Belmont Infant School

Overview

Belmont Infant School continues to be a good school, described as a "friendly, nurturing and welcoming" environment where pupils are happy and behave well. The curriculum is "well planned and sequenced," with a "strong culture of reading" and effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.

Strengths

• Pupils benefit from a "balanced and ambitious" curriculum enriched by exciting activities, such as visits to museums.
• Teachers possess "strong subject knowledge" and effectively develop pupils’ understanding in areas like computing and early years learning.
• There is a "strong sense of community," with parents appreciating "positive communication" with staff.
• Leaders provide "effective support" for pupils with SEND, working closely with parents and making appropriate adaptations.
• The governing body provides "effective support and challenge for leaders," while leaders are mindful of staff workload.

Areas to improve

• In Years 1 and 2, teachers do not give enough attention to technical aspects of writing, such as spelling, punctuation, grammar, and handwriting, resulting in "variable quality" work.
• Sometimes teaching fails to identify and address "gaps and misconceptions" in pupils’ knowledge, affecting deep subject-specific understanding before moving on to new content.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with a "strong culture of safeguarding" established through rigorous pre-employment checks and clear systems for managing risks.