Bellingham Middle School and Sports College

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school's work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school's next inspection will be a graded inspection.

What is it like to attend this school?

Bellingham middle school is friendly and welcoming. Pupils are very polite. They treat each other and visitors with kindness and respect.

The school has recently experienced an unsettled period, mainly due to changes in staffing and leadership arrangements. The school has begun to address some aspects of the quality of education that need to be improved. For example, many curriculum areas are now well sequenced.

...>However, outcomes for pupils are varied.

The school ensures that pupils enjoy attending school. It has established a friendly ethos, where staff help pupils diligently and consistently.

Staff build positive relationships with pupils effectively. As a result, pupils feel safe. The school engages successfully with parents and carers, who are rightly positive about the school's supportive culture.

The school encourages pupils to celebrate difference positively and to be respectful of one another. Pupils lead assemblies on religions confidently that may be different from their own. Pupils generally show positive attitudes to their learning and are keen to participate.

However, when expectations on them are lower, they don't listen well which can affect what they remember.

The school provides a useful and interesting array of after-school and lunch time clubs, such as sewing, choir, various sports and gardening club. Pupils develop their talents and interests successfully.

Pupils value challenging leadership opportunities, such as the school council. This helps them to learn about responsibility.

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

Since its previous inspection, standards at Bellingham Middle have declined.

During this time, there has been considerable change in leadership. This means that, until recently, there had been a limited response to this decline. Since the arrival of current leaders things are beginning to turn around.

However, improvements are recent and not yet leading to a consistent impact on pupils' learning overall.

Pupils do not know and remember the depth of knowledge they need across the curriculum. This is because sometimes the activities that staff design for pupils do not reflect what pupils know and can do.

Activities do not enable pupils to build on what they already know consistently. As a result, pupils do not secure knowledge across the subjects they study, because expectations are inconsistent.

Teacher's checks on pupils' learning are in the early stages of development.

Sometimes teachers do not check what pupils know. This means teachers do not identify when pupils have gaps in or a poor understanding of knowledge. As a result, these gaps or misconceptions can persist and so pupils do not develop secure knowledge over time.

Reading is prioritised. Pupils' specific reading needs are identified early. A range of effective interventions ensure that, if pupils need help, they get it.

As a result, those still learning sounds catch up with their peers quickly.

The school is calm and orderly. Pupils conduct themselves well.

They play happily together and listen respectfully in assembly. Pupils understand the school's expectations. In class, learning is mainly purposeful and there are very few disruptions.

However, staff do not expect enough of pupils when they explain new ideas or look to fix misconceptions when they have been identified. This can mean that pupils do not listen to important information and so their learning is hindered.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well.

The school identifies pupils' needs accurately. This enables staff to make adjustments to learning or use specific resources to support them. This helps pupils with SEND to learn alongside their peers.

The school's personal development offer is well thought through. Lessons and assemblies help pupils learn how to be healthy, safe and responsible. Pupils understand the importance of equality and diversity.

Pupils' education is enriched by curriculum-linked trips. Staff help pupils when they have a concern, which ensures that pupils are confident that issues will be dealt with effectively.

There have been recent improvements to governance.

This has helped governors ensure that they can hold leaders to account for their planned improvements with greater authority. The school engages effectively with staff, who recognise that their workload is considered.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Some content and learning activities do not match the curriculum intention. Activities that staff use do not enable pupils to build on what they already know. The school must ensure that staff select the most appropriate activities to enable pupils to build their knowledge over time sequentially.

• In some subjects, teachers do not use assessment effectively to check that pupils understand and remember what they have learned previously. As a result, gaps in pupils' learning or misconceptions are not identified consistently and so go unaddressed. The school needs to ensure that teachers use assessment effectively to inform planning and teaching in all subjects.

• Staff do not expect enough of pupils. This means that pupils do not listen consistently to explanations given by teachers and this can affect how well pupils learn the curriculum. The school must raise expectations further to ensure that pupils listen attentively in lessons, so that pupils achieve more.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in October 2019.

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