Beswick and Watton CofE (VC) School

Overview: Beswick and Watton CofE (VC) School is a small primary school that provides a nurturing and inclusive environment for its pupils. The school has a strong focus on Christian values and has made significant improvements to its curriculum and assessment systems.

Strengths:

• Pupils feel safe and enjoy learning in an inclusive school with a family feel.
• Pupils develop valuable life skills, such as resilience and independence, through the school's focus on emotional well-being.
• The school has high expectations for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and staff work well with parents and agencies to support these pupils.
• Teachers deliver lessons skilfully in mixed-age classes, especially in core subjects like English and mathematics.
• The school prioritises the wider development of pupils, teaching them about character, budgeting, and fundamental British values.

Areas to improve:

• Assessment systems in some subjects are new, and teachers do not always know what pupils have understood before moving learning on.
• In some subjects, the learning activities chosen do not match the ambition of the curriculum, resulting in pupils not learning as much or as deeply as they could.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.