Beenham Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Beenham Primary School Mount Pleasant, Beenham, Reading, Berkshire RG7 5NN

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Outcome

Beenham Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff at the school want pupils to feel happy and safe. They succeed. Leaders and staff have established positive partnerships with families. Pupils and their families feel listened to. Relationships between adults and pupils are respectful. This helps pupils to feel very secure.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff provide pupils with a wealth of experiences to deepen their learning. This is because leaders are determined that pupils, including pupils who have joined the school from other countries, will do well in all subjects. Staff make very good use of the outdoor area in order to support pupils’ learning and their wider development.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite, well behaved in lessons and are thoughtful. They are confident to raise any concerns about bullying they may have with a member of staff. Pupils know that the adults will sort it out quickly and well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide a range of opportunities for pupils’ personal development. There are various clubs, including street dance and judo. Staff organise residential visits in Years 4, 5 and 6. Pupils gain new skills and confidence from participating in these activities. Pupils also take on a responsibility to help staff manage the school day. This develops their organisational and leadership qualities.

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

Leaders have developed a broad and well-thought-through curriculum. Subject leaders make sure that teachers deliver the curriculum effectively, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and pupils who speak English as an additional language. Leaders have made it clear what knowledge pupils are expected to learn and the order in which this should be taught. This knowledge builds in a logical way from Reception to Year 6. For example, in mathematics the curriculum is structured so pupils can build on what they know. Teachers use the scheme they have adopted skilfully. They make sure that pupils understand key concepts before moving on to new learning. 6 October 2022

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In a small minority of subjects, there are occasions when teachers’ subject knowledge is not sufficiently strong. This means that there are times when pupils do not learn well enough.

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Leaders prioritise reading. Staff who teach early reading are well trained. They deliver the reading curriculum effectively, including to pupils who speak English as an additional language. In the Reception class, staff reinforce the sounds that letters make regularly. Pupils benefit from a consistent approach to the teaching of reading. They have good opportunities to apply their phonics knowledge. This helps them to read and spell accurately. Reading books match the sounds that the pupils know. Consequently, pupils learn to read fluently and confidently. Teachers and support staff identify pupils who might be falling behind and provide swift and effective help to address any gaps in their knowledge. Teachers read to pupils every day. This encourages pupils to want to read for themselves.

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Staff use assessment well to check how securely pupils gain knowledge. They act quickly when any gaps in pupils’ knowledge or understanding are identified. Pupils with SEND have their needs identified early and are supported effectively. Teachers check carefully during lessons what pupils with SEND understand and know. Staff do this particularly well in reading. Teachers adapt the curriculum in different subjects to ensure that pupils with SEND achieve well. Leaders provide staff with effective training so that a wide range of staff can meet the needs of pupils with SEND.

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Leaders have designed an effective curriculum for pupils’ personal, social and health education. Pupils learn about themselves and the wider world. They have positive attitudes towards people with different backgrounds and faiths. Older pupils act out the school’s mission of ‘valuing everybody’ to younger pupils as they support them during the school day. They set about this role with great maturity. Parents and carers are very positive about how the staff develop their children’s personal qualities.

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Leaders set high expectations for behaviour. Pupils’ behaviour around school is calm and orderly. Pupils are kind to one another, staff and visitors. Pupils display positive attitudes to learning and concentrate hard on their work. Lessons continue uninterrupted.

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Staff feel valued by leaders and say that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being. They said that leaders consider the impact on their workload carefully when introducing changes. All staff are proud to be part of the team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

School leaders and governors have ensured that there is a strong culture of safeguarding. Staff receive training and updates that enable them to know what to do if they are worried about a pupil or family. They understand the signs that indicate a pupil may be at risk of harm. Leaders involve other professionals when required. Senior leaders make prompt referrals should they need to. Leaders work closely with wider partners to secure 6 October 2022

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the help that pupils and their families need. Leaders ensure that the required checks are made before any new staff start working at the school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teaching is not as strong in a small minority of subjects as it is in others. This means that pupils do not achieve as well as they could. Leaders need to ensure that teachers have sufficient subject knowledge so that they can deliver the curriculum to a consistently high standard.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in September 2017.

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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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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. 6 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10241997 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 September 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up her post as headteacher in January 2021.  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 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 met with the headteacher, subject leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector met with three governors, including the chair of the governing body. He also conducted a telephone call with the representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. 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 about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 6 October 2022

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 Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation relating to safeguarding and spoke with pupils and staff, including the designated safeguarding lead.  The inspectors took account of the 23 responses to Ofsted’s Parent View, including the free-text responses. They also took account of the views of staff through the seven responses to the staff survey and the 12 responses to the pupils’ survey.

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Inspection team

Richard Blackmore, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector Clare Vallence Ofsted Inspector 6 October 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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