Belmont Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 16–17 September Inspection number 338065 Belmont Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 112974 Local Authority Derbyshire Inspection number 338065 Inspection dates 16–17 September Reporting inspector Jacqueline Wordsworth HMI

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 416 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair John Ault Headteacher Sue Walker Date of previous school inspection 8 May 2007 School address Belmont Road Swadlincote Derbyshire DE11 8JZ Telephone number 01283217782 Fax number 01283217782 Email address headteacher@belmont.derbyshire.sch.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and two additional inspectors. The inspectors visited 20 lessons, and held meetings with the chair of governors, staff, groups of pupils and parents. They observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation relating to self-evaluation, the tracking of pupils’ progress and the safeguarding of pupils. They analysed the responses of 100 parental questionnaires.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at the following:

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Introduction

 the way in which senior leaders check the quality of the school’s work to plan future improvements  how the school helps groups of pupils, who are not achieving as well as others, to catch up, particularly in the teaching of writing and mathematics  how the school supports pupils, particularly those who have social and emotional needs.

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Information about the school

The school is considerably larger than most primary schools and is situated on two sites either side of a road. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds and none speak English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils identified by the school as having special educational needs and/or disabilities is broadly in line with the national average. An increasing number of children enter school with social and emotional needs. The school has achieved Investors in People, Basic Skills and Healthy Schools awards. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

Belmont Primary is an inclusive school where all pupils, whatever their background, are treated fairly. It provides a sound education, which enables its pupils to achieve satisfactorily and to attain standards, which are broadly average by the end of Year 6. There are some very important strengths, most notably, pupils benefit from outstanding care, guidance and support. Staff go the extra mile in recognising and meeting the social and emotional needs of all pupils. This is particularly important to the most vulnerable pupils, such as those with special educational needs or disabilities and those with behavioural difficulties, because the support removes a significant a barrier to their learning, enabling them to make similar progress to other pupils. Great efforts are made to ensure pupils are safe. A well-enriched curriculum and a strong emphasis on personal, social and moral development enable pupils to

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Main findings

There is some good and better teaching but this is not a consistent feature and, overall, the quality of teaching is satisfactory. Pupils’ learning and progress in reading, writing and mathematics are too variable. Often this is because assessment information is not used effectively to plan and match work closely enough to pupils’ differing capabilities. The quality of marking is inconsistent, consequently not all pupils are clear about what they need to do to improve their work. A minority of pupils are aware of their targets, but do not always know how their success will be measured.

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Main findings

Self-evaluation is satisfactory. The school has identified accurately the key areas for improvement and has appropriate strategies to tackle them. There is evidence of positive impact, for example, where the school has worked to enhance the motivation, enjoyment and achievement of boys. Areas for improvement identified in the last inspection, such as working with parents and extending tracking of pupils’ progress to subjects other than mathematics and English, have been tackled successfully. These positive factors, when set against the fact that some leaders are not being rigorous enough in identifying the weaknesses in teaching and learning or systematically evaluating how well different groups of pupils are achieving, mean that the school’s capacity for sustained improvement is satisfactory.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of good teaching across the school, by ensuring that teachers:

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

- make very clear to pupils what they are going to learn and explain to themhow their success will be measured - ensure that teachers make best possible use of all available assessment information to enable them to plan lessons that provide work at the right level for children of all abilities - explain what pupils must improve in order to move to the next level.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase pupils’ achievement by improving: - the accuracy of assessment of pupils’ progress within lessons and through the National Curriculum levels - the analysis of the outcomes of assessment to accurately inform plans for learning.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Sharpen the school’s systems for embedding ambition and driving improvement by: - being more systematic in following up weaknesses in teaching, learning and assessment within challenging timescales - further refining the tracking of pupils to determine the progress made by different groups to inform intervention - involving more subject and middle leaders in evaluating provision - adding specific, measurable and timed targets in all planning, and reporting quantifiable outcomes against each target.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

About 40% of the schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next section 5 inspection.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils’ attainment is broadly average, and most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, and those who are most vulnerable, make satisfactory progress from their individual starting points. The gap between the performance of different groups, including boys and girls, is narrower than that nationally. In English, new ways of teaching writing are leading to some improvements, but not all teachers know how to carry out these new methods effectively. Furthermore, standards in writing across some year groups are lower than in reading, and pupils make slower progress in this area because writing skills are not taught systematically and there are too few opportunities for pupils to write at length or to use a range of more complex writing styles.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Relationships between adults and pupils are good; a particular feature is the strong mutual respect between staff and pupils. Staff truly care about the pupils. As a Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

result, pupils enjoy school and feel valued as individuals. Pupils’ behaviour in lessons, in the playground and around the school is good. The vast majority of the pupils are interested in their lessons, and are keen to do well. Pupils often get on well together and, if there are times when they fall out or where occasional incidents of bullying occur, they are dealt with effectively by teachers and other staff. Pupils understand and can explain the progressive system for sanctions but are also very aware of the positive rewards used and show pleasure when they are praised for their work or behaviour.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils are helped effectively to understand how they can keep themselves safe and healthy. They have adults they trust and with whom they can share their worries and concerns. External visitors such as the fire service have helped teach pupils about ways to keep themselves safe. They show that they know how to look after their own safety well, as was shown in the campaign to get a safer crossing outside the school, with pupils writing letters to newspapers and the Prime Minister. They also demonstrate a good understanding of how to keep themselves safe when using the internet.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

Pupils’ full awareness of healthy and safe lifestyles is shown very clearly in their articulate answers about the importance of keeping fit and eating healthily. They mention many changes to their eating and exercise habits because of what they have learned. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is good and makes a strong contribution to pupils’ awareness of the school and local communities. This aspect of the pupils’ development is supported effectively by their visits to the Derby Open Centre where pupils become familiar with the festivals and customs of other faiths and cultures. This supports their understanding of racism and discrimination, and really helps them deepen their understanding of what it is like to live in a multicultural society.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

These are the grades for pupils’ outcomes Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning Taking into account: Pupils’ attainment 1 The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress 3 The extent to which pupils feel safe 2 Pupils’ behaviour 2 The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 2

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 3

The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1 The extent of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 2

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How effective is the provision?

Some good and outstanding teaching was observed during the inspection. For example, in a Year 4 English lesson on poetry, the pupils buzzed with activity and worked in a very mature and independent way to find exciting and descriptive words for a poem about the moon. Pupils forge ahead in such lessons, where the work is challenging and the pace is brisk. Their learning slows to satisfactory when they continue with an activity long after they have gained all they can from it and are ready to move on to more difficult work.. Curricular planning, including that for English, mathematics and science, sometimes does not focus well enough on developing key skills or ensuring that each unit of work places sufficient demands on pupils. As a result, the teaching of mathematics and writing throughout the school has not been as effective as that for reading, although this is now improving steadily.

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How effective is the provision?

Vulnerable children are especially well looked after, as are those whose behavioural and emotional needs mean they are occasionally excluded from school. The nurture group, which meets in the Sunshine Room, is a very effective way of helping specific pupils learn about their feelings and how they can better control their emotions. In one very good session a visiting teacher, well supported by a trained higher level teaching assistant and teaching assistant, used music, art and story to raise issues about feelings and dealing with them. The links with outside agencies are very strong and contribute to the excellent care provided by the school.

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How effective is the provision?

Beyond the core subjects of English and mathematics, the curriculum is rich, rewarding and relevant to pupils’ needs. It gives pupils opportunities to discover their skills and talents and provides them with some well-planned individual learning experiences to build their academic and personal achievements. For example, pupils relish working in the school garden, they talk enthusiastically and confidently about all the vegetables they have grown and are eager to complete work in the classroom relating to these activities, such as regularly corresponding with a local gardening club or finding out the best ways to grow healthy plants, as part of their science lessons.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision

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How effective is the provision?

3 The quality of teaching Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning 3 The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where 2 Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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How effective is the provision?

relevant, through partnerships The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 1

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How effective are leadership and management?

The sensitive leadership of the headteacher provides a steady steer resulting in a harmonious community where everybody matters, especially the pupils. Senior leaders generally have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses and take appropriate action to address the areas for improvement. Some leaders, however, particularly middle leaders, merely describe what has been done or is planned, without analysing clearly the expected or actual outcomes of their actions. Consequently, they are not making best use of the information gathered about the quality of teaching and the pupils’ progress to plan strategically for improvements and to set challenging targets. As a result, pupils do not always make the progress of which they are capable.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Effective links with parents are helping them become more involved in their children’s education. A number of parents provide help in classrooms and make a valuable contribution to pupils’ learning. Although a few parents would like more information about their children’s progress between open evenings, the links with parents are strong and when issues arise the school works very closely with parents for the benefit of the pupils but also supports the families. One parent talked about how well the school helped her children with their speech and language difficulties and particularly how early they picked up the problem.

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How effective are leadership and management?

Safeguarding arrangements are good. They are not outstanding because risk assessments although mostly in place are not fully and easily accessible or up-to- date, especially for on-site activities. The child protection policy is good and supports the work of the designated person well. The school is proactive in developing relationships and working with a wide range of external agencies including the local authority’s behavioural support staff and educational welfare officers.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The school has reduced the gap in performance between girls and boys and different groups of pupils, thereby ensuring more equal opportunities for all. The school knows the needs of its pupils and the local community well and strives to ensure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities have the same opportunities as others, and that their needs are met effectively. It has identified the need to develop a more global and multicultural dimension to its work and to this end has established good links with a school in Kenya and with schools in localities that are more diverse. While ensuring equality of opportunity is at the heart of all that it does, it is not always able to demonstrate the impact of its actions, including those resulting from an exceptionally wide range of partnerships, because of weaknesses in the analysis of the information that it collects. This reduces the governors’ ability to

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How effective are leadership and management?

challenge and support the school in tackling any areas of relative weakness. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met The effectiveness of the school’s engagement with parents and carers 2 The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 2 The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 2 The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 2 The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children are very well cared for and thrive in this safe, secure environment because they are comfortable and ready to learn. The many and varied planned activities ensure that children make good progress in all areas of learning. Attainment on entry to the Reception class is broadly average, although children's early reading and writing skills are generally less well developed and is not as high as at the time of the last inspection. Children gain wide experience in all areas of learning because they are taught well. When they leave Reception, most enter Year 1 working within the expected level for their age.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

All children achieve well and boys make slightly better progress than girls. As they grow in confidence, most develop a wide range of skills that contribute to their future well-being. Children are encouraged to be as independent as possible. They know how to take turns when sharing resources such as the computer, and they handle books and equipment with great care and respect. Children show keen interest and generally concentrate for increasing amounts of time when working in a group with an adult or when working at a task on their own.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Effective leadership ensures that planning covers all the appropriate areas of learning for this age group. There is generally a good balance of teacher-directed and child- initiated activities. However, at times, some child-chosen activities are not structured or linked to the development of key skills so opportunities to further deepen children’s knowledge and understanding are sometimes missed. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage 2

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Views of parents and carers

The overwhelming majority of parents who returned questionnaires expressed their satisfaction with most of the school’s work. In particular, they are pleased that children are helped to settle in and are expected to work hard. Parents feel happy about approaching the school if they have concerns and consider that the school is well led and managed.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Belmont Primary to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 12 statements about the school. The inspection team received 100 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 416 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % My child enjoys school 60 60% 36 36% 3 3% 0 0% The school keeps my child safe 68 68% 31 31% 0 0% 0 0% The school informs me about my child’s progress 40 40% 52 52% 3 3% 0 0% My child is making enough progress at this school 43 43% 44 44% 8 8% 0 0% The teaching is good at this school 50 50% 47 47% 1 1% 0 0% The school helps me to support my child’s learning 41 41% 53 53% 2 2% 0 0% The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 46 46% 52 52% 0 0% 0 0% The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example, changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 39 39% 54 54% 2 2% 0 0%

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school meets my child’s particular needs 47 47% 45 45% 4 4% 0 0% The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 42 42% 46 46% 8 8% 1 1% The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 37 37% 52 52% 1 1% 1 1%

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school is led and managed effectively 45 45% 47 47% 2 2% 1 1% Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 49 49% 48 48% 1 1% 0 0%

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 39 58 3 0 Primary schools 13 50 33 4 Secondary schools 17 40 34 9 Sixth forms 18 43 37 2 Special schools 26 54 18 2 Pupil referral units 7 55 30 7 All schools 15 49 32 5

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above were reported in The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills 2007/08. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Secondary school figures include those that have sixth forms, and sixth form figures include only the data specifically for sixth form inspection judgements.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners. Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.  The school’s capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started. 18 September 2009

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Inspection of Belmont Primary School, Swadlincote, DE11 8JZ

Thank you for being so friendly when we visited your school. We enjoyed having lunch with you and talking to you. We really liked seeing your vegetable garden and were pleased to hear that some of what you grow goes to the local community and that some of it is used by the cook in your school meals. It was pleasing to hear from you that you really found the visits you make to the Derby Open Centre help you to understand what it is like to live in a multicultural society. It was lovely to see all the awards that the school has gained. This is a real achievement – well done!

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Inspection of Belmont Primary School, Swadlincote, DE11 8JZ

You have really helped us. We think your school is a satisfactory school and these are the main things that we thought you might like to know about.

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Inspection of Belmont Primary School, Swadlincote, DE11 8JZ

 Adults really care for you and help you if you are worried or upset.  The school works closely with your parents and this helps you to learn.  You enjoy school and behave well.  You are kind and helpful to each other and share your toys and books.  You are good at helping around the school and do what adults ask you to do.  You really know how to stay safe and keep healthy.

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Inspection of Belmont Primary School, Swadlincote, DE11 8JZ

The school is working hard to make things even better for you. We have asked the adults in charge to do four particular things.

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Inspection of Belmont Primary School, Swadlincote, DE11 8JZ

 Make sure that the teachers always give you work that makes you think hard, especially those of you who find work easy, to help you make faster progress and reach even higher standards.  Make sure that when teachers plan your work, those plans are the very best they can be in deciding on what you need to learn in every lesson.  We have asked all your teachers to tell you exactly what you need to do to be successful in lessons and to tell you how you can improve your work.  Make sure all teachers are involved fully in checking how well you are doing and that everyone is following the school policies.

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Inspection of Belmont Primary School, Swadlincote, DE11 8JZ

We hope that you will all continue to enjoy coming to school and try your hardest so that you are successful in the future.

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Inspection of Belmont Primary School, Swadlincote, DE11 8JZ

Thank you again. We wish you continuing success. Yours sincerely

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Inspection of Belmont Primary School, Swadlincote, DE11 8JZ

Jacqueline Wordsworth Her Majesty’s Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 08456 404045 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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