Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 21–22 June 2011 Inspection number 363772 Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 110823 Local Authority Peterborough Inspection number 363772 Inspection dates 21–22 June 2011 Reporting inspector Roy Bowers HMI

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This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 under pilot arrangements; it was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act .

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 111 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Margaret Venables Headteacher Stuart Wainwright Date of previous school inspection 11 December 2007 School address School Road Barnack PE9 3DZ Telephone number 01780 740265 Fax number 01780 740265 Email address office@barnack.peterborough.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’. Royal Exchange Buildings St Ann's Square Manchester M2 7LA

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This pilot inspection was carried out by one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors and one additional inspector. Eight lessons were observed and all five teachers were seen teaching. Six of these lessons and several brief visits to lessons were carried out jointly with the inspectors and the headteacher. Meetings were held with parents and carers, groups of pupils, members of the governing body and staff. Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at the plans for improvement, assessment information, lesson plans, the school’s monitoring information, school policies, 50 questionnaires from parents and carers, and questionnaires from pupils and staff.

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Information about the school

The school is smaller than the average-size primary school. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is average and includes pupils with learning difficulties, and behavioural, emotional and social difficulties. The proportion of pupils with a statement of special education needs is well-above average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below average. Few pupils belong to minority ethnic groups and very few pupils speak English as an additional language. The government’s floor targets have been met during the past three years. The school has achieved several awards including Healthy Schools status, Activemark, Eco bronze award and the accreditation of Investors in People.

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Information about the school

There are before-school and after-school clubs on the school site which are privately run and not managed by the governing body and so were not part of this inspection. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety 1

Does the school adequately promote the pupils’ well-being? Yes Does the school adequately promote community cohesion? Yes Does the school provide value for money? Yes

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Key findings

 This is an outstanding school. Exceptionally strong leadership and management have successfully built upon previous good provision and outcomes.

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Key findings

 All groups of pupils achieve exceptionally well and, by the end of Key Stage 2, pupils’ attainment is well-above average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Key findings

 Rigorous monitoring of pupils’ progress and a wide range of intervention strategies enable the school to identify those pupils who are not on course to meet their challenging targets and provide support to accelerate their progress.

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Key findings

 Teaching is consistently good and much is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations of all pupils and motivate them to learn through well-planned and highly stimulating activities.

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Key findings

 Pupils are punctual, behave exceptionally well and work and play together in a mature and sensible manner. Attendance is high.

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Key findings

 Pupils have a very clear understanding of how they can help keep themselves safe. Pupils say that bullying is rare and are confident that any incidents would be dealt with promptly and effectively by the school.

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Key findings

 The governing body is well organised and very effectively uses the information provided by the headteacher to hold the school to account for pupils’ achievement.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is strong. However, pupils’ cultural development is less well developed because the school provides them Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

with few first-hand experiences of the diverse range of cultures and faiths in the United Kingdom and globally.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve pupils’ cultural development by providing them with first-hand experiences of the diverse range of cultures and faiths in the United Kingdom and globally.

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Main report

Inspirational leadership and a relentless pursuit of excellence are the main reasons why pupils’ achievement has risen sharply over recent years and is now outstanding. Pupils’ safety, welfare, personal development and academic achievement are at the heart of all the school’s actions and decisions. Pupils know they are valued. Parents and carers speak exceptionally highly of the school and praise its ‘family atmosphere’. The caring ethos of the school is typified through older pupils acting as buddies to younger ones and the enthusiasm with which pupils use the ‘values board’ to nominate other pupils for showing qualities such as respect, courage and friendship. Nearly all parents and carers say that their children feel safe in school and there is a good standard of behaviour. Pupils say that behaviour is usually exceptionally good and only on rare occasions do incidents of anti-social behaviour or

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Main report

bullying occur. However, pupils are quick to add that, when this does happen, teachers respond very quickly and successfully, ensuring that they feel totally safe and secure.

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Main report

In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there have been many improvements since the last inspection. A very well-planned curriculum, a good balance between teacher-led and child-initiated activities and careful monitoring of children’s progress help children make rapid progress and achieve exceptionally well. In Key Stages 1 and 2, improvements to the quality of teaching, a wide range of intervention strategies and greater emphasis on providing pupils with opportunities to apply their literacy and numeracy skills through a variety of first-hand, stimulating experiences have had a marked impact on improving pupils’ progress. In a Year 6 lesson, pupils were developing their use of powerful descriptive language to describe the effect of the waves on the patterns of pebbles on the beach seen during a residential visit. Attainment is now above average in all years and all groups of pupils make strong progress. Highly skilled teaching assistants provide very effective support for pupils

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Main report

with disabilities and special educational needs, including those with emotional and behavioural problems. This enables them to overcome many of the barriers in their lives and make progress which is equal to that of their peers. Consequently, the gaps are closing between the attainment of groups of pupils who were previously below the national average and that of most other groups.

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Main report

Pupils’ attainment in reading is above average by the time pupils reach the age of six and well-above average by the end of Year 6. In the Early Years Foundation Stage Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main report

and Key Stage 1, pupils learn the basics of reading through a highly structured and regular programme which is focused on pupils learning letters and sounds. Sessions are brief and the pace of learning is brisk. Pupils’ learning is monitored regularly and teachers move pupils between groups according to their developing skills. In Key Stage 2, continued careful monitoring of pupils’ progress, regular guided reading sessions which build carefully on pupils’ prior skills and additional support for those pupils who are having difficulties, help ensure that the strong progress in reading is maintained. A well-structured mathematics curriculum, very effective use of practical equipment and an emphasis on pupils logically thinking through mathematical tasks have resulted in rapid improvements in pupils’ progress in mathematics over the past year.

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Main report

Pupils enjoy their learning and take pride in the presentation of their work.Teachers know pupils exceptionally well and relationships between pupils and staff are strong. Pupils are encouraged to work productively in groups, sharing ideas and discussing their work. The school’s assessment information is used carefully by teachers to ensure that all groups of pupils receive the correct degree of challenge. Teachers and teaching assistants often use questioning skills very effectively to encourage pupils to think deeply and consider their response. The local magistrates who were working with pupils at the time of the inspection reported that pupils showed an exceptionally thoughtful, mature and highly responsible approach to debating whether or not a defendant was guilty as charged. In lessons, teachers build strongly upon pupils’ prior knowledge, skills and understanding and give detailed and accurate feedback. Marking is strong. In all classes, pupils are given clear

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Main report

information about how to improve and often pupils are given the opportunity to reflect on the marking and comment on how they intend to improve.

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Main report

The curriculum provides a wide variety of stimulating, first-hand and memorable activities for pupils throughout the school. For some pupils, the day begins with a session of sensory activities which are designed to improve pupils’ fine motor skills and prepare them emotionally for their lessons. Residential visits, ‘Spanish’ days, a ‘Come Dine with Us’ enterprise project, strong links with the church and inputs from specialist teachers for physical education and music, play a significant part in promoting pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development. During the special awards assemblies, pupils show a high degree of respect for pupils who have gained the awards and, in all assemblies, pupils are encouraged to reflect thoughtfully on many spiritual, moral and social issues. However, pupils’ cultural knowledge and awareness are less well developed. Although there are some links with schools in France,

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Main report

Corsica and Switzerland, they are relatively new and not fully established, and do not provide pupils with enough first-hand experiences of the diverse range of cultures and faiths in the United Kingdom and globally. Information and Communication Technology is used effectively for a variety of tasks including researching information for topics, communicating with other schools and giving a range of information to parents and carers and members of the governing body.

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Main report

The rapid rise in pupils’ achievement, the high rigour with which pupils’ progress is monitored and the number of initiatives successfully established show that that the Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main report

school has a strong capacity for continuous improvement. The headteacher’s meeting with pupils during a ‘snack and chat’ session is an outstanding example of one of the ways in which the headteacher monitors the quality of provision and outcomes, and seeks pupils’ opinions on future improvements. Parents and carers, the governing body, pupils and staff express a very high degree of confidence in the leadership of the headteacher. His powerful vision for the future of the school is supported by the governing body and all staff, and all work together to effect improvement. All other leaders make a major contribution to school improvement through monitoring their designated aspects of the school’s work, reporting to the governing body and playing a major role in the school’s strategic development. The governing body receives detailed information from senior leaders about all aspects of the school and is not afraid to question and challenge leaders when necessary. Many

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Main report

parents and carers appreciate the way in which they are encouraged to feel part of the school community, for example through attending weekly coffee mornings with the headteacher to discuss many aspects of the school and sharing their skills and knowledge with pupils in lessons and assemblies. The school’s high commitment to promoting equality and tackling discrimination is shown through the determination and commitment of all staff to ensure that all pupils, including those with disabilities and special educational needs and the more able, achieve their full academic potential and attain a high level of personal development.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 12 statements about the school. The inspection team received 50 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 111 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % Q1 My child is happy at school 35 70 14 28 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q2 My child feels safe at school 47 54 2 4 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q3 The school helps my child to achieve as well as they can 26 52 22 44 2 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q4 The school meets my child’s particular needs 28 56 22 44 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q5 The school ensures my child is well looked after 41 82 8 16 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q6 Teaching at this school is good 42 84 8 16 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q7 There is a good standard of behaviour at this school 33 66 16 32 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q8 Lessons are not disrupted by bad behaviour 23 46 25 50 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q9 The school deals with any cases of bullying well 24 48 18 36 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q10 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 39 78 8 16 1 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q11 The school responds to my concerns and keeps me well informed 39 78 8 16 2 4 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Q12 The school is well led and managed 45 90 5 10 0 0 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 46 48 6 0 Primary schools 6 47 40 7 Secondary schools 12 39 38 11

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 13 42 41 3 Special schools 28 49 19 4 Pupil referral units 14 45 31 10

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 31 December 2010 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be:  The achievement of all pupils.  Behaviour and safety.  The quality of teaching.  The effectiveness of leadership and management. and taking into consideration  how well the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School, Barnack, PE9 3DZ

Thank you for being so polite and friendly when we visited your school recently. We were very pleased to see the very sensible way you behave around school, and we liked the way you play happily together and work hard in lessons. You told us that you feel very safe in school and nearly all the pupils behave exceptionally well. We especially liked your ‘values board’ and were impressed with the way you showed your pleasure and support for those who received awards in your assembly.

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Inspection of Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School, Barnack, PE9 3DZ

You go to a school which has improved since the last inspection and is now outstanding. We were very pleased to find that you are making rapid progress in your reading, writing and mathematics. The headteacher and teachers have worked hard to make sure that your lessons are as interesting as possible. Those of you who went on a residential visit to Yorkshire told us all about the exciting time you had and how you were able to measure the depth of a well without any measuring equipment. Some of your parents and carers told us that all the adults in the school do their very best to look after you all, especially those who are experiencing difficulties in your lives.

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Inspection of Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School, Barnack, PE9 3DZ

To make the school even better, we have asked the headteacher to make sure that you have more first-hand experiences of people from a variety of cultures and faiths in different parts of this country and in the world.

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Inspection of Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School, Barnack, PE9 3DZ

You can help too by continuing to work hard and helping each other all you can.

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Inspection of Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School, Barnack, PE9 3DZ

We shall take away many good memories of your school. Thank you again for being so helpful and courteous.

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Inspection of Barnack CofE (Controlled) Primary School, Barnack, PE9 3DZ

Roy Bowers Her Majesty's Inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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