Beauclerc Infant and Nursery School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Beauclerc Infant and Nursery School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils welcome visitors with a smile to their cheerful and thriving school. During happy playtimes, pupils balance on their trim trail, share construction equipment and play football together. Parents say that 'staff show genuine interest and care' for their children.

The impressive nurture begins in Nursery, where staff instantly build warm and supportive relationships with children and parents. This ensures a reassuring and successful start.

Pupils are proud to represent their classes in the 'pupil parliament', debating ways to improve the environment and school life....

Everyone feels safe and valued. Expectations are high, but sometimes pupils need reminders to show their best listening. If pupils are experiencing emotional difficulties, staff provide effective support for their emotional and mental health.

Trips frequently enrich school life. Highlights include a day out to learn about sea creatures and visits to the beach, museum and theme park, all linked to pupils' learning. Everyone enjoyed visits from the local vicar, a nurse and a football freestyler.

Leaders help disadvantaged families to access every opportunity available. From breakfast club to after-school activities including dance, tennis, film and drama, nobody misses out.

The curriculum is designed to develop pupils' understanding of the world.

Pupils are well prepared for their next stages. They show impressive awareness of different faiths, relationships and healthy living.

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

Parents are thrilled with the start their children make in Nursery.

The whole-school approach to reading begins when children are three years old. Staff skilfully teach sounds and model how to say them. Children use flash cards to hone their skills and enjoy well-matched books to develop their reading.

In Reception and Year 1, children become fluent readers. Assessment is precise. Leaders know exactly which sounds individual pupils need help with.

Staff run effective group sessions across the school every morning to ensure that everyone learns to read successfully. By Year 2, pupils read with expression and show strong comprehension and understanding. For example, pupils expertly identified synonyms in a text about healthy living.

Pupils love the library and the wide range of books, from traditional tales to multicultural stories.

Resources in Nursery and Reception offer stimulation and support for children. The skilful care provided throughout early years encourages both independence and collaboration.

Strong early writing, reading and mathematics teaching ensure that pupils start Year 1 with secure knowledge and blossoming confidence.

The whole curriculum is well sequenced with ambitious skills, knowledge and language. Teachers present 'big questions' as effective 'hooks' for pupils to develop curiosity at the start of units of work.

In most lessons, activities ensure that pupils are highly engaged to learn and remember more. Teachers use targeted revision sessions to check what pupils know. This helps pupils commit information to their long-term memories.

In mathematics, pupils achieve well and use their knowledge to solve problems with precision and skill. In religious education, pupils loved learning about religious festivals through hands-on experiences. They recall impressive knowledge of the faiths they have studied.

In some subjects, lesson tasks are not designed to focus precisely enough on the essential knowledge that teachers have planned.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are achieving well. They access the broad and engaging curriculum alongside their peers.

Leaders and staff swiftly identify needs through regular assessments and open communication. Adaptations and achievable targets ensure success for all. Some pupils with SEND benefit from 'preteaching', preparing them well for tasks before accessing them in lessons.

Staff provide both emotional help and specific one-to-one programmes in areas such as number skills and speech therapy.

Behaviour is positive around the school. The atmosphere in classrooms and on the playground is peaceful and nurturing.

Learning behaviour is usually impressive, but sometimes pupils chat when they should be listening. Leaders must ensure that all staff use the school's behaviour management system to maintain the highest standards.

Pupils' wider development is highly valued.

Pupils were proud to run a marathon for charity. The wonderful care given in Nursery and Reception continues through the school. Pupils feel special because staff care deeply about their well-being.

Pupils value the opportunity to write 'I wish my teacher knew' notes to discreetly share any worries.

After a period of uncertainty caused by changes in leadership, the acting executive headteacher is now substantive, and proving to be inspirational. Parents say she is 'amazing' and has helped to make the school 'truly special'.

Staff appreciate how leaders listen to them. Everyone feels valued, supported and proud to be part of this thriving community. Insightful support from the local authority has boosted the effectiveness of the curriculum.

Governors are knowledgeable and dedicated. They share leaders' aspirations to ensure that every pupil is safe, happy and given an exciting learning journey.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Staff training is frequently updated to ensure that everybody follows safeguarding systems well. Staff know how to identify risks and report them. Leaders are tenacious when seeking extra support from external agencies.

They keep detailed records and find crucial help for families. Leaders and the home link worker provide valuable pastoral support.

Recruitment practice is secure.

All staff and volunteers are thoroughly vetted and checked. Staff records are well maintained and monitored. Governors meet their duties with diligence to ensure that safeguarding practice remains strong.

Pupils learn how to stay safe through effective curriculum work on healthy relationships and online safety.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The implementation of the curriculum is further developed in some subjects and classes than it is in others. Teachers should continue to improve the quality of education by designing lessons that meet the high aspirations of the curriculum intentions.

• A minority of pupils can sometimes cause low-level distractions. All staff should use the school's behaviour system effectively to ensure that pupils always meet high expectations for behaviour in lessons.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2017.