St Mary and All Saints CofE Primary School

Inspection of St Mary and All Saints CofE Primary School Maxwell Road, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire HP9 1RG

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Inspection dates: 25 to 26 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Making everyone feel valued and included is at the heart of this kind and caring school. Because of this, pupils feel happy and safe. Older pupils love collecting children from early years to join in their weekly family assemblies. Staff care deeply about meeting pupils’ emotional needs. Pupils told inspectors, ‘No matter how busy staff are, they always find time for us.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Thoughtfully planned trips strengthen pupils’ understanding of what it is like to grow up in modern Britain. For example, pupils recently visited the Hindu Temple, which helped them understand different beliefs and religious rituals. Visitors bring parts of the curriculum to life, such as the digital planetarium. Here, pupils gazed at the mesmerising night sky, visited the Space Station virtually and handled a real meteorite. Combined, these experiences captivate and inspire pupils’ curiosity about science and space.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school sets high expectations for pupils’ behaviour and pupils regularly rise to meet them. This makes for a calm and orderly school environment. Older pupils share the responsibility for setting high standards. Peer mentors and sports captains help organise activities for younger pupils during breaktimes and lunchtimes. From the minute they join Reception, children learn classroom routines to help them behave well.

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

Since the last inspection, the school has completely reviewed the curriculum and made substantial changes to improve many aspects of school life. Thoughtful curriculum design is now a strength of the school. Teachers are experts. They carefully craft activities to help pupils learn effectively. In maths and English, pupils' knowledge and skills build on what they have learned and remembered previously. As a result, pupils achieve highly. Teachers check how well pupils remember and understand critical information and adapt their teaching accordingly before they move on. However, in some subjects, the recent curriculum developments are not yet fully embedded. Teachers do not ensure that pupils revisit learning to help pupils recall critical knowledge and skills effectively over time.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) face no barriers to success here. Staff strive to ensure that they achieve the best possible outcomes. Pupils’ needs are identified expertly and shared with staff, so that staff know how to best support each individual child. This includes, but is not limited to, individual academic support, movement breaks, sensory circuits and well-being support.

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

As soon as children join the school, they learn to read using a well-structured phonics programme. Expert staff deliver daily phonics lessons. Children enthusiastically read books that help them practise their developing skills. They love visiting the vibrant library that is at the heart of the school. Throughout the school, there is a strong focus on helping pupils learn to read confidently. As they gain knowledge and skills there is a strong focus on pupils reading fluently. In addition, pupils learn how to articulate their own ideas through the school’s developing oracy strategy. 25 and 26 February 2025

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Pupils’ behaviour is strong and shaped by high expectations and well-established routines. A small number of pupils receive bespoke support, carefully tailored to help them to improve their independence, resilience and concentration. Excellent attendance and punctuality at school remains a high priority. The school proactively engages with parents and carers. Regular and creative communication with parents provides insights into school life and learning. The school makes regular use of social media to celebrate pupils’ achievements. This includes through ‘spotlight sessions’, carefully designed to engage and educate parents in ways to support their own children, including helping them to understand how excellent attendance is critical for success.

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The personal development of pupils is a shining strength of the school. The personal, social and health education curriculum teaches pupils vital knowledge and skills in a timely and age-appropriate manner. Pupils learn about diversity and tolerance. They respect each other’s views. Character development opportunities are plentiful. Everyone has the chance to take on a position of responsibility, for example, volunteering to be register monitor. School council members take responsibility for school development priorities such as reducing plastic waste. A myriad of opportunities exist for pupils to develop talents and interests outside the curriculum, including in competitive sport. Pupils relish participating in activities such as dodgeball, dance, fencing and skipping.

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Staff are committed to the school and continue to play a pivotal part in further developing experiences for all pupils. Despite the many changes, staff embrace new developments and remain unequivocally positive. Governance is a growing strength. Governors share leaders’ high aspirations and desire to continue to improve. Carefully planned recruitment has strengthened the board’s skills and insight. Knowledgeable and dedicated governors now use their expertise to provide rigorous challenge and support.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The improvements that the school has made to the curriculum have not been fully realised or evaluated. This means that in some subjects, especially in the wider curriculum, teachers do not help pupils remember and build on crucial information as well as they could. The school should continue to develop, embed and review the curriculum in line with its own ambitious aspirations. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Caroline Davis-King

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 June 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been some changes to the leadership of the school. The current interim headteacher took up their post in September 2024. The current senior leadership team consists of four interim assistant headteachers, including the special educational needs coordinator (SENDCo).  The chair of governors took up their post in November 2022.  The school uses one registered provider of alternative provision.  This school is a Church of England school in the Diocese of Oxford. The school last received a section 48 inspection in May 2018, and is due to be inspected again by September 2025.

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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 25 and 26 February 2025

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school's education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the interim headteacher, other senior staff, including the SENDCo.  The lead inspector met the chair of the governors and some other governors. She held a telephone meeting with a representative of the local authority and the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: Early reading, mathematics, writing, art and computing. 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.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons in other subjects, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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 Inspectors spoke with groups of pupils and observed their behaviour at breaktime and lunchtime.  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 took account of a range of other information, including the school’s development plan, school policies and minutes from meetings of the local governing body.  Inspectors met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through the online staff survey. Inspectors also took account of the views of parents expressed through the online survey, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Linda Culling, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Britnell Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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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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