Beedon C.E. (Controlled) Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Beedon C.E. (Controlled) Primary School Stanmore Road, Beedon, Newbury, Berkshire, RG20 8SL

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Outcome

Beedon C.E. (Controlled) Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this small village school. They feel safe and get on well with staff. Pupils feel well cared for and know that if they need to talk to someone about their worries, there is always someone on hand.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During social times, pupils are active and sociable. They play on the climbing equipment, use the school’s scooters and small bicycles or stand together to chat. If pupils are unkind to each other, staff help them to sort out any differences of opinion or arguments. Pupils also take a lead in this and propose solutions to promote friendly relationships. Bullying is uncommon and staff deal with it well if it does happen. Pupils behave well. They concentrate in lessons and develop positive attitudes to their learning. Those who find it difficult to listen to teachers or concentrate are helped by skilled teaching assistants.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils eagerly take up positions of responsibility. They help tidy the school hall after lunch and some apply to be head girl or head boy. After-school and lunchtime clubs are popular. Pupils play games in the after-school and breakfast clubs, play football or join the art and dance clubs.

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

Leaders are passionate about providing the best education for their pupils. Since the last inspection, they have ensured that the curriculum is broad and ambitious. Leaders have focused on ensuring staff are trained well to provide high-quality phonics teaching from the time children start in Reception. In Year 1, pupils build on the phonics they learn in Reception, so that they can start to read more difficult words and short sentences. They read books that match the sounds they know and enjoy the stories that teachers read to them. Staff check pupils’ phonics knowledge regularly. Teaching assistants provide carefully tailored support to pupils who need to catch up in their reading. Pupils learn to read with increasing fluency as they move further up the school. 1 December 2021

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Pupils from Years 3 to 6 do not always enjoy reading. These pupils did not read as much during the disruption to their schooling over the past 18 months. Leaders are aware of this and are prioritising promoting a love of reading in their plans for improvement. They have begun this work by broadening the range of books in the school library and organising whole school events related to reading.

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Leaders have worked out what knowledge should be taught and the order in which to teach it. In subjects such as mathematics, teachers use well-selected resources and clear explanations to help pupils to build on the knowledge that they have previously learned. For example, children leave Reception with a secure understanding of how to count forwards and backwards. Year 1 pupils use this to help them begin to solve simple problems using number lines.

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Teachers have high expectations of pupils and encourage them to always do their best. Staff check what pupils know and can do. However, in subjects other than mathematics and English, changes to the curriculum are more recent. Leaders have not yet provided training for teachers in delivering these subjects. Teachers do not always choose the right activities to help pupils remember key information. Consequently, in a few subjects pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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Leaders identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) helps staff to provide pupils with SEND with learning that is closely matched to their needs. Staff strive to ensure that pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers in lessons. Those pupils with more complex needs receive appropriate specialist support.

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Pupils have a well-developed understanding of fundamental British values. There are many opportunities within the curriculum to broaden pupils’ understanding of diversity. For example, pupils learn about different types of families and how people with different backgrounds and beliefs live. Pupils also learn about showing caring and understanding to people who feel different. Assemblies are a highlight for many pupils. They learn about what spirituality means to Christians and to people from other religions.

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Staff feel that leaders take their concerns seriously. Teachers and teaching assistants value the training that leaders provide for them. Staff also feel that leaders think about their workload and well-being when making changes to the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders check the suitability of staff before they are employed in the school. Governors support leaders in asking the right questions about safeguarding procedures. Staff are trained well in safeguarding. They know how to spot signs that a child might be at risk of harm. Leaders follow up concerns quickly and record concerns about pupils meticulously. This enables leaders to keep a close eye on pupils that may need the help of external services. Leaders work well with outside agencies and are proactive in making sure that the pupils get the help they need when they need it. 1 December 2021

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Pupils do not always develop a keen interest in reading as they get older. This has been exacerbated by the partial closure of the school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leaders need to continue to promote a love of reading, so that pupils read more widely.  In some foundation subjects, teachers do not always choose the most effective pedagogical approaches to use when delivering learning. As a result, in a few subjects pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to sharpen training, so that teaching is consistently strong in all subjects.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 28 November 2011.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 1 December 2021

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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. 1 December 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200299 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 2 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a member of the Diocese of Oxford and has a Christian character.  The school’s previous section 48 inspection of the school’s distinctiveness and effectiveness as a Church of England school took place on 24 January 2017. The next section 48 inspection is expected before 2025.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  Inspectors held meetings with the executive headteacher, the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the SENCo, governors, a representative from the local authority and a representative from the Diocese of Oxford.  Inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and history. This meant that in each subject, inspectors met with subject leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans. 1 December 2021

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 Inspectors considered the views of staff from meetings with groups of staff and from the 15 staff who responded to Ofsted’s confidential questionnaire.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, including the central record of recruitment checks on staff.  Inspectors considered the views of 17 parents who responded to the confidential Ofsted parental questionnaire and 10 parents who provided free-text responses.  Inspectors considered the views of 19 pupils who responded to Ofsted’s confidential pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Harry Ingham, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Catherine Old Her Majesty's Inspector 1 December 2021

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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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