Belmont Community Primary School

Inspection of Belmont Community Primary School Harrowby Lane, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 9LR

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 1 and 2 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending Belmont Community Primary School. Parents are positive about the recent leadership changes at the school. One parent echoed the views of many when they stated, ‘This is a supportive and friendly school.’ The school regularly holds events for the local community to attend.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe. They know who to talk to if they have any worries or concerns. Older pupils support younger pupils by helping them in the dining hall and organising activities for them during social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils. However, the quality of education is not good enough. Pupils do not always achieve their potential. Pupils do not make the progress through the curriculum they should because the curriculum is not always taught well. New leaders have identified areas for improvement but have not yet brought about the necessary changes.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In lessons, some pupils find it difficult to concentrate due to disruption caused by a small number of pupils. Most pupils are polite and well mannered. They hold doors open for adults and show care towards each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy taking on leadership responsibilities. They are proud to represent the school at sporting events.

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

The school has recently developed many areas of the curriculum. In some subjects, such as mathematics, the curriculum is ambitious and sets out what pupils should learn and when. However, in some subjects, the school has not yet identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn.

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

Pupils in previous academic years have not always achieved well in end of key stage two reading tests. A new reading curriculum ensures that pupils read a wide range of texts. Pupils take books home matched to their reading ability. Staff have completed training and know how to teach the new phonics programme. However, pupils do not start this programme quickly enough. Pupils who need extra help are accurately identified. They do not always benefit from support focused on the precise aspects of reading that they need help with. Some pupils do not keep up with their peers.

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

Staff do not teach the curriculum consistently well. Teachers’ explanations are not always clear. They do not routinely check pupils’ understanding. At times, teachers do not provide pupils with work which is matched to their existing knowledge. Some pupils have gaps in their knowledge and struggle to recall prior learning.

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

Children in the early years quickly develop positive relationships with staff and are enthusiastic about starting school. The early years environment allows children to develop their curiosity. Staff help children to develop their vocabulary and social skills. However, 1 and 2 October 2024

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children are not as well prepared as they should be for key stage 1. They do not develop the mathematical knowledge they need. Some children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not receive effective support to help them build their knowledge.

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The oversight of the provision for pupils with SEND is insufficient. The school has been too slow to identify weaknesses. The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND. However, staff are not always provided with precise enough advice about how to support pupils with SEND. Teachers do not routinely adapt their lessons well enough to meet the needs of pupils. This means that some pupils with SEND are not consistently able to access the curriculum.

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The school has recently introduced a new behaviour system. This system is not yet applied consistently. Low-level disruption is not always addressed. Staff are not adept at managing the complex behaviour needs of some pupils. Most pupils are calm and respectful.

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Pupils learn about how to keep safe, including online. They can talk confidently about the importance of staying physically and mentally healthy. Some pupils access a range of clubs and activities. Pupils show some understanding of protected characteristics and understand key terms, such as discrimination. However, pupils are not able to talk about their learning of world faiths and religions. They do not recognise the differences between different belief systems.

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Governors understand and fulfil their statutory duties. They visit the school regularly but do not have robust oversight of the quality of the school’s provision. They do not yet have a secure understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

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Staff appreciate the work that new leaders have undertaken to begin to improve the school. Staff support and care for one another. They are proud to work at the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teachers do not consistently check pupils’ understanding. They do not always provide pupils with work that is matched to their existing understanding. As a result, pupils’ achievement is limited as they are not always able to build their knowledge. The school should ensure that staff have the knowledge and strategies they need to check pupils’ understanding and provide them with work which enables them to build their knowledge. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 In subjects in which essential knowledge has not been identified precisely enough, teachers do not consistently explain important knowledge clearly. This means that pupils can develop gaps and misconceptions in their understanding. The school should ensure that the curriculum identifies the important knowledge that pupils should learn and that teachers have the subject and pedagogical knowledge they need to be able to share important knowledge clearly.  The school does not have sufficient oversight of the provision for pupils with SEND. As a result, areas for development have not been identified and some pupils with SEND do not access a curriculum appropriate for their needs. The school should ensure that systems are in place to monitor the effectiveness of the support that pupils with SEND are accessing and that weaknesses can be identified and addressed.  The new behaviour management system at the school is not yet being used

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consistently by all members of staff. This means that there is a lack of clarity regarding expectations for pupils. This leads to learning being disrupted by the behaviour of a small number of pupils. The school should ensure that all adults are clear on the policy and procedures related to behaviour management and that the policy is applied consistently and fairly by everyone at all times.

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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). 1 and 2 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 5 and 6 February 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there has been changes to the leadership at the school. The new headteacher has been in post since September 2023.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.  There is a breakfast and after-school club managed by the school.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 1 and 2 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and other leaders, such as subject leaders. The lead inspector met with three members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The lead inspector also met with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to leaders, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to

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pupils reading to a familiar member of staff.  The lead inspector also looked at curriculum documentation for religious education and sampled a selection of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons, at social times and around the school. The lead inspector met with school leaders to discuss how they respond to behaviour incidents and the action they take to ensure that all pupils attend well.  Inspectors took account of responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments and the responses to the pupil and staff survey.

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Inspection team

Roxanne Fearns-Davies, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Claire Stylianides His Majesty’s Inspector 1 and 2 October 2024

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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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