Severn Beach Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that the curriculum provides opportunities for greater achievement and progress in the core subjects, especially mathematics. In addition, the curriculum should enrich pupils’ understanding of spiritual, moral, social and cultural values.
• Leaders should improve the quality of teaching further by ensuring that middle leaders have the capacity and skills to monitor the work of teachers more stringently so that:
  • progress is rapid and expectations of pupils’ work are consistently high
  • the most able pupils in all year groups, including those who are disadvantaged, are provided with learning that is sufficiently challenging and deepens their thinking
  • pupils understand consistently what they need to do to improve their learning and its presentation.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• The multi-academy trust has sponsored the school for three years. In the initial two years, school leaders were not successful in making improvements. Consequently, the current leaders have a mountain to climb. They are ambitious and keen to drive the school forward rapidly and there are emerging signs of improvement.
• Middle leaders are acquiring the skills for effective leadership. Their contribution to the improvements in the school is at an early stage. They are providing secure guidance about teaching practices. Their monitoring of teachers’ ability to implement secure improvements is less stringent. As a result, there is variability within teaching so pupils’ experiences are inconsistent.
• Curriculum plans are in a developmental stage. They are based on skilful evaluation of pupils’ abilities and aspects not covered effectively. However, the plans are yet to have a positive impact on learning and providing effective moral and social values.
• The many changes to leadership and teaching in the recent past have affected parental engagement. There is some discontent among parents and the community about the impact of the multi-academy trust and its effectiveness. This was apparent in the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. School leaders are aware of this and are striving to improve this issue. There is a parents’ forum in which parents are able to offer their opinions on the school’s transition to a more focused learning environment.
• The headteacher has ensured that the funding for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is managed well. These pupils are making good progress from their different starting points.
• Similarly, the funding for disadvantaged pupils is spent wisely. The evidence in pupils’ work shows that they are making the same progress as their peers.
• Pupils are benefiting from the physical education and sport premium funding. Pupils attending the school council talked of the additional after-school clubs for rounders, netball and football. Teachers are gaining expertise that makes the provision for physical education healthier and more skilful.
• The targets set for managing the performance of staff are challenging and reflect the responsibilities of different posts. Staff are midway through the year so the impact is evolving rather than secure.
• Professional development of teachers is targeted well. As a result, there is incremental improvement in pupils’ progress.

Governance of the school

• The governance structure of the school has changed in recent months and responsibilities are shared between two schools. Leadership of the trust has also changed. Discussions on how strategic leadership will impact on the different facets of schools’ responsibilities are continuing so the situation is not yet secure. This has not impeded the monitoring of improvements.
• Support for individual subjects, such as mathematics, has provided effective and objective evaluation which is improving teaching and resources in these areas.
• The spending of funds for disadvantaged pupils and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is understood. School leaders are challenged about the effectiveness.
• The trust oversees the performance management of staff and the setting of targets. This is a purposeful function which is benefiting staff and ensuring the effectiveness of school improvement.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Current school leaders have provided a new perimeter fence that encircles the school site. Gates are locked once pupils are in school. The safety of pupils is secure. The school’s administrative officer is in charge of the monitoring of checks undertaken on staff, visitors and recruitment. The single central record manifests exemplary practice. Secure processes are in place for monitoring and recording any safeguarding concerns. Staff are trained on how to keep pupils safe from abuse, sexual exploitation, radicalisation and extremism. Staff work sensitively with parents and external agencies to monitor and support the more vulnerable pupils.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• The teaching of mathematics is not strong. Pupils in key stage 1 are not using reasoning and problem solving to develop their mathematical understanding.
• Teaching over time in writing does not consolidate pupils’ learning. This is because expectations are not high enough, especially with regard to the use of correct punctuation and spellings.
• The most able and the most able disadvantaged pupils are not achieving their potential because of a lack of challenge. Too often, their time is wasted because activities that stretch and test their intellect are not given to them in a systematic way.
• Teachers are not consistently picking up on pupils’ misconceptions and weaknesses on a regular basis so pupils continue to make the same mistakes.
• Pupils are keen to talk about their learning and what works well for them. They appreciate it when teachers instil the benefits of learning from mistakes and suggest clear improvements.
• In the better learning environments, pupils are engaged and resources are used well to develop pupils’ knowledge.
• The majority of pupils read fluently because the teaching of phonics is secure. The school provides guidance so pupils know which books to read according to their ability, and this builds effectively on prior learning.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development requires improvement.
• Pupils are not provided with adequate opportunities to discuss issues where the skills of debate and argument are encouraged. Therefore, some pupils lack the ability to listen to others’ points of view and determine outcomes from differing opinions.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning reflect a belief in compliance rather than enquiry. They are not given consistent instructions on how to be successful learners, and the tasks set do not encourage this.
• There is not enough enrichment within the curriculum for pupils to deepen their understanding of moral and social issues. However, their awareness of spirituality is heightened through the thematic exploration of different cultures and periods in history.
• Pupils say that bullying is rare and far less prevalent than previously. This reflects the improved behaviour of pupils due to more consistent application of codes of conduct. However, pupils are unaware of different types of bullying and they have limited knowledge of the protected characteristics described in the Equalities Act, 2010.
• Pupils are confident and are able to articulate their own views.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils understand how to conduct themselves around school and show respect for their peers and for adults. They are ready for learning.
• Pupils respect the learning environment. There is no evidence of litter or damaged property.
• Learning is not disturbed by poor behaviour. There have been no exclusions for several years.
• Pupils’ attendance has improved. The practices for ensuring that pupils are in school have been strengthened and the attendance of disadvantaged pupils, as well as other pupils, has improved accordingly and is above national averages. The attendance of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is slightly below national averages but the particular circumstances are known and monitored well.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Standards are too variable across the school. Practices to improve progress are inconsistent across year groups and subjects.
• The curriculum provision is variable, which means that too often pupils are not challenged or provided with next steps in a purposeful way. This slows progress, especially for the most able and most able disadvantaged pupils.
• There is an inconsistency in assessment processes. As a result, pupils are not progressing rapidly in their learning.
• Although a thorough audit of the needs of the disadvantaged pupils has been done, there has not been time for leaders to implement the actions required. Pupils are doing as well as their peers but a lack of consistently high expectations and challenge is limiting overall progress.
• Several initiatives have been put in place to ensure that progress improves, such as the triangulation of the effectiveness of teaching through observing pupils’ learning habits, doing a work scrutiny and talking with pupils. These are not yet embedded and the full impact is not apparent.
• Pupils are not prepared well enough for their next steps in education.
• The lead for reading has introduced several initiatives to encourage more reading. The younger pupils spoke enthusiastically about improvements to the school library, which has been overhauled by parent volunteers. The community donated books to add to those bought by the school so pupils now have a wider and better choice.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities progress well from their different starting points. Teaching assistants are deployed skilfully to cater for pupils’ needs.

Early years provision Good

• The leader of the early years is experienced and capable.
• Children in the early years make good progress. Children are well prepared academically, socially and physically for Year 1.
• Teaching in the Reception class is effective because planning is detailed and focused on the individual needs of children.
• Children respond well to adults. They take responsibility for their actions eagerly. They are keen to learn. Children show resilience and tenacity over an extended time.
• Children are settled in their learning. The routines established ensure that children respect the equipment used. Children are polite to each other and to staff. They are enthusiastic about being involved and are confident in their abilities.
• Children’s personal and social development is strong because staff know the children well. Activities are set up where children can integrate, learn to share and take turns.
• Parents have a good understanding of the progress made by their children but few parents respond to the information that is reported home. Teaching in Reception has not supported parents in what would be most helpful to know about children’s behaviour and learning at home.
• Although there is communication between the pre-school and Reception class during the summer term, there is not sufficient cross-fertilisation of ideas throughout the year. Too many children are not school-ready. Skilled teaching in the early years accelerates progress for these children.
• Resources are selected and used well so that greater challenge is provided to the most able pupils. However, some activities are not structured in a developmental way so potential for outstanding achievement is missed.
• The leader ensures that children are safe and free from harm.

School details

Unique reference number 141174 Local authority South Gloucestershire Inspection number 10033108 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 114 Appropriate authority Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Academy trust Rhona Allgood Tanya Haigh 01454 632518 www.severnbeachprimary.org.uk severnbeachprimary@sgmail.org.uk Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information because the website is under reconstruction.
• The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish because the website is under reconstruction.
• Severn Beach Primary School was sponsored by the Castle School Educational Trust in 2014.
• Severn Beach Primary School is smaller than the average primary school.
• The headteacher was appointed in September 2016.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average but for those who have education, health and care plans it is higher.
• The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium funding is below the national average.
• The school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of Year 6.

Information about this inspection

• The lead inspector visited lessons jointly with the headteacher.
• A wide sample of pupils’ work, from all year groups and a range of subjects, was scrutinised.
• The lead inspector talked with a group of pupils from key stages 1 and 2, as well as with pupils informally across the site.
• Meetings were held with the executive headteacher, the headteacher, middle leaders and members of the governing body.
• Information and other documentary evidence was evaluated, including that relating to safeguarding, assessment, school evaluation and external reviews.
• The lead inspector took account of the 20 responses to and 18 comments in the online Parent View survey.

Inspection team

Kathy Maddocks, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector