The Belham Primary School

The Belham Primary School is recognized for its overall good performance, characterized by a welcoming environment and strong relationships between staff and pupils. Students demonstrate high levels of enjoyment and engagement in their learning, contributing to their positive achievements across the curriculum. The school places a significant emphasis on reading from an early age, ensuring children develop confidence and enthusiasm for literature. Additionally, the curriculum is well-structured, allowing for a coherent progression of knowledge and skills from Reception to Year 6.

Strengths

• Pupils enjoy attending the school and feel safe and supported.
• Staff maintain high expectations for pupil behavior, leading to excellent conduct.
• The curriculum is well-sequenced and teachers have necessary subject knowledge.
• Pupil engagement in clubs and extracurricular activities is fostered.
• Special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) pupils are identified and supported effectively.

Areas for Improvement

• Some teaching staff do not check effectively what pupils know and remember, leading to gaps in learning.
• Mathematics outcomes at the end of Year 6 were disappointing in 2023.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at The Belham Primary School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.3% of pupils at The Belham Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 The Belham Primary School had 25.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 6.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 7.8% of pupils at The Belham Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 The Belham Primary School received £8,506 and spent £8,248 for each of its 388 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £136,000 (£350 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of The Charter Schools Educational Trust, income was £9,364 and spending £8,986 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Southwark · Southwark local authority: places and applications

The Belham Primary School is part of The Charter Schools Educational Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• The Charter School East Dulwich London
• Lyndhurst Primary School London
• The Charter School North Dulwich London
• Dulwich Hamlet Junior School London
• Loughborough Primary School London
• The Charter School Bermondsey London
• Streatham Wells Primary London
• Charles Dickens Primary School London

What is The Belham Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Belham Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2024.

When was The Belham Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Belham Primary School was last inspected in July 2024.

How many pupils does The Belham Primary School have?

The Belham Primary School has 385 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Belham Primary School cover?

The Belham Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are The Belham Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is The Belham Primary School?

The Belham Primary School is at 165 Bellenden Road, London, SE15 4DG.