Belvidere Primary School

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

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 October 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 18 and 19 October 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Belvidere Primary School is a friendly place where pupils are happy and proud of their school. Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive. Pupils say that they enjoy coming to school and that they feel safe. They warmly welcome visitors and enjoy sharing their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the quality of education is not the same in all subjects. Sometimes, the work that pupils complete does not build on what they have learned previously. This is because the curriculum is not designed well enough.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupil’s behaviour. Pupils follow the ‘Belvidere 6 Rs’: responsible, respectful, reflective, reliability, resilience and rejoice. Pupils behave well in lessons. They are keen to hold open doors for each other and adults. At lunchtime, pupils treat each other with kindness. They get on well together and respect each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand about the different types of bullying. They say that bullying is rare, but they trust adults to deal with it if it did happen.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Sporting and musical achievements are important to the school. All pupils in key stage 2 learn to play a musical instrument.

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better?

Leaders want the best for pupils and have ensured that the curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders have recently made some changes to the curriculum, for example in English and mathematics. However, in some subjects, including art and history, there remains more work to do to ensure that leaders identify the precise knowledge and skills that they want pupils to learn. Teaching in these subjects is sometimes focused more on activities than on securing the essential knowledge needed. As a result, pupils do not always learn about things in the right order or acquire the knowledge and skills they need in enough depth.

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better?

Curriculum leadership has an impact on subject development. Where subject leaders have more expert knowledge, they have made improvements to the curriculum. However, some curriculum leaders do not know the right actions to take. This is because they do not have the appropriate skills to check how well the curriculum helps pupils learn what they need to know.

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better?

Children get a good start to life in school in the early years. Staff have a clear understanding of how young children learn and the support that they need. Curriculum planning in the early years is well sequenced and allows children to build on what they already know and can do. In Nursery, children quickly settle into school and develop very strong relationships with the staff and each other. Staff 18 and 19 October 2022

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work skilfully with children in the Nursery to develop speech and language. Children practise their listening skills so they can hear and recognise early sounds and letters. In Reception, this then moves swiftly on to more formal phonics teaching. There is a structured approach to reading across the school. Pupils read regularly at home and in school. The books that pupils read are well matched to sounds they have been learning.

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Pupils want to do well in school and try their best in lessons. However, at times, staff’s expectations of pupils are not high enough. For example, some work in books is very hard to read and staff do not pick up on repeated errors, such as forgetting to use a capital letter at the start of a sentence or for a name.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support and are fully included in all aspects of school life. Where appropriate, pupils get extra help. For example, pupils with SEND may receive extra adult support or practical equipment to help them to learn.

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Some aspects of pupils’ wider development are well established. Pupils enjoy having important responsibilities in school such as house captains and peer mentors. Pupils understand why they need to show respect to others. They welcome and respect everyone in school and celebrate their differences. Leaders plan trips, visitors and experiences that enrich pupils’ day-to-day experiences. The school provides good pastoral support and children know how to keep themselves safe and healthy. However, there are weaknesses in the sequencing and delivery of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural curriculum. Pupils have very limited knowledge of different people’s faiths. They also have very limited knowledge of British values such as democracy and tolerance.

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Governors are proud of the school and want pupils to achieve well. Staff, including early career teachers, say that leaders support their development and well-being. Staff are proud to work at the school. They believe that they are well supported and that leaders consider their well-being and work-life balance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff ensure that pupils are well looked after and supported. All adults receive the training that they need to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm. When staff report concerns, leaders with responsibility for safeguarding follow these up in a timely way, working with agencies if appropriate.

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Safeguarding

Pupils feel safe in school and can talk to an adult or a peer mentor if anything is worrying them. They have a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe both in the local area and when using the internet. 18 and 19 October 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not identified and sequenced the key knowledge that they want pupils to remember. As a result, pupils do not develop a deep understanding of that subject. Leaders should ensure that particular knowledge and skills are identified precisely and pupils have opportunities to develop these, building on what has been taught over time.  Pupils’ knowledge of some aspects of British values and different faiths is limited. As a result, they may not be as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be. Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a better understanding of all aspects of British values and of different faiths.  Some subject leaders are not leading and overseeing curriculum development effectively. In some cases, they lack the knowledge and skills to make the required improvements. Leaders should ensure that subject leaders are supported to fulfil their roles so that they can improve the quality of education in their

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

subject areas.  Staff do not always have high enough expectations of pupils. Sometimes pupils’ work is hard to read and staff do not identify or address repeated errors. Leaders should ensure that staff have sufficiently high expectations for pupils about their work so that common mistakes are not repeated.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 18 and 19 October 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10242117 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.belvidere-pri.shropshire.sch.uk/

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.  The school operates a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other leaders.  Inspectors met with representatives from the governing body and the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in reading, English, mathematics, history and art. Inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders and undertook 18 and 19 October 2022

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joint visits to lessons. They also talked to pupils and teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to safeguarding arrangements, behaviour and attendance. Inspectors also reviewed the school’s evaluation of its own performance and the school’s development plans.  Inspectors talked to staff about their role in keeping pupils safe.  Inspectors held informal and formal discussions with pupils and observed lunchtime.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View, including additional free-text comments. They also took account of responses to Ofsted’s online staff and pupil questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Emma Gater, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Susan Ray Ofsted Inspector 18 and 19 October 2022

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regulates and inspects to 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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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