Weedon Bec Primary School

Weedon Bec Primary School

Address: West Street, Weedon, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN7 4QU Unique reference number (URN): 141080

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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This school requires special measures

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education, and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that the programme to support pupils' personal development and wellbeing is implemented well. The programme is carefully designed and well sequenced. It ensures that pupils revisit learning to embed their knowledge. As a result, pupils can generally remember what they have learned. The personal development programme considers the context of the school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils know and understand the right to be safe. They learn how to be safe when using the internet and when out in the community. Pupils know how to keep physically and mentally healthy. They learn how to stay calm and handle their emotions. Pupils learn about fundamental British values, such as democracy and individual liberty, and what these values mean to them as young citizens. Pupils demonstrate knowledge of different cultures and some knowledge of different world faiths. Typically, pupils are prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders ensure that pupils can access the pastoral support that they need, for example, at the start of the day to ensure that they are ready to learn. This includes physical activities and time to manage their emotions. Pastoral support is effective for most pupils and tailored to meet their needs.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from a range of activities, trips and events. Pupils were excited about the residential visits they had taken part in. They attend clubs, which helps them to develop their character. Pupils’ talents and interests are developed. Leaders ensure that disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities benefit from the offer. Leaders analyse the attendance at enrichment activities to ensure that all groups of pupils are included. When necessary, leaders ensure that pupils have the additional support needed so that they can participate in these activities and not miss out.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Too many disadvantaged pupils remain persistently absent from school. Leaders do not routinely analyse attendance information for this group of pupils. As a result, they are not fully aware of the barriers preventing these pupils from attending well. That said, overall, pupils' attendance has improved over time. Leaders have systems in place to contact families when pupils are absent. Leaders work with other agencies when families need additional support. For some pupils, the impact of this support has been significant.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Pupils’ behaviour across the school is generally positive. The expectations of 'be ready, be respectful and be safe' are applied and understood in most classes. Pupils behave well in class, and pupils can learn without distraction in an orderly environment. Most pupils show positive attitudes to their learning. They are respectful of adults and their peers. Staff develop their behaviour management skills through effective training. This has led to an increasing number of pupils learning with their peers. In many cases, staff make appropriate adjustments to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Bullying is rare. Pupils are confident that teachers would deal with it if it were to happen. Leaders have created a culture where staff support and protect pupils.

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Early years Needs attention

Leaders ensure that the curriculum in early years identifies the important knowledge and skills that children need to be ready for Year 1. However, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum is consistently taught well.

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Early years Needs attention

Staff recognise the importance of developing children’s communication skills. They ensure that they model new vocabulary and ask relevant questions. This is particularly evident in the Nursery. For example, adults ask children to describe whether the bubbles are ‘big bubbles’ or ‘small bubbles’. Nevertheless, there are still occasions when staff do not make the most of the opportunities they have to develop children’s learning in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Early years Needs attention

The school takes the time, in partnership with parents and carers, to get to know children when they join the school. This work continues when children are in school through the weekly ‘stay and play’ sessions, which are well attended. Staff know the children well. Children are happy learners.

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Early years Needs attention

Leaders and staff quickly and accurately identify children who face barriers to their learning and/or wellbeing. This has been a priority for improvement, and the impact of this work is evident. Effective support is in place for vulnerable children.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders have not ensured that an appropriately qualified special educational needs coordinator is in place. However, more recently, they have secured effective support from the trust to support improvements. This is having a positive impact. Leaders have taken appropriate action to identify and assess the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately, for example through appropriate staff training.

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Inclusion Needs attention

Leaders ensure that specialist advice is sought as appropriate. They work effectively with parents, carers and external agencies to support most pupils to learn alongside their peers.

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Urgent improvement

Staff know and understand the needs of pupils with SEND. As a result, many pupils with SEND are supported to overcome the barriers to their learning. This is through adult support or teachers providing additional resources. However, some pupils are not supported well to manage their behaviour, which remains a barrier to their learning and/or wellbeing.

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Urgent improvement

Staff understand the barriers to learning that disadvantaged pupils face. Leaders are creating an inclusive culture to ensure that those in receipt of pupil premium funding access all aspects of school life. However, pupil premium funding is not used effectively to ensure that disadvantaged pupils attend consistently well.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Pupils do not achieve well in national tests and assessments at the end of Year 6. In almost all areas, pupils' attainment over time has been significantly below that of pupils nationally. Disadvantaged pupils’ outcomes are not as low as their peers but are still below national averages.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Some pupils who are at the early stages of reading are not supported to achieve well. They do not develop fluency and accuracy in reading. As a result, this limits their access to the wider curriculum. There are gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding when writing. This includes handwriting and basic punctuation. These gaps are not being identified effectively. As a result, they are not closing. Many pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are not ready for the next stage in their education.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Support from the trust has led to changes in the teaching of mathematics. This is beginning to have a positive impact. In mathematics, current pupils are making appropriate progress from their starting points.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching. Leaders do not check that staff teach the planned curriculum effectively and that pupils are progressing in their learning. Leaders have identified some of the areas that need to improve. However, their actions have not improved the effectiveness of teaching.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Leaders do not ensure that teachers have the knowledge they need to teach early reading and writing effectively. Teachers do not check pupils' work to identify gaps in learning. As a result, teachers do not identify and address gaps in pupils' reading and writing knowledge. This means some pupils make the same mistakes repeatedly. Some pupils do not get the support that they need to read well. On occasion, the curriculum meets the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, this is not consistently the case.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

In some subjects, teachers impart knowledge clearly and they explain what pupils need to do. However, their expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. The school's curriculum identifies what pupils will learn. It is well sequenced and designed to build on what pupils have learned before. However, teachers do not always follow the planned curriculum. As a result, some pupils cannot build on what they have learned before.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders do not have an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Although school improvement priorities are identified and agreed, they do not lead to positive change. Leaders’ evaluations of the success of their work are not accurate. As a result, they do not ensure the best possible outcomes and experiences for pupils.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Those responsible for governance lack ambition for pupils. They have rightly prioritised improving mathematics, but they have not ensured that the history of underperformance in reading and writing has been prioritised. This decision is not in the best interests of pupils as they continue to be unprepared for the next stage of their learning.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Those responsible for governance do not effectively hold leaders to account. They have not assured themselves that leaders have an accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. They do not ensure that the use of pupil premium funding has a positive impact on disadvantaged pupils' attendance.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leaders recognise the changing demographics of the school. With the support of the trust, they have responded appropriately to some of these changes. For example, training has been provided on how to best meet pupils' emotional needs. Staff are developing confidence in identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Staff access appropriate professional development. Some of this training is having a positive impact, for example the focus on improving arithmetic to ensure pupils make notable progress in mathematics. Leaders are mindful of staff's wellbeing. They ensure that staff's workload is manageable.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils do not experience the quality of education that they deserve. Too many pupils do not achieve well enough, including in reading and writing. Pupils are not effectively supported to improve their reading and writing in all classes. As a result, they do not know what they need to do to make the progress that they should. Many pupils do not learn well here. Consequently, they are not well prepared for the next stage in their learning. Leaders have not acted swiftly to address the weaknesses in the school.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Despite these issues, pupils begin the school day with big smiles and a positive and warm welcome from staff. They are happy to be in school, including the youngest children in early years. Most pupils attend well. Some pupils need support at the start of the school day. Staff know these pupils well and ensure that they are prepared and ready to access their learning. Staff build warm and positive relationships with pupils. This gives pupils a strong sense of belonging to the school community. The school has high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Pupils know and understand the school rules and behave well. They are friendly and polite. Pupils know that staff would respond quickly if bullying were to happen. This helps them to feel safe in school. Pupils play and socialise well together during social times across the different year groups. Many pupils display positive attitudes to their learning. Classrooms are calm environments.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school supports pupils’ personal development well. Pupils speak enthusiastically about residential trips, sports and performing arts clubs and events that enable them to develop interests and skills. Pupils develop the knowledge they need for life beyond school. They understand tolerance and respect. This helps them to grow into healthy and responsible citizens.

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Next steps

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they identify priorities for improvement accurately and act swiftly to address these. Those responsible for governance should provide the challenge and support needed to ensure that leaders have the capacity to make sustained improvements. Leaders should ensure that they have a full and accurate understanding of the quality of the curriculum and teaching. They should act swiftly to improve the quality of teaching and work strategically to monitor the impact of their actions. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is taught consistently well in all subjects and year groups, with consistently high expectations, so that pupils secure the knowledge and skills they need for their next steps. Leaders should ensure that teachers develop sufficient expertise in the teaching of reading and writing to meet the needs of all pupils, including vulnerable groups, ensuring

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Next steps

that gaps in pupils’ learning are identified and acted on to improve all aspects of pupils’ reading and writing. Leaders should ensure that their attendance strategy and use of the pupil premium funding have the intended impact to raise the attendance rates of disadvantaged pupils.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Innovate Multi Academy Trust, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Lindsey Evans, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Karen Falvey.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector (HMCI) is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education, and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Team inspectors:

Kate Mann, Ofsted Inspector Chrissie Barrington, Ofsted Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 6 May 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

National average: 272 HMCI strongly recommends that the school does not seek to appoint early career teachers. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspections we carry out.

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What does this mean?

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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What does this mean?

Inspectors held meetings with the head of school, school leaders, trustees and governors, including the chairs of the trust and local governing body. They also spoke to a range of teaching and non-teaching staff and a wide range of pupils.

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What does this mean?

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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What does this mean?

The school does currently not make use of alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school. National average: 15%

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2023/24 (final) 75% 74% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2023/24 (final) 71% 72% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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average

‘S’ in the table above indicates the data has been suppressed, which is usually due to small cohorts. The suppression rules applied by the DfE when publishing the data have been mirrored and applied in the report card.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 5.5% 5.2% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2024/25 (3 term) 15.3% 13.0% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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