Belmont School

Inspection of Belmont School Hibbert Road, Harrow Weald, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 7JT

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

This school was last inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Good

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between graded inspections under section 5 of the Act. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection. 12 and 13 March 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school and are keen to embody the school’s ethos: ‘Show respect, do our best, make the right choice’. Pupils are taught how to stay safe and how to ask for help when they need it. Pupils learn how to care for each other and their community. As a result, pupils, including children in the early years, are well looked after and kept safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of rich experiences. For example, children in the early years visit the forest school each week. Older pupils are involved in fundraising initiatives that promote important causes such as disabilities and anti-racism. Pupils have opportunities to develop their leadership by serving as ‘eco warriors’, ‘digital leaders’ and as representatives on the school council.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s curriculum is ambitious and carefully designed to match the breadth and depth of what is expected nationally. Pupils work hard and produce work of good quality. The school promotes a love of reading. For example, avid readers are rewarded using the school’s ‘golden tickets’. However, there are some inconsistencies in how reading is taught, limiting the achievement of some pupils. Leaders recognise this and have suitable plans in place to address the issue.

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better?

In each subject and area of learning in the early years, leaders have set out the key knowledge they expect pupils to learn. This helps pupils to connect their learning within and between subjects by building on what they have learned previously. For example, in science, younger pupils are introduced to different food types, and they consider life cycles by planting their own seeds in the school’s vegetable patch. They apply this understanding in design and technology by making their healthy wraps using their own seasonal produce. By Year 6, pupils create their own three course meals and evaluate the environmental and nutritional benefits of their food.

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better?

In recent years, pupils’ achievement in reading has been less strong than is the case nationally. Leaders have rightly prioritised this area and have put training in place to support staff in the teaching of phonics and reading. Pupils begin the school’s agreed phonics programme as soon as they start their Reception year. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), practise reading with books that match the sounds they are learning. Pupils who struggle with reading are quickly identified and given support. While this supports some pupils to develop as accurate readers, staff do not consistently ensure that sounds are modelled and practised with precision. This means that misconceptions are not addressed swiftly, limiting some pupils’ fluency and confidence.

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better?

Teachers understand the needs of pupils with SEND. This is because systems are well established to identify pupils’ additional needs. Leaders work with external agencies to ensure that training for staff is effective. Pupils in the ‘Stargazers’ provision, and across ‘pathways’, follow a curriculum that is carefully tailored to their 12 and 13 March 2024

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needs. They are supported to learn effectively and are well prepared for the next phase of their education. As a result, pupils access an ambitious curriculum alongside their peers, where this is possible, as well as benefiting from the broader life of the school.

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The curriculum for pupils’ wider development is exceptional. The curriculum is carefully designed to ensure that pupils, including those with SEND, develop an understanding of important concepts such as democracy, equity and injustice. Pupils are given opportunities to deepen their spiritual understanding through a programme of visits and speakers to enhance their appreciation of different faiths and cultures. Pupils readily take on additional responsibilities and apply the values they have learned around the school as prefects and ‘peace leaders’.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. There is a respectful culture among staff and pupils. This is because expectations and routines are typically applied with consistency. Bullying is rare, and pupils feel able to raise concerns if they need to. All pupils have access to the school’s outdoor extended play provision. ‘Play detectives’ help pupils to follow the school rules and include others in their activities. Leaders work closely with families and external agencies to keep attendance and punctuality high.

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Staff, including those at the early stages of their careers, are typically positive about the help they receive from leaders. For example, staff are able to access the well- being support on offer, including access to the school counsellor. Those responsible for governance understand and fulfil their statutory duties. While they review aspects of the school’s work, this has not routinely focused on the areas that have required most attention.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Assessment is not used consistently well to check and correct pupils’ misconceptions in reading. This means that some pupils do not develop as fluent and confident readers, limiting their achievement. The school needs to check how accurately the reading curriculum is implemented.  The governors’ review of aspects of the school’s work has not routinely been rigorous or timely. As a result, effort has not been sufficiently focused on the areas requiring the most attention. Those responsible for governance should ensure they have the information and training they need to hold leaders to account for their work to further improve the school and pupils’ outcomes. 12 and 13 March 2024

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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). 12 and 13 March 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 23 May 2012, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND. Twelve pupils with severe learning difficulties currently attend the specially resourced provision.  Leaders do not currently 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.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, members of the leadership team, members of staff and groups of pupils. 12 and 13 March 2024

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 The lead inspector met with a group of governors, including the chair of the governing body.  The inspectors did deep dives in these subjects: reading, computing, geography, languages and mathematics. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work. The inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors 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 inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation provided by leaders, including their priorities for improvement.

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 The inspectors 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

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Inspection team

Katerina Christodoulou Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 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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