Beanfield Primary School

Beanfield Primary School Farmstead Road, Corby, Northamptonshire NN18 0LJ

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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

 The dedicated principal, supported by a committed leadership team, has secured significant improvements since the last inspection.  Senior leaders and governors have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school’s work. This is effectively used to plan improvements. As a result, teaching and pupils’ outcomes have improved.  Leaders accurately track and support the work of adults in the school. As a consequence, the quality of teaching is typically good.  Teachers plan work that is carefully matched to the needs of different pupils. Consequently, pupils at all levels make good progress.  The school’s marking policy helps pupils to extend their learning. Pupils make good use of the feedback they are given.  Pupils currently in the school make good progress.  Disadvantaged pupils are supported well. As a result, they make at least the same progress as other pupils in the school.  Pupils in the main school who have special

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This is a good school

educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Pupils in the unit provision make good progress from their starting points.  Leaders have developed strong safeguarding practices and, as a consequence, pupils are safe and cared for well.  Pupils in the school have a positive attitude to learning. They conduct themselves well around the school and show respect towards adults and each other.  The early years provision supports children effectively and as a result, they make good progress.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Leaders do not use the school’s assessment systems to provide precise information and keep them as fully informed as they could.  Teaching does not provide timely support and challenge for pupils to enable them to make outstanding progress. Pupils do not work things out for themselves enough.  Senior leaders and governors do not track the progress of pupils in the unit provision with the same diligence as they do the rest of the school.  Language and communication skills in the early years are less-well developed than other aspects of children’s learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve leadership and management, by: − sharpening the school’s assessment systems so that age-related outcomes are more accurately measured − evaluating the impact of the strategies used for pupils who receive additional support, including in the early years and for disadvantaged pupils − monitoring and sharing outcomes for the unit provision pupils.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Continue to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment to further improve pupils’ outcomes by: − consistently providing timely support and challenge in lessons so that pupils are able to move on quickly − providing pupils with the skills to better work out things for themselves.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the early years provision by providing more opportunities to develop children’s language and communication skills.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Strong leadership from the principal and senior leaders has enhanced the quality of teaching in the school and improved pupils’ outcomes.  Leaders set high expectations. Rigorous checks on the school’s work have provided senior leaders and governors with an accurate picture of its strengths and weaknesses. Planning is sharply focused on improving teaching and pupils’ progress.  Senior leaders’ analysis of the quality of teaching is accurate and well informed. They identify shortcomings and take action to address any underperformance. Consequently, work to improve teaching is well targeted and successful.  Middle leaders play a valuable hands-on role in supporting teachers and other adults in school. They work well alongside staff in the classroom and also where additional support is being used to help pupils catch up. This support helps staff to improve their practice and bring about improvements in how the pupils

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

learn.  Teachers value the training and professional development provided by the school. Newly qualified teachers appreciate the support they are given. As a result, the quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection.  Procedures for holding staff to account are well managed. Targets set are closely linked to pupils’ progress. Individual action plans to improve teaching are in place. However, performance management targets are too generalised to help teachers understand what contribution they each make.  Leaders are implementing an assessment system that supports pupils’ learning and achievement. The accuracy of these assessments is checked against that of other schools locally and this helps to ensure consistency. However, the system has not yet provided leaders with a fully accurate picture of pupils’ age-related attainment.  Leaders promote equality of opportunity well. They systematically review the progress that different

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

groups of pupils make and ensure that action is taken so that all pupils have an equal chance to succeed. For example, leaders have tackled the weaker performance of boys, in key stage 1 and key stage 2, and brought about significant improvement in the progress they now make.  Teachers use the school’s marking and feedback policy consistently well. Pupils are committed to improving their work and increasing their knowledge and understanding.  Leaders make good use of pupil premium funding to promote the care, well-being and progress of disadvantaged pupils in the school. Funding is used to provide a range of individual support programmes for these pupils so that they can catch up from any identified underachievement. As a result, the progress that disadvantaged pupils make is good and gaps in attainment between them and others in the school have closed in many instances. However, leaders do not check the impact of the different types of

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

support they provide to know which ones are effective and inform next steps.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress from their starting points, both in the unit provision and in the main school, as a result of effective leadership and support. The effective and enthusiastic leader of the unit provision ensures that these pupils are cared for well. However, leaders do not yet collate this progress information in a way that provides a useful overview of how well the unit provision is doing.  The academy trust provides effective support and challenge. The school works closely with other schools to share and develop good practice.  The school’s curriculum is broad and balanced. Year group topics are well planned across the national curriculum subjects. Interesting activities are used to engage and stimulate learning. Science is effectively promoted through investigations. The provision for modern foreign language is covered by a whole-school

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

programme in the form of ‘language of the term’, but this does not provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to develop their linguistic skills to any depth. A dedicated specialist language teacher is being brought in by the academy trust to address this next year.  The school provides a broad range of opportunities for pupils to take part in extra-curricular learning in other subjects. For instance, the school has storytime and newspaper groups, music sessions and Lego clubs. Pupils say that they enjoy these activities and clubs are well attended.  The provision for spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. The school has a comprehensive programme of personal, social and health education which develops pupils’ social and moral understanding well. Pupils have some understanding of others’ faiths and work closely with the community and a local church.  Pupils are adequately prepared for life in modern Britain. They develop a good understanding of British

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

values through a variety of activities and events, such as democratic elections to the school council, fire service visits, a democracy day and mayoral visits to the school.  The physical education and sport premium has made a positive difference to pupils’ health and well- being. External providers work in school and provide specialist coaching, run lunchtime and after-school activities and clubs, and provide training for staff. Competitions take place in school but opportunities to compete against other school are less common.  The school has fostered good relationships with the wider community and communicates well with parents and carers. Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View), the school’s own surveys of parents and parents spoken with during the inspection, indicate that parents are appreciative of the work of the school.  The governance of the school − The governing body is committed to the school and is ambitious for its pupils. It has an accurate view

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

of the improvements that leaders have made. Teaching and pupils’ outcomes are at the core of its work. − Governors bring a wide range of professional skills to their roles. They have undertaken training to increase their knowledge and understanding. As a result, governors ask some challenging questions and hold leaders rigorously to account for the school’s performance. − Governors check for themselves that what leaders tell them is accurate. For example, they visit the school, look at pupils’ books, carry out subject reviews and take into account the views of pupils and parents in a variety of ways. − The governing body is vigilant in fulfilling its statutory duties in relation to safeguarding arrangements. − Governors track the progress different groups of pupils make in great detail. However, the progress made by the pupils who are educated in the unit provision, and the sharing of this information, is not

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

given the same importance as that of other pupils in the school.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Procedures are robust and leaders maintain detailed records. All staff receive safeguarding training on an annual basis. Staff have had training in the ‘Prevent’ duty. Induction programmes are in place for all new staff, volunteers and governors. The curriculum contributes to raising pupils’ awareness of safe practices, such as e-safety and road safety. Staff are accessible for pupils who may wish to raise a concern. The high volume of safeguarding issues is managed efficiently. Tracking and analysis of trends is thorough. The school works closely with a wide range of other agencies and the records that the school keeps are highly detailed. All statutory requirements are met.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Skilled leadership and management have led to an improvement in the quality of teaching since the last inspection. As a result, teaching is now typically good and this enables pupils to make good progress in their learning.  The teaching of phonics (letters and the sounds that they make) is taught well. Pupils read fluently and confidently. They are able to name the authors whose books they enjoy reading. Pupils told inspectors that they enjoy reading.  Teachers display good subject knowledge. This is used to model learning effectively and support pupils in understanding concepts. This was observed to be working successfully in a Year 4 lesson, where pupils were creating complex sentences using adverbs, adjectives and nouns and were talking about the effect, impact and technical structure of their work.  Teachers use problem-solving activities to engage pupils and provide meaning to the work they do. For

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

example, in a Year 2 mathematics lesson, pupils were learning to solve problems by working out what combination of sweets they could buy in a sweetshop for different amounts of money.  Pupils show positive attitudes towards their learning as a result of their teachers’ high expectations. Pupils are confident and keen learners. They apply themselves well and work enthusiastically because teachers make learning enjoyable. However, pupils do not work things out for themselves enough of the time.  Teachers provide a range of different approaches to learning and plan work that is well matched to pupils’ abilities. As a result, all pupils make good progress.  Additional group and one-to-one teaching is used effectively to help pupils catch up. Teaching assistants’ work is increasingly effective when their plans are clear and focused on supporting the pupils they are working with. Consequently, the resources they use help pupils to develop their ideas well.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Success criteria are used well to help pupils understand lesson outcomes. For example, in a Year 1 lesson pupils were developing their understanding of rhyming words and were provided with a range of checklists and key learning points to help them progress.  Teachers provide activities which require pupils to work harder. This was observed in a Year 6 English lesson. Pupils were producing a piece of narrative writing using a ‘flash-back’ approach and using complex sentence structures. Sometimes, however, this level of challenge is not provided quickly enough. For example, in a Year 3 mathematics lesson, some pupils were left waiting for more difficult work to be made available.  Teachers use questions to good effect when checking pupils’ understanding. In a Year 6 English lesson, where pupils were reviewing text to spot errors, they were encouraged to explain their answers to increase the quality of their responses. Sometimes, however, teachers settle for more superficial

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

responses and miss opportunities to extend answers and develop deeper thinking.  Pupils are engaged and motivated by the range of activities covered in their topic work. Pupils have a wide range of opportunities for writing in different subjects.  Homework is varied and consistently used to reinforce and consolidate learning. However, the quality and quantity is variable across different year groups.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are given additional help to help them make good progress. Pupils who attend the unit provision have individual learning objectives carefully linked to the activities they do. There is a calm and purposeful environment in the unit and pupils make good progress, as observed in their learning journey booklets.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.  Pupils are welcoming, polite, and courteous to each other and to adults. Relationships are positive and there is a strong culture of respect and tolerance throughout the school.  Pupils are respectful of their environment and take pride in their school. They are encouraged to take on a variety of responsibilities such as: class prefect; play buddy; school councillor and eco-volunteer.  The school’s records show that bullying and racist incidents are very rare. Pupils told inspectors that bullying was infrequent and that they trust adults to follow up on any behaviour that does not meet the standards set. Parents agree with this.  Pupils have a good knowledge of how to keep themselves safe, including online. They are taught how to be healthy and keep fit and have access to a wide range of opportunities to take physical exercise,

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Personal development and welfare

including ball games, gymnastics, table tennis and triathlon. Parents agree that their children are safe and cared for well.  Pupils have access to a wide range of clubs to help them develop additional skills. For example, there is a netball club, a glee club, and breakfast and after-school clubs for the more potentially vulnerable pupils.  Pupils’ social and moral development, supported by a personal, social and health education programme, is strong. However, as yet, pupils’ spiritual and cultural awareness is not as fully developed.  Pupils experience opportunities to develop their understanding of British values. For example, through a visit to the town council.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils engage in their learning, listen to each other and work harmoniously together on collaborative tasks. Disruption is rare. In a few lessons, however, some pupils need to be reminded to concentrate on their work.  The school’s detailed and accurate records show that behaviour incidents have declined significantly. Careful tracking enables leaders to identify the actions needed to bring about improvement. However, this tracking is not analysed to see the impact of these actions on different groups to know if there are any patterns.  In the unit provision, staff, through the use of targeted plans, manage behaviour well for those who have more challenging needs.   Most pupils take pride in their work. However, some pupils have still to improve their presentation and handwriting skills. For example, in a Year 3 science lesson, pupils missed capital letters and full stops,

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Behaviour

despite knowing what they should do when asked.  Pupils’ attendance has improved and is broadly average. The number of pupils who are persistently absent has reduced significantly.  Parents typically agree that behaviour is good.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 Pupils across the school make good progress from their starting points.  In 2015, attainment in key stage 1 improved but was still below average. The school’s performance information for 2016, which has been externally moderated, shows good progress for both Year 1 and Year 2 pupils.  Phonics outcomes have continued to improve and are now average. Pupils enjoy reading and are able to recall and explain the plot, characters and settings of their books well.  In 2015, attainment and progress in key stage 2, despite improvements, remained below average. The school’s performance information for 2016 suggests that these improvements have continued. Over the last year, pupils across the school have made at least expected progress in reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar, and mathematics. Many pupils are catching up and have made better than expected progress.  As a result of the effective use of pupil premium funding, in most year groups the attainment and

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Outcomes for pupils are good

progress of disadvantaged pupils is similar to other pupils in the school. In some areas of learning and in some year groups it is better than for other pupils in the school.  Pupils who speak English as an additional language are making at least similar progress to others in the school. This is because of the effective tracking and support they receive.  Generally, the most able pupils are making at least the same progress as other pupils in the school but this is not yet consistent in all years. Over the last year, the most able pupils have increased the amount of progress they make. Work sampled by inspectors showed good progress over time by this group.  In most years, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make similar or better progress compared to other pupils in the school. Pupils’ workbooks show good progress in writing. Pupils who attend the unit provision make good progress from their starting points, as a result of the use of

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Outcomes for pupils are good

specific learning objectives based on careful assessment of what the pupils can do.  The historical gap in achievement between boys and girls is closing. Boys’ workbooks show significant progress over the last year. However, the gaps in achievement are not yet consistently closing across all year groups and remain wider in reading than in writing.  School leaders have accurately identified some remaining areas of underachievement. They are taking quick and effective action to tackle issues and address any underperformance of individual pupils.  Pupils leave Year 6 prepared for their transition to secondary school to make a success of the next stage of their education.

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Early years provision is good

 The early years provision is led and managed effectively. Leaders have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the provision. Training and support are used effectively to bring about improvements in children’s behaviour and attainment.  Children’s abilities, when they start in the Nursery or Reception classes, are below those typically found. The provision is successful in closing the gaps in their learning. As a result, all groups of children make good progress so that an average proportion reach a good level of development by the time they enter Year 1.  Relationships between children and adults are strong. Leaders and other adults take care to ensure that children are kept safe. Safeguarding practices are effective and statutory requirements are met.  Adults have high expectations for children. There are clear and well-established routines. As a result, children’s behaviour is good.

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Early years provision is good

 Children are keen to learn and participate well in their learning. They take turns and get on well together. For example, a group of six children were observed taking turns to drop a ball into a hoop, without fuss, and sustained this over a period of time.  Children are motivated by a stimulating environment and a range of activities both inside and outside the classroom. Activities promote writing skills well. For example, children practise how to write words and sentences, about animals, using their phonics skills. Other activities include making music, trips to the zoo, and building bridges.  Activities are used to motivate and challenge the children at different levels of need. Learning profiles show good use of regular and accurate assessments to ensure that children are challenged to make good progress. Leaders effectively use these assessments to identify children who need further support.

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Early years provision is good

 The youngest children settle well into nursery. Staff provide a range of stimulating and appropriate learning experiences, and are sensitive to children’s needs as they explore and enquire. A ‘challenge station’ presents children with an opportunity to learn about money and counting. Nursery children make good progress.  Pupil premium funding is used effectively in the early years. The gaps in attainment between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils nationally are closing because of the targeted support and high quality teaching provided.  Transitions into and from the early years benefit from the involvement of parents and other external agencies. Parents attend induction evenings and receive information about the curriculum each term. Regular reports inform parents of how well their children are progressing. Guidance is offered to parents on how best they can support their child’s learning.  While the curriculum provides children with a broad range of activities that are interesting, the level of

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Early years provision is good

difficulty could be even more demanding at times. For example, opportunities for pupils to be creative during their art work are sometimes missed because tasks are too structured. The curriculum allows children to have opportunities to celebrate festivals and other civic occasions and to build on their understanding of diversity.  Adults sometimes use questioning which restricts learning opportunities. They do not always take opportunities to encourage descriptive language and extend children’s answers. As a result, language and communication skills are not explored fully.  Children have a good start in the early years. The quality of the teaching and the progress of all groups of children ensure that they are ready to start Year 1.

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School details

Unique reference number 138672 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10011758

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 3−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 620 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stephen Prati Principal Leyton Smith Telephone number 01536 262000 Website www.beanfieldprimary.org Email address admin@beanfieldprimary.org Date of previous inspection 1 May 2014

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Information about this school

 Beanfield is larger than the average-sized primary school. There are three classes in each year from Reception to Year 4 and two classes in each year from Year 5 to Year 6.  Since the last inspection, several teachers have joined and others have left the school.  Three quarters of the pupils are White British, with the rest coming from a wide range of minority ethnic groups. Each of these ethnic groups has only a few pupils. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is average. The school has a higher proportion of boys than most schools.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils, supported by the pupil premium, is above average. The pupil premium is additional government funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children looked after by the local authority.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, supported by the school,

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Information about this school

is average. The proportion with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above average.  The school operates a specialist unit provision, the ‘unit’, for pupils with severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties and autistic spectrum disorders. Currently, 41 pupils from Reception to Year 6 attend the unit. All these pupils have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  In 2015, the school met the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.  The school provides a breakfast club and an after-school club for pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils’ learning in 27 lessons, including the specialist unit provision. Some of this learning was observed together with senior leaders.  Discussions took place with school staff, the governing body, and the executive principal of the academy trust, which sponsors the school.  The inspectors met with four groups of pupils, talked to pupils informally, and took account of the questionnaires completed by 21 pupils.  Inspectors attended assembly and listened to Year 2 and Year 6 pupils read.  The 57 questionnaires completed by staff and the 24 responses submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online questionnaire (Parent View) were taken into account. Inspectors spoke informally with a few parents at the beginning of the school day and reviewed the school’s own surveys.  Inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at a broad range of evidence, including: the school’s analysis of its strengths and weaknesses; planning and monitoring documentation; the work in

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Information about this inspection

pupils’ books; records relating to attendance and behaviour; and the schools’ own information on pupils’ current attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics.  The school’s child protection and safeguarding procedures were scrutinised.

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Inspection team

Vondra Mays, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Victor Wilkinson Ofsted Inspector Michael Appleby Ofsted Inspector Jo Ward 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

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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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