Belvidere School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

One pupil, typical of many, says 'being at Belvidere now is to belong to a community and to believe that we can succeed.'

This is because pupils recognise the many improvements which have been put in place in this school, as well as the new building they benefit from.

Pupils understand the school's high expectations are helping most of them to make better choices. They speak highly of the support and care that they receive, and so they feel safe.

They are also benefiting from an improved and more consistent curriculum. This means they are generally learning more consistently. However, there remains some variability, which means that sometimes pupils are not ...achieving as well as they could.

The school has high expectations for behaviour, which are now more commonly understood. This means that behaviour in the school is typically calm and orderly. However, some pupils still find it difficult to meet these expectations and, as a result, are more often removed from lessons or receive sanctions.

The school's 'Belvidere Baccalaureate' offers pupils a range of experiences to prepare them for the life beyond school. These include a variety of extracurricular and leadership activities, including chess, boxing and drama productions. Pupils appreciate these many opportunities, which enrich their experience.

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

With the support of the trust, the school has clearly identified the key knowledge that pupils need to learn, and the best order in which it should be taught. This is secure across the curriculum. The school has an agreed framework for teaching to support pupils in learning and applying their knowledge.

When this is followed effectively, pupils typically build a more secure body of knowledge, and the tasks selected enable them to build their learning on what they already know. However, when this is not the case, pupils struggle to apply their more recent learning to more complex tasks. Checks on pupils' learning are now more systematic in how they are used by teachers.

This generally helps teachers to identify and close gaps in pupils' understanding. However, this is not always consistent, as some pupils' gaps in their knowledge mean they can find it challenging to progress to more complex work. As a result, these pupils do not achieve as well as they could, which is reflected in the published outcomes.

The school has strong provision in place to support pupils' reading. It identifies those pupils who need support early and provides effective support to help them become more fluent readers. In addition, there is effective provision in place to develop pupils' love of reading.

This includes a range of carefully selected texts, which pupils read during form time.

The school has recently enhanced its provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), which is enabling it to identify their needs more precisely. The school now also ensures that the information provided to staff on these pupils is clear.

All this helps ensure that pupils with SEND are achieving increasingly well.The school has clearly laid out its expectations for how pupils behave in lessons and in social times. These expectations are generally well understood, which helps ensure that lessons are typically calm, with pupils trying their best.

Social times are also commonly calm and orderly. However, there remain some pupils who find it hard to meet these expectations consistently. This means they are more likely to experience sanctions, including time away from lessons, which impacts on their learning and progress.

The school's strategic approach to improving attendance is having a positive impact, as more pupils are now attending more regularly. However, some pupils, typically those who are more vulnerable, are still not attending school as regularly as they should. This means they miss valuable learning and personal development opportunities.

The school places considerable emphasis on pupils' personal development, including how they are prepared for life in modern Britain. This provision has clear strengths under the umbrella of the 'Belvidere Baccalaureate'. Pupils appreciate and make good use of these opportunities, including an extensive range of clubs, activities and trips.

Pupil leaders speak with pride about their positions and how they are helping to drive improvements. The school gives supportive and well-informed advice to pupils to help them to access ambitious destinations when they leave the school.

With the support of the trust, leaders have an astute understanding of the school's development through a forensic evaluation of its progress.

Leaders have taken appropriate action to bring about positive changes. Increasing numbers of parents remark on the steps forward the school has taken, and how communication has improved. Governors and trustees are ambitious for the school and offer consistent support and challenge.

Staff report a renewed sense of pride in the school. They state that leaders take their workload into account when making decisions.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• The school has not ensured that assessment is used precisely enough to identify when pupils have fully understood their learning. As a result, some pupils do not develop the secure knowledge they need to apply to more complex tasks. The school should ensure that assessment is used effectively to check pupils' understanding, so they are ready to build on their learning and make sustained progress.

• A minority of pupils, often those who are more vulnerable, continue to find it difficult to meet the school's revised high expectations for behaviour. As a result, they are more likely to receive sanctions, including suspensions, which leads to missed learning and personal development opportunities. The school should ensure that these pupils receive ongoing support, so they are better able to meet the school's expectations for conduct.

• On occasions, some teaching strategies used do not align with the school's agreed approach to teaching and learning. This can result in pupils building a less secure body of knowledge over time. The school should ensure that staff are consistently supported to enable pupils to build and apply secure knowledge over time.

• There remain some pupils, including the more vulnerable, who miss too much school. As a result, they miss valuable learning and wider opportunities that support their academic and personal development. The school should continue to prioritise improving attendance to ensure that all pupils can benefit fully from the education and experiences it provides.