Belgrave Primary School

Inspection of Belgrave Primary School Five Ashes Road, Westminster Park, Chester, Cheshire CH4 7QS

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 September 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Juliette Benton. This school is part of The Learning Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Darran Jones, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Euan Imrie. 20 and 21 September 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and they feel safe and happy. They said that their school is ‘like a family’ where everyone is welcome.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour and conduct are exemplary. They are highly respectful of staff and of one another. Pupils value learning. They understand the importance of attending school every day. Pupils pride themselves on maintaining excellent attendance and punctuality.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including children in early years, respond well to the high expectations that the school has for their achievement. Pupils are curious learners. They have high aspirations for their next steps. Overall, pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils relish the wider opportunities that the school provides. The extensive range of clubs on offer are well attended by pupils, including those pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. These activities include choir, football, yoga and archery.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a plethora of opportunities to make a positive contribution to the life of the school. They approach their leadership roles with maturity. This includes being a school ambassador or a member of the eco-council. Older pupils act as buddies to children in early years and pupils in key stage 1.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school ensures that pupils are acutely aware of the importance of keeping healthy and safe. This includes when working and playing online.

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better?

Reading has a high priority at this school. Highly trained staff deliver the phonics programme consistently well. The books that pupils read are carefully matched to their phonics knowledge. Skilled staff support pupils who struggle to read to catch up quickly. Older pupils are confident readers. They spoke passionately and articulately about books that they have enjoyed.

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better?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious, including in early years. In most subjects, the curriculum is well organised. Where this is the case, teachers develop the necessary expertise to deliver subject content to pupils effectively. The activities that teachers design help pupils to achieve well in these subjects. The school has a range of assessment systems that staff use skilfully in most subjects to identify and address pupils’ misconceptions. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education because most achieve secure outcomes by the end of key stage 2.

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better?

Oversight of the delivery of the curriculum is underdeveloped in a small number of subjects. In these subjects, on occasion, some teachers do not teach some aspects of the curriculum. At times, teachers do not design learning that builds on what 20 and 21 September 2023

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pupils already know. This hinders some pupils from building a deep and rich body of subject knowledge over time.

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The school caters well for pupils with SEND. Staff identify pupils’ additional needs swiftly. From time to time, some teachers are unclear about how to adapt the delivery of the curriculum for pupils with SEND. This means that some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they should.

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The school has the highest expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Children in early years settle quickly into the routines of school life. They have highly positive attitudes towards learning and they are attentive in lessons. Lunchtimes are harmonious. Pupils are kind and considerate towards one another.

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The school places a strong emphasis on promoting pupils’ wider personal development. They do this in consultation with parents and carers. Pupils enjoy the rich and diverse range of experiences in which they can take part. Pupils spoke about how these experiences help them to develop positive learning habits, such as independence, resilience and creativity, through their learning. Pupils were proud to talk about why equality is important to them. They learn about, and celebrate, the differences between people. Pupils, including those with SEND, are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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The local governing body is fully informed about the quality of education for pupils. Members of the local governing body are well supported by the trust. Together, the local governing body and the trustees offer appropriate support and challenge to the school.

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Staff feel that leaders care about them. Morale is high. The school is mindful of the workload of staff. Before implementing new strategies, the school consults staff about the impact of these changes on their work–life balance.

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The school works closely with parents. For example, it ensures that communication with parents about their children’s learning is informative and useful.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, some teachers do not deliver the curriculum in the way that the school intends. On occasion, this hinders some pupils from building on their prior knowledge and others from learning as deeply as they could. The school should ensure that, in these subjects, there are appropriate systems in place to check that teachers deliver the curriculum consistently well. 20 and 21 September 2023

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 In some subjects, teachers do not adapt the delivery of the curriculum to meet the needs of some pupils with SEND. This means that these pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that teachers are fully equipped to adapt the delivery of the curriculum successfully for pupils with SEND.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 20 and 21 September 2023

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School details

Local authority Cheshire West and Chester

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 Belgrave Primary School converted to become an academy school in December 2021. When its predecessor school, Belgrave Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted in 2009, it was judged to be outstanding overall.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, spoke 20 and 21 September 2023

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with teachers, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  An inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons, around school at breaktimes and during lunchtime. They discussed behaviour and bullying with pupils and staff.  Inspectors spoke with parents as they dropped their children off at school.  Inspectors considered the views of parents who had responded to Ofsted Parent View. This included the free-text comments.

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 Inspectors took into account the views of staff and pupils who had responded to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils respectively.  Inspectors spoke with school leaders, the CEO and members of the trust, including the chair of trustees.  Inspectors spoke with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.

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Inspection team

Frith Murphy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Moira Loftus Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 September 2023

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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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