Belmont Infant School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Belmont Infant School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a friendly, nurturing and welcoming school.

Pupils are happy to come here and said that staff are caring. Pupils behave well in lessons and the playground and are kind to each other. Staff have high ambitions for all pupils.

Pupils study a broad range of subjects. Leaders strive for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to achieve their very best.Pupils are not worried about bullying because adults deal with any concerns immediately.

Pupils are safe and can always talk to staff about any worries they may have. Working... relationships between adults and pupils are warm. Pupils enjoy playtimes, using exercise equipment and playing sports.

They like reading in the well-resourced school library.Teachers plan exciting activities to enrich pupils' learning experiences. Children in Reception, for example, recently spent a day at the Natural History Museum learning about fossils and the people who collected them.

Pupils in Year 2 visited the British Museum as part of their work around Ancient Greek myths and legends.There is a strong sense of community in the school. Parents and carers greatly appreciated the positive communication they have with staff.

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

The school's curriculum is well planned and sequenced. It sets out what pupils should learn, and when, in each subject. It is balanced and ambitious.

Leaders have thought carefully about the order in which subject content is taught. Typically, teachers check pupils' knowledge and understanding effectively. Sometimes teaching does not identify pupils' mistakes and address these in a timely manner.

This means that pupils' understanding is not secure before they move on to new content.Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use this to help develop pupils' subject-specific knowledge effectively.

For instance, in computing, pupils in Year 2 used their knowledge of art and stop motion software to film their own animations. Children get off to a strong start in the early years. Staff help children to develop their communication and language skills well.

They develop children's understanding across all areas of learning. For instance, children produced high-quality work about fossils. However, in Years 1 and 2, teaching does not develop pupils' writing as consistently well.

Leaders have created a strong culture of reading. They have prioritised developing a love of reading among pupils. For children in Reception Year, phonics teaching gets underway promptly at the start of the year.

Staff make sure that books are well matched to pupils' phonic knowledge. Staff identify and support pupils at risk of falling behind quickly. Pupils read a wide range of rich texts and love reading books.

Pupils behave well in lessons so that learning is not disrupted. Teachers encourage pupils to learn about important historical figures, including Rosa Parks, Walter Tull and the civil rights movement. They support pupils to be respectful of one another's differences.

Staff encourage pupils to consider how best to help the environment. For example, through the 'Big School Meeting', pupils explore steps that can be taken to make the school more sustainable. Leaders ensure that pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Leaders ensure that the school provides effective support for pupils with SEND. They identify and meet the needs of pupils with SEND well. This includes working closely with parents, who valued the school's work to support their children.

Pupils with SEND are well supported by teachers who make appropriate adaptations to support their learning.Members of the governing body have a clear understanding of the school's strengths and priorities for development. They provide effective support and challenge for leaders.

Staff appreciated that leaders were mindful of their workload and valued the support they received. They are proud to work at the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have established a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. They complete all appropriate pre-employment checks for staff rigorously to ensure that adults in school are safe to work with children. Staff know what to do if they have any concerns.

Leaders ensure that there are clear systems for recording any concerns. They identify and manage any potential risks to pupils promptly. Leaders make effective and swift referrals to external agencies.

This ensures that pupils and their families get the help and support they need quickly.

Pupils are taught in an age-appropriate way about keeping safe online and about healthy relationships.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In Years 1 and 2, teachers do not give enough attention to some technical aspects of pupils' writing, including their spelling, punctuation, grammar and handwriting.

As a result, pupils' writing is of variable quality in all subjects, and many pupils do not achieve well enough in writing. Leaders need to provide further training for staff so that they can develop pupils' writing consistently well. ? Sometimes teaching does not identify and address gaps and misconceptions in pupils' knowledge.

This affects pupils' deep subject-specific understanding. Leaders should ensure that all staff have a consistent approach to checking pupils' knowledge and skills before they move on to new content.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

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 would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which 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.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2013.

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