Beaconside CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Beaconside CofE Primary School Hutton Hill, Beaconside C of E Primary School, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 8EN

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Outcome

Beaconside CofE Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in the early years, arrive at school happy and ready to learn. They are greeted each morning with a warm smile from staff. Pupils look forward to their interesting lessons, particularly when they work outside in the school grounds.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high aspirations for what pupils will learn. Typically, pupils achieve well across the curriculum. They want to do their best and they work hard to live up to the school’s expectations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and learn in a calm environment. They are keen to show respect for others, such as by holding doors open for adults. Pupils enjoy earning tokens towards whole-school rewards when they demonstrate good manners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from an extremely broad range of trips to help bring their learning to life. For example, residential trips locally and further afield to London. These visits encourage pupils to build teamwork skills, experience outdoor activities and learn the curriculum in an exciting way. Pupils love the variety of clubs that they are able to attend. These range from cooking to cheerleading and reflect pupils’ interests well.

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

The school has prioritised the teaching of early reading. In the Nursery class, children are surrounded by books and they quickly learn a range of songs and rhymes. Skilled staff ensure that children are ready to start learning to read from the beginning of the Reception Year. Pupils practise reading with books that are well matched to the sounds that they have learned. The school ensures that any pupils who struggle with reading get the extra support that they need to succeed. Most pupils read fluently by the time that they start key stage 2.

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

The school has developed a well-thought-out curriculum. The curriculum is ambitious and meets the needs of all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or 26 and 27 June 2024

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disabilities (SEND), effectively. The school has identified the knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils will learn from the early years to Year 6. However, the links between learning in the early years and key stage 1 are not clearly laid out. As a result, pupils are less able to build on their prior learning when they move into Year 1.

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The school has made sure that teachers have strong subject knowledge. They choose activities which engage and interest pupils. For example, the local environment is used well to help pupils to learn about a range of subjects. During lessons, teachers carefully check pupils’ understanding. They ensure that pupils’ misconceptions are addressed straight away. However, in some subjects, the school is still developing its approaches to assessment. In these subjects, teachers do not identify and remedy gaps in pupils’ knowledge effectively.

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Teachers support pupils with SEND well. The school works with a range of specialists to identify pupils’ additional needs quickly and accurately. This includes those pupils who work in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND (specially resourced provision). Teachers carefully adapt their delivery of the curriculum to help ensure that pupils with SEND access the same curriculum as their peers.

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The school has improved its approach to behaviour management so that pupils understand the importance of behaving respectfully. These changes have been successful. Pupils listen well in lessons and disruptions to learning are rare. Children in the early years learn to be polite to each other and behave well. Pupils’ positive attitudes to learning continue throughout the school.

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The school has established effective strategies to improve pupils’ rates of attendance. For example, it provides helpful support for families when absence levels rise. Most pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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Pupils learn about differences between people. They learn how to keep themselves safe when they are working online. They know how to keep healthy both mentally and physically. Pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, are encouraged to develop their talents through many sporting and musical opportunities.

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Governors support and challenge the school appropriately. Staff receive the support that they need to carry out their roles effectively. Staff appreciate the consideration that the school takes towards their workload when introducing new initiatives.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that the links between the early years and the key stage 1 curriculum are clearly identified. This makes it more difficult for pupils to build on their 26 and 27 June 2024

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earlier learning when they enter Year 1. The school should ensure that the knowledge that children in the early years will learn is identified clearly so that they can build on what they know and can do when they move into key stage 1.  In a small number of subjects, the school has not developed its approach to assessment. This means that teachers are less adept at spotting and then resolving pupils’ misconceptions. Some pupils develop gaps in their knowledge as a result. The school should ensure that teachers are suitably equipped to check pupils’ learning so that they can rectify misconceptions quickly.

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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 March 2016.

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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). 26 and 27 June 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 November 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher has been appointed since the previous inspection.  This school has an executive headteacher who is also is responsible for two other local schools.  The school does not use alternative provision for pupils.  This Church of England school is part of the Diocese of Carlisle. The last section 48 inspection took place in November 2022. The next section 48 inspection is due to take place in 2027.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection that 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 her evaluation of the school. 26 and 27 June 2024

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 The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, executive headteacher, senior leaders and other members of staff.  The inspector met with governors. She held a telephone conversation with representatives of the local authority and of the diocese.  The inspector carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils read to a trusted adult.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during playtimes and in lessons.  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 the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. She considered the responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil surveys. The inspector met with parents and carers to gather their views and opinions about the school.

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Inspection team

Sarah Barraclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 26 and 27 June 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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