The Bellbird Primary School

Type Primary / Community school
Age Range 4-11
Religion Does not apply
Address Link Road
Sawston
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
CB22 3GB
Phone 01223833216
Reference Number 135132

The Bellbird Primary school demonstrates a strong overall performance, maintaining a 'Good' grade across all inspected areas. The school has made notable improvements in its curriculum, providing pupils with clear learning pathways and effectively supporting their academic growth. Pupils are engaged, enjoying subjects such as music, and actively participate in various school activities, fostering a sense of responsibility and community. The supportive environment and leadership have contributed to pupils' positive attitudes and behavior, as well as strong attendance rates. However, there are areas for development, particularly in writing, where some pupils struggle to apply their understanding independently. The school needs to address gaps in knowledge across some subjects to ensure all pupils achieve their full potential. This inspection marks the first routine evaluation since the pandemic, and the school has successfully adapted its approaches, benefiting from supportive leadership and a commitment to well-being for both staff and students.

General Makeup

Number of pupils 410
Boy/Girl ratio Boys: 46.59%
Girls: 53.41%
Percentage of students eligible for free school meals 16.1%
Percentage of students where English is not their first language 15.9%

Class Sizes

Average size of one teacher classes 29.3
Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher 29.5
Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher 29.1

Year Groups

Year Boys Girls Total
1 31 29 60
2 28 32 60
3 24 33 57
4 26 34 60
5 28 28 56
6 28 32 60

Ethnicities

Ethnicity Percentage
White, British 64.4%
White, Other 9%
Indian 7.1%
White & Asian 6.1%
White & Black (Caribbean) 2%
Asian, Other 2%
Mixed, Other 1.7%
Unclassified 1.5%
African 1.5%
Chinese 1.2%
White & Black (African) 1%
Caribbean 0.2%
Pakistani 0.2%

Overall Ofsted Rating Good
 >  Quality of education Good
  >  Behaviour & Attitude Good
  >  Personal Development Good
  >  Leadership & Management Good
  >  Early Years Provision Good
Last Report Date 09 Jul 2024
Date Report
09 Jul 2024 School inspection:
19 Mar 2019 Short inspection
24 Jun 2015 Full inspection:
28 Jan 2014 Monitoring visit
11 Sep 2013 Full inspection:
01 Mar 2012 Full inspection:
30 Apr 2009 Full inspection:

Strengths

  • Pupils enjoy their subjects and engage with the curriculum.
  • Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
  • Strong emphasis on personal development and responsibility.
  • Good quality of education with well-structured curriculum improvements.
  • Pupils demonstrate positive behavior and enjoy attending school.

Areas for Improvement

  • Some pupils struggle with independent writing due to persistent misconceptions.
  • Lack of precise understanding of knowledge gaps in certain subjects.

How many students meet the standards

Reading, Writing & Maths School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Pupils meeting the expected standard 70%
Pupils meeting a higher standard 2%

Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Subject School Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 109
Maths 106

Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

Metric School Score Percentile (local) Percentile (nationwide)
Reading 0.7
Writing -6.5
Maths -1.1

How many students meet the standards

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Average Scaled Score

Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.

Sample

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Progress Scores

A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.

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2025 Admissions

Number of Applications Number of Offers
First Preference
Second Preference 21 0
Third Preference 17 0
From another Local Authority 2 1

Previous Years

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Name Distance
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