Beck Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The executive headteacher, head of school, senior and middle leaders are inspirational leaders. They have high expectations, work well together and are relentless in seeking to improve both their own performance, staff performance and that of the pupils at the school.

Leaders rigorously check the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. Regular monitoring, alongside tailor-made professional development, is resulting in improvements to the quality of teaching and learning. Consequently, a higher proportion of pupils are reaching both the expected and higher standards.

Children enter the early years with skills and abilities well below... those seen typically. Through highly effective teaching, they make outstanding progress. Leaders plan an exciting curriculum which enthuses learners.

Activities are well planned and build on pupils' prior knowledge and skills. As a result, pupils enjoy a range of memorable activities. Behaviour is excellent around the school.

Pupils demonstrate good manners. They work hard in class, listen well to the teachers and respond very appropriately. Pupils' personal development and behaviour are at the heart of everything the staff do.

Pupils feel safe, they enjoy learning and demonstrate high standards of self-discipline. The welfare of everyone at the school, both pupils and staff, is of the utmost priority. This results in high retention rates of staff and no exclusions of pupils from school.

The work of the pastoral team underpins the success of the school. They ensure that teachers can teach and pupils are ready to learn. On occasion, there are some inconsistencies in the quality of teaching and learning.

The new approach to teaching writing is beginning to have a positive effect in most classes. However, not all teachers ensure that pupils present their work to the highest standard. Punctuation and spelling errors are sometimes reinforced because pupils are not given enough support in drafting and editing their work.

Teaching, learning and assessment are good overall. This is because pupils make good progress from their starting points. Attainment, although still below the national average, is improving overall.

Information about this school

This school is much larger than the average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium funding is well above the national average. The number of pupils with SEND is just above the national average.

The number of pupils with education, health and care plans is below the national average. The vast majority of pupils are White British. The school provides a free breakfast club for pupils in receipt of pupil premium.

The school provides a range of after-school clubs and on-site after-school care. The school converted to academy status in 2016. It is part of Cascade Multi-Academy Trust.

The executive headteacher, appointed in September 2017, is also the Chief Executive Officer of the trust. The trust currently comprises of two schools. The executive headteacher is also the executive headteacher at The Crucible Federation of Schools.

She splits her time between four schools. Plans are underway to join the Crucible Federation of Schools with Cascade Multi-Academy Trust. Two-year-old children are provided for in Little Beck, as part of the school's early years offer.