Bellfield Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Bellfield Junior school are happy, confident and enjoy learning. They try their best and they are proud of what they achieve. Interesting displays around the school celebrate pupils' work in many subjects.

Pupils feel safe at school because adults care about their well-being. Pupils say that there is always someone to talk to. They praise the staff in the pastoral team, who they trust to help them with any problems or worries they might have.

Staff are determined that pupils will achieve as well as they can. They want pupils to gain the skills and knowledge they need to succeed academically and socially.

Pupils are proud of their responsibilities....r/>
These include being a school council member, a 'change-maker' and serving at the 'community lunch' for elderly residents. A high number of pupils attend one of the many clubs that are available.

Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors.

They understand the rules well and what happens if these are not followed. Pupils usually behave well, both in lessons and at less formal times. Bullying is rare at the school, and, if it happens, pupils are confident that a member of staff would sort it out quickly.

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

Governors and staff are united in their drive to ensure that pupils benefit from a well-planned, broad and ambitious curriculum. Subject leaders have set out the key content that pupils must learn. This is organised carefully so that pupils can build on what they already know with planned opportunities to revisit learning.

Teachers have good subject knowledge and use this to deliver the curriculum well. This means that pupils know and remember more over time.

Leaders plan opportunities for teachers to work together to share good practice, for example by visiting each other deliver 'open lessons'.

Teachers use the feedback they receive to ensure they use the best approaches to meet the needs of the pupils. Teachers use assessment information to find out what pupils know and to plan next steps. However, teachers do not always pick up on misconceptions quickly enough.

This means that some pupils move on to new learning before they are ready.

Leaders have prioritised reading. Pupils at the early stages of learning to read make strong progress.

They practice reading using books that match the sounds they know. All classes enjoy daily shared reading time. Leaders have carefully chosen a broad range of high-quality texts with a balance of traditional and modern authors.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) experience the full curriculum alongside their peers. Teachers have high expectations of what pupils with SEND can achieve. Occasionally, tasks for pupils with SEND do not match their needs well enough.

This affects the progress that some of these pupils make.

Pupils' personal development is a strength of the school. Leaders want pupils to become 'resilient, responsible and socially confident' to help them prepare for their next steps and future lives.

There are a wide range of opportunities for pupils to develop their talents in sport, music, art and languages. This includes after-school clubs, visiting specialists and activities with a nearby university and a local secondary school. Pupils are very respectful of difference and make everyone who joins the school feel welcome.

Staff expect pupils to behave well. The pastoral team provides excellent support for pupils who struggle to manage their feelings and to follow the rules. Records show a reduction in the number of incidents of poor behaviour over time.

Leaders expect all pupils to attend well and do all they can to ensure that pupils come to school every day. However, some pupils do not attend school well enough, and this means they do not make as much progress as they could.

Governors know the school well.

They provide effective challenge and support. Staff enjoy working at the school. They appreciate leaders' efforts to reduce their workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

There is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff are trained to identify signs of abuse and report immediately any concerns they have about a pupil's welfare or well-being.

Leaders respond quickly to make sure that pupils get the help that they need. The pastoral team goes over and above to provide any additional support that they can for pupils and their families. This includes support with essential items such as food or clothing where this is needed most.

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. This includes staying safe online and understanding what a safe and healthy relationship is.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Teachers do not always identify if pupils have any misconceptions about what has been taught.

This means that sometimes these misconceptions are addressed as quickly as possible. This can slow pupils' progress. Leaders should ensure that teachers systematically check that pupils understand what has been taught before they move on to something new.

• Sometimes, the tasks planned for pupils with SEND are not matched well enough to pupils' specific learning needs. This limits how well some pupils with SEND access the curriculum alongside their peers and slows the progress they can make. Leaders should ensure that all teachers can make appropriate adaptations to the curriculum to ensure that pupils with SEND can make strong progress.

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