Belgrave St Peter's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Belgrave St Peter’s CofE Primary School Thurcaston Road, Leicester, Leicestershire LE4 5PG

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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Outcome

The acting headteacher of this school is Alex McLugash. This school is part of Rise Multi 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 (CEO), Dave Ellison-Lee, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Stephen Mark Adshead.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a very inclusive and welcoming school. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and being part of the ‘school family’. The school’s values of love, faith and hope guide pupils of all faiths and cultures strongly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is calm, with a purposeful atmosphere. Pupils live up to the high expectations for their behaviour. Staff provide sensitive support when pupils find this difficult. Pupils learn to use their ‘big voice’ to resolve problems or disagreements for themselves. They listen respectfully. Pupils know that there is always a trusted adult to turn to if needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit greatly from a range of wider opportunities. A fire engine visit enhanced younger pupils’ learning about the Great Fire of London and fire safety. Pupils build resilience while learning cycling proficiency or spending time in the forest school. They develop talents in sports, art and drama through attending clubs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

After years of turbulence in leadership and staffing, the school is in a better place now. With greater ambition, it is making substantial improvements. Mostly, parents and carers recognise and appreciate the changes. However, the school has not realised recent 1 and 2 April 2025

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improvements in the quality of education fully. Pupils’ achievements have not yet consistently reached the expected standards.

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

Reading is a priority. The school engages pupils successfully in reading through the careful selection of inspiring texts and authors. Pupils enjoy visiting the library or reading books by the reading shed on the playground. Many parents join the ‘stay and read’ sessions.

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

The school implemented a phonics programme to give pupils a successful start in learning to read. However, pupils do not progress as well as they should with phonics and, subsequently, reading. Due to a combination of changes of staff and limited training, many pupils’ prior experience of phonics was ineffective. To help them catch up, the school increased the amount of phonics teaching with more opportunities for pupils to practise. The teaching of phonics and reading has improved but is not consistent. Some staff still lack expertise. Sometimes, they use ineffective strategies, so pupils who have fallen behind are not well supported to catch up quickly.

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

Recently, the school introduced a completely new and ambitious curriculum. Starting in the early years, it sets out the key knowledge that pupils should build gradually over time. The curriculum is considered and engaging for pupils. However, because it is new, pupils still have gaps in their knowledge or lack depth in their understanding of some elements. Teachers often modify the curriculum and teaching to take account of this. However, this is not consistently the case. Therefore, pupils sometimes do not have the knowledge required to learn new, ambitious content successfully. This hinders pupils’ learning.

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

Teachers present new learning clearly and select appropriate learning activities. Pupils appreciate the way teachers make learning interesting. Teachers often check on pupils’ understanding to identify and address any misconceptions. However, the checks on pupils’ learning lack rigour. Sometimes, pupils’ misconceptions are missed and persist.

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

The school has introduced robust systems recently to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) swiftly. It puts appropriate support in place. Staff often adapt learning to meet these pupils’ needs effectively. However, adaptations are inconsistent. Meeting pupils’ needs can vary between subjects, for example. This hinders how well pupils with SEND can learn.

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

Pupils behave well because the school encourages them to value their education. Pupils say the most important reason for attending school regularly is that you get to learn. Pupils’ variable attendance was an ongoing issue. However, the school monitors pupils’ attendance rigorously now. It works with parents quickly where attendance is a concern. Pupils’ attendance, including for disadvantaged pupils, has increased significantly as a result.

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

The school’s provision for pupils’ personal development is considered well and an integral part of school life. Pupils are supported effectively to become respectful, responsible and giving members of their community. They are proud to contribute, no matter how great a 1 and 2 April 2025

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role they hold. The class ‘florist’ takes tender care of the plants. The ‘student leadership team’ helped raise standards in uniform and lobbied for better playground equipment. The play leaders help pupils play games and ensure pupils take good care of the new equipment.

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The trust has clear oversight of the school’s work. It has supported the school to address weaknesses in many aspects. The trust knows what needs to improve to ensure pupils achieve consistently well. Staff feel supported to continue the improvement journey. Those at the earlier stages of their career benefit particularly from ongoing coaching. Staff value being part of the ‘school family’.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has not ensured that staff have sufficient expertise in teaching phonics and reading. Sometimes, staff do not provide the right support for pupils who have fallen behind. Some pupils are not catching up with phonics quickly and learning to read as well as they should. The school should ensure that staff have the necessary expertise to support pupils at the earlier stages of learning to read effectively.  The curriculum is relatively new and still at an early stage of being embedded. Sometimes, it is not modified sufficiently to take account of pupils not having the prerequisite knowledge to build from. This means pupils find it more difficult to integrate new learning into their understanding of a subject. The school should ensure that the curriculum is adapted where necessary and implemented effectively.  Checks made on pupils’ learning lack consistency and rigour. As a result, pupils’

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

misconceptions are sometimes overlooked and persist. The school should ensure that staff check pupils’ learning thoroughly to identify and address misconceptions and gaps in pupils’ knowledge swiftly.  Sometimes, staff do not adapt learning activities appropriately to meet the needs of pupils with SEND. This hinders how well these pupils can learn. The school should ensure that learning is adapted effectively so pupils can achieve consistently well.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness. 1 and 2 April 2025

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We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Belgrave St Peter’s CofE Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in June 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). 1 and 2 April 2025

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School details

Headteacher Alex McLugash (Acting Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2022. An acting headteacher has been in place since January 2025.  Belgrave St Peter’s CofE Primary School converted to become an academy in January 2022. When its predecessor school, Belgrave St Peter’s CofE Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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 The inspector held discussions with the headteacher and other members of the senior leadership team.  The inspector met with the chair of trust and representatives of the local governing body. She also met with the CEO and other representatives of the trust.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector listened as pupils read to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site during breaktime.  The inspector spoke with groups of pupils and staff. She spoke to parents and

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considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Claire Stylianides, lead inspector His Majesty’s 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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