Bellingham Middle School and Sports College

Overview

This ungraded inspection found that standards at Bellingham Middle School and Sports College have declined since the previous inspection, largely due to an "unsettled period" involving changes in leadership. While the school has a "friendly and welcoming" ethos and recent improvements are beginning, these are not yet having a "consistent impact on pupils’ learning overall." Consequently, the next inspection will be a graded inspection.

Strengths

• The school maintains a "friendly ethos" where staff build "positive relationships" with pupils, ensuring they feel safe and are "very polite."
• Reading is "prioritised" with effective interventions that help pupils "catch up with their peers quickly."
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are "supported well," with accurate identification of needs enabling successful learning alongside peers.
• The "personal development offer is well thought through," helping pupils understand equality, diversity, and responsibility.
• Recent improvements to governance have helped governors hold leaders to account with "greater authority."

Areas to improve

• Staff must select activities that enable pupils to "build their knowledge over time sequentially," as current activities do not always match curriculum intentions.
• Teachers need to use assessment effectively in all subjects to identify and address "gaps in pupils’ learning or misconceptions."
• The school must "raise expectations further" to ensure pupils listen attentively, as low expectations currently hinder learning.

Safeguarding

The report states that "the arrangements for safeguarding are effective."