Beaufort Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well at this school. They work and play happily together. In lessons, pupils of all ages respond calmly and sensibly to teachers' high expectations for behaviour.

Pupils say that they enjoy receiving achievement awards and points for good behaviour. They also like helping out with jobs around school. As one pupil commented, 'Teamwork makes the dream work!'

Many parents and carers say that their children are happy.

They typically praise the school's caring, nurturing ethos. The school provides strong pastoral support for pupils and families. Pupils' physical and mental health and well-being are well supported.

The school encourages... pupils to develop as healthy, active young citizens. The 'BRAVE' values promote empathy and respect for everyone. Pupils say that they feel safe in school because 'the teachers protect us'.

There is always someone to talk to if they are worried about something or if they 'just feel sad'. Pupils feel confident about how to keep themselves safe online.

Some aspects of the school require improvement.

This is because the quality of education declined in recent years. Much-needed changes have been introduced. However, these improvements are very recent and the full impact is not yet realised.

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

The leadership of the school lacks stability, at all levels. To minimise the impact, the trust has provided significant support. This has been effective in accelerating the necessary changes across many areas of the school.

These areas include subject leadership, the early years and the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

The school's curriculum has been rewritten in all subjects. It now sets out what pupils should know, and be able to do, from the early years to Year 6.

Teachers are in the very early stages of implementing this new curriculum. Their subject knowledge is still developing. It is too soon to evaluate the impact on pupils' learning.

Currently, pupils have limited recall of what they have learned.

In the core subjects of reading and mathematics, there is a positive picture. There is a well-planned and sequenced mathematics curriculum.

Pupils make a strong start in learning to read. Teachers follow the systematic phonics programme consistently and with confidence. In lessons, teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning.

They adapt the pace of lessons accordingly.

Other areas of the curriculum are less well developed. Pupils do not yet have detailed knowledge and skills across all subjects.

However, the school has accurately identified what needs to improve. There is a suitable plan of action in place.

Until very recently, the needs of pupils with SEND were not accurately identified and assessed.

Too many pupils were misdiagnosed as having SEND. Others spent too much time out of class, not fully included. The school did not ensure that staff were given important information about pupils' needs.

Staff could not adapt their teaching accordingly. Sometimes, promises made to parents were not followed through. The school has now responded urgently to this situation.

Improved systems and greater collaboration have ensured that pupils with SEND now receive support that better reflects their needs. There is a clear plan to introduce further improvements to strengthen the provision.

Children in the Reception class have recently been moved away from an area of the school that was unsuitable.

They have joined the Nursery children, thus forming an early years unit. This new area provides a spacious, safe and well-equipped learning environment. The children have adapted well to this change.

They follow familiar routines calmly, making the most of the activities provided to promote their development. They are now safe and well cared for. However, the leadership and staffing of the early years are temporary.

Although a suitable early years curriculum is now in place, it is very new. Staff are still deciding how best to implement this curriculum coherently across both the indoor and outdoor provision.

The school promotes pupils' broader personal development well.

Pupils can take part in a wide range of clubs and activities, such as gardening, gymnastics, recorders and multi-sports. These clubs are popular and open to all. Pupils understand the importance of respect and of treating everyone equally.

They uphold the school's values with pride.

Governance is currently provided by the trust's school improvement board. The board's remit is to ensure that legal responsibilities are met and to secure the school's rapid improvement.

This work is in the early stages. The board recognises the importance of staff well-being and the impact of rapid change on staff workload. Staff say that workload is high, but they feel supported.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The curriculum intent is mapped and sequenced in all subjects. However, curriculum implementation is inconsistent in most areas.

Teachers do not yet have secure subject knowledge across the curriculum. The school should ensure that the revised curriculum is consistently implemented across the school so that it supports pupils effectively to develop secure knowledge and skills in all subjects from the early years to Year 6. Until very recently, the needs of pupils with SEND were not accurately identified, assessed or met.

Pupils with SEND were not served well by the provision made for them, which prevented them from achieving as well as they should. The school should ensure that its work to strengthen the provision for pupils with SEND allows these pupils to receive support that is precisely matched to their needs and that enables them to achieve the best possible outcomes. ? The early years curriculum is in the early stages of implementation.

There is no substantive leadership or staffing in this part of the school. As a result, not all children develop secure knowledge and understanding in preparation for Year 1. The school should ensure that the revised early years curriculum is embedded and implemented consistently, including the coordination of the indoor and outdoor provision, so that children in the early years develop secure knowledge and skills for future learning.

• Leadership at all levels is not stable. There are many staff absences. Staff have not been sufficiently well supported to improve their expertise to deliver the new curriculum.

Until very recently, governance was not effective in holding leaders to account for the school's performance. Consequently, the school's ambitious vision for pupils is not yet realised through strong practice in all areas. The school should ensure that the necessary strong leadership is in place to bring about the required improvements that will help realise the school's ambitious vision.

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