Balgowan Primary School

Inspection of Balgowan Primary School Balgowan Road, Beckenham, Kent BR3 4HJ

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

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The headteacher of this school is Maria Veysey. This school is part of Nexus Education Schools Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Paula Farrow, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Ann Golding. 1 and 2 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school inspires a love of learning in pupils. One parent represented the views of many when they said of pupils at the school: ‘Their imaginations are fired by their school experience.’ Pupils are curious and highly motivated learners. They achieve exceptionally well across the curriculum. This begins in the early years, where children develop strong learning behaviours and secure key learning swiftly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary. Staff model the behaviours they expect. The school develops very positive and caring relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils take responsibility for following the school’s high expectations. They are extremely considerate and support each other in the classroom and at playtime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s exceptional approach to fostering pupils’ personal development helps them to develop into respectful and responsible citizens. Pupils help to keep their classrooms tidy and take up roles as eco-leaders, sports councillors and digital leaders, for instance. Visits extend pupils’ knowledge. For instance, children in Reception visit an historic ship to learn about the transportation of goods in the past. Extensive clubs develop pupils’ talents and interests, including in sports, where pupils represent their local area in national competitions. Visitors share their experiences in the world of work, including stockbrokers, politicians, nurses and judges, for instance.

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

The curriculum is thoughtful and engaging. The school has set out ambitious curriculum aims and provides opportunities for pupils to apply what they have learned to real situations. For instance, during a forensic science workshop, pupils from Years 5 and 6 use their knowledge of the properties of materials to consider how evidence can be gathered at a crime scene. Subject content is planned in a careful sequence to ensure that right from the Reception Year through to Year 6, pupils build their knowledge securely. For instance, children use terminology in music such as legato in Reception and crochets and quavers in Year 1. By Year 6, pupils have had the opportunity to study at least four musical instruments and can compose music using a variety of notation skills.

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

Teachers have excellent subject knowledge. They present information to pupils clearly and challenge them to think deeply about it. Teachers regularly revisit previously taught content to help pupils to recall it. Teachers and teaching assistants make timely and thorough checks on pupils’ understanding. They promptly address any gaps or misconceptions and routinely extend pupils’ knowledge. As a result, pupils develop secure and detailed knowledge across the curriculum.

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

Staff are well trained to swiftly identify pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders provide detailed guidance to staff about how to meet pupils’ needs. Teachers and support staff are highly skilled. They adapt approaches to support pupils with SEND to access the curriculum at every opportunity. As a result, pupils with SEND thrive within the school and achieve excellent outcomes. 1 and 2 April 2025

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The school prioritises reading. Children get off to a swift start with learning phonics in Reception and build purposefully on this in Year 1 and 2. They quickly learn about letters and the sounds they make, using this knowledge to decode a growing range of words. Pupils who need support get all of the help they need to catch up quickly. As a result, pupils read fluently and well across the school.

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Pupils make excellent use of quality texts available in the well-stocked library and classroom book corners. Pupils read widely and with confidence across a range of text types and genres. Teachers support pupils to understand key meanings and language in texts. By Year 6, pupils can confidently discuss themes across entire texts and compare texts against one another.

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Pupils work purposefully in the classroom. They are highly attentive, following routines readily. They know what is expected of them and rise to the school’s high standards. This starts in early years, where children learn how to play safely, take turns and share. Pupils rarely miss a day of school. The school provides timely and effective support where needed.

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Pupils develop confident knowledge of how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. The school helps pupils to recognise healthy relationships, resolve differences with others and to spot risks in relationships. Pupils are knowledgeable about different religions. They demonstrate respect for the importance of different beliefs and cultures. Pupils develop an impressive understanding of how to stay safe online, including how to check that what they read online is reliable.

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Leaders are unwavering in their commitment to providing the best possible education for their pupils. Those responsible for governance have a thorough understanding of the school. They hold the school to account robustly for the quality of education that pupils receive. Most staff are very positive about the support they receive. Leaders have sought their views about what could help to reduce their workload further and have made changes to better support them.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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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. 1 and 2 April 2025

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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 April 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 16 and 17 May 2023, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Nexus Education Schools Trust.  The school does not make use of 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. 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 and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 1 and 2 April 2025

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other senior leaders. Inspectors also met with leaders with responsibility for SEND, behaviour and attendance, pupils’ personal development and the early years.  Inspectors met with representatives from the board of trustees, the local governing body and the trust.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, science, history and computer science. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum information in some other subjects.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online surveys for parents and carers, staff

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and pupils.  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.

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Inspection team

Rebecca Iles-Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Lenny Williams Ofsted Inspector 1 and 2 April 2025

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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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