Severn Beach Primary School

Inspection of Severn Beach Primary School Ableton Lane, Severn Beach, Bristol, South Gloucestershire BS35 4PP

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Inspection dates: 24 and 25 September 2024

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

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The headteacher of this school is Bethan Adams. This school is part of the Castle School Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, William Roberts, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Simon MacSorley. 24 and 25 September 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Severn Beach Primary School. They describe their school as a kind place, where everyone looks after one another. Pupils understand how the school’s values, known as the ‘Severn Beach Bees’, help them to be responsible and to never give up.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Despite this, the quality of education that pupils receive is not yet good. Pupils do not always remember important knowledge in some subjects. They then struggle to make links to what they have learned before. This means they do not learn as well as they should in these subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. This starts in the early years, where children share, play and work well together. Pupils are polite and well mannered. They follow the school rules well. This contributes to a calm atmosphere across the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They value the warm and respectful relationships they have with staff. Pupils trust adults to listen and help them with any worries they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils take part in a range of extra-curricular opportunities, such as sports and library club. They are proud to become house captains or playground ‘pals’. Pupils say these roles help them set a positive example to others.

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

The school is ambitious for all pupils and wants them to do well. With the support of the trust, it has ensured that the curriculum makes clear what pupils need to know and when they need to know it. However, this vision is yet to be fully realised. The implementation of the curriculum does not yet enable pupils to build their knowledge well enough as they move through the school.

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

The school has put in place systems to monitor and evaluate the impact of its actions. In some cases, these are well used to improve the quality of education pupils receive. However, at times, the school does not yet use these systems as effectively as it could. For example, the reasons for gaps in pupils’ knowledge in some subjects are not yet considered with enough precision. This prevents the school from accurately understanding what is working well and addressing any shortcomings that may exist.

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

Published outcomes in September 2023 were significantly below national averages in phonics. With the support of the trust, the school is responding to this. It has recently adopted a new sequenced phonics programme. Staff value the training they receive, which helps them to understand this new approach. However, it is too early to see the impact on pupils. There are still inconsistencies in the delivery of the phonics curriculum. While children in the early years learn and remember their new sounds well, this is not yet the case for some older pupils. Some books are not well matched to the letters and sounds that pupils are learning. As a result, they are not securing phonics knowledge as quickly and effectively as they could. 24 and 25 September 2024

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In some subjects, such as mathematics, teachers implement the curriculum well. In the early years, for example, staff model mathematical vocabulary and check on what children know before moving on. As a result, children confidently use their knowledge of early number when counting objects. However, in some wider curriculum subjects, the checks that teachers make are not yet used well enough to identify gaps in knowledge or to inform future learning. This means that some pupils struggle to remember key learning in the longer term.

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The school has effective systems in place to identify the needs of an increasing number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Individual support plans are precise. Where this support is effective, pupils with SEND progress through the curriculum well.

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Pupils display positive attitudes to their learning. Children in the early years are eager to learn and follow instructions carefully. Pupils of all ages enjoy the range of activities on offer to them during social times.

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The school manages attendance effectively. It works well with families to understand and resolve attendance issues. As a result, most pupils attend school regularly.

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The school’s personal development offer is rich and varied. Pupils understand the importance of fundamental British values, such as tolerance. They talk with confidence about different relationships. Pupils develop their character by raising money for a food bank or by completing projects with a local university.

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Trustees and local governors now all have an accurate understanding of what the school does well and where it needs to improve. However, previously this oversight has not always been as rigorous as it should have been to ensure improvements are made swiftly and evaluated accurately. Staff value the professional support and training they receive. Parents and carers talk positively about the school’s inclusive and welcoming environment and the care that staff show to pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The new phonics programme is not yet implemented consistently well. Staff do not routinely check pupils’ understanding and the books that pupils read are sometimes not matched well enough to their reading stage. As a result, some pupils struggle with 24 and 25 September 2024

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reading and are not as fluent as they could be. The school needs to ensure that the phonics programme is implemented as intended so that all pupils learn to read well.  In some subjects, teachers’ checking of what pupils have learned is not as effective as it could be. Consequently, some pupils struggle to remember key knowledge and skills they have learned. The school should ensure that all staff check pupils’ understanding and retention of key knowledge and language so that it can be applied to future learning.  In some areas, the school does not yet have an accurate overview of the impact of its actions. As a result, it is unable to fully evaluate the impact these actions are having on pupils. The school needs to ensure that all aspects of the school’s work is evaluated effectively so that it can quickly address any shortcomings and build on the strengths that already exist.

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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

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher has been in post since September 2018.  There is a before-school club, which is managed by the governing body.  The school does not currently use any 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. 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. 24 and 25 September 2024

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 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.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with the director of primaries, the chair of the education committee, the chief executive officer and representatives from the local community council.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, looked at samples of pupils’ work and spoke to pupils about their learning.

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 The lead inspector spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 2 and 3 read to an adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site. Additionally, the inspector spoke to pupils to discuss their views about the school.  Inspectors considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took into consideration the staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Ben Jordan, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Evans Ofsted 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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