The Priory Belvoir Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

The Priory Belvoir Academy continues to be a good school.

The headteacher of this school is Levon Newton. The school is part of The Priory Federation of Academies Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school.

The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Ian Jones, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Howard Gee.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where staff know the pupils well and always have their best interests at heart. Staff consider the needs of each individual pupil and ensure that they feel safe and happy.

They expect all pupils to achieve well and ensure that these expect...ations are met. Pupils enjoy their lessons. They learn and remember what they are taught.

The school is a harmonious community, where staff and pupils get along well. Pupils work well together in lessons and are keen to succeed. Pupils are confident that they go to an adult when they need help and support.

Pupils have the opportunity to take on leadership roles within school, and to support the local community beyond school. Through the personal development curriculum, pupils learn important skills that they will need beyond school, such as how to stay safe online and how to have healthy relationships with others. They value the opportunity to take part in many extra activities, especially in sports and arts.

The school makes sure that these opportunities are open to all pupils. The extra contribution that pupils make is recognised through the 'Peacock Pride' awards.

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

The school has a well-planned curriculum.

It sets out the important knowledge and skills that pupils should learn in each subject. There is a consistent approach to curriculum planning in all subjects. Teachers make sure that their lessons are tailored to the needs of the pupils in their class.

Pupils study the full range of national curriculum subjects. When they select subjects for key stage 4, they are encouraged to make ambitious choices that prepare them well for their next steps.Teachers take the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) into account when they plan their lessons.

For example, they make sure that pupils have access to key vocabulary when they need it. Staff provide pupils with effective support. They help when needed, but encourage pupils to work independently.

As a result, pupils with SEND build their knowledge securely over time.

In most lessons, teachers select activities that allow pupils to develop the key knowledge and skills they need in each subject. Teachers give clear explanations and model to pupils their thinking.

They use a range of methods to ensure that pupils engage in the lesson. However, in some lessons, teachers do not provide activities that allow for pupils to learn the curriculum well enough. This means that pupils do not have a secure understanding of some areas of the curriculum.

Teachers regularly check whether pupils have understood and remembered what they have been taught. There are frequent opportunities to recap knowledge from previous lessons. However, in some lessons, teachers do not always use this information effectively to adapt the lesson or plan the next steps in learning.

Reading is at the heart of the school's curriculum. Pupils are encouraged to develop an interest in reading books in every subject. They study a wide range of texts, including classic plays and novels.

Pupils whose reading is weaker when they enter the school are given effective support to help them catch up.

Pupils behave well in lessons. They are attentive and interested.

They respond well to teachers' questions. Pupils behave well during breaktimes and in lesson changeovers. The school has strengthened its behaviour policy in recent years.

Pupils know that the policy is fair and consistently implemented.

The school has worked hard to promote good attendance. Leaders work closely with families to provide support.

As a result, attendance continues to rise following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since the last inspection, the school has developed an effective strategy to help pupils prepare for the next steps in their education. Pupils are given high-quality careers information and guidance.

They hear about the full range of options available to them. They have the opportunity to take part in work experience and to meet local employers. Pupils learn about the world beyond school, including about communities that are different from their own.

As a result, all pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Staff feel well supported. They work well together when planning lessons.

Their well-being and workload are carefully considered.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, the activities that teachers provide do not always allow for the intended curriculum to be implemented effectively.

This leads to gaps in pupils' skills. The school should ensure that all lessons are carefully designed to enable pupils to develop the knowledge and skills they need. ? Although teachers check for pupils' understanding regularly, they do not always act on this information to adapt the lesson.

This means that pupils' misconceptions are not always corrected. The school should ensure that any information gathered from in-class assessment is used effectively to address pupils' misconceptions and adapt lessons to meet the learning needs of pupils.

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 predecessor school to be good in May 2015.