Beoley First School

116652 Unique Reference Number Worcestershire Local Authority 290578 Inspection number 30 November °1 December 2006 Inspection dates Marian Harker Reporting inspector

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Holt End School address First Type of school Beoley Community School category Redditch B98 9AN 4 °9 Age range of pupils 01527 62295 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 01527 598 809 Fax number 89 Number on roll (school) Ray O'Donoghue Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Sally Davies Headteacher 22 January 2002 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 290578 30 November °1 December 2006 4°9 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by an Additional Inspector.

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Description of the school

Beoley First School is in the centre of the village which is north of Redditch, Worcestershire. This is a small school but numbers are rising. The school draws approximately one third of its pupils from Beoley and the remainder from the wider Redditch area. The school's social and economic context is relatively favourable and few pupils are eligible for free school meals. The proportion of pupils who have learning difficulties or disabilities is slightly above the national average and there is one pupil who has a statement of special educational need.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006

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Grade: 3

Beoley is a satisfactory school where the pupils are well cared for and supported. One parent said 'this is a caring school where the family environment is something to be valued and treasured.' This is an accurate description. Achievement is satisfactory and the majority of pupils make satisfactory progress. However, the rate of progress is not consistent across the school; it is slowest in Years 1 to 3 and accelerates in Year 4 where teaching is stronger. Standards in Key Stage 1 are average in reading, writing and mathematics. In the Foundation Stage pupils make satisfactory progress. The school successfully meets one of its central aims, that 'all children learn best in a happy, secure and caring environment'. The pupils' personal, social and emotional development and well-being are given a high priority and are good. The pupils enjoy coming to school, and their behaviour and attitudes are good. They are respectful,

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Grade: 3

enthusiastic and well mannered, and know how to stay healthy and safe. Attendance is well above national averages. Care and support are good but academic guidance is satisfactory, as teachers' marking does not always ensure that pupils know how well they are doing or how they can improve their work. The school works well in partnership with parents. Over 60% returned inspection questionnaires and the majority are overwhelmingly positive. One parent said 'Beoley is a very caring, small school where even the youngest children are encouraged to meet and play with older children.' The quality of teaching is satisfactory. Some is good, such as when teachers show they have high expectations and the pace of learning is brisk. The use of assessment to inform teachers' planning is, however, inconsistent. The curriculum is satisfactory with some strengths. For example the school uses the extensive outdoor environment to

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Grade: 3

make lessons more interesting and good cultural development enriches the curriculum. Leadership and management, whole-school self evaluation and strategic planning are satisfactory. However, monitoring of the quality of teaching does not always result in the identification of clear targets for improvement or show the links between good teaching and effective learning. The headteacher has a clear vision for the development of the school and has established a good team spirit and an ambition amongst the school community to further improve the quality of education it provides. The school's capacity to improve is satisfactory.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Establish a more rigorous approach to monitoring performance. • Improve the quality of teaching to increase the proportion of good and better lessons. • Use assessment data effectively so pupils know how well they are doing and what they need to do to improve. 2 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006

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Grade: 3

Achievement is satisfactory and standards are average. When the pupils enter the school their attainment is average and by the time they leave in Year 4, they reach the standards expected for their age or better in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the rate of progress is not consistent across the school; it is slowest in Years 1 to 3 and accelerates in Year 4. Pupils in Reception have a secure start to their school life and make satisfactory progress. Standards at the end of Key Stage 1 are in line with national averages. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make satisfactory progress in relation to targets in their individual education plans.

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Grade: 2

The pupils' personal development and well-being are good. Behaviour around the school and in lessons is good and attendance is well above the national average. Pupils enjoy coming to school. One pupil said 'I really enjoy my lessons, I don't like being ill and having to stay away.' The school provides a safe and secure learning environment and is effective in promoting healthy lifestyles for its pupils. The school council is very proud of its school and alongside the eco committee ensures that the pupils' views are heard and action is taken to improve their school. The eco committee identified the need for recycling bins to turn waste into compost for the school garden. The school is at the heart of the local community and pupils have helped to raise funds for a community stage in the village hall. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good. The school develops good opportunities for pupils to extend

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Grade: 2

their understanding of life in multicultural Britain. Strong links with the local church and regular visits by clergy support the pupils' spiritual development. Workplace skills are developed satisfactorily, reflecting the broadly average literacy and numeracy skills which pupils attain.

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Grade: 3

The quality of teaching ranges from good to satisfactory and is satisfactory overall. Pupils make good progress when they have the opportunity to work in pairs or groups and take part in interesting and enjoyable tasks. However, teachers do not use information gained from assessing pupils' progress well enough when planning the content of lessons. As a result, in the majority of lessons observed, teachers were not sufficiently clear about what they expected pupils to learn in order for them to quickly engage with tasks and make good progress. Teachers and pupils get on well together and relationships are a strength. Teaching assistants make a positive contribution to raising achievement. 3 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006

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Grade: 3

The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets statutory requirements. The provision for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology is helping pupils achieve a satisfactory level of basic skills. The school is effective in providing a curriculum which is culturally diverse, including a week devoted to an African theme and a programme of visits to different places of worship. Pupils achieve well when they are given the opportunity to learn practical skills by fully utilising the outdoor environment. The older pupils are given the opportunity to take part in a popular residential trip each year to develop team building skills. There is a wide range of enrichment activities, including French, sports, music and art, which are very well attended and appreciated by the pupils. The Foundation Stage curriculum meets the needs of the youngest pupils, developing their confidence and independence through

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Grade: 3

a balance of child initiated and adult led activities.

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Grade: 2

All the staff at Beoley are committed to fulfilling the school motto that 'every person matters'. A high level of care and support is evident across the school which gives the pupils the confidence to try hard and do their best. Pupils are confident and engage well with adults; they respect and look after one another. The pupils undertake mixed-age team activities each week where they are taught to solve problems together and support each other in achieving the task. Academic guidance is satisfactory. Pupils have helpful targets for literacy and numeracy which are sent home to parents and reviewed termly. However, teachers' marking does not always provide sufficient guidance to help pupils improve. Risk assessments and child protection procedures are well attended to and the school meets the recent government requirements for a single central record for safeguarding children. The school works well with parents, providing them with good information

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Grade: 2

and encouraging them to support their children's learning. Parents praise the caring and sensitive support their children receive.

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Grade: 3

The headteacher, who has been in post for 12 months, is a good role model as a teacher and as a leader and has a sound awareness of the school's strengths and weaknesses. However, the procedures for monitoring performance do not place enough emphasis on ensuring that pupils are making good or better progress. The school is gathering data about the pupils' performance on a termly basis. Nonetheless, this is not consistently used throughout the school to set challenging targets and provide teachers and pupils with the strategies they need to quickly improve rates of progress. The governors are good ambassadors for the school but recognise that they need to be a 4 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006 more challenging critical friend. The school has made satisfactory progress since the last inspection. 5 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006

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Grade: 3

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006

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Inspection judgements

School Overall Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 3 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 3 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 3 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

3 How well do learners achieve? 3 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 3 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2 The behaviour of learners 2 The attendance of learners 2 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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and interests of learners?

2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 7 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 8 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Thank you for welcoming me to your school. I learned a lot about it through talking to you, seeing how you were getting on in your lessons and sharing your 'Recorder Group' assembly. Thank you for sharing your work with me. I could see that you try hard to do your best and help each other. I think your school council and eco committee do a good job and work hard to improve things for you. I enjoyed talking to your teachers and headteacher and it was good to see how well they and you get on together. I was particularly impressed with how well you treated each other in lessons and on the playground. Your school is very caring and everyone looks after each other well. Your school is giving you a satisfactory education, but I think you can do better. I have asked Miss Davies and your teachers to improve your school even further by: • Ensuring that your lessons are always challenging and interesting and there are regular

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

checks to see that this is happening. • Making sure you know how well you are doing and what you need to do to improve. I shall take away lots of good memories about your school and have really enjoyed the time I spent with you. Thank you again for being so helpful, welcoming and friendly. 9 Inspection Report: Beoley First School, 30 November °1 December 2006

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