Bell Farm Primary School has achieved has achieved the Inclusive School Award.
‘Proud to Belong’
On approaching Bell Farm Primary School in the morning, you can hear music and laughter from the breakfast club, and in the entrance foyer, there is a welcome “hello” displayed in a range of languages. The school’s motto, ‘Proud to Belong’ is also displayed surrounded by a range of pictures of pupils engaging in a wide breadth of school activities both individually and with peers. This reflects the happy, busy, and welcoming nature of Bell Farm Primary School.
Bell Farm PS is a larger than average, three-form entry primary school with a nursery, and an additionally resourced teaching environment specifically for pupils with Communication and Interaction Needs (COIN) called The Hive. The school is situated in the Hersham Ward near Walton on Thames within Surrey County Council. The school has 20.92% of pupils eligible for Pupil Premium (PP) funding and 19.1% of the pupils have English as an Additional Language (EAL). Bell Farm Primary School has 19.9% of pupils on the Special Educational Needs (SEN) register and 6% of pupils having Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), 20 pupils with EHCPs accessing The Hive and 24 pupils with EHCPs in the mainstream provision.
Strongly Inclusive Culture
In March 2019, Ofsted Inspectors reported on Bell Farm Primary School, and they stated that “The school community understands and embraces the school’s motto of ‘Proud to Belong’. A strongly inclusive culture helps this large school to feel like a family where everyone is known, listened to, and cared for. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school.”
Pupils achieve well at Bell Farm, data recorded in 2019 shows that an average of 80% of pupils achieved the expected standard in Reading, Writing, and Maths compared with an average of 70% in Surrey and an average of 65% in England. Bell Farm Primary School records an average of 23% of pupils achieving a higher standard in Reading, Writing, and Maths compared to an average of 14% in Surrey and an average of 11% in England. (Please note these 2019 data results may not reflect the current attainment at Bell Farm Primary School and new data was due to be published in December 2023 – Compare School Performance Data.Gov.UK).
Bell Farm Primary School’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) works hard to ensure the best outcomes for all pupils and feels that flexible provision and staff training is key to their success. High-quality training is planned for all staff including ECTs (Early Career Teachers) and Governors as part of the school development programme. Staff are well-trained to reduce cognitive overload, identify needs, provide a range of scaffolded teaching approaches, and make reasonable adjustments for pupils. They know what to target to accelerate learning outcomes and work in consultation with parents to achieve these outcomes.
Curriculum Redevelopment
Bell Farm Primary School has been developing its curriculum over the past couple of years and staff say that this has been a collaborative process. The curriculum redevelopment has helped staff “take ownership and feel empowered.” Bell Farm Primary puts a high value on outdoor learning. Field trips in the local area are planned as often as appropriate and Forest School is an important learning opportunity for all classes. Our Assessor saw many photographs in the pupil’s books, recording these learning opportunities. There is also a wide variety of extracurricular clubs available to all pupils.
Pupils who arrive in school in the early stages of English acquisition – EAL are provided with a vocabulary book and a maths dictionary which is gradually built upon and added to over time in collaboration with their classroom learning. These books go to and from home daily. Support from a Teaching Assistant (TA) speaking the pupil’s first language for the initial weeks in school is provided by the Race, Equality, and Minority Achievement (REMA) service and is a superb provision.
The Leadership Team feels that consultation is a powerful and informative process. Parents/carers, staff, Governors, and pupils are surveyed in order to collect information to help make appropriate changes to policy and practice. Policy reviews involve contributions from the staff and Governors and policies are on the school website for parents/carers to view.
With the support of the Pastoral Support Officer, the school offers parent/carers links to community services including those that support difficulties with housing, finances, referrals to food banks, citizen advice, and a range of other service needs.
The Friends of Bell Farm PTA (Parent Teacher Association) runs social events for the community throughout the year. They organise a May Fair, and Santa Dash and arrange uniform sales on behalf of the school. This develops the community feel and family-friendly ethos of Bell Farm Primary School.
Celebrated
Pupils’ development and achievements are celebrated, encouraged, scaffolded, valued, and enriched. Bell Farm Primary School also ensures the pupils know how to keep themselves safe and understand how to recognise and manage their emotions.
All stakeholders at Bell Farm Primary School were asked to give one word to describe the inclusive ethos of the school. They said ‘Community, help, everyone, committed, open, understanding, diverse, kind, togetherness and unity.’ Words that collectively reflect the inclusive feel of the school.
The inclusive, positive feel and proactive nature of all stakeholders in all areas of Bell Farm Primary School, was a pleasure for our Assessor to evidence.
Find out more about the IQM Inclusive School Award
If your school is interested in obtaining the IQM Inclusive School Award or you wish to talk to a member of the IQM team please telephone:
028 7127 7857 (9.00 am to 5.00 pm)
or email: [email protected] for further details.
Want more information on the IQM Award? Click here to request your free IQM information pack.