Beaconhill Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Beaconhill Community Primary School Langdale Drive, Beacon Hill Grange, Cramlington, Northumberland NE23 8EH

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Outcome

Beaconhill Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and enjoy attending Beaconhill Primary School. They are proud to have a beach school and thrive from ‘making the most of the coast.’ Pupils appreciate the opportunities offered to them during these regular visits. They take pleasure in exploring the natural wonders within the local area.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have well-established routines and know what is expected of them. Staff have high expectations for pupils. Classrooms are calm and behaviour is good. Pupils display good manners and are polite. They know the school rules and most pupils try their best to follow these. There are many rewards within school to promote good behaviour and regular attendance. The ‘Golden Table’ is a popular lunch time award that pupils seek to achieve.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel safe in school and that bullying is rare. When it does happen, adults deal with it quickly and effectively. School leaders ensure that highly effective support is in place for a small number of pupils who struggle to manage their own behaviour or emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders ensure that the school vision ‘where children matter’ is at the heart of everything staff do. Staff are keen to ensure that they provide pupils with a wide range of experiences that go beyond the academic.

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

School leaders have carefully designed the curriculum to reflect the local area and incorporate the knowledge, skills and experiences that pupils need. There is an emphasis on developing language and vocabulary from the early years. Concepts are introduced, revisited and developed as pupils progress through the school. In response to the COVID- 19 pandemic, leaders have adapted the curriculum to help pupils close any gaps in their learning. 16 and 17 June 2022

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A love of reading permeates across the whole school. All staff read to pupils daily. Pupils enjoy their regular visits to the well-resourced school library. Staff are keen to ensure that pupils become confident, fluent readers. In the early years provision, children regularly hear and repeat songs, stories and rhymes. This helps them to develop their speaking and listening skills and enrich their vocabulary.

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Leaders have successfully implemented a new phonics teaching programme. All staff are well trained and deliver this program exceptionally well. Staff model sounds accurately and pick up on pupils’ misunderstandings quickly. Pupils who struggle with their phonics get the extra help that they need to catch up. The books pupils read match the sounds they are learning.

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The mathematics curriculum is clearly sequenced to support pupils to know and remember key facts. Vocabulary is well developed and used appropriately. Teachers check pupils’ understanding carefully and correct misunderstandings quickly. Teachers provide opportunities for pupils to practise what they have been taught. Pupils use these new skills in other subject areas. This helps pupils to remember their learning.

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Teachers successfully check pupils’ knowledge and understanding in English and mathematics. However, leaders know that checks on pupils’ learning in other subject areas are not as strong. In some subjects, teachers do not identify pupils’ gaps in learning. This means that some pupils are not learning as well as they could across the wider curriculum.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well. Staff make sure they are fully included in lessons and all aspects of school life. Staff are well trained and successfully identify pupils’ needs at an early stage. As a result, pupils with SEND enjoy their learning and access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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Leaders are highly committed to supporting pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn how to maintain healthy lifestyles, keep safe and gain support if problems arise. Relationships among pupils and staff are positive and respectful. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain. They talk respectfully about different faiths, cultures and lifestyles. Staff encourage pupils to think about future careers and to build skills for life in a structured way. Pupils benefit from opportunities to learn beyond the classroom and the local community. Pupils enjoy taking on additional responsibilities and benefit from a wide variety of extra-curricular activities.

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The headteacher has worked successfully with senior leaders to create a dedicated staff team. Morale is high. Leaders take positive action to make sure everyone’s workload is manageable. All staff are fully committed to the school and share the headteacher’s dedication to supporting the pupils and their families.

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The headteacher and governors have a very clear vision. They know the strengths and areas for development. Together, leaders are determined to see all pupils achieve well. Governors provide strong support and appropriate challenge for the headteacher and leadership team. 16 and 17 June 2022

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff are well trained and follow safeguarding policies and procedures consistently. Staff share the responsibility for keeping children safe. They know the signs that could indicate a pupil is potentially at risk of harm. They know what to do when safeguarding concerns arise.

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Safeguarding

The headteacher acts quickly to protect pupils. She works effectively with external agencies to gain support for families. She is tenacious in seeking help. The headteacher’s records of actions taken in response to concerns are systematic and thorough.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Middle leaders do not monitor the implementation of their subject plans systematically. This means that areas for development are not identified and addressed quickly enough. Leaders should ensure that there are clear systems in place to ensure effective monitoring takes place regularly.  Teachers do not consistently make checks on pupils’ learning in some foundation subjects. This means that teachers do not accurately capture what pupils know and can do in all subjects. At times, teachers attempt to move learning on before pupils are ready. Leaders must continue to develop and implement a consistent approach to assessment in every subject so that pupils’ skills and knowledge are checked accurately and pupils’ next steps in learning are successfully supported.

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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 in October 2011. 16 and 17 June 2022

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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.

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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. 16 and 17 June 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10227041 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.beaconhill.northumberland.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 21 March 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The number of pupils who attend the school has risen since the last inspection.  A new chair of governors has been appointed since the previous inspection.  The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils in receipt of additional funding through the pupil premium grant is above national averages.  The number of pupils with SEND at the school is lower than national averages.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils 16 and 17 June 2022

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about their learning, looked at samples of pupils’ work and listened to a range of pupils read from different year groups.  The inspector also looked at wider curriculum plans and visited a range of lessons.  Meetings were held with the headteacher, two deputy headteachers, the special educational needs coordinator, teachers and support staff. The inspector met with two members of the local governing body. A meeting was held with the school improvement partner.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and at break and lunchtime. She spoke to pupils about their views on behaviour across the school.  The inspector examined information about safeguarding and met with the designated safeguarding leader.  The views of 52 parents who responded to Ofsted’s questionnaire, Parent View, were considered.  The inspector met with staff to discuss their well-being and workload. The inspector considered the 37 responses from Ofsted’s staff survey and the 41 responses from

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Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspector scrutinised a variety of documentation, including the school development plan, the school’s self-evaluation and minutes of governing body meetings.

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Inspection team

Alison Stephenson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 June 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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