Becket Primary School

Inspection of Becket Primary School Tavistock Road, Worle, Weston-super-Mare, Somerset BS22 6DH

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 January 2022

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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

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 19 and 20 January 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend an improving school. There is a sharp focus on getting the basics right. Many pupils in Years 4 to 6 are catching up in English and mathematics. However, there have been deep-set weaknesses in the reading curriculum over time. While leaders are making much headway in putting this right, some pupils do not secure the essential phonic knowledge they need in order to read and spell well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Until recently, the curriculum was narrow. This year, some pupils are experiencing a better grounding in some subjects, but it is early days. Pupils still have gaps in their knowledge across a wide range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils enjoy school and get on well. Pupils said that staff are kind. Staff encourage pupils to speak up and share their views. They are confident that when bullying happens, staff sort it out. Many pupils recognise that behaviour and attitudes have improved markedly. However, lessons are still interrupted at times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders’ work to enrich the curriculum is beginning to take off. Pupils’ comments included: ‘[It is] okay to be different and everyone is accepted.’ Pupils like the school’s new values. They said that learning about the importance of perseverance and compassion is bringing everyone together.

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better?

For a considerable amount of time, pupils have not received a good quality of education. Knowing this, trust leaders have made appropriate strategic decisions. For example, they have strengthened the school’s leadership by appointing an executive headteacher and head of school. The capacity of the local governing board has been bolstered by new members.

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better?

Leaders’ actions are ensuring that everything is now going in the right direction. However, considerable staff changes have been unsettling for pupils and parents. Training is developing the staff’s subject knowledge, including in the early years. Children in Nursery get off to a flying start. However, some teaching, particularly in key stage 1, does not build well enough on what pupils already know. When this happens, pupils’ concentration wanes, which hinders their learning over time.

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better?

Leaders are identifying the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/disabilities (SEND) accurately. Precise pastoral support is in place for those pupils who need it. Leaders are proactive in seeking specialist advice. However, teaching is not tailored sufficiently well for some pupils with SEND. This means that a minority of pupils do not get access to the precise teaching they need in order to thrive.

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better?

Leaders are tackling the weaknesses in the reading curriculum head-on. There are plans for a new school-wide phonics programme. Leaders have ensured that books 19 and 20 January 2022

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match the sounds that pupils know. Children now start learning the sounds that letters make from the start of Reception. Nevertheless, in the past, some pupils did not benefit from a prompt start to learning to read, and this set them back. There is a raft of additional reading support going into place. However, some staff do not have secure enough subject knowledge yet. This is slowing pupils’ learning down.

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There is a sharp focus on teaching punctuation and grammar, and enhancing pupils’ vocabulary and spelling. While improving, pupils’ ability to write with the complexity that they should is patchy. In mathematics, the planned curriculum is well sequenced, and is building on pupils’ knowledge year-on-year. Increasingly, the mathematics curriculum is being implemented well.

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Securing an effective curriculum in other subjects is also at the forefront of leaders’ work. Recent curriculum changes mean that some sequences of work build well on what has come before. This is helping pupils to know and remember more, for example in history. Nonetheless, the curriculum in some other subjects does not include all the essential content that it should. This makes it difficult for pupils in key stage 2 to learn more complex knowledge over time.

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For a minority of pupils, absence and/or regular lateness act as barriers to gaining essential knowledge. Leaders have put in stringent systems to challenge this. However, currently, too many pupils arrive late to school on a regular basis.

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Leaders have well-thought-out plans to enhance pupils’ wider experiences, so that they grow into responsible citizens. Pupils’ physical and mental fitness are being prioritised. Pupils learn about healthy relationships and moral and social issues. This year, leaders are developing pupils’ musical interests and other talents. However, it is too soon to see the widespread impact of this work.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff are well trained and apply their training well. They are vigilant in identifying and recording any concerns they have about a pupil’s well-being or safety. Leaders follow up any concerns with tenacity. They work closely with external agencies when required. Strong support is offered to families who need it.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know and understand how to keep themselves safe. For example, pupils know about internet safety, and that ‘no means no’. 19 and 20 January 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders’ work to revamp the content and sequencing of the curriculum in many subjects is relatively new, including in Reception. It is too early to see widespread impact. Pupils do not develop the detailed knowledge and skills they need in every subject. Leaders must ensure that all pupils complete their programmes of study in every subject, so that they are well prepared for their next stage of education.  Leaders are only part of the way through resolving the weaknesses in the reading curriculum. Pupils have gaps in their phonic knowledge. Some pupils do not get the precise support they need. Leaders must ensure that pupils who have fallen behind get the appropriate support they need in order to read and spell accurately.  There are weaknesses in the implementation of the curriculum in key stage 1. Subject content that pupils missed when they were in Reception and Years 1 and 2 is being addressed further up the school, but a legacy of underachievement

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

remains. Leaders, including those responsible for governance, must ensure that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are resolved swiftly, including for those pupils with SEND.  Teaching does not always build on what pupils know and understand. Some teaching sequences miss important steps, including for pupils with SEND. Leaders must ensure that teaching builds on what pupils know and can do, so that pupils learn all the knowledge they should.  Some younger pupils find it difficult to sustain their concentration when sequences of work do not match their needs, or staff do not have consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour in lessons. Low-level disruption is tolerated at times. This hinders pupils’ learning. Leaders need to ensure that staff have consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct in key stage 1, so that all pupils can learn well without interruptions. 19 and 20 January 2022

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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.

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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. 19 and 20 January 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10212138 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Kaleidoscope Multi-Academy Trust. It joined the trust in 2017. This is a trust of seven primary schools in the locality.  There is an executive headteacher who oversees the work of the school. There is also a head of school who leads the school on a day-to-day basis.  There is a Nursery which takes two- and three-year-old children.  Since the school opened, there have been considerable staff changes, including at leadership level.

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Information about this inspection

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

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with the head of school, the executive headteacher and other school staff, including in the Nursery. 19 and 20 January 2022

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 An inspector met with the chair of trustees, the chief executive officer and members of the local academy board.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, English, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and considered samples of pupils’ work.  An inspector listened to Year 1 and Year 2 pupils read to an adult.  Inspectors also looked more widely at subject plans and pupils’ work. Inspectors talked to the subject leaders for science and for personal, social and health education, to review their roles and responsibilities and their current work. Inspectors also looked at pupils’ ‘knowledge books’ and talked to pupils about their work.  Inspectors met with the special educational needs coordinator to consider the

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quality of provision for pupils with SEND.  Inspectors considered how well the school protects pupils and keeps them safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. They also visited the breakfast club.  Inspectors considered responses to the Ofsted staff survey and pupil survey, alongside responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, including free- text responses from parents and carers.

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Inspection team

Julie Carrington, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mark Lees Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 January 2022

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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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