Beaver Green Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Beaver Green Primary School Cuckoo Lane, Ashford, Kent TN23 5DA

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Outcome

Beaver Green Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils rise to staff’s high expectations at Beaver Green, right from the start of nursery. Leaders are determined that all pupils are included and succeed here. Pupils talk positively about the interesting subjects that they study and they work hard in lessons.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships in the school are warm and respectful. Pupils value the ‘It’s good to be green’ incentives that they receive for showing positive behaviours. When talking to adults, pupils are polite and confident. They feel safe in school and trust any adult to help if they experience any unkind behaviour. The school values, including empathy, equality and aspiration, are woven through daily life and are well understood by pupils. Pupils are determined that everyone is welcome in this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils appreciate the many ways their teachers bring learning to life. All pupils benefit from outside learning in the forest school and love participating in the daily ‘move n’ groove’ dance sessions. They enjoy developing their talents, such as learning the violin and taking part in performances. Pupils know that their views are important to teachers. Through the school and eco councils, pupils have improved the school environment and chosen the charities that will benefit from their fundraising.

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

Leaders have diligently focused on strengthening the school’s curriculum. Teachers are well informed by subject leaders about what knowledge pupils need to cover and when. Therefore, pupils’ knowledge builds incrementally over time. Leaders are committed to making sure that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Leaders collaborate effectively with specialists in the trust to develop staff’s expertise. In most subjects, teachers deliver the curriculum effectively. They check pupils’ understanding regularly and adapt their lessons accordingly. However, in a few subjects, some staff do not have strong subject expertise. Here, pupils do not learn as effectively or as efficiently as they could. 13 and 14 March 2023

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Through the school’s broad and balanced curriculum offer, pupils are ready for the next stage in their education. This is especially true of early years, where children are very well prepared for key stage 1. Most pupils in the school, including pupils with SEND, achieve well. Pupils talk confidently about their learning, some showing a deep understanding of complex concepts. However, some disadvantaged pupils do not have such a firm understanding on which to build their knowledge. Leaders are aware of this and have plans in place to support these pupils to understand and recall knowledge better.

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Leaders have a sound understanding of the differing needs of pupils with SEND. Leaders quickly identify any additional needs that pupils may have right from the start of nursery. This helps to ensure that staff make effective adaptations to learning for pupils with SEND. As a result, pupils with SEND learn alongside their classmates well.

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Children get off to a strong start when learning to read. In the nursery, children enjoy reading stories and rhymes. Phonics teaching in early years gives children strong foundations for learning. Staff focus on developing children’s vocabulary very effectively. Children confidently sound out letters and write words by themselves. Leaders identify pupils who struggle to read and provide extra help. However, some staff use approaches that are less effective when supporting weaker readers. This means that some pupils do not catch up as quickly as they could.

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Nearly all pupils behave well. The school is calm, well organised and orderly. On the playground, pupils of all ages play together well. A small minority of pupils find it difficult to meet the school’s high expectations of behaviour. Staff ensure that there are quiet spaces available when children experience behavioural challenges. Here, with the help of skilled adults, pupils can quickly get themselves back on track.

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Pupils’ personal development is strong. Leaders carefully consider ways to enrich pupils’ school experience. Pupils appreciate the wide range of activities available at lunchtime and after school, including golf, yoga and art. Pupils are taught about different faiths and cultures effectively. As a result, they are curious about difference and have a strong sense of equality and morality. Pupils are prepared well for life in modern Britain.

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Governors and trustees have a deep understanding of the school and its community. Dedicated governors work closely with leaders, ensuring that staff and pupil well-being is prioritised. Staff appreciate being part of the wider trust and the regular professional development opportunities that this brings. Staff morale in the school is high. Staff are proud to work here and strongly endorse the work of the new headteacher.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong safeguarding culture in the school. Recruitment checks are thorough and timely. Leaders have developed comprehensive systems to make sure that they swiftly follow up any safeguarding worries about a child. They liaise regularly with external partners to get help for children and families who may need extra support. All staff are well trained to have a secure understanding of possible risks to pupils. Staff are 13 and 14 March 2023

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vigilant and know that no concern is too small to report. The curriculum teaches pupils about how to keep themselves safe effectively, including when online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not ensured that all pupils fully understand and are able to recall key concepts. This leads to some disadvantaged pupils achieving less well than their peers. They are less able to remember correctly the important ideas that are taught in the curriculum because they do not have a deep understanding of them. Leaders should ensure that key concepts are fully grasped by all pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils.  Staff’s subject knowledge is not consistently strong in all subjects. This means that some pupils do not remember knowledge as well as they could. Leaders should improve staff training so that all staff are equally knowledgeable about their subjects.

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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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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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. 13 and 14 March 2023

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 and 28 September 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Beaver Green Primary is one of 19 schools in Swale Academy Trust.  The headteacher has been in post since 2022. She was previously head of school at Beaver Green.  The school has a nursery for two- and three-year-olds.  The school runs its own breakfast club.  Currently, no pupils use 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held a range of meetings with the headteacher, the chief executive officer, school and trust leaders, teaching and support staff. 13 and 14 March 2023

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 The inspector met with two members of the local governing board and spoke to a trustee.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and religious education. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils, and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector heard pupils read aloud to a known adult.  The inspector checked a range of policies and documents, including the school’s single central record. She also reviewed the school’s website and other records regarding the welfare of pupils. The inspector spoke to pupils and staff about safeguarding.  The inspector spoke to groups of pupils.  The inspector considered the responses and free-text responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also reviewed responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils and staff.

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Inspection team

Maria Roberts, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 March 2023

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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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