Beech Grove Primary School

Inspection of Beech Grove Primary School Courtland Road, Wellington, Somerset TA21 8NE

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 4 and 5 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

There is a strong sense of community at Beech Grove. Pupils are happy and safe. They form strong relationships with adults and want to do well. Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Pupils, including children in the early years foundation stage, are committed to following the three rules of ‘be ready, be respectful and be safe’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour around the school site is calm. Pupils play cooperatively together and some take on the role of being a peer mediator. They enjoy this responsibility. Pupils are taught about bullying and say this is rare. They have confidence in adults to resolve any concerns they have. Leaders have created a nurture area and sensory room to provide extra support for pupils who need it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities outside of the classroom. This includes a trip to the Houses of Parliament, residential visits and a week dedicated to science. The school participates in the Civic Awards with the local council. This helps to develop pupils’ confidence and shows them how to be active citizens in the community.

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better?

There is a broad and ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders ensure children in the early years foundation stage receive a curriculum that prepares them well for the next stage. In most subjects, leaders have planned the knowledge pupils need to learn carefully. The curriculum in these subjects is well sequenced, with planned opportunities to check what pupils know. In some subjects, there is not the same level of detail in the planning and sequencing of what pupils should learn.

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better?

Staff have a secure understanding of how to support pupils with SEND. Parents are particularly positive about the high-quality education that their children receive. Some pupils with very specific needs have an alternative, personalised curriculum. This is appropriate and reviewed regularly.

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better?

Leaders have made reading a priority. Pupils at the early stages of reading follow a clear programme. This is well planned and pupils’ progress is carefully tracked. All staff have received training which means that effective phonics teaching is consistently delivered across all groups. Pupils then move on to develop their skills in fluency and comprehension. Storytelling is a valued part of the curriculum. Pupils, including children in Reception Year, say they enjoy books being read aloud to them. These texts are often on topics explored in the wider curriculum.

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better?

Most pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. Low-level disruption is rare and not tolerated by staff. Parents are confident in how staff support pupils to manage their behaviour. Pupils engage positively in opportunities for play during their social times. They use equipment sensibly and take responsibility for tidying it away. Children in 4 and 5 October 2022

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Reception learn routines quickly. They listen carefully to adults and take turns when working with their peers.

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Leaders have established a comprehensive programme for pupils’ wider development. Pupils learn how to look after their mental and physical health. They also know how to keep themselves safe online. British values, such as democracy, are explored through the curriculum. Assemblies are used purposefully to explore important issues, such as anti-bullying. Pupils have an age-appropriate understanding of diversity and learn about cultures and religions different from their own. The school offers a range of extra-curricular activities for pupils to participate in. However, they do not have a sufficient enough overview of which pupils are regularly taking part in these.

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Leaders, including governors, prioritise staff’s well-being. They consider the impact on workload of decisions they make. Staff, including early career teachers, say that they feel well supported and that leaders are approachable. Staff benefit from a wide range of professional development opportunities. Governors have welcomed expert support from outside of the school, as well as sharing best practice within.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a robust process for staff recruitment. All staff and governors receive appropriate safeguarding training. They report any concerns about pupils promptly, using established systems. This ensures that pupils receive any help and support they need quickly.

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Safeguarding

The safeguarding team provides regular briefings to staff. This keeps them up to date with relevant issues. Key information around safeguarding is also shared with parents in the school newsletter. This all helps to create a culture of vigilance about potential safeguarding issues.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure the curriculum provides pupils with an age-appropriate understanding of how to keep themselves safe. This includes online safety and knowledge about harmful sexual behaviours.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The core knowledge that pupils need to learn has not been planned in detail in some subjects in the curriculum. Therefore, pupils do not always build a secure, consistent knowledge in these subjects as they move through the key stages. Leaders should ensure that curriculum planning identifies the explicit knowledge that pupils should be taught in all subjects. 4 and 5 October 2022

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 Leaders do not have a detailed enough understanding of the pattern of pupils’ participation in extra-curricular activities. This means they do not know which pupils are accessing these opportunities on a regular basis. Leaders should ensure that they have a comprehensive overview which allows them to check that there is equal access to such opportunities for all pupils.

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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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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. 4 and 5 October 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 January 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school uses two registered alternative providers.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator, curriculum leaders and a group of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, looked at curriculum planning, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked 4 and 5 October 2022

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at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke with leaders about the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors scrutinised the single central record of adults working in the school. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding leader and safeguarding and attendance officer to consider how well the school identifies pupils who are at risk and engages with external services. Inspectors also spoke with a range of pupils and staff about safeguarding.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents and carers, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors also considered responses to the staff survey and to the survey for pupils.

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Inspection team

Kelly Olive, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jonathan Gower Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 October 2022

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