Beehive Lane Community Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Beehive Lane Community Primary School Beehive Lane, Great Baddow, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 9SR

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Outcome

Beehive Lane Community Primary School continues to be an outstanding school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Beehive Lane experience an exceptionally strong education. They develop a wealth of knowledge and skills across all subjects. As a result, pupils are very well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During their time in the school, pupils become confident, curious and independent. They ably debate and discuss what they are learning about in lessons. They successfully present and explain ideas to others. Everyone takes part in termly speaking competitions. Pupils are highly supportive of each other, particularly those who need extra help to do this confidently.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very accepting of each other and any differences between them. They are polite and well behaved. Older pupils organise their peers to take on key responsibilities in the school each week, such as being play leaders. Playtimes are happy times, with lots of games and activities on offer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is rarely any bullying. Pupils know that if someone is mean to them, adults will sort out any issues quickly. Pupils feel very safe in this school.

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

This is a school where leaders and staff hold what is best for pupils at the forefront of everything they do. There is a high level of consistency across the school. Leaders lead by example. They check that anything they ask teachers to do works well in their own classrooms and lessons first. Leaders make sure that staff are well trained and confident to teach any new initiatives.

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

The curriculum is very well planned. In every subject, it is clear what leaders expect pupils to learn and when. Pupils revisit important themes over time. Teachers adapt their teaching day by day to meet pupils’ exact needs. 20 and 21 April 2022

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Developing pupils’ vocabulary is important in this school. Pupils have a comprehensive understanding of subject-specific language and use this accurately in their explanations and written work. Pupils’ work across the curriculum is of an excellent standard. Pupils achieve highly, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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Teachers encourage pupils to discuss and explain their learning with each other. Teachers listen to these discussions to check whether pupils have remembered and understood important knowledge. Teachers make sure that pupils master what they are learning before moving on to more complex work. They use carefully chosen resources to help pupils learn successfully. For example, in mathematics, pupils are taught how to use images and practical equipment to help them solve problems. Children in early years and pupils in Year 1 become highly fluent in recognising groups of numbers by sight so that they can combine these quickly.

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Leaders ensure that staff teach early reading effectively. Children learn phonics successfully from the moment they enter the Reception class. The books that the youngest readers take home are very well matched to the sounds that they know. Pupils across the school delight in the texts they read in lessons and the way in which their teachers engage them in plot twists and turns. Older pupils enjoy being part of book clubs where they review the books they have read with each other.

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Leaders identify the needs of pupils with SEND quickly and accurately. Leaders make sure that the right additional support is put in place. Pupils with more complex needs have individualised curriculum plans, with activities linked to the topics that the rest of the class is learning. This enables pupils with SEND to make strong progress from their own starting points.

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Disadvantaged pupils achieve exceptionally well. Leaders, including governors, keep a close eye on these pupils. Pupils at risk of not making excellent progress are given additional help, so that they get back on track quickly.

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Pupils’ personal development is a top priority. There is a wide range of clubs and trips on offer. Pupils take part in two Shakespeare plays in their time at the school and have the opportunity to work with professional actors. Leaders use drama to develop pupils’ confidence in presenting to others. Pupils enthusiastically take part in poetry and storytelling competitions.

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Pupils’ behaviour is excellent throughout all year groups. Pupils work hard and persevere when they find things challenging. They are very motivated to learn and be the best they can be.

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Leaders and staff are keen to learn from others and engage with a variety of external learning organisations. Leaders and staff share their own skills and expertise with other schools, including through the work of the local mathematics hub. 20 and 21 April 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that all staff have regular and comprehensive training. Staff know the pupils in their care very well. They make sure that vulnerable pupils and families get the additional support they need. This is supplemented by the part-time family support worker.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe from harm, both outside school and when online. They feel safe in school and know whom they can talk to if they are worried.

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Safeguarding

All appropriate checks are made on adults who are in the school on a regular basis.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in March 2016.

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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. 20 and 21 April 2022

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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. 20 and 21 April 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Date of previous inspection

3 March 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  A separately run and registered pre-school operates in a building on the school site. This provides breakfast and after-school care for pupils from this school.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders, and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher, other senior leaders and a wide range of staff. The inspector also met with the chair of governors and an external school improvement adviser.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at 20 and 21 April 2022

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curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also scrutinised some curriculum plans and examples of pupils’ work from other subjects.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector looked at the school’s single central record and a sample of safeguarding records. The inspector spoke to staff, parents and carers, and pupils to check their views on safeguarding.  The inspector took account of the 59 responses made by parents to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and the 59 responses to Ofsted’s free-text service. The inspector also considered the 28 responses to Ofsted’s online staff survey and the 36 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Tessa Holledge, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 20 and 21 April 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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