Belton Lane Community Primary School

Inspection of Belton Lane Community Primary School Green Lane, Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 9PP

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 13 and 14 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy school where everyone is made to feel welcome. Pupils enjoy school and develop a strong sense of belonging. As one pupil explained, ‘At this school everyone respects each other. Everybody comes here to learn and to be kind to one another.’ Relationships between staff and pupils are warm. As a result, pupils feel safe and cared for. Pupils consistently treat each other and adults with courtesy and respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school expects all pupils to work hard towards achieving their own potential. Pupils strive hard to meet these expectations, as some put it, `We challenge ourselves every day.’ They show mature attitudes towards their learning and achieve well. Pupils are proud of their school, their own achievements and the achievements of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils access a range of carefully planned wider opportunities. Pupils are particularly positive about the school’s ‘well-being days’ where they learn strategies to help them look after their mental and physical health. Pupils enjoy taking on leadership responsibilities such as being a reading ambassador, school councillor or playleader. Pupils access a wide range of after school clubs. These include choir, gardening, dance and a variety of sports. These opportunities broaden pupils’ experiences, nurture their interests and prepare them well for the future.

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

Children get off to a secure start in the early years. Staff develop children's early language and communication skills well. Spoken interactions between adults and children have a consistently positive impact on learning. Staff model new words and encourage children to include them correctly in their own conversations. Children explore and learn through play. The provision is well-resourced and organised. Children are well-prepared for key stage 1.

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

There is a strong reading culture at the school. Children start their phonics journey straight away in the Reception Year. They take home reading books which are matched to the sounds they have learnt in their phonics sessions. This helps pupils develop their reading fluency. Some pupils access extra support. This helps them to keep up with the phonics programme. Pupils enjoy reading and can talk confidently about their favourite books and authors. The school has recently developed its reading curriculum. It is ambitious and is carefully structured to ensure a consistent approach is delivered across the year groups. Pupils access a range of high-quality texts and benefit from frequent opportunities to read aloud. As a result, pupils develop their understanding of vocabulary and different grammatical aspects of the texts they read.

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

The mathematics curriculum is ambitious. Teachers have secure subject knowledge. They model concepts clearly, enabling pupils to build and deepen their understanding. Pupils consolidate their knowledge by frequently revisiting what they have previously learned. They described how they build on prior learning and apply it in different contexts. Teaching includes opportunities for reasoning and explanation. This encourages pupils to think at a deeper level. Consequently, pupils achieve well and talk about their 13 and 14 May 2025

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mathematics learning with confidence. They demonstrate accurate use of key mathematical vocabulary such as numerator, denominator, inverse, equivalent fractions and estimation.

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The wider curriculum is well-planned and sequenced so that pupils’ knowledge and skills build well over time. Pupils’ recall of key facts from both their recent work and from work they have done in previous years, varies. For example, in physical education, pupils can confidently articulate key techniques and strategies. In some other subjects, pupils' knowledge is not as embedded. Although leaders check how secure pupils' knowledge is across the subjects, the information leaders gather is not always used as effectively as it could be to address any existing gaps in pupils' knowledge.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access a broad and ambitious curriculum. The school identifies the needs of SEND pupils appropriately. However, in some of the wider subjects, staff do not routinely adapt the learning well enough to meet the individual needs of pupils whose prior knowledge is not as secure as it should be. This includes some pupils with (SEND). Some pupils access additional support to help them to regulate their own emotions. This support is highly effective.

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The wider development of pupils is a strength of the school. There is a carefully planned programme of visitors which broaden pupils’ experiences. Pupils recognise the importance of tolerance and respect. As one pupil explained, 'You should always treat others as you expect to be treated even if their beliefs are different to yours.' Pupils demonstrate an age-appropriate understanding of different types of family and relationships. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including when online.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. Leaders are considerate of staff’s workload and well-being. Staff value the training opportunities available to them. As a result, staff are happy and feel well supported. Governors are passionate about the school. They fulfil their statutory duties. Parents and carers have a positive opinion of the school. Many compliment the care and support that staff offer their pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Sometimes adaptations do not meet the needs of pupils whose prior subject knowledge is not secure, including some pupils with SEND. As a result, those pupils do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that staff have the expertise needed to adapt learning, so that these pupils achieve their best possible outcomes. 13 and 14 May 2025

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 The school’s leadership of subjects is at various stages of development. Consequently, the precision of the school’s oversight of the curriculum is inconsistent. For example, some subject leaders do not routinely use information from staff’s checks on pupils’ learning to refine the curriculum. As a result, some pupils’ gaps in knowledge are not addressed and they do not achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that it develops subject leadership so that teachers ensure that pupils know and re- member more of the curriculum.

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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). 13 and 14 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 28 and 29 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, there have been several changes to the governing body. This includes a new chair of governors from September 2024.  The school does not 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. 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. 13 and 14 May 2025

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspection team carried out deep dives in: reading, mathematics, physical education and, art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils, and reviewed samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector listened to some pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors met with leaders responsible for behaviour, personal development, early years and SEND.  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

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including any free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Luella Dhoore, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Rob della-Spina Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 May 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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