Belvidere Primary School

Belvidere Primary School Tenbury Drive, Telford Estate, Shrewsbury, SY2 5YB

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  All pupils make good progress and they do particularly well in the older classes. The school’s results have improved a lot over the last two years.  Pupils’ writing has improved strongly because the school has made it a priority and all teachers approach its teaching in the same way.  Teaching and learning are good across the school and some teaching is outstanding.  Teachers help pupils to do work that is the very best they can. In most lessons, pupils are challenged by the work they are given, which is a good match to their abilities.  Pupils enjoy the varied work they do that involves computers because this is well planned and complements the tasks teachers set. Teachers make good use of technology to help pupils learn.  Pupils enjoy being at the school and like the way they are taught. They also feel safe because the school has developed good routines and systems for behaviour that are

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

used the same way by all staff. As a result, behaviour is good.  The headteacher is a very effective leader and, supported by an able senior team, has made a very positive impact on the quality of teaching and learning in the school.  The governing body knows the school well and works hard to make sure that any weaknesses are addressed and improvements put in place.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In some lessons, teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to learn on their own, to check each other’s work or to decide how to approach challenging problems.  Some of the questions teachers ask do not lead to better understanding for pupils because they are too simple.  Senior leaders do not encourage enough middle leaders to take responsibility for making improvements in the quality of teaching.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 20 lessons, of which two were joint observations with the senior leaders. In addition, inspectors made other short visits to lessons and to learning areas to watch small groups being taught. They also listened to pupils read.  Meetings were held with two groups of pupils, a representative from the local authority, members of the governing body, senior and middle leaders, and teaching staff.  Inspectors took account of the 17 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) and spoke informally to parents and carers as they brought pupils to school.  The information from 11 staff questionnaires was taken into consideration.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books and at a number of documents, including the school’s own data and monitoring of how well pupils progress. They also checked planning documents and records of behaviour, attendance and punctuality, as well as documents relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Simon Blackburn, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Westall Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is smaller than the average primary school.  The proportion of pupils who are supported through the pupil premium is slightly below average compared to schools nationally.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is close to the national average but the proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of educational needs is above average.  Almost all the pupils at the school are from White British backgrounds. Very few pupils are known to speak English as an additional language.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve all teaching to good or outstanding by ensuring that teachers:  develop pupils’ abilities to learn on their own by giving them problem-solving tasks and allowing them to make their own decisions about their learning  encourage pupils to reflect on their own learning and to learn from assessing the work of other pupils  use questions more skilfully to make sure pupils understand and to speed up their learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Senior leaders should share the responsibility for school improvement more widely amongst middle leaders to make sure that changes are put in place effectively.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join Reception with skills and knowledge that are typical for their age. As a result of lively and effective teaching, pupils make good progress and an above-average proportion reached the expected standard as they entered Year 1 in 2012, including in their language and personal development.  Almost all the pupils leaving Year 6 in 2012 met or exceeded expectations for their progress during Key Stage 2. They reached high standards in English and mathematics. Pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning and say that, ‘It is exciting and every day we learn something new’. They feel challenged and respond well to the challenge.  Progress in Key Stage 1 has not been as rapid but standards are above average and pupils enjoy a range of activities that interest and engage them. Evidence from lesson observations and pupils’ books shows that progress is now good.  The school has made the improvement of writing skills a major priority over the last two years

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The achievement of pupils is good

and this has been very successful in driving up standards for pupils in all areas of the school.  The school is successful at narrowing gaps in attainment between different groups. Its information shows that there are no differences in achievement between any groups of pupils, including those supported though the pupil premium. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs also achieve well and make similar progress to all other pupils.  Pupils are given a wide range of opportunities to read in various subjects across the school. Their reading standard is good and even those pupils who struggle with reading know and use the techniques they have been taught to sound out the letters to make unfamiliar words.  Pupils’ communication and mathematics skills are developed well through opportunities woven into everyday teaching so that they are able to use these in a wide range of contexts.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching in the Reception class is good. In an outstanding lesson in the Forest School project, children made very rapid progress with their writing skills as a result of a well-planned lesson using mud paint. They wrote letters and numbers in mud on any available surface, spelled out their names on fence posts and made a sign to say that the troll’s cat was missing! The children were engaged and excited; they moved from one activity to another with purpose and were developing their own stories to centre their learning around. The adults encouraged their writing and social play, and assessed their progress accurately.  Throughout the school, the quality of teaching seen and evidence in pupils’ work show that good teaching enables pupils to make good progress and to achieve well. Relationships in the classroom are good and teachers and pupils all have high expectations.  The teaching of writing is good and very consistent across the school. Teachers have been

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The quality of teaching is good

trained in a new system and they are using this very effectively to develop pupils’ skills. In a lesson on writing instructions in Year 4, pupils had individual targets to improve aspects of their writing which flowed from the teacher’s accurate assessment of their work in the previous session.  Marking and assessment are good. Teachers’ comments provide useful information on how pupils can improve their work and also present them with new challenges. However, pupils’ ability to assess their own work or the work of their peers is not well developed because they are not given the opportunity to do this very often.  The use of computers and other technology is a strong feature of the work of the school. Teachers are confident with technology and the pupils feel that using computers has really made learning exciting. They particularly enjoy the new netbooks which can be used anywhere in the school.  Pupils say they almost always feel challenged by the work they are given to do and almost all

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The quality of teaching is good

parents and carers who responded agreed that their children are taught well. Inspectors found that this is generally the case but that some questioning does not challenge pupils to reach higher levels of understanding about complex ideas. This is because the questions used are too simple or the teacher does not give the pupils long enough to think about their answer.  Although lessons are generally planned well to meet the needs of individual pupils, there are too few opportunities for pupils to work independently and to make decisions about what to learn next, or the type of help they need to improve.  Teachers and teaching assistants work well together to make sure all pupils receive the help they need and this ensures that pupils who need extra support or find learning more difficult enjoy their learning and achieve well.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils behave well and learning is very rarely disrupted through poor behaviour. Staff have high expectations and a set of routines and procedures that are applied consistently across the school so that pupils know what is required of them at all times.  Pupils expressed a pride in the behaviour in their school and said that they all get on well. Parents, staff and governors all supported the positive views of the pupils. A governor who accompanied a group of pupils on a choral trip to Birmingham was immensely proud when a member of the public sought her out to congratulate the school on the behaviour of its pupils.  Pupils enter lessons ready to learn and they settle quickly to their tasks. When they finish work or when the teacher is busy with another pupil, they have the maturity to check their work or choose a reading book until the next challenge is presented.  Incidents of bullying are extremely rare but pupils have a secure awareness of the different

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

types of bullying and what to do if they come across it. Pupils also have a good understanding of safety issues and how they can keep themselves safe.  Attendance has improved year on year for three years and is now above average. Exclusions of any kind are very rare.  The school monitors behaviour very carefully and keeps extremely detailed records of any incidents or accidents. It then analyses these to discover any patterns and to anticipate future issues.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher has an ambitious vision for the school and is a very effective leader. He has built a strong senior team around him and has the wholehearted support of the governing body in relentlessly pursuing excellence in everything the school does.  In the short time he has been at the school, the headteacher’s focus has been on improving skills in writing and this has had a major impact on progress throughout the school, and shown particularly in the results of pupils in Year 6.  Leaders have a thorough and accurate understanding of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. This is reflected in well-structured improvement plans that have a clear focus on appropriate targets. Leaders are aware of the weaknesses in the leadership skills of middle leaders, who currently do not share enough in the responsibility for improving teaching and learning or have sufficient impact on pupils’ progress.  Performance management is robust and thorough, linking the quality of teaching to the

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The leadership and management are good

achievement of pupils and ensuring that teachers’ own development needs are well targeted. As a result of this process, and the use of good quality training, the quality of teaching has improved significantly since the last inspection. The level of teachers’ pay shows a good match to their quality of teaching.  The curriculum is exciting and varied. Pupils were thrilled by a recent trip to the Severn Valley Railway where they took on the roles of evacuees, dressed in 1940’s clothes with labels, and felt the discomfort of leaving home. They experienced having to dive into Anderson Shelters as air raids occurred and developed a real understanding of the challenges faced by children of the time. There are many other good opportunities to enhance pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development in the curriculum.  The pupil premium funding is being well targeted. The school has detailed strategic plans for

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The leadership and management are good

how this money will be spent. Priorities include targeted one-to-one teaching to help pupils catch up with their learning, training for teachers in improving writing skills and funding for after- school clubs to develop and extend learning opportunities. The headteacher monitors all these initiatives carefully, to make sure they have the required impact.  The local authority provides good light touch support to the school and is very pleased with the excellent progress made since the last inspection.  Safeguarding procedures are thorough and meet statutory requirements.  The governance of the school:  The governing body has a very clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school because it plays an active part in the school’s self evaluation process. It provides good support to the headteacher and senior leaders because it asks the difficult questions about how decisions will have an impact on pupils’ learning. This has lead to good decisions being

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The leadership and management are good

made on staff appointments, the allocation of the pupil premium and the development of information and communication technology in the school.  Governors are fiercely proud of the school and its pupils.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 123437 Local authority Shropshire Inspection number 406164

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 228 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Roger Holyland Headteacher Andrew Davis Date of previous school inspection 25 January 2011 Telephone number 01743 365211 Fax number 01743 365211 Email address admin.belvidereprimary@shropshirelg.net guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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