Diocese Inspection reports

The Beacon VA Primary School

Beacon Place 

Exmouth         

EX8 2SR

Diocese: Exeter

Local authority: Devon

Dates of inspection: March 17^th 2008

Date of last inspection: Jan 2004

School’s unique reference number: 113430

Headteacher: Susan Lockwood

Inspector’s name : Angela Sumner

School context

The Beacon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 168 children. The school serves a broad socio-economic seaside community. The majority of learners are of white British origin with 8.3% having English as an additional language, and 32% of learners have special educational needs. The Acting Headteacher has recently been appointed as the substantive Headteacher.

The distinctiveness and effectiveness of The Beacon VA Primary School as a Church of England school are good

The school is a key part of the community with excellent links with the church and local community. The Beacon VA primary school is characterised by caring, supportive relationships and is welcoming to all. The substantive appointment of the Acting Headteacher is already impacting on the confidence and well-being of the school community, with clear vision for further development of the school.

Established strengths

·         Welcoming, supportive and nurturing environment based on explicit Christian values

·         Excellent links between school, church and wider community

·         Caring approach to all stakeholders underpinned by strong element of prayer

Focus for development

·         Develop monitoring and evaluation of RE, to include an evidence base

·         Develop RE Assessment, to include an evidence base

The school, through its distinctive Christian character, is good at meeting the needs of all learners

Learners feel valued, happy and confident because of the high level of care and respect shown by learners to each other, and by staff to learners. Learners speak of helping and supporting children joining the school with English as an additional language. Parents and governors speak positively about the welcoming family atmosphere. Staff relationships are characterised by a strong team identity and learners benefit from the quality of relationships generally in the school. The links with the local community and environment provide clear opportunities for spiritual development of learners, for example in making use of the local environment in teaching and learning activities. There is clear evidence of the Christian character throughout the school for example in documentation, displays and artefacts. Learners confidently describe Christian symbols displayed around the school and explain their meaning with clarity.

The impact of collective worship on the school community is good

Collective Worship is at the heart of the school ethos. Acts of collective worship are held at the beginning of each day and learners talk of the impact of worship on their own lives. For example, in one act of worship, songs and an interactive Bible story were performed by learners illustrating the worth of everyone. Learners speak of being able to think about the story and what it means for them, as well as for others. Staff and clergy take it in turns to lead worship and learners enjoy their different styles of worship. Learners talk enthusiastically of services held in the local church, for example in taking part in celebrating major Christian festivals. Learners speak positively of being able to use the music and having a visual focus such as a candle in collective worship to provide opportunities for personal prayer and reflection.  Evaluation of worship is at a preliminary stage.

The effectiveness of the religious education is good

 

 Learners show a positive, open attitude and clearly enjoy religious education.  Learners speak enthusiastically of the different activities provided, for example through integrated topic work, linking religious education and Art. Learners’ views are valued and learners speak highly of opportunities to think and talk about their own beliefs, as well as those of others.  The importance of religious education is evident throughout the school and is shown, for example, in the high quality Religious Education displays making effective links with other curriculum areas such as Art, and Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning. The quality of teaching is good with appropriate subject knowledge. Learning is promoted by clear objectives shared with learners with effective use of time, resources and learning styles. Learners are actively involved and can explain their understanding confidently using appropriate religious vocabulary, for example in explaining the meaning of the ‘Last Supper’. A recent review of Religious Education has resulted in formal assessment and monitoring procedures being implemented. These are at a preliminary stage with a clear structure for development.

The effectiveness of the leadership and management of the school as a church school is good

The Headteacher confidently articulates a clear Christian vision for the school, as stated in the mission statement ‘Achieving Together in a Christian School’. The vision is effectively shared with all stakeholders, for example, through the school newsletter, governors’ meetings and discussions with parents and carers. The School Self Evaluation is good. Pastoral support and spiritual links between the school and the church are good. Clergy make regular visits to school. Parents have formed a supportive prayer group. The school has effective, productive and supportive links with the local church community, for example with a range of school activities being held in church. These include a monthly praise worship and social events including the Summer Fayre. There are high levels of involvement in the school by the local community, for example in the wide range of extra curricular activities including a circus skills club and a pre school nurture group. Governors support the school through many activities including governor links to curriculum areas and ‘Governor of the Month’. Governors speak of the impact and value of involvement in non pupil professional development training days for all staff, for example in attending in-service training on the inspection process.