Bellfield Primary School

Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected as an academy This inspection: Good 2 Leadership and management Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Early years provision Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Pupils make strong progress from joining school with knowledge and skills which are below those typically expected for their age.  At the end of Year 2 pupils attain standards which are above average in mathematics and writing.  When pupils leave Year 6 they attain above average standards in writing, average standards in mathematics and they are slightly below average in reading.  Standards at the end of Year 6 have improved well since the school became an academy.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make effective progress in their learning because of the good level of support provided by skilled teaching assistants. This good support helps these pupils make at least similar rates of progress in their learning to that of other pupils.  Pupils proudly report there are exceptionally few bullying incidents. If they do occasionally arise they are dealt with very effectively, basing the

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

approach on the need for those who have transgressed to consider the impact their actions have on others.  Pupils report they feel exceptionally safe because they know all adults in school are there to help keep them safe.  Pupils have an exceedingly strong understanding of how they can protect themselves online and other ways to keep themselves safe both in school and in the wider community.  The headteacher and senior leadership team display an immensely determined desire to improve the school further and ensure that all pupils achieve exceptionally well while at school.  Since converting to academy status the senior leaders, led by a dynamic and highly focused headteacher, ably supported by a determined deputy and a strong governing body, have improved the school well and it continues to improve.  The school benefits immensely from being part of the Hull Collaborative Academy Trust, which is a key driver of the many successes in school since

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

conversion to academy status.  Early years provision is well led and effective, giving children a strong start to their education.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 A small number of minor variations in pupils’ achievement remain.  Occasionally a small number of teachers do not always mark pupils’ work fully in line with school guidelines to help the pupils progress well in their learning.  On a few occasions teachers do not fully ensure that all pupils are well engaged in their learning.  A small proportion of children in the early years are not always challenged fully to achieve exceptionally well in their learning.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed learning and teaching in lessons and part-lessons, four of which were observed jointly with the headteacher or deputy headteacher.  They held meetings with senior leaders, school staff and five members of the governing body, including the Chair. The lead inspector also met with three representatives of the Hull Collaborative Academy Trust, including the Chief Executive Officer.  Discussions were held with parents and groups of pupils. Inspectors also spoke informally to pupils in lessons during breaks and lunchtimes.  Inspectors scrutinised the work pupils produced during lessons and in their books over time. They also listened to a small number of pupils from Year 1 and Year 2 read.  Inspectors observed the work of the school; they also looked at the latest school data on pupils’ achievement and the progress they are currently making. Other documentation scrutinised included

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Information about this inspection

development plans, as well as safeguarding information, behaviour logs, attendance records and minutes of recent meetings of the governing body.  Inspectors took account of the 44 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as the 31 responses to the staff questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Declan McCauley, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Bellfield Primary School converted to become an academy school on 1 July 2013. When its predecessor school, Belfield Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is below the national average.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is just above the national average. (The term disadvantaged pupils is used to describe those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority). The school receives additional funding called the pupil premium for these pupils.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  Children are taught in the nursery on a part-time basis and full time in the Reception year.  The headteacher is a local leader of education (LLE) and provides support for other local schools.

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Information about this school

 The school is one of the four founding schools of the Hull Collaborative Academy Trust and is a founding member of the Executive Board of Hull Collaborative Teaching School.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Strengthen the quality of teaching to improve pupils’ achievement in reading, writing and mathematics further by:  ensuring that pupils’ work is marked consistently in line with school guidelines  ensuring teachers help all pupils participate well in learning activities  ensuring that children in the early years are always fully challenged to achieve exceptionally well.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 School leaders demonstrate a determined and relentless drive to drive school improvement securely. They are highly successful in ensuring that everyone in school plays their part fully and collectively. With the well-motivated governing body and highly effective middle leaders, they have improved the school well since it became an academy.  Leaders and managers have very successfully created a learning environment where pupils thrive on high levels of challenge in lessons. All leaders and managers have exceptionally high expectations for pupils’ achievement and behaviour.  Teaching is exceptionally well led and managed by an exceedingly competent group of subject leaders, who have a very clear understanding of strengths and the few remaining minor weaknesses in their subjects, as well as what they are going to do to overcome these. When achievement issues were identified, reading standards were slightly lower than those in writing and mathematics and so robust

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The leadership and management are outstanding

plans were made to improve reading. The latest school data show that these plans are having a good impact on achievement in reading.  School leaders expect all pupils to be treated equally and this is very apparent around the school. The high focus on respect for one another is one of the values underpinning the exceptionally high standards of behaviour. This supports the fostering of exceptionally good relations within school and there is no discrimination. Pupil premium funding is used very well to support disadvantaged pupils.  The curriculum has been radically overhauled, so it is now exceptionally well matched to the needs of pupils, helping them to learn well. It provides pupils with highly stimulating opportunities for learning effectively. The curriculum is underpinned by the use of the highly innovative use of information and communication technology (ICT), such as blogging and the extensive use of twitter feeds.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 Pupils are well prepared for living in modern Britain by the inspirational curriculum which is well rooted in British values. Pupils are taught to be tolerant of everyone and in discussion pupils proudly explain that they see everyone in school and the wider world as equals; they explain that there are no exceptions.  Arrangements within school for safeguarding are of an exceptionally high standard and they meet statutory requirements. The record of employment checks kept by the school is meticulously maintained and checked on a very regular basis by a wide range of people, so everyone can be assured that no pupils are placed at risk from school staff or visitors.  Additional funding provided for school sports is used exceptionally well within school. There are now a great many more sports clubs open to pupils than there were previously. Staff confidence and skills have been increased and more pupils are being scouted to participate in events beyond school, such as cross-

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The leadership and management are outstanding

country running and gymnastics.  The school is supported very well by the multi-academy trust and gains much from this. Many members of school staff have specific responsibilities for leading on particular subjects or aspects of education across the trust and wider afield. This two-way process of providing support for other schools and working collaboratively within the trust means the school can access exceptionally high quality support and training. This supports improvements in the quality of teaching well. Senior leaders invest heavily in the professional development of all school staff, both teaching and support staff, and this has aided school improvement greatly.  The work the school does with the Hull Collaborative Teaching School alliance enables very effective opportunities to mould staff into the Bellfield way of working to ensure sustainability for the future in school.  The governance of the school:

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The leadership and management are outstanding

- Governors are exceptionally effective in their roles and work closely with school leaders to hold the school to account and drive further improvement securely. They oversee the spending of the pupil premium and proudly report that the latest thorough school tracking data show that disadvantaged pupils attain higher standards than other pupils in writing. Attainment gaps between disadvantaged and other pupils in reading and mathematics have narrowed exceptionally well during this academic year, using the accurate latest predictions for Year 6 attainment at the end of this school year. Governors are exceedingly knowledgeable about the quality of teaching in school; they use data on the performance of the school regularly to measure how well pupils are learning. Staff performance is managed highly effectively by governors and occasionally when staff underperformance has been identified, they have worked tirelessly

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The leadership and management are outstanding

with senior members of staff to eliminate underperformance in school totally.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is outstanding.  Around school pupils are exceptionally polite and well mannered. In lessons they are keen and enthusiastic to learn. No low-level or minor disruption was observed during the inspection. Pupils’ exceptionally positive behaviour in lessons allows learning to progress well and is an aid to good achievement.  Pupils are exceptionally proud of their school community; they wear their uniforms with pride and produce large amounts of exceptionally neat work in their books during lessons. Pupils see learning as very important for their futures and feel exceedingly well supported in their quest to better themselves in a school where all staff help them to learn well.  The core values of respect and tolerance for all underpinning school life are important to pupils. Pupils are very respectful of one another and adults around school and on the playground. Around school and in

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Behaviour

classrooms pupils self-correct their own behaviour and that of others, without adults needing to get involved because pupils have such high expectations of one another.  Pupils seek opportunities to help others. In order to undertake highly sought-after support roles in school, they must apply for the roles and go through an interview process before being appointed. Pupils in these high profile roles are well respected by other pupils.  Pupils have an exceptionally strong understanding of the different types of bullying, but explain that they are rare in school and when they do arise they are dealt with highly effectively.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding.  Pupils report that they are kept exceptionally safe in school because all adults in school care for them so well. They know that if they have any worries, these can be placed in a worry box and will be dealt with sensitively and confidentially to bring about a resolution.  The school site is exceptionally safe and secure and access is well controlled. Pupils feel safe when playing on the playground because of the highly effective lunchtime supervisors who look after them so well.  All parents who entered their views on to the Parent View questionnaire agree that their child feels safe in school. One parent explained to an inspector that everyone knew who to turn to in school if there were any concerns about the safety of pupils and these would immediately be addressed to their full satisfaction.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching over time results in pupils achieving well in reading, writing and mathematics. From starting school with knowledge and skills which are below those typical for their age, pupils progress well in their learning because of effective teaching.  School has focused recently on improving pupils’ reading and the latest school data show pupils’ reading progress is now accelerating well. When reading to an inspector, pupils spoke of how they are being helped to read many more books, both in school and at home. Pupils’ love of reading was apparent. This demonstrates that effective teaching is securing improvement well.  Learning in mathematics is made particularly enjoyable for pupils, because of the very strong subject knowledge of the subject leader and many teachers who plan learning opportunities which are well matched to the learning needs of pupils. In one such lesson a small group of upper Key Stage 2 pupils

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The quality of teaching is good

were well challenged when considering how they should calculate the surface area of complicated shapes.  Learning proceeds well in lessons because there are high expectations of what pupils can achieve. In one lesson the learning for a group was modified to ensure that pupils securely understood what they were learning before moving on to work at a higher level. This shows that the most and least able are challenged well in their learning and no pupils’ needs are missed.  Writing has improved well in school because of highly innovative teaching. ICT is used exceptionally well to support literacy development in school. Pupils regularly use blogs to share their writing with a worldwide audience. When undertaking a literacy project, pupils tweeted Malorie Blackman to share their views and were delighted to receive a response from the famous Children’s Laureate. ICT is used inspirationally to support learning well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Occasionally pupils do not always engage fully in directed learning activities by not participating as asked which slows their learning down slightly. Marking does not consistently follow school guidelines to support pupils’ learning fully which hampers pupils’ progress in their learning slightly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most children start school with knowledge and skills which are typically below those expected for their age and make strong progress, so that by the time they leave Year 6 they reach above average standards in writing, average standards in mathematics and just below average standards in reading.  The most able pupils in 2014 at the end of Year 2 reached above average standards in writing and matched the average in mathematics. At the end of Year 6 they were broadly average in mathematics and well above in writing. School data show that the focus on reading is bearing fruit and robust predictions for this school year show reading attainment more in line with that of mathematics and writing.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress in their learning because of the support they receive in lessons and in small groups from the highly trained, dedicated and effective teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 School data show that disadvantaged pupils are well on track to reduce the in-school gaps in mathematics and reading compared to other pupils in 2015. In writing, disadvantaged pupils are predicted to reach standards which are above those of other pupils again, as they did previously in 2014.  From their starting points the attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and other pupils narrowed in 2014 in reading, writing and mathematics from the point of conversion to academy status. Compared to non-disadvantaged pupils nationally, disadvantaged pupils in school were one term behind in mathematics, just less than half a term ahead in writing and nearly three terms behind in reading. Disadvantaged pupils in school were about a third of a term behind other pupils in mathematics, about a third of a term ahead in writing and just over two terms behind in reading. Latest school data show faster progress and a narrowing of in-school gaps between disadvantaged and other pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 A few minor variations remain between the rates of progress made between groups of pupils such as boys and girls in a number of classes throughout school. These variations depend on the proportion of pupils who are disabled and those who have special educational needs or who are disadvantaged. This is recognised by the school and plans are being acted on effectively to reduce or eliminate the gaps.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision is effective. It is well led and managed and collectively the staff work effectively to ensure that children make strong progress from their starting points in a stimulating and well-structured learning environment where children are happy and safe.  The proportion of children leaving early years well prepared to enter Year 1 at a good level of development is increasing and is confidently predicted to increase further this year to nearer average.  On starting in early years, children settle rapidly because the dedicated team encourages parents to join in the learning journey with their children and so build children’s confidence in the environment which is new to them. There are many opportunities created for children to develop their communication and language skills because adults know the children’s needs so well, they can skilfully direct their learning.  Areas both indoors and outside are very safe for children who behave well, are clearly happy and feel well

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The early years provision is good

supported as they develop their skills well.  There is a wide range of adult-led and child-initiated activities taking place in early years each day so children are given many opportunities to develop their skills well.  When preparing to move into Year 1, pupils the early years team work closely with their Key Stage 1 colleagues to ensure that each individual child’s needs are met fully so they can make a good start to their more formal learning.  Occasionally children are not always challenged as much as they could be to extend their learning and development further.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 139838 Local authority Kingston upon Hull City of Inspection number 449974

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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 Academy converter Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 235 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Dawn Sharpe Headteacher Claire Mudd Date of previous school inspection Not previously inspected as an academy Telephone number 01482 374490 Fax number 01482 701524 Email address admin@bellfield.hull.sch.uk 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 and 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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