Beech Grove School

Beech Grove School Forest Drive, Nonington, Dover, Kent CT15 4FB

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders have been diligent in their pursuit of further improvement since the last inspection and galvanised staff and parents to share their high aspirations. Consequently, staff have forged an effective and united team that works tirelessly in the best interest of the pupils in their care, unanimously supported by parents.  Pupils’ achievement is good across a wide range of subjects. Pupils often achieve standards that are higher than expected for pupils of their age, having made strong progress from their variable starting points.  Good teaching across the curriculum helps pupils to become immersed in learning. Pupils are given boundless opportunities to transfer their reading, writing and mathematical skills across the range of subjects and do it well.  Pupils’ attitudes to learning are exemplary. Attendance is excellent. Pupils arrive on time and are eager to learn.  Leaders have ensured that pupils’ personal

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

development, behaviour and welfare are outstanding because they take their responsibility to protect pupils from harm very seriously. Pupils are encircled by care, and as a result, flourish and mature into respectful and responsible citizens.  Children are given a very positive start to their schooling. Children thrive in an atmosphere of trust and an environment where they are encouraged to develop a love of learning through play.  Sixth-form students are well prepared for the future and equipped with the personal skills and attributes, such as a strong work ethic, to engage fully in continued education and life in modern Britain. Most students leave with above-average reading, writing and mathematical skills.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The school meets the requirements of the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014 (‘the independent school standards’) and associated requirements.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching towards outstanding and thereby improve outcomes for pupils, by: – ensuring that teachers use information about the progress that pupils are making to systematically plan learning that builds on what pupils already know and can do – making certain that information about pupils’ performance is used effectively to plan lessons that meet the needs of pupils, so that the most able and least able pupils consistently tackle work that matches their ability – strengthening adults’ questioning skills so that pupils are encouraged to think more deeply and improve their understanding, particularly the most able pupils and children in the Kindergarten – making sure that pupils are clear about what they are learning and the skills they are acquiring in each subject, so that they have a greater understanding of how to improve their work.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management towards outstanding, by

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

using the information available to them in a more sophisticated way to hone in precisely on what the school needs to do even better, and in particular, to evaluate the quality of teaching more effectively, therefore improving the progress that pupils make.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

 All of the independent school standards are met.  School leaders and governors are resolute in their determination to improve standards across the school and to ensure that all of the independent school standards are met.  Their resolve has galvanised staff towards the same goal and they share an infectious desire to be worthy educators. They are entirely focused on developing well-rounded and academically capable pupils. Thus, pupils’ personal aptitudes, such as resilience, grow in harmony with their learning.  Leaders have an accurate view of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They are reflective and honest about what the school needs to do further so that pupils have the best possible experience of education. However, the wealth of information leaders possess is not used highly effectively to hone in on areas that could be improved further.  Adults set the tone for the school by leading by example in their attitudes and

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

behaviour. They act as excellent role models to the pupils in their care.  Positive relationships between adults and pupils help to create a constructive climate where pupils feel safe to take risks while developing academically and as responsible citizens. This has resulted in pupils being able to confidently express their feelings, both rationally and eloquently.  There is no formal mechanism to manage staff performance linked to financial remuneration. This is because staff, including leaders, are not paid for the work they undertake. However, leaders and governors hold teachers strongly to account for the quality of their work.  Leaders monitor the quality of teaching and provide teachers with useful feedback that helps them to improve. The majority of leaders’ evaluation is carried out through daily observations of teaching and through dialogue with staff. Despite this, leaders do not use other information available to them, such as the quality of work in pupils’ books

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and information about what pupils are achieving in each subject, to make conclusions about the quality of teaching overall and, therefore, to identify what aspects of teaching could be improved.  Staff value and welcome the open culture of support for each other. They are reflective and eager to become more skilled as teachers. They feel highly privileged to be entrusted with the education of children from the community and are proud to work at the school.  Individual pupils who initially make slow progress are quickly identified and additional support is provided, because teachers know pupils well. Consequently, most pupils make good progress in a range of subjects. However, leaders and teachers do not analyse information about how pupils are doing precisely enough in all subjects across the school. As a result, leaders have not made sure that pupils’ progress is consistently high across a wide range of subjects or ensured that pupils build on what they know

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

and can do.  The range of subjects taught is broad for all pupils. Regular trips, visits and extra- curricular activities help pupils to make connections in their learning with the world outside school. The curriculum is supported by visitors who enhance pupils’ knowledge and allow them to ask pertinent questions to deepen their understanding.  School leaders ensure that behaviour strategies and policies are consistently applied so that boundaries are clear. As a result, pupils quickly understand what is expected of them and incidents of poor behaviour are exceptionally rare. The school environment is calm, productive and highly conducive for learning.  Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. For example, life issues lessons discuss ethical questions and pupils have daily access to a range of newspapers that enable them to discuss current affairs from a knowledgeable starting point. Leaders

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

ensure that pupils and students have a strong awareness of life beyond the community so that they are well equipped for the future.  Leaders ensure that pupils’ core values are strongly developed. Because of this, pupils have a formidable work ethic, strong feelings of self-worth, and demonstrate qualities of acceptance and compromise. Pupils have a deep awareness of equality and equality of opportunity.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is woven seamlessly throughout the curriculum. For example, in science, pupils study the miracle of the human body and in life issues lessons they grapple with human emotions such as forgiveness. Pupils study early Christian history and learn about the history of the Bruderhof Community. Pupils learn about other faiths, such as Sikhism, and visit local temples. In geography pupils learn about different countries’ cultures and beliefs.  Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the work of the school. They particularly

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

value the open culture of the school and recognise that school leaders have high expectations of their children. Parents say that the communication between themselves and school staff is effective in keeping them abreast of their children’s learning and in addressing any concerns they might have. Parents feel that their children are well prepared for the future, and the extended work-experience placement opens their eyes to life outside the community.  Leaders recognise the usefulness of building partnerships and forging relationships with local schools to ensure that the school is outward looking. Leaders are open to opportunities to consolidate and improve future collaboration in order to strengthen the school’s effectiveness. Moderation with Darvell School in east Sussex has validated the judgements that teachers make about how pupils are doing.

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Governance

 Governance has been strengthened through the introduction of the education committee which has increased accountability and opened the lines of communication between itself and leaders in the school.  Governors have a high degree of input into school life because they focus on strategic issues while allowing leaders to concentrate on the quality of education that the school provides.  There is strong evidence to suggest that governors intervene when they need to, for instance, to improve the quality of teaching and in relation to pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare, to ensure the best outcomes for pupils.  Governors ensure that relevant training is in place to improve the skills of adults working with pupils. They use their own analysis to identify when all staff require additional training to strengthen their practice.  Governor roles are specifically allocated to ensure that members’ skills are utilised

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Governance

appropriately to effectively support the school.  Governors are passionate about what they do and the responsibility it affords, commenting that: ‘We are on a personal journey with young people into adulthood.’  Governors produce their own reports that reflect the analysis they undertake to challenge leaders and hold them to account. They delve into data and request more information should they need it. However, there has been insufficient focus given to whether all groups of learners make sufficient progress across a wide range of subjects.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. This is underpinned by the depth of knowledge staff have about all pupils and students.  Leaders have established strong links with the local authority designated officer for advice and support to ensure that staff are well trained to recognise and understand safeguarding in depth.  Thorough checks are made on adults when they work at the school. All staff have completed appropriate training according to their responsibilities. This includes training on safeguarding issues that reflects the most recent statutory guidance and legislation. It is noteworthy that the school’s safeguarding policy is continually reviewed by leaders to make it relevant to the needs of pupils and students. It is effectively implemented by all staff.  Even though pupils and students have limited access to computers and particularly the internet, leaders ensure that pupils are knowledgeable about how to keep themselves

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Safeguarding

safe online.  Pupils can communicate their understanding of bullying, their respect for others and understanding of current social issues eloquently and in a well-balanced and reasoned way. Pupils know that staff care for them and feel comfortable to engage in open dialogue about any concerns they might have.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

 Class teachers have excellent subject knowledge which is generally imparted well. In the best examples, the teachers’ passion for their subject has instilled that same zeal in pupils, creating a dynamic atmosphere for learning. In a physics lesson, students animatedly discussed Newton’s law of motion with regard to friction and equilibrium. Teachers enable pupils to make good progress in a wide range of subjects because they are taught effectively.  Very strong relationships between pupils and adults and between pupils mean that pupils confidently contribute their ideas and know that their opinions are valued. Pupils freely ask staff for support when they need it, and consequently, learning has evolved into a partnership between staff and pupils, especially in the academy.  Pupils are resilient and autonomous, and have exceptionally positive attitudes to learning. They have a thirst for knowledge, and subsequently absorb information given

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

to them. Pupils can express what they are doing, but are less sure about the skills and understanding they are developing in each subject. This would be strengthened if teachers shared the focus and purpose of learning more clearly with pupils.  Reading is taught very well. Pupils develop a love of reading which is underpinned by the work that parents do prior to their arrival at school.  Mathematics lessons challenge pupils to apply what they know in a range of ways and to problem solving. The most able pupils are challenged by complex mathematical problems which require a high degree of reasoning and application of prior learning. Sometimes, however, learning does not accurately meet the needs of learners, and teachers do not check well enough that all pupils understand before they forge learning forward.  Teachers make sure that pupils become competent and fluent writers who communicate effectively with the reader. From the youngest children to the oldest

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

students, the craft of writing is exceptionally well taught and consequently, pupils achieve very highly in this subject.  Teachers assess pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding in all subject areas and use this information to plan lessons that will help them to further develop these skills. Still more work needs to be done to ensure that the most able pupils’ attainment truly reflects their ability, especially in the academy.  Most teachers provide pupils with verbal feedback about how well they are doing during lessons. Very small class sizes allow teachers to interact spontaneously with each pupil when they do not understand. To some extent this is predicated by pupils recognising and expressing that they need help. Nonetheless, this immediately has an impact on the ability of each pupil to make progress within a short space of time. Occasionally, adults do not adapt lessons when pupils are not engaged fully or learning

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

well, particularly for the most able pupils.  Pupils who fall behind are identified and supported well to make progress and catch up with their peers. Leaders often provide pupils with the pastoral and academic support they need to be able to access learning and focus on their work.  Some highly effective questioning by staff enables them to check what pupils know and understand. Adults give pupils sufficient time to think about their responses and draw on what they know from a range of subjects. Pupils debate and challenge each other’s views and answers. However, questioning does not consistently deepen and extend the reasoning skills of the most able pupils.  Staff commonly reinforce British values and structure lessons to prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. They challenge stereotypical views so that pupils gain a more profound understanding and appreciation of the country in which they live. The

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

school’s highly positive ethos has engendered an environment where pupils would not entertain the use of derogatory language towards others.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) development is prioritised by the school. Teachers take every opportunity to ensure that SMSC development is covered seamlessly within the curriculum and interwoven into most subjects. These closely reflect the strong ethos of the school which is shared by the community.  Homework adds value to pupils’ learning, especially as pupils grow older. Work at home extends pupils’ learning and strengthens pupils’ work ethic.  Staff feel that leaders have created a culture of mutual support to improve the quality of teaching throughout the school. Teachers feel that leaders’ continual verbal feedback about how well they are doing and what could be improved has impacted positively on their practice. Teachers value the training they receive and feel part of a

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

team that is privileged to teach the next generation within the community.  Parents receive reports on how well their children are achieving four times during the year so that they are able to support their learning. This is underpinned by daily dialogue between school and parents so that issues can quickly be addressed. All parents express that they receive important information about the progress their children are making, with some feeling that they would like even more.  Class teachers and leaders do not consistently use information about pupils’ progress to check that pupils are making enough progress and build effectively on what they already know and understand. Some staff feel that even more could be done to ensure that learning meets the needs of all learners more consistently so that they make yet more progress.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.  Strong relationships between staff and pupils have secured a respectful environment in which pupils can thrive. Pupils know that they can ask searching questions of teachers throughout their lessons and receive knowledgeable and reflective responses. Learning has become a partnership between pupils and teachers, particularly as pupils grow older.  The school endeavours to prepare pupils for life outside school and to enable them to manage when they leave or participate in activities outside the community. Leaders go to great lengths to secure the best onward journey for students and continue to support individuals after they have left the school. Leaders are resolute in their pursuit of good outcomes for pupils because they care deeply for them.  There is a strong emphasis on tolerance, respect and responsible citizenship

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Personal development and welfare

throughout the school, which has meant that pupils have healthy feelings about themselves, and are autonomous, resilient and resolute. Consequently, they are exceptionally well equipped to deal with any challenges they might face in the future.  All parents believe that their children are well cared for, and are happy and safe at the school. Inspectors agree because pupils’ safety, well-being and personal growth are at the heart of the school’s work. Pupils have a keen understanding of how to keep themselves safe.  The natural environment that surrounds the school enables pupils and students to explore learning in a conceptual and practical way. They develop appreciation and a sense of reverence for the world about them as a result.  Both the younger and older pupils have celebratory assemblies, which are known as the Kinderschaft for the younger pupils. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural

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Personal development and welfare

appreciation and understanding are deepened through these experiences, for example, through sharing parables from the Bible.  The school is a very sociable place and many of the community activities interact closely with those in school, which provides strong support for pupils’ first-class social development. The division between the community and the school is seamless and all adults work together for pupils’ mutual benefit.  Pupils’ spiritual guidance is underpinned by the Christian community which is open and welcoming to other faiths. Leaders continually seek ways to engage and encourage pupils to gain a practical appreciation of communities beyond their own.  Pupils respect other’s difference and have well-developed, positive attitudes relating to equality because this is tackled and taught effectively by staff across the school. Older pupils can confidently talk about homophobia and extremism and feel free to ask

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Personal development and welfare

teachers about wider safeguarding concerns in life issues classes.  Pupils and students of all ages are confident to speak to visitors and share information about their learning and community. This is because their speaking and listening skills, along with their ability to verbally present their views with clarity, are prioritised throughout the school curriculum.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. The school has effective strategies in place to provide pupils with consistent boundaries for their behaviour so that they are able to understand what is expected of them. This is strongly reinforced by parents and this ensures that expectations are congruent throughout all areas of pupils’ lives.  During the inspection, pupils were polite, well mannered and communicative. Without exception, pupils and students greeted inspectors with a warm welcome and the youngest children in Kindergarten shook hands with inspectors. Pupils answered questions enthusiastically and willingly shared their work with the inspectors.  Pupils are supportive and considerate towards each other. During assembly older pupils sit alongside their Kindergarten buddies to help them settle into school life. Older pupils take their responsibility to care for, and be role models to, the youngest pupils very

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Behaviour

seriously and do it exceptionally well.  There is no evidence of bullying at the school. Pupils are adamant that it does not happen. Pupils are confident that staff deal effectively with behavioural incidents on the very rare occasions that they do occur. Leaders support pupils very well if they are struggling to manage their behaviour. When appropriate, leaders seek support from professionals outside the school to help them.  Pupils arrive to lessons on time and ready to learn with the right equipment, because routines are embedded. They have very positive attitudes to their education because staff work hard to instil the value of learning to their future lives.  The vast majority of pupils attend school every day and subsequently, attendance is well above the national average, especially for the younger pupils who attend the school. No pupils or students have too many days off school. Again, highly effective

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Behaviour

communication between the school and parents engenders excellent attendance.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Leaders and staff have high expectations and aspire for pupils to achieve well. They facilitate a culture where a love of learning is fostered. There is a strong focus on building pupils’ core skills, and preparing them to be ‘ready to serve’. Subsequently, pupils are prepared well for the future.  Work in pupils’ books and observations in lessons show that most pupils are working at a standard which is higher than that expected for pupils of their age. From their variable starting points, pupils make strong progress to achieve high standards by the time they leave the academy. Commendably, the least able pupils are supported effectively to quickly catch up with their peers, and consequently, they too achieve highly.  Leaders have established a system for tracking pupils’ achievement against the standards expected for their age. All pupils work towards the USA Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) which they take when they are 18 years old. The test assesses pupils’

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Outcomes for pupils Good

aptitudes in a wide range of curriculum areas. Encouragingly, by the time they leave the school, pupils achieve outcomes that are typically above average and in the top 15% of outcomes achieved by students in the USA. Outcomes in English are particularly strong.  Pupils debate and discuss their learning exceptionally well. They communicate their opinions eloquently, and support them with well-reasoned arguments. They have a wealth of knowledge and understanding of the world around them to draw upon and recall information from a range of lessons to provide evidence for the opinions they hold. Because of this, all pupils have strong speaking and listening skills.  The youngest pupils use phonics to break down c–v–c words such as ‘pin’ and ‘tip’. Pupils can spell simple words and demonstrate that they understand the meaning of words. The less able pupils read fluently, and can retell stories sequentially and explain

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Outcomes for pupils Good

the meaning of more complex words, such as ‘obviously’. Most-able pupils read complex texts, such as ‘Warriors Don’t Cry’ by Melba Pattillo Beals. They are able to understand the imagery created by the author, clearly explaining the context of extracts. They ably express opinions about the text they read.  Pupils read fluently and expressively and achieve highly because they are given access to high-quality reading text that evokes a high level of response from pupils, for example, ‘The Scarlet Letter’ by Nathaniel Hawthorne, which uses a character named Pearl to symbolise redemption.  Pupils have exquisite handwriting because teachers have very high expectations of presentation as soon as children start school. Pupils’ use of punctuation and grammar and the accuracy of their spelling are almost flawless in English composition and across a wide range of subjects, no matter what their level of ability or age.

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Outcomes for pupils Good

 Mathematics is taught systematically so that pupils have the opportunity to recap on previous learning before acquiring new concepts. Pupils demonstrate that they are able to apply their knowledge to solve mathematical problems before moving to the next stage and achieve very well. Pupils’ learning moves forward because they continually interact with the class teacher to reinforce their understanding or ask for help. However, occasionally, pupils are expected to tackle the same work, irrespective of their level of understanding, and therefore pupils do not make the progress they could.  Staff have high expectations of pupils across a wide range of subjects and because of this, pupils achieve well. Pupils demonstrate effective use of subject-specific language and understand even the most demanding terminology. For instance, in a chemistry lesson pupils were observed learning about nuclear physics and the nature of electrons

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Outcomes for pupils Good

in detail.  Pupils’ good achievement is underpinned and reinforced through equally high expectations of parents prior to their children joining the school, which continues throughout their education.  Admirably, students achieve success in nationally recognised competitions. For example, a small group of pupils won the National Science and Engineering Competition for 14–16 year-olds for science and mathematics, and for engineering.  Most-able pupils are generally challenged because work is matched to their needs. Their learning is tailored to help them reason and apply what they know in a range of ways. In a mathematics lesson, most-able pupils used algebraic equations to solve problems. Work in books and observations in lessons evidence the good progress that they make in reading, writing, mathematics and in a range of subjects.  Occasionally, the most able pupils could undertake more challenging work on their

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Outcomes for pupils Good

own, rather than waiting for detailed instruction and scaffolding that other pupils need to help them understand their learning. Most-able pupils are not reliably required to think more deeply through searching questioning from the teacher and high-level discussion and debate.  Many parents strongly agree that they have sufficient information about how much progress their children are making. However, some parents indicate that more could be done to inform parents about how much progress their children are making.

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Early years provision Good

 The school is exempt from the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage.  The early years provision at Beech Grove School is known as Kindergarten. Leaders know the strengths of the provision and what needs to be done to make it even better. Leaders provide useful feedback and training for teaching staff so that they can improve their practice and build a solid foundation of learning that children can build upon. Children are extremely well mannered and confident. They are eloquent and express themselves effectively. During the inspection, children eagerly greeted inspectors by shaking hands with them and introducing themselves without prompting from adults.  Children maintain their interest in activities for sustained periods of time, both on their own and when working with other children. For example, children built complex structures by overlapping wooden blocks to construct circular towers. Children

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Early years provision Good

demonstrate resilience and perseverance. When the towers collapsed, they built them up again.  Children start Kindergarten with a range of skills, knowledge and abilities.  Children exude an eagerness to learn. They are inquisitive and are able to draw upon their strongly developed knowledge and understanding of the world to solve problems. Children contemplated the crunching sound of fallen leaves and resolved that they crunched because they had fallen from the trees and were dead and dry.  Children have ample opportunities to engage with nature and learn outdoors. They participate in daily nature walks, delicately touching and identifying flowers, kicking up fallen leaves off the ground, holding bugs gently in their hands and listening for sounds around them. Children’s faces reflect the awe and wonder the environment in which they learn affords.  Children are eager to share their work. Children showed inspectors the lanterns they

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Early years provision Good

had made as part of their Harvest celebrations, and pointed to the spider they had captured that now lives temporarily in a jar.  Children participate in activities well. During the inspection children sang enthusiastically and tunefully to a range of songs, knowing the words by heart. These songs helped children to learn autumn vocabulary, the days of the week and single- digit numbers.  Children are rapidly developing a range of vocabulary to describe what they see and how they feel. Children are beginning to learn about colour and can count objects confidently. Children told the inspectors that they had collected 156 ripe conkers the day before.  Children make an excellent start to Kindergarten because the school and community share a common purpose and approach to ensuring that the ethos of the school is upheld. Parents prepare their children well for the day they start attending.  Children are quickly developing skills and attitudes that prepare them well for more

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Early years provision Good

formal education.  Excellent relationships between staff and children allow children to flourish in an atmosphere of care. Children are safe and nurtured. Staff have high expectations of children’s behaviour and are excellent role models for children.  Parents have been integral to the establishment of Kindergarten provision at the school. Leaders sought their views about the content of the Kindergarten curriculum and staff engage in dialogue with parents on a daily basis. This provides parents with vital feedback about how well their children are doing and what they can do to support them.  The school provides its youngest children with a suitable curriculum that encourages learning through play. Activities are well planned to develop children’s curiosity and love for learning before they start formal education. At the moment, adults do not engage children in dialogue, or question them sufficiently to draw out what they know

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Early years provision Good

or to deepen their understanding when they demonstrate an interest in the world around them.

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Sixth-form provision Good

 Students joining the sixth form have no prior formal accreditation. Pupils from the school at Beech Grove and from other schools in England and the USA also attend the sixth-form provision.  School leaders are determined to offer a common curriculum to facilitate movement of students between Bruderhof communities around the world. Consequently, the school has adopted the USA’s high school curriculum model. Students work towards the USA Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), which is one of the main entry assessments for universities in the USA and is an acceptable accreditation for entry to universities across the world.  Students achieve outcomes that are typically above average and in the top 15% of outcomes achieved by students in the USA.  The curriculum exposes students to a wide variety of academic options and wider opportunities such as journalism and performing arts. Students also have the opportunity to participate in Young Enterprise where they learn to form a business and

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Sixth-form provision Good

elect a board of directors from among themselves. Pupils raise a starting fund, then create, sell and market products to generate a profit. Students have experienced first- rate success in Young Enterprise year on year because of their innovative creations and business acumen.  School leaders continually seek ways to improve sixth-form provision which reflects the ambitious ethos of the school. For example, leaders are currently focused on increasing the range of vocational courses available to students because they recognise that the curriculum is currently biased towards academic subjects. However, leaders provide choice beyond the community for students, such as facilitating access to a national vocational qualification (NVQ) in horticulture at Hadlow College.  Students are exceptionally well supported to improve their life skills. Leaders are acutely aware that students need to benefit from access to experiences beyond the

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Sixth-form provision Good

community. This includes practical use of money as students do not encounter money within the community.  Students are provided with impartial careers advice, facilitated by the school. This includes personalised support to ensure that pathways build on students’ interests and accreditations. Leaders are highly responsive to each student’s aspirations and help them to follow their dreams.  Students participate in work-experience placements based on their interests. All students participate in an additional, extended work-experience placement outside the community working for a charitable organisation, such as Tearfund and XLP. Not only does this provide students with an opportunity to participate in modern Britain, but also prepares them for life within it.  This year, students have designed a wash basin for Oxfam to help people in less economically developed countries. Their design was submitted to the Humanitarian

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Sixth-form provision Good

Innovation Fund along with 120 other applications.  When students leave the academy, they are encouraged to pursue a year of reflection before continuing their onward journey. This helps students to make a personal choice of whether to remain within the community or to take a different path. Leaders are very supportive of school leavers, whatever decision they make, so that they can continue to be successful and responsible young people.  Leaders proactively support students who need to visit further education providers to decide for themselves where they would like to attend and what courses they would like to do. A proportion of students choose to attend university within the United Kingdom and in other countries throughout the world.  All academy leavers attend further education, employment or training. If students make the decision to remain within the community, they do so accepting that their

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Sixth-form provision Good

continued career is one of service to the community and beyond, without financial reward.  Students behave well and have exemplary attitudes to learning. Students verbalise the importance of education to securing better futures. Above this, students say that values of respect, compassion, service and resilience are the most important qualities and characteristics they can have to prepare them for life.  The quality of teaching for sixth-form students is good. Teachers enthuse students and engage them in lively debate. Teachers continually assess what students know and understand to adapt learning so that students make rapid progress. However, sometimes teachers do not use what they know about students to ensure that the needs of all students are met. Questioning does not consistently evaluate, extend and deepen students’ understanding. Consequently, some students are left behind in lessons and do not make as much progress as they could, particularly the most able.

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School details

Unique reference number 131181 DfE registration number 886/6073

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008, the purpose of which is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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School details

Of which, number on roll in sixth form 25

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) No fees charged

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School details

Date of previous inspection 4–5 December 2012

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Information about this school

 Beech Grove School is situated within the Beech Grove Christian Community on a 140- acre site in rural Kent. Established in 1996, the school provides education for children of its community aged from four to 19 years.  The school is one of two schools in England which are owned and run by Church Communities UK, a registered charity run by a board of trustees.  The families of the children in the school live on the site and the parents and carers all work on the site. There is a large manufacturing plant on site that makes wooden furniture for use in schools.  There are currently 96 pupils on roll, aged from four to 18 years of age. Children aged four and five attend Kindergarten which is located in the purpose-built school. The younger pupils attend the school, which is for 1st Grade to 8th Grade pupils, equivalent to Years 2 to 9. The older pupils are in the academy for pupils and students in 9th

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Information about this school

Grade to 12th Grade, which is the equivalent of Year 10 to post-16.  The school has an exemption from the learning and development requirements of the early years foundation stage.  Pupils enter formal education aged six years, following two years in Kindergarten.  There are no pupils attending the school who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan.  There are no pupils attending the school who are disadvantaged.  The school uses no alternative provision.  The school does not have a website.  Some registered pupils, above the age of 14, transfer from the proprietor’s second school, Darvell School in east Sussex, to complete their education at Beech Grove School. These students live with community members on site between Monday and Friday.  The school aims to ‘educate pupils to be orderly, truthful, caring for the needs and suffering of others, interested in learning and thinking, and disciplined in body’.

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Information about this school

 Ofsted last inspected the school in December 2012, when it met all of the independent school standard regulations.  Since the previous inspection there has been a change in headteacher at the school. The headteacher is also responsible for Darvell School in east Sussex. An education committee has been established and is responsible for governance.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed pupils learning in 22 lessons. Most lessons were observed alongside a member of the school’s leadership team.  Inspectors checked the school’s compliance with the independent school standards while undertaking the inspection.  Inspectors held a range of meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders, a member of the education committee and staff members with additional responsibilities.  Inspectors met with a group of parents formally and considered the 35 responses made by parents on Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View.  Inspectors spoke to pupils in lessons, and met with them more formally to discuss their views about the school.  Inspectors met with staff, both established and new to the school, and took account of the 22 staff responses to the voluntary survey completed while the inspection was under way.  Inspectors shared in a school assembly.  Inspectors listened to pupils read.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors looked a range of pupils’ work across a wide range of subjects.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of school documents, including the school’s self- evaluation about its own effectiveness, information relating to safeguarding pupils and a wide range of school policies. The inspector reviewed the checks made on staff about their suitability to work with children.

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Inspection team

Abigail Birch, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Calvin Pike 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

Parent View 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

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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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 .

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Inspection team

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

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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