Good Ofsted report joy for Belsay Primary School

Following a two-day inspection in December, it has been given a ‘Good’ overall rating and it is good in all of the sections – quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

The report for the school, which is part of the Pele Trust, highlighted the following: ‘The school has developed an ambitious curriculum for all pupils, including those with SEND. The important knowledge that pupils need to remember, from Reception to Year 6, is clearly sequenced.

‘The school develops pupils’ love of reading well. Pupils enjoy reading from the wide range of high-quality texts on offer.

‘Pupils show high levels of respect towards each other and the staff who care for them. Pupils of all ages play well together. Older pupils enjoy helping younger pupils, for example during lunchtime.

‘Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities to support their development.’

Belsay Primary School headteacher Craig Shaw said: “We are delighted to have received the Good grading from Ofsted as the school has not been inspected since 2008. Over the last 12 months, the school has seen a significant change and the report is testament to that.

“The report highlights how happy the children are at Belsay and commends the good work that is currently occurring in school – not only academically, but through the wide range of personal development opportunities on offer.

“Reading came out as a particular strength and to support this finding we were all elated to receive a letter from Damian Hinds, Minister for Schools, to congratulate us for being in the top one per cent nationally for our Phonics outcomes.

“Here at Belsay we are all one big team and after becoming headteacher here in September 2023, we are very excited for what the future holds as we look to build from strength to strength.

“If you would like to come and have a look around our wonderful rural school, then don’t hesitate to get in contact. We do have limited spaces in some year groups so if you would like to be part of ‘Team Belsay’, we would cherish the opportunity to meet you and your children.”