West London school goes from 'outstanding' to 'requires improvement' in Ofsted's first visit in 12 years

A Kensington school which went almost 12 years without being inspected has had its Ofsted rating dropped to 'requires improvement', with some pupils underachieving and behaving poorly among the issues raised. Inspectors did, however, note there are 'effective' safeguarding measures at Bevington Primary School in North Kensington, and that instances of bullying are uncommon.

Jagdeep Birdi, Interim Executive Head at Bevington, who was appointed following Ofsted's visit, said the school welcomed the report's findings 'to make sure we never stop adapting and improving to give our pupils the best start in life'.

Prior to the most recent visit in February this year, Bevington Primary School had not been inspected by Ofsted since July 2012. At that time, it was rated 'outstanding', with the school's leadership and the behaviour of its pupils among the key positives identified.

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The latest report notes how the school was exempted by law from routine inspection up until November 2020, which is why there was a particularly long gap between reviews. Inspectors acknowledge that since Covid, the school 'has been through a difficult period of change'. This includes the high number of staff leaving Bevington, which they wrote has 'disrupted pupils' learning'.

Pupils' behaviour is described as 'not reliably positive', with some occasionally being physical and using poor language. The report added that those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are sometimes suffering from 'poor experiences' while in class.

A new curriculum has been implemented by an interim leadership team, introduced in September 2022, though inspectors found it is not being consistently delivered. They wrote: "In Years 3 to 6 in particular, pupils do not have regular lessons in the full range of subjects. This leads to a narrow and unbalanced curriculum that does not build up knowledge and skills across all subjects over time. Children in the early years have a varied experience. At times they benefit from high-quality interaction with caring adults. However, these interactions are not frequent enough and some children can remain disengaged for periods of time."

Suspensions at Bevington are recorded as being high, with vulnerable pupils most likely to be affected. The school, however, points to reductions since introducing its new behavioural policy in November 2023, which it says 'will be continually reviewed to ensure it is remaining effective'.

The report does flag that pupils reported feeling safe and that bullying is not common at the school. Its safeguarding measures are also described as 'effective'. Jagdeep Birdi, Interim Executive Head of Bevington Primary School, said: "The areas of improvement highlighted by Ofsted will accelerate the work already underway to make Bevington the best school it can be for our local families. To name a few of these improvements, a new Board of Governors has been introduced at the school; applications are already being reviewed for a new role at the school to boost senior leadership capacity; and a strengthened curriculum has been implemented in classrooms.

"We understand that a report like this can be concerning, but our families know that the time their children spend at Bevington is enriching, enjoyable and empowering. We welcome the findings of this report to make sure we never stop adapting and improving to give our pupils the best start in life."

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