Beechwood Primary School

Inspection of Beechwood Primary School Linden Road, Luton, Bedfordshire LU4 9RD

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement 11–12 September 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be part of Beechwood Primary School. The school is a welcoming community, where people’s differences are accepted and respected. Pupils are polite and friendly to staff and visitors. When working or playing, pupils cooperate sensibly and take care of each other. Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning and try hard.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils to be the best they can be. Staff know pupils well and ensure that they are well cared for. Relationships between staff, pupils, and parents and carers are strong. School events are well attended. Parents come into school to hear about leaders’ actions to improve the school, and to work and learn alongside their children. Parents are very positive about these occasions, which they say help them to support their children’s learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the broad range of extra-curricular clubs, particularly related to sports and the arts. Many pupils take part. Pupils aspire to achieve their best through understanding and keeping the school’s values, such as ambition and perseverance. They speak positively about not giving up when they find something challenging and say that their talents are recognised and celebrated.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe in school. They know that if they have concerns, there are adults they can talk to and trust to take appropriate actions. Bullying is rare, and when it does happen, staff deal with it effectively.

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better?

The curriculum has clearly defined aims and is ambitious. Many pupils speak English as an additional language and the curriculum focuses successfully on extending pupils’ vocabulary across all subjects. The well-designed curriculum provides most pupils with the knowledge and skills to achieve well in English, mathematics and physical education (PE). Leaders have identified what pupils need to learn so that they build on previous learning. However, in other subjects, such as geography and design and technology, teachers do not clearly identify what pupils need to know to understand new ideas. Equally, in some subjects, leaders have not thought carefully enough about how learning is organised. Leaders do not know enough about how well their subjects are taught in the early years.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, leaders have successfully raised standards in pupils’ reading, writing and mathematics. Staff have a strong grasp of pupils’ individual needs, particularly those who are most vulnerable. Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve well because staff identify any barriers to learning quickly and put the right support in place. The most vulnerable pupils are involved in all aspects of school life, including after-school clubs. 11–12 September 2019

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The development of early reading skills is a priority in this school. Leaders have a well-developed understanding of how to teach pupils to read. Phonics lessons are structured well, and most pupils successfully apply letter sounds to their reading and writing. Pupils read widely, and most enjoy reading. Reading books are well matched to pupils’ abilities, which helps develop their reading skills effectively, including understanding the texts. Pupils who are struggling to read get the right support from their teachers and well-trained teaching assistants. They catch up quickly.

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Pupils behave well in lessons, at breaktimes and when moving around the school. Learning is rarely interrupted. Pupils like to help each other, especially when someone is new to the school. Staff provide appropriate support for the few pupils who find it difficult to behave well. As a result, their behaviour improves. Since the previous inspection, pupils’ attendance has improved, and most pupils attend regularly.

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Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. Staff encourage pupils to be welcoming and respectful to everyone. Pupils have a good understanding of different backgrounds and cultures. Pupils relish opportunities to contribute to the life of the school, for example as house captains, sports leaders, junior road safety officers and members of the school council.

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Leaders know the school well, they are reflective and continually seek to improve the school. The headteacher has built a well-trained and motivated staff team. Staff value the training they receive. Leaders make sure that teaching is consistently good across the school. Staff are pleased with leaders’ actions to reduce their workload and improve their work–life balance.

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Governors share leaders’ vision that every pupil can and will achieve. They hold leaders to account, which helps leaders to focus on the school’s priorities. For example, governors challenge leaders about pupils’ achievements and make sure that additional funding is spent effectively.

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Children get off to a good start in early years. Most children leave the Reception classes well prepared for Year 1. Staff are calm and friendly with the children. The clear routines help children settle quickly. Although only in their first full week at school, children were seen happily learning both indoors and outside. Staff are good at supporting children’s learning. Staff develop children’s speaking and listening successfully, which particularly helps those who speak English as an additional language.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff take pupils’ safety and well-being seriously. Safeguarding procedures are well understood by staff and applied consistently. All concerns are logged and carefully monitored. Staff undertake regular training to keep up to date with current guidance and any issues within the local community. Appropriate checks are made on all 11–12 September 2019

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adults who work in the school, including volunteers. Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils are well supported, especially by the school’s family workers, and that external agencies provide timely support to pupils and their families. Pupils feel safe in school and are taught how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in some foundation subjects. However, it is clear that leaders are in the process of putting this in place. Leaders are moving forward with clear actions to develop curriculum plans further in subjects other than English and mathematics.  Curriculum leadership teams work together effectively to develop and improve the curriculum of their subjects across the school. However, not all curriculum leaders know or understand how their subject is taught in early years. This said, curriculum leaders are already working with early years staff to increase their understanding and strengthen curriculum links between early years, key stage 1 and key stage 2.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘ disadvantaged pupils ’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 11–12 September 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10110201 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16–17 May 2017

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  A monitoring inspection took place in September 2018 because the school had received two successive judgements of requires improvement at its previous section 5 inspections. The monitoring inspection judged that senior leaders and governors were taking effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the school’s most recent section 5 inspection in May 2017.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 As part of this inspection, inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the acting deputy headteacher and the assistant headteachers, one of whom is also the designated safeguarding leader. Inspectors also met with the English, mathematics, PE and geography leaders; the SENCo; the early years leader; the human resources administrator and a group of newly qualified and trainee teachers to discuss the impact of the support they receive from leaders.  The lead inspector met with the chair of the governing body, the vice-chair and two other governors. Additionally, the lead inspector met with a local authority 11–12 September 2019

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adviser to discuss their work with the school.  The subjects of reading, mathematics, PE and geography were considered as part of this inspection. Inspectors spoke to curriculum leaders, visited lessons, looked at a range of pupils’ work and met with teachers and pupils. Inspectors also observed some pupils reading to staff and talked to pupils about their reading habits.  Inspectors spoke to pupils informally in class and around the school at breaktimes to seek their views about the school. One inspector attended a whole-school assembly.  No observations took place in the Nursery classes as these youngest children were not yet attending school.  Inspectors scrutinised the school’s website and a range of school documents, including the school’s own evaluation, improvement plans, and records about behaviour, safeguarding children and attendance.  The inspectors considered the six responses made by parents to Ofsted’s free-text

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system. The inspectors also spoke to some parents at the start of the school day and considered phone conversations undertaken with parents. Additionally, the inspectors took account of the 46 responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and the 378 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  The transition arrangements for quality of education apply to this inspection.

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Inspection team

Fiona Webb, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Simon Harbrow Ofsted Inspector 11–12 September 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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