Beaconside CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Beaconside C of E Primary School Hutton Hill, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 8EN

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Outcome

Beaconside C of E Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a friendly and welcoming community. Pupils are happy and feel safe. Staff have high expectations of all pupils. They support the school’s aims to equip children with the confidence, knowledge, skills and values to ‘shine in whatever they do’. Pupils grow in confidence and develop a love of learning. They have a broad and interesting curriculum and achieve well. Their experiences are enriched with lots of different after school clubs, workshops and trips. Pupils are particularly proud of their achievements in music. All pupils have the chance to learn an instrument and join in performances. Music makes a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual and personal development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons. They are attentive and work hard. Pupils like to help each other and share ideas. They are kind and considerate towards each other. Pupils play together sociably in the well-equipped outdoor areas. Pupils who spoke with me said that bullying does not happen in school and they are sure that teachers will act quickly if it does. Pupils make a strong contribution to the school. Older pupils help younger ones in their roles as ‘play buddies’ and anti-bullying champions. Pupils enjoy school and attend well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The headteacher and senior leadership team are well thought of by staff, parents and pupils. Senior leaders know the school strengths and lead improvements well. Governors provide good challenge and support to leaders.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and staff are ambitious for pupils. They strive ‘to be every child’s champion’. Staff feel valued and supported by leaders. They attend training to develop their skills and share their ideas and expertise.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school’s curriculum matches the breadth and depth of the national curriculum. Subjects leaders are enthusiastic specialists in their subjects. The curriculum is most advanced in English, mathematics, religious education, and music. In addition, the 5–6 November 2019

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school’s values of faith, hope, compassion, joy and courage are promoted in all subjects. Pupils develop a good understanding of the world beyond their community. They respect faiths and cultures that are different to their own.

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Children settle happily into the Nursery and Reception classes. Staff make learning meaningful and fun. For example, children enjoyed learning about shape while they made robot pictures. Staff develop children’s communication and language skills well.

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Phonics and early reading are taught effectively. Pupils achieve well in the Year 1 phonics screening check and reading tests. Pupils in the special needs provision and those who join the school with little or no English make strong progress from their starting points. A love of reading is promoted successfully across the whole school. Pupils of all ages enjoy reading and listening to stories. They are motivated by ‘book days’ and visiting authors and poets. Occasionally, however, the texts and books used to develop reading skills are too difficult for some pupils, including for those at the early stages of reading.

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Pupils are enthusiastic about mathematics. Teachers are good at explaining learning and helping pupils become fluent in key mathematical facts. Pupils have lots of opportunities to apply their knowledge and develop their reasoning skills. They like to persevere with tricky problems. They achieve well in mathematics.

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In history, pupils can talk in depth about the topics they are doing currently. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 talk knowledgably about the three periods of the Stone Age and can find information from a range of sources. Pupils’ learning is enhanced with interesting trips and activities. Currently, learning is not as well organised as it could be to help pupils build on history skills and vocabulary from year to year. Leaders are taking action to address this.

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The support for pupils with special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) is a strength. Pupils’ needs are identified early and accurately. Pupils with SEND receive effective specialist support.

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Virtually all parents who made their views known are pleased with the school. They said, for example, that, ‘The headteacher is positive and encouraging,’ and ‘children learn well and like and trust their teachers.’ The inspection supports these positive views. Pupils leave the school as confident, well-rounded young people. They are prepared well for the next stage in their education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are vigilant about pupils’ health, safety and well-being. All staff and governors have completed training in safeguarding relevant to their roles. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns. Some staff have additional training to support pupils with SEND or behavioural needs effectively. Policies and records of safeguarding and behaviour are thorough. Leaders identify risks and provide early help successfully. They work well with a range of external agencies to ensure that vulnerable children and their families get the 5–6 November 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Although the planning for the curriculum is detailed across all subjects, some subjects are better organised than others when it comes to building on pupils’ knowledge and skills from year-to-year. The most advanced planning is in English, mathematics, religious education, music and French. Subject leaders in other subjects, such as history, have not had the chance to lead improvements to the same extent. Senior leaders should continue to support subject leaders to use their expertise to ensure that the curriculum is implemented effectively so that teachers build on pupils’ skills and vocabulary in each subject as they move through the school.  Pupils enjoy reading and make strong progress. Occasionally, however, the texts that pupils are given to help them develop their reading skills are too difficult for some pupils. This is especially the case for pupils at the early stages of learning to read.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders should ensure that early reading books link with the sounds pupils are being taught in phonics. They should also check that other texts and books that are used to develop reading skills match pupils’ reading age and interests.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged Beaconside C of E Primary School to be good on 2–3 March 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 5–6 November 2019

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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. 5–6 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10111077 Type of school Primary

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School details

School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 3 to 11

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2–3 March 2016

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Information about this school

 The headteacher and five teachers joined the school after the last inspection.  The senior leadership team has been reorganised with new staff.  The number of pupils on roll has increased. In the last two years, a higher than usual proportion of pupils have joined the school in key stage 1 and key stage 2. Many of these pupils are new arrivals to the country and are at early stages of learning English.  The school has a resourced provision for children aged four to seven, with complex and profound special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, senior leaders, governors and leaders of English, mathematics and history.  I considered early reading and phonics, mathematics and history in depth. Inspection activity in these subjects included: evaluation of curriculum planning; visits to lessons; scrutiny of pupils’ work; listening to pupils read; discussion with subject leaders, teachers and teaching assistants; and discussions with pupils about their learning in these subjects. I visited a music lesson and spoke to a group of pupils about their learning in music. 5–6 November 2019

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 I looked at safeguarding procedures and records of safeguarding and behaviour. I spoke with staff and pupils to check their understanding of safeguarding procedures.  In addition to the subject-focused activity, I checked provision in the early years and for pupils with SEND.  I looked at school policies and improvement planning.  I spoke with pupils about school life and their views on teaching and behaviour. I took into account 55 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents. I also considered the 27 responses to the staff questionnaire and 52 responses to the pupils’ questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Jean Olsson-Law, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 5–6 November 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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