Quotes from The Inspection Report for Bessemer Grange Primary School in Dulwich, which took place in May 2008. 

Bessemer Grange is a larger than average primary school. It serves a socially and culturally diverse community. Just over two thirds of pupils come from minority ethnic groups, the remainder being from White British heritage. The main groups represented are Black African, British or Caribbean. A higher than average proportion has a home language other than English. Almost a half of pupils have learning difficulties and/or disabilities. These pupils have a variety of specific needs including social and behavioural, and speech, language and communication difficulties. The school makes special provision for pupils with physical difficulties or disabilities. A higher than average proportion of pupils leave or join the school beyond the normal starting points.

Pupils make satisfactory progress throughout the school from well below average starting points in Year 1. The introduction across the school of structured programmes to develop and improve literacy skills, based on careful assessment, is proving successful.

Exciting new initiatives such as 'Success For All' and 'Big Writing' are already having a positive effect on improving achievement in English. Creative writing, spelling and grammar are improving because pupils are encouraged to be responsible for their own work, to mark and assess it.