Co-op Academy Beckfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school.

They have a trusted adult who they can turn to if they need support. Most pupils are happy in school.

Pupils' behaviour is not as good as it could be.

The implementation of a new behaviour policy from September 2021 is beginning to have an impact on improving pupils' behaviour. Pupils are clear about the sanctions in the policy. There is an emphasis on pupils understanding the values of the Co-op Academies Trust, including self-responsibility and honesty.

Pupils say that bullying does happen, but that it does not happen often. They are confident that teachers and leaders will deal with it when it is reported. However, some... pupils told inspectors that racist language is used.

Linked to this, leaders are designing their curriculum with the aim of promoting equality and celebrating diversity. Records show that in most cases when incidents are reported, they are dealt with and followed up appropriately.

Leaders have high ambitions for pupils at this school.

They want to provide the highest quality of education for pupils. The trust is supporting the school to improve. This is helping to raise expectations for what pupils can achieve.

This is a work in progress. Trust directors have been heavily involved with the school. Since January 2022, this support has reduced as the trust's confidence in the school to continue to improve has grown.

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

Leaders at this school are working on improving the curriculum and assessment processes. The curriculum needs more time to be fully implemented and to embed. This journey is underway, but for some pupils, there are many gaps in their learning.

Leaders are aware of this, and teachers are re-teaching some of the content that pupils have missed due to COVID-19. Leaders have recognised where some pupils are very far behind and are plugging the gaps. The physical education (PE) curriculum is well designed.

Pupils talk about their learning in PE with enjoyment.Leaders have a phonics programme in place for teaching pupils to read. However, some staff have not been trained in the delivery of this programme.

There is some work to do to ensure that staff pronounce pure sounds in their teaching of phonics consistently. Leaders recognise this. In some cases, pupils' reading books are not well matched to the sounds that they have been learning.

This means that they struggle to read some of the words in the books. Some older pupils say that books are not interesting enough.

In mathematics, leaders are planning a new curriculum.

This curriculum starts in Year 1. The early years curriculum is planned separately. This means that the curriculum does not build on the foundations from the early years well enough.

Support for pupils in mathematics is variable due to the inconsistent deployment of teaching assistants and the incomplete knowledge of some staff. Trust curriculum leaders are offering sessions to improve staff's subject knowledge.

The early years is a positive environment for all children.

However, leaders have not ensured that the curriculum for these children is closely aligned to the early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework. This means that children are not as well prepared them for their future learning and successes as they might be. Informal interaction between staff and children is not used to best effect consistently.

This means that opportunities to model play and to extend children's vocabulary are sometimes missed.

Pupils' behaviour has not been as good as it should be over time. The trust have supported the school with the implementation of a bespoke behaviour policy this academic year.

Pupils are now clear about the rewards and sanctions set out for them. As a result, pupils' behaviour is beginning to improve. There are clear examples of where pupils' behaviour has improved.

There is further work to do to ensure that learning is not disrupted by the poor choices of a few pupils. A significant minority of parents and carers say that communication between the school and home is weak. Parents have concerns about the school's communication with home about behaviour, including bullying.

There is more work to do to ensure parents are better informed.

Pupils' attendance is lower than it should be, even when considering the complications due to COVID-19. There are some pupils, whose poor attendance is a concern, particularly those pupils who are disadvantaged.

Leaders have implemented a bespoke policy for attendance. For some pupils, this has had a positive impact and their attendance has improved. This is particularly the case when there are effective working relationships between teachers, pupils and adults at home.

Leaders recognise that there is more to do to ensure that relationships are strengthened further and expectations for pupils' attendance are clear and accepted by parents.

Leaders have thought carefully about the curriculum for pupils' wider development. Through their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, pupils learn about other cultures and religions.

For example, pupils from Romania were involved in teaching other pupils about their Romanian culture and history. Pupils have lots of opportunities to be involved in charitable work. Pupils attend regular school assemblies where topical issues are explored.

Trust leaders have prioritised work on ensuring that all pupils who need support are included on the special educational and/or disabilities (SEND) register. Pupils with SEND are provided with appropriate support. Staff throughout school are receiving training to develop their own practice and the overarching provision for children's needs.

Some parents of pupils with SEND have negative opinions about communications from leaders about their children's needs. Leaders say that communication is improving. They are realistic that it will take time to rebuild relationships and develop trust with parents.

School leadership at Co-op Academy Beckfield has been variable since the school joined the trust in 2017. COVID-19 and turbulence in leadership have had a significant negative impact on the timeliness of school improvement. Changes this academic year have led to a more stable leadership structure.

Leaders are now in a position to bring about change more rapidly. Teachers feel well supported by leaders. They are happy about the offer for subject knowledge development, particularly in PE and history.

Teachers say that the school is on a journey. They are now clear about what that journey is and what they need to do.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff complete the necessary training to identify when a pupil could be at risk. Leaders then check to ensure all staff understand their specific roles in keeping pupils safe. Where safeguarding concerns are identified, staff pass these to leaders and timely action is taken to support pupils to get the help they need.

Leaders have ensured that the right checks have been made on adults who work with children.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. They are aware of the dangers they may face when online and of 'stranger danger'.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The improved curriculum is not fully in place across all subjects in the school. The trust's ambition that the early years curriculum is the starting point for the building of the curriculum is not being realised. This means that teachers do not fully build on what pupils already know and can do.

Leaders should continue their improvement work to ensure the best curriculum is in place for pupils at this school. They should ensure that the early years curriculum is the foundation for the rest of the school's curriculum. ? Communication between the school and home is not as effective as it could be.

Parents are not fully informed about their child's behaviour or how the school plans to meet their child's needs. Leaders should ensure that they improve communication between school and home so that parents are kept fully informed. ? While pupils' behaviour is improving, some pupils still do not follow instructions well enough.

Pupils do not behave consistently well. Leaders should ensure that class and whole-school behaviour routines are well established and understood by all pupils. Pupils' attendance is lower than it should be.

This is particularly the case where families do not have a positive view of the school or where pupils do not have good relationships with adults or peers. In these cases, there is a significant decline in attendance and pupils miss out on vital learning. Leaders must ensure that there are strong, positive and consistent relationships between teachers, pupils and home.