupils in school and nationally are narrowing.  Achievement in key stage 1 is improving because pupils start their time in key stage 1 better prepared for the national curriculum when they leave the early years provision and because they now receive a better quality of teaching.  The most-able pupils in all year groups receive high levels of challenge in the work that is set for them.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

This is matched by high expectations from teachers. Consequently, pupils make good progress from their starting points and reach levels of attainment at least in line with those expected for their age.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability make effective progress in all subjects from their starting points because they are well supported in school through a variety of effective strategies.

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Early years provision is good

 The temporary leader of the early years provision only took up her role the day before the inspection owing to the sudden and unexpected absence of her colleague. The leadership of the school’s early years provision over time, however, has been strong. The new temporary leader has a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the early years foundation stage. This enables her to continue seamlessly the good work of her absent colleague. This is because of the highly effective sharing of information within the school’s leadership team. Leaders ensure that assessments are accurate by regularly checking them with a large number of other providers and external quality assurance professionals.  Children are well supported during their moves into and out of the early years because leaders work closely with parents, providers and key stage 1 teachers to ensure that they are well informed of

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Early years provision is good

individual children’s achievements and needs. This is particularly the case for children entering the Reception class, where over one third of pupils do not come from the school’s own Nursery provision.  Most children enter the early years with levels of development below those that are typical for their age. Approximately one third of children currently in Nursery entered the early years with English as an additional language. Children from all groups, including disadvantaged children and particularly those who joined the school in the Nursery class, make good progress from their starting points. This is because of the quality of teaching and care they receive from the outset and the strong focus on developing literacy and numeracy skills to ensure children are well equipped to access learning in key stage 1.  In 2015, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development continued to improve strongly

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Early years provision is good

and was closer to the national average. The previous achievement gap between disadvantaged children and non-disadvantaged children improved significantly and was halved compared with the previous year. Current assessments and children’s work show that teaching continues to sustain this rate of improvement in achievement. Currently, the proportions of children on track to reach a good level of development are similar to the proportions seen nationally in 2015.  Teachers make effective use of all available outdoor space to provide stimulating and focused activities that are closely linked to the learning children do inside. Activities capture children’s interests and provide both excitement and learning. For example, children have been enthralled watching and recording the development of chicks that have recently hatched in every classroom.  Children are polite and courteous. They play well together and effectively develop their inquisitiveness

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Early years provision is good

and social skills to become eager learners because of adults’ encouragement and good use of questions. Adults consistently demonstrate respect and courtesy to children. This is contagious and ensures that children quickly adopt appropriate behaviours.  Children are kept safe because well-trained and vigilant staff implement the school’s safeguarding policies with rigour and act quickly and appropriately to deal with any concerns.  Leaders ensure that welfare requirements are met.

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School details

Unique reference number 135161 Local authority Warrington Inspection number 10012135

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School details

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 Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 438 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ruth Agnew Headteacher Karen Morris Telephone number 01925 630143 Website www.beamontcp.co.uk Email address beamont_primary@warrington.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 29 January 2014

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  Most pupils are of White British background. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds and those who speak English as an additional language are rising but remain below the national average.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school meets the requirements for publishing information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspectors observed a range of lessons and looked at pupils’ work. They listened to pupils reading and talked with pupils about their lessons and school life.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, representatives of the governing body and the local authority’s school improvement adviser who works with the school. A telephone conversation was held with the school’s improvement consultant.  The inspectors observed the school’s work and scrutinised documentation relating to pupils’ progress and the management of the school, including the arrangements to ensure that pupils are kept safe.  The inspectors spoke with parents and staff and took account of the 26 responses to the online parent questionnaire, Parent View.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the staff questionnaires. There were no responses to the online pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

John Nixon, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Christine Howard Ofsted Inspector Stephen Rigby 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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