Benhurst Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Benhurst is a caring and welcoming school.

Pupils are proud of the diverse school community. They feel safe and are kept safe. If pupils have a worry or concern, they can name a member of staff they would talk to and they know that it will be dealt with appropriately.

The school has high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils achieve highly in all key stages. Pupils know that their teachers expect them to work hard and focus on their learning in lessons.

Bullying does not happen often but, when it does, pupils trust staff take it seriously.

Most pupils behave well in lessons and ...around the school. They are polite and respectful to one another.

The new behaviour policy means pupils are rewarded for positive behaviour and they value this.

The school provides pupils with a diverse range of opportunities to broaden their experiences. There are after-school clubs such as karate and football.

Pupils can contribute to school life, for example by becoming a member of the pupil parliament and representing their peers or by being a 'resolution role model' and helping younger pupils in the playground.

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

The school has created an ambitious curriculum that builds pupils' knowledge through their school journey. Some parts of this curriculum are more fully realised and embedded than others.

Children learn to read as soon as they start at school, listening to stories, music, and rhymes. Staff ensure that, if any pupil struggles, they are offered additional support to catch up. Pupils can use their phonics skills to blend sounds and read words, and the books read are at an appropriate level.

Enjoyment of reading is fostered, for example, by the provision of a library, run by Year 6 pupils in the playground.

Pupils build knowledge and understanding from the early years. For example, in science pupils in Reception grow and nurture plants, by Year 1 they are labelling the different parts of plants and in Year 3 they examine what the parts of the plant do.

Most of the time teachers deliver the curriculum well. They have sound subject knowledge. Teachers ensure that they revisit prior learning at the start of lessons to ensure that pupils can recall and link it to new learning.

For example, pupils were able to discuss the different kinds of empires they had covered in history lessons and recognise their differences and similarities.

For the most part, pupils learn the content that the school intends. However, in some subjects the curriculum the delivery is not as strong.

Adaptations are not made consistently to ensure all pupils can access and benefit from the learning at a suitable level.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND as promptly as possible and, in most cases, ensures that support is in place to allow them to access the learning. This includes additional support from staff, and sensory activities.

The school has a range of ways to secure pupils' wider development. There are trips to museums and places of worship. Pupils access different after-school clubs.

They contribute to the local community, for example singing in a local care home and raising funds for a nearby food bank. Pupils learn about important issues that affect their everyday lives and talk confidently about equality and how to stay healthy.

Pupils' behaviour is mostly appropriate, but there are times when learning is disrupted by pupils calling out and not concentrating on the lesson.

The new behaviour rules are sometimes not consistently applied. However, this is not a common occurrence.

The school is taking effective action to address any low attendance or persistent absence.

This includes working with the attendance officer and ensuring they praise improvements and give rewards for pupils with good attendance, such as badges.

There have been changes introduced in the school over the last few years. Some staff have struggled with the pace and number of these, but others expressed appreciation for the reduction in their workload and the improvement in training offered.

Governors understand their safeguarding duties and are ready to challenge leaders to ensure the quality of education remains high. Most parents and carers have been supportive of recent changes, and appreciate the high standard of teaching and achievement at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Changes to the curriculum are not fully embedded and so the curriculum is not delivered in a consistent and knowledgeable fashion. In these instances, pupils do not develop the same depth of knowledge and understanding as they do at other times. The school should ensure it continues to support staff to develop expertise and knowledge, thus ensuring the consistency of delivery across the curriculum.

• Staff do not apply the school's new behaviour policy consistently. As a result, at times, the few cases of low-level disruption and inconsiderate behaviour are not addressed.The school should work with staff and pupils to ensure that the behaviour policy is applied consistently, and pupils develop consistently positive attitudes to learning.

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