Bedelsford School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Bedelsford School Grange Road, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT1 2QZ

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Outcome

Bedelsford School continues to be an outstanding school.

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Outcome

The principal of this school is Emmet Murphy. This school is part of the Orchard Hill College 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, John Prior, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jay Mercer.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where pupils’ every achievement is celebrated and where pupils are proud of themselves and one another’s successes. Every pupil learns the skills they need to participate in learning, develops their independence and contributes to the wider community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff build strong and impactful working relationships with pupils. They get to know them exceptionally well. Staff understand subtleties expressed in pupils’ behaviour and communication. This helps staff to ensure that pupils feel safe and happy. It also means that pupils’ behaviour is supported and managed well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school encourages pupils to take on different roles and responsibilities. Pupils can choose to become members of the school council, sports leaders and ambassadors who guide and support the younger pupils. Pupils also have the opportunity to apply and be interviewed for internal work experience posts or school-community tasks.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school fosters strong relationships with parents and carers. Leaders communicate with them regularly and many parents said they appreciate this. The school’s work goes beyond supporting pupils who attend the school. There are regular parent workshops delivered by a multidisciplinary team. These cover important topics such as encouraging communication at home and supporting transition into adulthood.

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

The school is aspirational and the curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. The school carefully balances academic achievement with crucial independence, and personal and social skills. The staff team segments targets from pupils’ education, health and care 6 and 7 June 2024

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(EHC) plans into logical learning steps. They then personalise programmes of study which focus on what is most important for each individual pupil. This ensures that pupils learn important components of knowledge in the right order. As a result, pupils learn increasingly complex knowledge and skills, and remember more over time.

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The curriculum in the sixth form focuses on preparing students for adulthood. Students are taught important life, work, functional and relationship skills. Students have regular opportunities to practise what they have learned, for example through work experience at a farm or in local cafes, shared performances, visits into the community and overnight stays on the Isle of Wight.

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School staff, including health professionals, work together to review and check the impact of teaching and other therapies. They use their knowledge of pupils to personalise learning, resources and approaches. This ensures that pupils are engaged in their learning and are motivated. There is deliberateness in all activities and no moments of learning are wasted.

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The school is determined to enable all pupils to communicate. They ensure pupils have the necessary means needed to be able to do so. Staff are well trained, and they apply training effectively. They ensure that pupils participate meaningfully in lessons and can contribute. As a result, pupils are listened to carefully and their communication and interaction skills improve. Furthermore, this enables pupils to moderate their feelings and emotions. Consequentially, behaviour in and outside of classrooms does not interrupt learning the curriculum.

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The school prioritises reading and every pupil is considered a reader. There is a sharp focus on supporting early readers to become fluent. There is also a strong focus on pupils’ enjoyment and the functionality of reading. From Nursery onwards, children learn the foundations of reading. Staff carefully identify when pupils are ready to learn the sounds that letters make. This means that the phonics pupils learn and the books they read are matched to their stage of learning.

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The school provides many experiences to develop pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. This includes performing at local musical events or performing a reimagined version of Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’ at a local theatre. Children in the early years showcase what they have learned over the course of the year in the annual end-of-summer show. These experiences encourage pupils to have high self-esteem and confidence in their achievements.

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Physical development is core to the curriculum. Physical movement is integrated thoughtfully and appropriately into the school day, and includes learning to navigate staircases, standing, or frame running. All this further enhances pupils’ physical development, resilience and independence.

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The school has in place robust procedures to monitor pupils’ attendance. If attendance rates fall, the school acts swiftly. Leaders seek to understand the reasons behind any absences and to find solutions to improve attendance. Where necessary, the school puts remote learning in place for selected pupils. This enables pupils to continue to receive 6 and 7 June 2024

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their education, as well as participate in shared experiences such as singing songs, music making and whole-school assemblies.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 school to be outstanding in March 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.

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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 June 2024

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School details

School category Academy special converter

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form

Date of previous inspection 25 June 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The principal has been in post since September 2023.  The school caters for pupils with a range of special educational needs. All pupils have an EHC plan  The school does not use 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. Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 6 and 7 June 2024

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 Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, had discussions with staff and pupils, visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also considered the curriculum in other subjects as part of this inspection.  Inspectors scrutinised a range of documents, including leaders’ evaluation of the school and priorities for improvement.  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.  Inspectors met with senior leaders, teachers and the wider school team.  Inspectors met with two trustees.

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 Inspectors met with the chair of the governing body and other members of the governing body.  Inspectors met with the chief executive officer and other members of the trust executive team.  They also considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents, staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Kieran Bird, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Nell Nicholson Ofsted Inspector 6 and 7 June 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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T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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