William Bellamy Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 12 March 2024

Pupils' well-being is central to this nurturing and happy school. They appreciate the support that they receive from staff. For example, they like how staff help them to understand new ideas and learn from their mistakes. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. They understand what bullying is. If it happens, they said that staff sort it out promptly. Pupils are kept safe here. The school sets high expectations. Pupils rise to meet these. They learn the curriculum well. Pupils behave sensibly in class and follow the school's routines. They are polite and considerate of each other. When occasionally pupils do not live up to the high expectations, the school responds effectively and fairly. Pupils reflect on their behaviour and increasingly understand the impact of their actions on others. Staff and pupils feel well supported by this system. The school has designed a curriculum that aims to broaden pupils' life experiences. Pupils appreciate being able to attend a wide range of clubs and activities. The school also provides extensive opportunities for pupils to develop leadership skills. For example, pupils can become ambassadors for diversity or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Pupils visit many different places of worship, such as churches and a Gurdwara. They are taught why it is important to respect different ways of life. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

What the school should improve

• In a few instances, the teaching of early reading is not making the most of the time that pupils spend learning and practising phonics. As a result, on occasion, pupils who struggle are not supported with their reading as well as they could be. The school should ensure that the delivery of the phonics curriculum is maximising the opportunities that pupils have to practise and get better at using phonics for reading.
• Sometimes, teaching does not promote pupils' understanding as well as it might. This is the case when explanations of concepts lack clarity or where activities are not linked well enough to what teachers want pupils to learn. Both of these things prevent pupils from acquiring deep and detailed knowledge. The school should continue to refine approaches to implementing the curriculum so that all pupils can achieve in line with leaders' high expectations. This includes supporting staff to improve their subject knowledge, and in turn, how well they explain key ideas in a subject.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)