Beckfoot Nessfield

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Beckfoot Nessfield is a school, which deliberately places personal development on a par with academic achievement.

Leaders are clear that one, without the other, does not support pupils to be successful in the next stage of their lives.

Pupils are explicitly taught about the importance of kindness and good manners. These attributes run throughout the school.

Pupils are happy and safe. They get along well together. Bullying is rare.

Pupils are confident that if they are worried about something, then staff will help them.

Behaviour in lessons and around the school is calm. Teachers can teach without lessons being disrupted.

Pupils are... learning increasingly effectively. Pupils are keen to learn new things and talk about their knowledge and understanding. They are becoming more confident to show this in their writing.

Pupils and staff are proud that this is a 'no outsiders' school. Pupils learn about the differences between them. They accept differences and treat people equally.

They actively look out for each other.

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

Pupils get off to a strong start in the early years. In both early mathematics and phonics, pupils receive very effective provision that supports children to learn the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to be successful as they move through school.

Adults carefully check what pupils know and make subtle adaptions to ensure that pupils learn the intended curriculum. Where, despite these subtle adaptions, pupils need additional teaching, they receive it. Outcomes in the year 1 phonics tests are consistently high.

The school has carefully identified the key knowledge and skills that it wants pupils to learn over time. Teachers have had the necessary support to develop their understanding of subjects where they were previously less confident. Pupils are able to talk confidently about what they have learned.

Teachers are supporting pupils to express their learning more consistently in writing. Although it is not reflected in the school's published outcomes, the strengthened curriculum is impacting positively on current pupils' learning, particularly in reading and writing.

The school introduced a new mathematics programme just over two years ago.

Those pupils who have been taught using this programme are learning effectively. Older pupils, however, have studied a mix of the previous programme and the new one. Many older pupils have gaps in their existing mathematical knowledge.

Teachers identify these and address them in lessons. However, this limits the amount of time to spend practising new learning, which leads to new gaps. Approaches used to try and close these new gaps quickly are not always successful.

There are secure systems to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Where plans relate to behaviour support needs, these are used consistently in classrooms to support pupils with their behaviour. Aspects of support related to supporting pupils to make academic progress are used less consistently.

This variability is reflected in parents' views about the support their children receive. The school has recently introduced 'The Nest' provision to support some pupils with SEND. Parents of pupils in this provision welcome their close involvement in shaping the support their child receives.

Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to school. They appreciate that 'doing the right thing', whether in terms of working hard, being kind to another or showing good manners, is recognised by adults. They value the house points they are awarded.

The house rewards that these lead to help foster a sense of community across year groups.

Systems to improve attendance have been successful. The school carefully identifies those pupils and families who need support.

Effective pastoral support systems, including mental health counsellors and a project to ensure that all pupils have regular dental check-ups, are leading to increased attendance.

Pupils benefit from an effectively taught personal development programme that is designed to reflect the challenges that pupils face. Pupils benefit from input from expert speakers, including basic first aid taught by the ambulance service.

Pupils develop strong knowledge of the world and their place within it.

A well-thought-out enrichment programme has been built into the regular school day. This ensures that all pupils benefit from a wealth of experiences to enhance their education, such as bike-ability, boxing and online workshops from museums around the UK.

The school choir performs regularly at the local hospital. Members of the choir are proud that their actions help make those who may be less fortunate happy.

The local school committee, the trust board and trust executive leaders have an accurate view of the school.

They ensure that leaders get the support they need, particularly at a time where the school roll is reducing, to continue to improve and provide a high-quality education. Leaders ensure that staff's workload is well managed. Staff value the fact that time is allocated to them for training when they need it.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The support that pupils with SEND receive in the classroom is variable. As a result, some pupils are overly reliant, following assessments, upon additional teaching or interventions to learn the intended curriculum.

Adaptions at the time of first teaching could have rendered some of these interventions as unnecessary. The school should support all staff to adapt their teaching to support pupils with their learning. ? In mathematics, some older pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to practise new learning.

As a result, they do not gain a secure grasp of the curriculum. These gaps in knowledge and understanding are identified but steps taken to address them are not consistently effective and misconceptions reappear in later work. The school should ensure that pupils get sufficient opportunities to practise new learning and, where gaps exist, that they are addressed successfully.