Beckfoot Nessfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Beckfoot Nessfield is a caring and nurturing school. It is a place where pupils feel happy and safe.

In recent years, leaders have overseen improvements in the school. Despite this, there is further work to be done to ensure that pupils receive a good quality of education. Leaders know the next steps that they need to take.

Trust leaders share this commitment to improvement. Leaders share a strong moral purpose and there are high expectations for all pupils.

Pupils behave well.

They are polite and welcoming and hold doors open for others. They move around the school building in a calm and orderly manner. However, there are occasions where less-focuse...d behaviour interferes with learning.

Pupils say that instances of bullying are rare. They learn about bullying in a range of contexts and understand about stereotyping. They are confident that adults would deal with bullying if it did happen.

Pupils are inclusive and accepting of difference. They are knowledgeable about fundamental British values, such as democracy and the rule of law. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education and to be active citizens in society.

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

Leaders have developed a curriculum that in most cases identifies the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn. Teachers present knowledge to pupils in small stages. They link new knowledge to what pupils have learned before.

However, there is variance in how well the curriculum is implemented. Teachers do not consistently have the subject knowledge in the wider curriculum to help pupils to get the most from their learning. In science, pupils do not have consistent opportunities to carry out experiments and work scientifically.

Pupils do not follow a sufficiently broad curriculum. For example, although plans are in place for pupils to study Spanish, they do not currently do so.

Leaders have secured improvements in important areas of the curriculum.

They have developed an effective mathematics curriculum where learning is well mapped out over time. In the early years, mathematics is taught very well. This gets children off to an excellent start and prepares them well for learning mathematics in key stage 1.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on helping pupils to read. Children in Reception start to learn the sounds that letters represent soon after arriving in school. The school's chosen scheme for the teaching of phonics is used consistently by staff who are well trained and who are experts in the teaching of reading.

Pupils make good progress in their reading. If they struggle or fall behind, they are given support to ensure that they keep up. Reading books closely match pupils' reading stage, allowing them to practise and develop fluency.

For the pupils that have been identified as having special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), adaptations are made by teachers to support their learning. Pupils with SEND are well cared for and supported.

The early years is a vibrant and engaging environment.

Children in Nursery and Reception are absorbed in a wide range of well-planned activities. Relationships are very strong. Adults interact with children positively with a focus on developing children's communication and vocabulary.

For example, in Nursery, teachers use songs and rhymes to engage children and help them to learn about the sounds in words. Adults develop children's learning over time through activities that build on previous learning.

Pupils generally behave well.

They are caring and polite. In most lessons, pupils are engaged and attentive. In early years, children behave exceptionally well and are supported by well-established routines.

In a small number of lessons, behaviour is less good. This happens when pupils have lesson content that is too hard for them. For example, in physical education (PE), pupils can be given tasks that are too difficult for them.

They can then become noisy and less focused and struggle to complete the task.

Everyone is proud to be part of a 'no outsiders' school. Pupils are inclusive and tolerant.

Everyone is welcome, regardless of their background or characteristics. Pupils learn about risk and making safe choices. They learn how to keep themselves safe when using technology.

There is a range of after-school clubs available, although a small number of pupils report that they do not access these.

The school has benefited from the support and expertise available through the trust. Trustees understand their roles and they make visits to the school to check on agreed policies and to monitor the impact of improvement strategies.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have checked that all staff know the safeguarding risks that pupils may face. Staff have frequent training and receive important safeguarding updates through regular briefings.

Staff know the signs that indicate that pupils may be at risk. Staff act promptly to report any concerns that they have about pupils' safety and well-being. Leaders follow these up carefully.

However, some safeguarding records do not have sufficient detail to fully record the actions that have been taken to keep pupils safe.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is variance in how well the intended curriculum works in practice. This means that pupils learn less well in some subjects than in others.

Leaders should ensure that they equip teachers with the expertise and knowledge that they need to implement the curriculum effectively so that pupils learn consistently well across all subjects. ? Pupils are not receiving a sufficiently broad curriculum. For example, pupils in key stage 2 do not study a modern foreign language.

Leaders need to ensure that pupils follow a suitably broad and ambitious curriculum so that they are better prepared for secondary school. ? In some lessons, pupils do not behave well enough. Routines in subjects such as PE are not clearly established.

Pupils become less focused when work is not pitched at the right level to meet their needs. This can result in disruption to learning. Leaders need to ensure that high standards of behaviour are maintained in all subjects and lessons.