Belvedere Junior School

About Belvedere Junior School

Belvedere Junior School is a state primary in Bexley, London, for children aged 7 to 11. In the local authority’s rankings for Key Stage 2 outcomes, it sits 16th out of 55 primary schools, placing it in the top 25% of its peers. The three highest-ranked schools in the borough are St Thomas More Catholic Primary, St John Fisher Catholic Primary, and St Stephen’s Catholic Primary, all of which score higher on the same metric. Belvedere’s own ranking score of 75 reflects solid, if not top-tier, performance. The school is led by headteacher Louise Lynch and has a capacity of 360 pupils, with 337 currently enrolled. A notable 40.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, which gives a clear sense of the community it serves. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in November 2024, confirmed that standards are being maintained, and the school retains its overall Good rating, a significant improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2015, which rated it Requires Improvement.

Academically, Belvedere performs above the Bexley average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 tests, 75% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the local authority average of 67%. Reading and maths average scores were 106 and 105 respectively, both slightly above the national benchmark of 100. However, only 5% of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects, which is low. In maths, 26% reached the higher standard, and the same proportion did so in reading, while in writing it was just 10%. Progress scores are not available in the data, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds. The Ofsted leadership and management rating is Good, and the report notes that behaviour and attitudes are also good. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 97% of the 89 respondents would recommend the school, and 94% strongly agree or agree that their child is happy there.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, art studios, music rooms, an ICT suite, playing fields, and a forest school. Sports on offer include swimming, athletics, netball, rounders, cross country and tennis, while clubs cover drama, choir, coding, art and a book club. SEND provision is well-documented, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder. The parent view data on SEND support was not answered by any respondents, so it is hard to gauge satisfaction in that area. The school is non-denominational and does not have a nursery or sixth form. Oversubscription data is not provided, but with 337 pupils against a capacity of 360, there is some spare capacity. This is a school that suits families looking for a well-regarded local primary with strong core results and a supportive, inclusive ethos, particularly those who value outdoor learning and a wide range of extracurricular activities.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About Belvedere Junior School

Helpful Guides for Parents