Beaudesert Lower School

Inspection of a good school: Beaudesert Lower School Appenine Way, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 3DX

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Outcome

Beaudesert Lower School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

At this school, everyone lives out the school ethos of ‘believe, learn and succeed’. The staff are friendly and supportive of pupils. Staff take the time to get to know every pupil and they have high expectations of them. If pupils have any worries, staff will help them. Pupils are happy and safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A few pupils need gentle reminders in lessons of the expectations that staff have of them. They respond well to these. Most pupils engage with, and focus on, their learning. They enjoy working together and discussing their ideas. Pupils are resilient and persevere with their learning. They want to do well and will ask for support when they need it. As a result, pupils’ achievement is improving, particularly in reading.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ physical activity levels are prioritised throughout the school. They participate in several competitions, many of which they are successful in. Pupils enjoyed completing their own version of the London Marathon, and fitness training on scooters. Pupils learn sports that are new to them, such as boccia and curling. All pupils can find a sport that they enjoy and/or do well in.

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

The school has clearly planned and thought through the curriculum. The knowledge and vocabulary that leaders want pupils to know are set out progressively. Subject leaders have extensive knowledge, which they update regularly. They share this knowledge with staff, who follow their advice. Teachers provide suitable activities for pupils and share rich vocabulary with them. In most subjects, they check what pupils can remember at the end of each topic. Pupils revisit key knowledge in some subjects; however, in a few subjects they do not have enough time dedicated to this. Therefore, pupils do not remember some of the important knowledge needed for further learning as well as they should in these subjects. 15 and 16 May 2024

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Expert staff ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have their needs identified quickly. Pupils with SEND have a range of support in place to ensure that they can access the curriculum. Staff know the pupils well, so they can personalise the support. The recently developed nurture room has a range of activities that pupils can access with adult support or independently. This ensures that for many pupils with SEND they are ready to learn alongside their peers.

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Pupils start to learn to read as soon as they start school. Highly trained staff teach phonics and reading well. Staff complete regular checks to see which sounds the pupils remember and if they can blend them. From these checks they identify any pupils who need extra support so that they can keep up with their peers. Pupils practise their reading regularly with books that are well matched to their reading ability. Pupils read a wide range of high-quality texts. They choose these from the school and class libraries, the visiting book fair and visiting authors. Pupils enjoy reading and become fluent readers.

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Staff place great importance on pupils being ready to learn and participate in lessons. The school therefore ensures that pupils’ achievements are recognised each week in celebration assembly. This includes the challenge champions, as well as the English and maths champions from each class. Staff manage any behaviour that does not meet their high expectations well. This ensures that the school is a calm environment where pupils can learn. The school goes above and beyond to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and are safe. The school’s personalised support for individual pupils and families has resulted in pupils’ attendance improving.

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Pupils have a broad range of opportunities available to them. The school holds ‘special days’ that link to the curriculum. These include author visits and Olympic days, which extend pupils’ interests. Pupils know how to stay safe through road safety and water safety training. Pupils can take on a range of leadership opportunities within the school, including learning mentors, librarians and the school council. The school also supports parents and carers and the wider community by running workshops for parents, raising money for charity, and contributing to the local food bank.

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The school is considerate of the staff’s workload and well-being. Staff know that leaders are mindful of their workload when making decisions about the curriculum. Governors use the information they receive and the regular visits they conduct to support and challenge the school effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, teachers do not check routinely that pupils remember the key knowledge that has been taught. This means that teachers do not always identify any misconceptions that pupils have or address gaps in pupils’ knowledge. They do not 15 and 16 May 2024

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revisit important knowledge to help pupils remember and use it easily. Consequently, pupils are not always able to build on their learning to develop understanding of more complex ideas in these subjects. The school should ensure that teachers routinely check the knowledge that pupils have in all subjects and use this to plan sequences of lessons that build on prior learning effectively. The school should also ensure that pupils revisit important subject knowledge regularly, so that pupils can recall and apply it consistently well in all 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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in January 2015.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 15 and 16 May 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 19 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s educational provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector spoke with governors from the governing body and a local authority representative.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered 15 and 16 May 2024

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the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector gathered the views of pupils by speaking to them during lessons, and at breaktimes. There were no responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  The inspector spoke to groups of staff to gather their views of the school. The inspector also considered the 27 responses submitted to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspector considered 88 responses, including free-text responses, to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Katie Devenport, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 15 and 16 May 2024

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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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