Bedonwell Junior School

Inspection of a good school: Bedonwell Junior School Bedonwell Road, Belvedere, Kent DA17 5PF

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Outcome

Bedonwell Junior School continues to be a good school.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Debbie Fisher. This school is part of Ignis 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 and executive headteacher, Sue Brooks, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Robert Alfred Weaver.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school and learning with their friends. Pupils are well mannered and courteous. Bullying rarely happens, if it does, pupils know how to respond and ask for help. Pupils feel safe and are kept safe in school. They know who their trusted adults are and are confident to raise any worries they may have.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn an ambitious curriculum that matches what is expected nationally. Pupils’ wider development is carefully designed to enrich the planned curriculum. For example, when learning about local plants in geography, pupils plan a route to the Abbey Ruins. This helps them to appreciate the local flora and develop their citizenship skills in protecting the environment.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have opportunities to serve in the local community. For example, pupils in Year 6 performed carols at a nearby church. There are a range of extra-curricular activities for pupils to develop their talents, including performing arts, choir, and boys’ and girls’ sports teams. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school. Careful considerations are made so that they can participate in clubs and school visits alongside their peers.

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

The curriculum is well designed and clearly sequenced so that teachers know what they need to teach and when. This supports pupils, including those with SEND, to successfully build their knowledge and skills over time. For example, in computing, younger pupils practise using simple programs. This helps them to use increasingly complex coding languages to design and build their own websites. 6 and 7 March 2024

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In a few subjects, insufficient time is given for pupils to return to and practise key components. In addition, teachers do not consistently use assessment to check pupils’ understanding before moving on. This limits some pupils’ fluency and confidence in using what they have learned to tackle more complex ideas and activities.

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Effective systems are in place to identify pupils’ additional needs promptly. Leaders work well with parents and external services to ensure that pupils with SEND receive the help they need. Leaders have prioritised training for staff to develop their knowledge in specific areas of need, such as social and emotional development. As a result, appropriate adaptations help to ensure, wherever possible, that pupils with SEND learn the same ambitious curriculum as their peers.

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Pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read are quickly identified and appropriate support is provided to help them catch up. Pupils, including those with SEND, receive precise teaching and targeted help to secure their phonics knowledge. Pupils practise reading with books that are well matched to the sounds they are learning. As a result, pupils become increasingly accurate and fluent readers.

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The curriculum is well designed to support pupils’ wider development. For example, pupils learn about respect and the importance of healthy relationships. Pupils are well supported to develop vocabulary and confidence to discuss their feelings and raise concerns if they need to.

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Pupils are typically well behaved, and lessons are rarely disrupted. This is because pupils understand the school systems and what is expected of them. Leaders have appropriate systems in place to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and on time.

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Staff, including those in the early stages of teaching, enjoy working at the school and feel well supported by leaders. Governors and trustees fulfil their statutory obligations. Governors and trustees have strengthened their membership so that there is sufficient expertise to help and challenge the work of leaders. This helps to ensure that those responsible for governance have an increasingly accurate overview of the school’s work.

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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, there are not sufficient opportunities provided for pupils to practise key concepts until they are fluent and automatic. This means that some pupils do not secure the knowledge they need before having to apply their understanding to more complex activities. The school should ensure that pupils’ understanding is checked consistently so that they are supported to practise and secure a rich body of knowledge across the curriculum. 6 and 7 March 2024

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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 second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school of the same name to be good in June 2013.

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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 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). 6 and 7 March 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 10 January 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Bedonwell Junior School shares its site with Bedonwell Infant and Nursery School. Both schools are part of the Ignis Academy Trust.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school offers a breakfast and after-school club on site.

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Information about this inspection

 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.  The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteachers, early career teachers, governors and trustees.  The inspector conducted deep dives in these subjects: reading, physical education and mathematics. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject 6 and 7 March 2024

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils and looked at samples of their work.  The inspector also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record of pre-employment checks; 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 range of documentation provided by leaders, including their priorities for improvement.  The inspector considered the views of parents, pupils and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Matea Marcinko, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 6 and 7 March 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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