Bevendean Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of Bevendean Primary School and Nursery Heath Hill Avenue, Lower Bevendean, Brighton, East Sussex BN2 4JP

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Inspection dates: 19 and 20 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thrive at this inclusive school. The school keeps pupils at the heart of every decision. It expects, and receives, the best of everyone. Staff have high expectations of all pupils, and pupils respond well to these. Pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve highly and are well prepared for their next steps.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is impeccable. Routines are well established and support pupils to make the right choices. The school is a calm and purposeful learning environment. Pupils value nurturing relationships with staff. During lessons, they are absorbed in their learning. Pupils consistently try their best, achieving highly across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides wide and varied opportunities to develop pupils’ character. Pupils relish opportunities that bring their learning to life. These include visits to museums and trying out new experiences, including paddleboarding. Pupils enjoy helping others. They apply for and carry out leadership roles, including as house captains or the elected school council. Pupils are empathetic, understanding that their friends may have challenges different to their own. They have trusted adults that they can talk to and share any worries or concerns. As a result, pupils feel valued and safe in school.

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

The school understands the local community that it serves well. It uses this information with precision to provide a rich and engaging curriculum that meets the needs of all pupils. Leaders have identified and sequenced the important knowledge that pupils are to learn. The governing body keeps a close oversight of the curriculum. Governors support and challenge the school to make relevant refinements when required. This, along with ambitious, knowledgeable and expert staff, brings about strong outcomes for all pupils.

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

Teachers’ subject knowledge is secure. The school ensures that teachers are provided with the training and support that they need to implement the curriculum with expertise. Overall, staff explain new concepts with precision and use a range of strategies to check on pupils’ understanding effectively. In mathematics, for example, staff identify pupils who require additional support, intervening swiftly to help them keep up. They adapt activities well to ensure that pupils with different needs access their learning successfully. However, the school does not ensure that pupils develop their writing skills across the curriculum. This limits opportunities for pupils to apply their knowledge and deepen their understanding.

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

Reading is prioritised for every year group. Across the curriculum, pupils are provided with a rich repertoire of books and authors reflecting their own diverse backgrounds. Children in the early years are immersed in activities relating to their class stories. The school has made sure that staff who deliver the phonics curriculum are well trained. Pupils practise reading from books that contain the sounds that they have learned. When pupils struggle with reading, the school makes sure that they get the help that they need to develop into confident and successful readers. 19 and 20 November 2024

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Pupils with SEND, including those in the specially resourced provision for deaf pupils, are well supported. Leaders make sure that pupils’ needs are swifty and accurately identified. They ensure that teachers are provided with the information that they need to support pupils well in class. They work closely with parents and carers to understand more about pupils’ particular needs. As a result, pupils with SEND access the same well-planned curriculum as their peers and achieve well.

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The quality of education in the early years enables all children to make gains in their learning. In Nursery and Reception, children cooperate very well with adults and each other. They enjoy riding bikes and using other outdoor play facilities to learn important skills, such as balance and coordination. Children develop important language skills, count well and begin to understand the world around them. However, there is not enough focus given to early writing, in particular letter formation. This means that some pupils entering Year 1 struggle to write with confidence.

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The school takes effective action to ensure that pupils attend regularly. For those pupils who need more support, the school liaises effectively with families to bring about improvements. This is making a distinct and positive difference, including for disadvantaged pupils.

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The school is highly committed to ensuring all pupils take part in opportunities that promote their personal development. Pupils develop a mature understanding about their own emotional health. They are open about their own individual challenges and keen to help others experiencing difficulties. Staff provide timely and sensitive support if and when needed. Pupils value the support they receive from staff in the ‘Rainbow Room’, which helps them identify and manage their emotions. These combine to give pupils the tools and words to express their thoughts and feelings. The school provides exceptional support for pupils as they move between year groups. This helps to reduce pupils’ anxiety. An interesting range of clubs and trips enrich pupils’ experience and help to broaden their horizons. These opportunities enable pupils to develop and share their talents.

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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 pupils apply what they learn in English to their writing across the curriculum, and pupils are not given sufficient opportunities to apply their writing skills in a way that deepens their understanding in different subjects. Some younger children in the early years do not consistently form letters correctly. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and expertise to address errors in letter formation and promote relevant writing opportunities. 19 and 20 November 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). 19 and 20 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Lydia Majic and Adrian Strange (co-chairs)

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School details

Website www.bevendeanprimaryschoolandnursery.c o.uk Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has a nursery.  The school has a specially resourced provision for deaf pupils, which is known as ‘The Launchpad’.  The chairperson role of the governing body is fulfilled by two people. They are co- chairs.

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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. 19 and 20 November 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 and other senior leaders. They also met with members of the governing body and representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, computing, physical education and science. For each deep dive, inspectors 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.  During the inspection, inspectors met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to them informally during social times.

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 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. They also looked at how pupils learn to keep safe.  Inspectors reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Laura James, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Martin-O’Donoghue Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Linda Appleby Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 November 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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