Bevington Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 February 2024

Since the restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has been through a period of difficult change. Pupils at this school are not receiving a high- quality education across their subjects. The number of staff leaving the school has been high and this has disrupted pupils' learning. Some improvements are emerging in mathematics and English. In other subjects, the curriculum is not being delivered effectively. Pupils say that they feel safe and that bullying is not common. They are confident that teachers would address bullying correctly. Pupils say that all would be welcome in the school. Most pupils are respectful towards staff and work hard during lessons. Some disrupt learning or choose not to take part in the set activities. Pupils' behaviour when moving around the school and in the playground is not reliably positive. They are sometimes physical with each other and use poor language. The school has high expectations of what pupils can learn to do, but these expectations are not yet realised. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should across the range of subjects. Many do not learn to read quickly enough. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) sometimes have poor experiences in the classroom.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils are not helped to catch up in their reading quickly enough, including pupils with SEND. This means that they are unable to fully access the curriculum. The school should ensure that early reading is prioritised and that the weakest readers receive frequent and consistent support so they catch up quickly.
• Pupils are not consistently receiving a broad and balanced curriculum. This is because the new curriculum is not embedded and some subjects are infrequently taught, particularly at key stage 2. Pupils are not building up knowledge in a range of subjects, and are not prepared for their next stage of learning. The school should strengthen its systems for checking that the curriculum is delivered as intended.
• Pupils with SEND are not receiving an ambitious, high-quality education. This means that their experience of the curriculum is limited, and they do not make sufficient progress. The school should ensure that the needs of pupils with SEND are met, that they have full access to the curriculum and achieve well.
• Sometimes pupils do not behave well and the behaviour policy is not consistently effective. This means lessons are disrupted, pupils do not follow positive routines, and that incidents of poor behaviour occur frequently. The number of suspensions is high and pupils with SEND are disproportionately affected due to a lack of alternative support for them. The school should ensure that reasonable adjustments are made for pupils with SEND. Systems should be embedded effectively and staff supported to secure positive behaviour from pupils across the school.
• Pupils' wider development is not prioritised. This means that pupils do not securely understand key aspects of life in modern Britain, and are not ready for their next stage of schooling. The school should ensure that this area is prioritised and a high-quality programme implemented well.
• Governance of the school is not holding leaders to account sufficiently well. This means that poor quality is not being sufficiently challenged, and the strategic direction needed to make rapid improvements is not in place, to the detriment of pupils. The school should strengthen its governance arrangements to ensure that the necessary expertise, consistent systems and high-quality strategic oversight are in place to support and challenge leaders to improve the school.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)