Beer Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Beer Church of England Primary School Mare Lane, Beer, Seaton, Devon EX12 3NB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected 8–9 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers’ expectations are too low. Pupils behave very well, even when teaching is poor. The pupils’ good behaviour masks the weak teaching. It allows teachers to believe they are engaging pupils when they are not. Many pupils’ work is scruffy and incomplete. Consequently, pupils cannot explain what they have done or remember what they have learned, especially in key stage 2.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers do not consider the needs of individual pupils well enough. As a result, some of the most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged across the curriculum. Disadvantaged pupils are not provided with the precise support that they need to overcome their barriers.

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What is it like to attend this school?

While pupils can read appropriately for their age, some pupils could be given harder books to read sooner, especially among the older pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe in school. They respect each other and the staff. Most parents and carers appreciate the friendly atmosphere. Some parents have specifically chosen to bring their children to the school because of the care and nurture provided. There is very little bullying and teachers deal with it effectively on the rare occasions that it happens.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school works well with the local community. Pupils entertain senior citizens and take part in the art festival.

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better?

The recently appointed trust leaders are beginning to make a difference, but it is very early days. Most of the significant changes took place from September this year. There has not been enough time to see major benefits yet. However, the trust leaders know the strengths and weaknesses of the school and they are doing the right things. The governors of the school are benefiting from the support of the trust. Governors are holding school leaders to account more effectively, but this is a recent change.

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better?

School leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum in every subject. They have planned each subject so that pupils can gain knowledge in a logical order. However, they have placed too much emphasis on joining subjects together. Teachers are not applying the planned progression when teaching the curriculum. There has not been enough thought about how to teach subjects, such as history and geography, logically. From Reception to Year 6, teachers are not considering how to use the curriculum to help pupils learn and remember more. Despite the planning provided by subject leaders, teachers create random activities rather than building on what pupils have learned before. Pupils receive a diet of disconnected facts that they fail to remember over time.

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better?

A more successful change has been the introduction of a new mathematics 8–9 January 2020

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curriculum. Pupils, from Years 1 to 6, enjoy mathematics more as a result. However, leaders have not checked the teaching carefully and some gaps in pupils’ learning of the curriculum are starting to show. There is a similar situation in English. The reading habits that begin in Reception are not maintained as pupils move through the school. Pupils’ reading is adequate but not as good as it could be, especially for the most able. Teachers do not check pupils’ writing effectively. They let too many pupils produce incomplete work. Consequently, some pupils’ knowledge is patchy, and they cannot remember and apply their learning.

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The progress of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) is improving slowly. The trust leader for pupils with SEND is providing better support for these pupils currently. However, teachers and teaching assistants are not trained well enough to manage the needs of pupils with SEND.

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Pupils receive support to understand how to become healthy and physically active. There are clubs after school for sports, music and cultural activities, which pupils attend. Pupils receive skilful guidance on art and other creative aspects within school. Older pupils’ successful artistic work is on display as an inspiration to younger pupils.

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Pupils know how to stay safe online and understand the need to be road conscious when walking in the village on local trips. Pupils have a good understanding of Christianity but are less clear about other religions. They are tolerant of diversity. However, older pupils have limited understanding about the influences of extremism and other social dangers which they might encounter.

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Pupils’ attendance has not been good enough. There has been a shift to make sure that pupils attend more regularly since September and actions are having some impact. However, overall attendance is below national average and it is worse for disadvantaged pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Administrative staff are diligent in their checking of recruitment procedures. Staff use the latest government guidance on keeping pupils safe and understand what they need to do if they have any concerns. Staff provide effective nurture and support to pupils who need it. The designated safeguarding leads work well with external agencies to make sure vulnerable pupils are safe.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have made sure that the school is secure and have undertaken suitable risk assessments when necessary. Sometimes, staff have not applied measures diligently, such as closing the gate for vehicles when pupils are entering. Changes to these procedures happened during the inspection.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers’ expectations are too low. Leaders must raise staff expectations urgently so that pupils learn and remember more across the curriculum.  The planning of the curriculum is appropriate, but the implementation is weak. Teachers do not consider the needs of individual pupils. As a result, too many pupils, including some disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, are not learning and remembering knowledge well. Leaders need to monitor teaching more stringently and guide staff so that every pupil reaches their potential.  Leaders have focused on improving reading and mathematics this year. A new scheme has been introduced in mathematics. Books have been updated in reading. Despite this, some teachers are not following the advice given. Too many pupils in key stage 2 are not reading regularly or choosing books wisely. Some teachers are not following the mathematics scheme as intended. Leaders must monitor more carefully and hold to account teachers who are not complying

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

with school policy.  Older pupils are not prepared well enough for life in modern Britain. Pupils’ knowledge of some aspects of fundamental British values does not develop and deepen as they grow older. Leaders need to rectify this promptly so that they prepare pupils better for life in the modern world.  Over time, too many pupils have failed to attend school regularly. Leaders must remain vigilant in their efforts to change previous poor habits of pupils and parents so that attendance improves, and persistent absence decreases.

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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 are the school and you are 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. 8–9 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10133456 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.beer-ce-primary.devon.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The executive headteacher was appointed in September 2016.  The school became part of the ARK federation in 2014 with All Saints Church of England Primary School. The school joined St Christopher’s multi academy trust (MAT) in 2016.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

 We visited lessons with the executive headteacher and the trust’s lead for school improvement.  We scrutinised samples of pupils’ work.  We talked with groups of pupils from key stage 2, as well as with other pupils informally across the school.  We held meetings with the executive headteacher, curriculum leaders, teachers, 8–9 January 2020

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members of the governing body, the trust’s lead for school improvement, the trust’s lead for pupils with SEND, the federation’s special educational needs coordinator and Chief executive officer of the trust.  Documentary and other types of information were evaluated, including evidence relating to safeguarding.  We did deep dives in early reading, mathematics, humanities and art. This involved talking to leaders, teachers and pupils. We also visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work.

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Inspection team

Kathy Maddocks, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Non Davies Ofsted Inspector 8–9 January 2020

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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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