Turton Belmont Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Turton Belmont Community Primary School Ryecroft Lane, Belmont, Bolton, Lancashire BL7 8AH

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Outcome

Turton Belmont Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, staff and families are proud to be part of the Turton Belmont community. Pupils enjoy learning at this vibrant and welcoming school. They feel happy and safe at school. The school has done much to improve the quality of education that pupils receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Across the school, pupils act as positive role models for younger children in the early years. Pupils are proud to take on leadership roles that support the school to become better for everyone. For example, they embrace being members of the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides many opportunities to develop pupils’ talents and interests. Pupils spoke enthusiastically about the variety of clubs that they attend, including cookery, choir, quiz, art and athletics clubs. They enjoy a range of trips and visits that help to bring their learning to life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave exceptionally well. They are kind and considerate. Pupils are highly respectful towards one another and to the adults they meet. The school is a haven of calm, where pupils learn without distraction. Pupils, including the youngest children, enjoy active and sociable playtimes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a clear vision for how it wants to prepare pupils for the next steps in their education. It has high expectations of what pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), can achieve. Pupils take pride in their learning and, typically, they achieve well.

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

The school has placed reading at the centre of the curriculum and learning environment. For example, it has carefully selected a list of ‘unmissable reads’ for every year group and created libraries in each classroom. Pupils told inspectors that they love to read. Children learn sounds and letters quickly after joining the Reception class. Skilled staff provide targeted support for any pupils who fall behind with their phonics knowledge so 15 February 2024

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that they can catch up. The school carefully selects books for pupils to read that match the sounds that they know. This helps most pupils to learn to read with fluency and accuracy.

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The school makes certain that the additional needs of all pupils, including those with SEND, are identified, known and understood by staff. Staff receive suitable training and guidance to ensure that they have the necessary expertise to meet the needs of these pupils well. The school collaborates well with external agencies to secure additional support when necessary. This helps to ensure that pupils, including those with SEND, are well supported to access the full curriculum and to achieve well.

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In the early years, staff establish warm and caring relationships between themselves and children. Leaders and staff set clear routines and expectations around behaviour. This continues as pupils progress through the school. Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning.

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The school has set about developing its curriculum in a measured and well-paced way. The school has prioritised subject leadership by, for instance, drawing on educational research, training and the support of professional associations. Subject leaders are knowledgeable about the subjects that they lead.

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In most subjects, the school has carefully considered the important knowledge and skills that pupils must learn as they move through the school. However, in a few subjects, the school has not finalised the essential knowledge that pupils should remember. In these subjects, the school has not identified the small steps of learning that will help pupils to learn and recall important subject knowledge.

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Staff are well trained. They benefit from high-quality professional development. For example, they enjoy working in partnership with other local schools. Typically, staff deliver the curriculum well. For instance, in lessons, staff skilfully model their high expectations to pupils. Consequently, pupils are clear about what they are expected to learn. In the majority of subjects, staff routinely check pupils’ understanding and address their misconceptions effectively.

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The school’s focus on pupils’ wider personal development is extremely strong. Enrichment activities at the school are many and varied. High numbers of pupils enjoy the chances that they are given to explore their talents and interests. They take part in all aspects of school life, including sporting activities and community events. For example, the school choir sings Christmas carols at the local church each year.

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The school places high priority on pupils maintaining high levels of attendance. It provides pupils and their families with the support required to improve pupils’ attendance rates.

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Governors have a clear vison for the school. They are well informed about the quality of education that the school provides, and they use this information to hold the school to account effectively. Those responsible for governance support the school in taking account of staff’s workload when any changes to policy and practice are introduced. 15 February 2024

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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, the school has not finalised the essential knowledge that they expect pupils to learn. This means that, on occasion, teachers are not clear about the knowledge that pupils require to build on for future learning. The school should ensure that the content that teachers emphasise in these subjects is well matched to the intent of the curriculum, so that pupils build a rich body of knowledge.

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Background

When we have judged a school 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 school to be good in January 2019.

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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.

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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 15 February 2024

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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). 15 February 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 16 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The current headteacher was not in post at the time of the last inspection.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision for pupils.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders.  The inspectors met with representatives of the governing body and also spoke with the school’s improvement partner.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, and art and design. For each deep dive, the inspectors held discussions 15 February 2024

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about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors observed pupils from key stages 1 and 2 reading to a familiar adult.  The inspectors talked with staff and leaders about their workload and well-being.  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.  The inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences at school. They looked at a range of policies and documents related to pupils’ welfare and education. They also observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school.  Inspectors considered responses received on Parent View, including the free-text

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responses. They also considered responses to the Ofsted surveys for school staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Andy Hunt, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Edmondson Ofsted Inspector 15 February 2024

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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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