Belvedere Infant School

Inspection of a good school: Belvedere Infant School Mitchell Close, Belvedere, Kent DA17 6AA

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Inspection dates: 22 and 23 November 2023

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The headteacher of this school is Laura Williams. This school is part of The Pioneer Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Lee Mason-Ellis, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jo Bouwens. There is also an executive headteacher, Louise Lynch, who is responsible for this school and one other.

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Outcome

Belvedere Infant School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and harmonious school. Pupils enjoy school because their learning is fun. Pupils achieve well here across a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are kind towards each other. They know the importance of helping others and have been taught that everyone should be treated equally. Adults show care towards pupils. Pupils know that if they have a worry that they can give their worry to the class ‘worry monster’ and an adult will help them. This means pupils feel happy and are safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Adults have high expectations for behaviour, pupils listen, share and collaborate well. Pupils are taught to be considerate of each other’s feelings. This starts from the nursery and continues as pupils move through the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are given opportunities to take on positions of responsibility. Their opinions are valued and taken seriously by leaders. For example, school councillors spoke to their friends and met with leaders to make their playtimes even better.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff encourage pupils to value and celebrate difference. For example, children in Reception visit a Sikh temple and pupils in Year 1 visit Rochester Cathedral. These opportunities help pupils to understand and respect people with differing beliefs and customs. 22 and 23 November 2023

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The curriculum here is well sequenced and structured. This means that pupils are taught knowledge and skills that build on from previous learning. For example, in mathematics children in the Nursery are taught to predict the next coloured cube in a sequence. In Reception children show how to make the number four in different ways. This prepares them well for mathematical learning in Year 1. However, in a few subjects the most important knowledge and skills that leaders expect pupils to know and remember has not been clearly identified. Therefore, some pupils remember activities rather than knowledge and have gaps in their understanding.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers have effective subject knowledge to teach the curriculum well. They explain concepts effectively and typically correct misconceptions quickly.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Reading is taught well here. Children are taught to read from the start of Reception. This is because leaders want pupils to learn to read quickly and without delay. The school promotes a love of reading in a range of ways, including regular visits to the school library.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The programme for early reading is well sequenced. Pupils learn letters and sounds in a logical order. Staff generally check what pupils know regularly and identify those pupils who need help to catch up. The books that pupils read are closely matched to the sounds and letters that they have been taught. As a result, pupils are eager to read and have the skills they need to decode well. Pupils, including children in the early years, are excited to talk about the books they are reading.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has effective processes in place to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school works with external professionals such as educational psychologists and speech and language therapists who support the identification process. Leaders want all pupils, including those with SEND, to achieve well. However, sometimes pupils with SEND do not receive precise enough support within lessons. This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they could.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning. They behave well in lessons because they have been taught how to conduct themselves and because adults have high expectations of them, which starts from the early years. Learning environments are calm and purposeful. The curriculum can be taught without interruption. Pupils are taught to manage their feelings well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Attendance remains a high priority. The school takes effective action to ensure attendance is continually improving and that the number of pupils who are persistently absent is reducing.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders want pupils to be thoughtful, kind citizens with high aspirations. The personal, social, health and economic education is carefully thought through. Pupils are taught about consent in an age-appropriate manner. Pupils learn about the risks of publishing personal information online. Pupils are taught about the risks within and beyond the 22 and 23 November 2023

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school. For example, opportunities are provided for pupils to learn about rail and road safety.

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Staff are overwhelmingly positive about working here because there is a culture of respect and support. Staff value the guidance they receive to manage their workload. They know that leaders, including in the trust will listen to any concerns they have and take appropriate actions to address them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes pupils with SEND do not receive precise enough support. This means that these pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school needs to make sure that teaching approaches are precisely adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND.  In a few subjects, pupils remember activities rather than subject specific skills and knowledge. This means some pupils have gaps in their understanding. The school needs to ensure that in these few subjects the key skills and knowledge are identified and explicitly taught so that pupils deepen their understanding.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Belvedere Infant School, to be good in July 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 22 and 23 November 2023

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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 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). 22 and 23 November 2023

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School details

Website belvedere-inf.bexley.sch.uk/bexley/primary/ belvedere-inf Dates of previous inspection 13 and 14 July 2016 under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Belvedere Infant School converted to become an academy school in September 2019. When its predecessor school, also called Belvedere Infant School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good overall.  Belvedere Infant School is part of The Pioneer Academy Trust consisting of 17 schools.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in her evaluation of the school. 22 and 23 November 2023

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 The inspector held meetings with the senior leadership team to discuss school development.  Inspectors met with representatives of the local school board, the trust and trustees.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  The inspector scrutinised a wide range of documents, including those related to pupils’ personal development and behaviour and attendance. She also met with groups of staff and pupils to discuss these aspects of the school’s work.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their

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learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The views of parents and staff were also considered, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Deborah Walters, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 22 and 23 November 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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