Beckmead Moundwood Academy

Inspection of Beckmead Moundwood Academy Commonside Road, Harlow, Essex CM18 7EZ

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Adrian Applewhite. This school is part of The Beckmead Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Dr Jonty Clark, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Laurence Nesbitt. There is an associate headteacher, Liam Collins, who is also responsible for this school. 24 and 25 September 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are supported well to re-engage with school and learning. Pupils have all experienced a significantly disrupted education prior to here. They benefit from the thoughtful, individualised care offered. Pupils increase their attendance and participation. They understand how the school expects them to behave. Well-trained staff provide bespoke strategies to manage pupils’ feelings and emotions. Leaders encourage pupils to pursue their aspirations. All pupils move successfully on to their agreed destinations or reintegrate back into mainstream school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils trust and respect staff. The school builds these relationships through well-planned transitions into school and tailored pastoral support. Staff take the time to get to know pupils well and without judgement. Pupils form friendships. They are safe at school and ask for help if worried. Pupils are not concerned by bullying and call out anti-social behaviour. Pupils who do not follow school rules are dealt with firmly but calmly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a welcoming environment. Pupils enjoy social times and sporting opportunities. Some join the school council. Pupils get to experience visits and residentials that they may not have had access to prior to attending here. Pupils can try vocational opportunities such as bricklaying, carpentry or hair and beauty.

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

The school, including the trust, has made significant improvements to this school. Parents and carers also recognise this.

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

The school has designed curriculum pathways that adapt to the differing lengths of placements and pupils’ abilities, needs and likely destinations. These pathways build knowledge logically over time. The school ensures it gathers as much information about a pupil when they join to select the most appropriate curriculum and pastoral route. Staff are also proactive in identifying any special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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

The school prioritises reading. It gains an accurate understanding of all pupils’ reading ability before starting and sets appropriate interventions. This means that pupils, including those with SEND, catch up in reading quickly. Pupils in the primary phase are successfully taught phonics as soon as they start at the school. They read books that are matched to their reading stage. However, in other subjects, checks on what pupils know on entry are less robust. This means some pupils do not have sufficiently accurate starting points or targets in some curriculum areas. This limits how quickly gaps in knowledge are filled.

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

The school is effective in increasing pupils’ readiness to learn. Work in books demonstrates this. Pupils learn the intended curriculum and are encouraged to revisit prior learning. While a focus is given to English, mathematics and science, pupils are also taught a wider curriculum. The school is working to broaden the range of qualifications offered for those older pupils looking at post-16 destinations. In lessons where subject knowledge of staff is strong, pupils complete work that is closely matched to their ability. However, in some instances, staff do not use checks on learning well enough. This results 24 and 25 September 2024

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in pupils, including some with SEND, completing work they are already capable of or that is not sufficiently ambitious. This limits how quickly some pupils can access different qualification pathways or achieve as well as they can.

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Pupils generally show self-control in lessons and around school. If they try to push boundaries, staff skilfully intervene. Staff follow the behaviour policy fairly and consistently.

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Most pupils attend school more regularly than their previous setting. The school uses creative solutions to engage with pupils and families. However, there are a few pupils whose attendance is still too low which hinders their prospects.

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Pupils gain relevant work experience and careers advice. They are prepared for life in modern Britain through learning about diversity and respecting difference. Pupils are taught about safe relationships, how to stay safe online and about the risks of knife crime. The school encourages educational visits from the police. It is vigilant and proactive in responding to safeguarding concerns pupils or staff raise.

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Governors and trustees know the school well and fulfil their statutory duties. The trust provides effective oversight and support. Staff appreciate that their well-being is considered.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of the curriculum, pupils’ academic starting points are not always precisely identified. This means that some pupils do not have gaps in knowledge signposted or filled quickly enough. The school must ensure all staff know what the exact gaps in pupils’ academic knowledge are across the curriculum so pupils can access as quickly as possible the most appropriate qualification pathway.  In some parts of the school, work is not always well matched to pupils’ ability. This is because the checks adults make on what pupils can do are not used well enough to inform next steps in learning. Pupils are sometimes given work they can already do. The school needs to ensure staff have the necessary training to use assessment effectively to adapt learning and raise expectations so that pupils achieve as highly as they can in their time at this setting.  There are a few pupils whose attendance is improving but still low. This affects how

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

well they are achieving. The school needs to continue work started to ensure these pupils access all the school has to offer them. 24 and 25 September 2024

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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). 24 and 25 September 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of The Beckmead Trust.  Beckmead Moundwood Academy joined this trust in May 2020. When its predecessor school, TBAP Aspire AP Academy, was last inspected by Ofsted in 2019, it was judged to be inadequate for overall effectiveness.  The school admits pupils from referrals by Essex local authority. Many pupils have had significant disruption to their learning prior to coming here due to exclusions. All pupils in the primary school currently have an education, health and care plan. All pupils in the primary and secondary school have social and emotional needs and/or autism.  Pupils attend the school for a mix of short-term and longer-term placements.  The majority of pupils currently on roll are in key stage 3 and 4.  All pupils are single registered at this school.  The school currently uses two unregistered alternative provisions for vocational courses.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires

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schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, the associate headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteachers, the trust’s director of education, the special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, teaching staff and support staff.  The lead inspector held a meeting with the deputy chief executive officer.  The lead inspector spoke to the chair of trustees and a member of the local governing board.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and physical education. For each deep dive, the inspectors spoke to leaders, visited

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Information about this inspection

lessons, spoke with pupils, looked at pupils’ work and spoke with teachers and support staff.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector spoke to one of the alternative provisions on the telephone.  The lead inspector scrutinised a range of documentation including governor minutes, reports to the governors and trust, the school development plan and an external consultant report.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors 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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors considered the responses gathered through Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and the free-text comments. The inspector spoke to a selection of parents by telephone. There were 11 responses to the staff survey. No

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Information about this inspection

pupils answered the pupil survey. However, the inspectors spoke to several pupils from different year groups during the inspection. 24 and 25 September 2024

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Inspection team

Sara Boyce, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Daniel Short His Majesty’s Inspector 24 and 25 September 2024

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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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