Setting

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 1231 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Nova Harvey Headteacher Beaufort School Stechford Road Hodge Hill Birmingham West Midlands B34 6BJ

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Beaufort School

This letter sets out the findings from the monitoring inspection that took place on 14 January 2025 on behalf of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills. The monitoring inspection was carried out under section 8(2) of the Education Act 2005 and was the second monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require special measures following the graded (section 5) inspection that took place in June 2023.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Beaufort School

The purpose of a monitoring inspection is not to grade the school’s key and (where applicable) provision judgements but to identify and report on the school’s progress. It is to highlight to the school and parents any improvements that school leaders have made since the school's previous graded inspection.

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Special measures monitoring inspection of Beaufort School

During the inspection, I discussed with you and other senior leaders, a group of interim executive board members and a representative of the local education partnership actions that have been taken to improve the school since the most recent graded inspection. I also completed lesson visits, reviewed curriculum materials, and reviewed safeguarding records with the designated safeguarding leaders (DSLs). I also met with staff and considered responses to the online staff survey. I have considered all this in coming to my judgement.

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Leaders have made progress to improve the school, but more work is

necessary for the school to no longer be judged as requiring special measures.

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The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be

considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Since the first monitoring inspection, you and your team have worked systematically to address any remaining issues raised at the last graded inspection in June 2023. Recruitment of an associate headteacher at the point of the last monitoring inspection and other permanent recruitment to teaching positions has increased the team’s stability.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

During this inspection, it was evident that you established a clear curriculum expectation for what pupils should learn and when. You and your team have carefully considered how this new curriculum intent could be adapted to the needs of pupils. Teachers spoke of the clarity that these new curriculum expectations have brought. They were also rightly optimistic about the ongoing support from leaders and colleagues in turning these long- term expectations into appropriately adapted sequences of lessons. You acknowledge, though, that the next phase of curriculum improvement is supporting the leadership of subjects to distribute further development more equitably.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

A new curriculum pathway model is now embedded across the school. This means that pupils with similar needs are taught together by staff with high levels of expertise to meet their needs. There is now an increasingly calm and purposeful learning environment where helping pupils find their ‘voice’ is a priority. In increasing cases, we observed staff teaching pupils to use such things as aided language displays or communication books to express their needs, wants and feelings. However, we also saw too many cases where pupils were not given the time to process the information. In some cases, this limited their engagement in the session and, in other cases, led to pupils becoming dysregulated.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Your and your team’s work to develop the reading curriculum has been positive and well- considered. At the last monitoring inspection, you considered changing the school’s phonics programme. However, after careful consideration, the school agreed that the programme was the right programme, but staff needed to be better trained in that programme. Since the last inspection, more staff have been trained to deliver this phonics programme. Your work on developing a curriculum for those not yet ready for phonics has been purposeful and timely. There is now a clear expectation for these pupils to have regular opportunities to listen to sounds in the community, join in with songs and rhymes, and benefit from sensory stories. However, you have also acknowledged that some of your pupils are at an even earlier stage, and you are currently developing your curriculum for these pupils. Since the last monitoring visit, you have continued to drive improvements at the school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Your detailed evaluations and plans for further development are accurate and well- considered. You have continued to be proportionate and well-considered in the developments not to overload the staff and embed improvements. However, a recent temporary opening in the leadership team has not been successfully filled, meaning that you and your team have taken on additional responsibility. This has increased the remaining leaders’ workload and created potential challenges for leaders’ well-being and future development at the school. You, along with the members of the interim executive board and local authority, know the urgency of filling this vacancy quickly so as not to compromise the pace of change at the school.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

Staff spoken to during the visit, and those who responded to the survey, were incredibly positive about access to training and development opportunities. Most of those who responded to the survey felt that leaders use professional development to encourage, challenge, and support improvement. You have continued to work with the local education partnership and an external consultant to develop staff expertise.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The interim executive board continues to be attentive, supportive, and highly protective of the school and its developments. Not only does the board have a deep understanding of the school’s relative strengths and weaknesses, but board members regularly attend school to develop this knowledge and provide timely support and advice. For example, the support provided for safeguarding has ensured that this vital area has rapidly improved.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

The development of the safeguarding arrangements has rightly been your utmost priority. At the last monitoring visit, there was considerable development in staff training and monitoring reports to the DSLs. This work has continued to develop at pace. Consequently, the arrangements for safeguarding are now effective. Not only has there been considerable work to refine reporting systems further, but you have purposefully focused on supporting teams, such as lunchtime supervisors and administration staff, to be confident and timely in reporting concerns when they arise. This has contributed to a robust and open culture for safeguarding.

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The progress made towards the removal of special measures

I am copying this letter to the chair of the executive board, the Department for Education's regional director and the director of children's services for Birmingham City Council. This letter will be published on the Ofsted reports website.

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