Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Inspection report

p.1

Age group 5–11 Inspection date(s) 02–03 May 2012 Inspection number 380250 Unique Reference Number 121473 Local authority York Inspection number 380250 Inspection dates 2–3 May 2012 Lead inspector Jane Hughes

p.1

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2 005.

p.1

Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 5–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 137 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michael Backhouse Headteacher Karen Boardman Date of previous school inspection 7 October 2008 School address Jubilee Terrace Leeman Road York YO26 4YZ Telephone number 01904 653 323 Fax number 01904 673 051 Email address stbarnabas@york.gov.uk Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 2 of 12

p.1

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child's school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

p.2

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

p.2

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 after children, safeguarding and child protection.

p.2

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.

p.2

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

p.2

You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way.

p.2

To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to 'Subscribe'.

p.2

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 3 of 12

p.2

Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days’ notice. The inspector observed the teaching of seven teachers in nine lessons or part-lessons, of which three were joint observations with the headteacher. Meetings were held with pupils, parents and carers, members of the governing body and school staff, including senior and middle managers. The inspector took account of the responses to the online (Parent View) survey in planning the inspection, observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s improvement plan, safeguarding and child protection policies, attainment data and assessment information. She listened to pupils read and looked at pupils’ work. The inspector analysed questionnaire responses from 63 parents and carers and those completed by pupils and staff.

p.3

Information about the school

This school is much a smaller than average when compared to other primary schools. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is broadly average. Most pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is smaller than average. The school does not meet the current floor standard which sets the minimum standards expected by the government for attainment and progress. The school has achieved Artsmark Gold and has Healthy School status.

p.3

Information about the school

The school has undergone significant changes since the previous inspection. There is a new headteacher and deputy headteacher. Some staff have left and others have been absent for extended periods.

p.3

Information about the school

An independently-run childcare provider, Leeman Road Playgroup, operates from the same building and shares the outdoor learning space with the school’s Early Years Foundation Stage. At times, children from the two settings learn and play together inside. The playgroup is subject to a separate inspection. Its report can be found on the Ofsted website. Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 4 of 12

p.3

Information about the school

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

p.4

Key Findings

 This is a satisfactory school. It is not yet good because the quality of teaching is inconsistent and results in pupils’ variable attainment and progress over time in English and mathematics. The school’s strengths lie in its ambitious leadership and its caring, positive ethos. Schools whose overall effectiveness is judged satisfactory may receive a monitoring visit by an Ofsted inspector before their next Section 5 inspection.

p.4

Key Findings

 All groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, achieve satisfactorily in English and mathematics. Pupils make satisfactory progress from Reception to the end of Year 6. This is a significant improvement on performance in previous years because teaching has improved and systems of tracking and assessment are now securely embedded. These are helping to identify and tackle gaps in learning.

p.4

Key Findings

 The quality of teaching is satisfactory overall, and is improving quickly due to high expectations from senior leaders. An increasing proportion is good. Remaining inconsistencies, due to staff changes and to some weaker teaching over time, still result in variability in classroom practice.

p.4

Key Findings

 Pupils are enthusiastic learners and have positive attitudes to school. They get on well together. A strong family feel permeates the school. Pupils say that they feel safe here and inspection findings corroborate this. Behaviour is good. Pupils’ attendance is improving and is broadly average. The school works systematically to promote regular attendance. However, some parents and carers are still to be convinced of its importance in relation to their children’s successful education.

p.4

Key Findings

 Senior leaders are a strong catalyst for continued improvement. Leaders at all levels, including the governing body, know the school’s strengths and priorities well. Monitoring systems are rigorous. The strong leadership and management of teaching and learning and the management of performance are increasingly accelerating outcomes for pupils. This is minimising the impact of staffing changes wherever possible. Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 5 of 12

p.4

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to consistently good and better and so raise attainment and accelerate pupils’ progress in English and mathematics by July 2013 by: - planning activities that provide exactly the right level of challenge to meet the needs of all pupils - developing pupils’ confidence in applying their phonic knowledge when they read - ensuring that pupils start work quickly when they move to independent tasks.

p.5

What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise levels of attendance to above average by: - developing further initiatives to encourage parents and carers to send their children to school regularly.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Pupils achieve satisfactorily, are increasingly mature and say they enjoy lessons. They listen carefully to instructions, but sometimes do not start working fast enough when they split into groups or during independent activities. This restricts how much work they complete in some lessons.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Pupils’ achievement is accelerating. From their below-expected starting points in Reception, pupils currently make similar progress to all pupils nationally in English and mathematics. This is a significant improvement on previous years and has been brought about by securely improving teaching and rigorous monitoring that identifies pupils’ slower progress and ensures effective support is given. In 2011, achievement was below average and floor standards were not reached. This was due to the changing nature of the cohort, and a succession of staffing issues which have since been resolved. The proportion of children achieving a good level of development by the end of Reception is increasing, although it is still below the national average. Children in Reception are eager to take part in activities and enjoy all aspects of their learning. Boys and girls concentrate well and try hard as they develop their reading, writing and number skills within different curriculum areas, both

p.5

Achievement of pupils

inside and outdoors. Across the school, pupils take their learning seriously. For instance, pupils from Reception to Year 4 make sure they practise their ‘Learn It’s’ each week which help them to assimilate key number facts. These are helping to plug gaps in their learning, a legacy of previous underachievement, by breaking down calculations.

p.5

Achievement of pupils

Lessons seen and pupils’ work show that pupils’ in-year progress is currently accelerating well. Attainment by the end of Year 2 in reading is broadly average. Similarly, by the time pupils leave school in Year 6, their reading skills are usually broadly average, although the circumstances of last year’s cohort resulted in below average reading skills. Older pupils are generally confident readers who enjoy books. Pupils in Years 1 and 2 understand the basic principles behind breaking words down into their individual sounds and then blending these together to form a word. However, when reading, they do not always automatically apply these skills. Instead, they guess words or rely too heavily on picture clues. Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 6 of 12

p.5

Achievement of pupils

In recent years pupils’ attainment by the end of Year 6 in reading, writing and mathematics has been below average. However, attainment is rising quickly and securely across the school and currently almost all pupils in Year 6 have already reached age-related expectations and their attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is broadly average. Pupils who are disabled and those with special educational needs make satisfactory progress, as do boys and girls. Pupils’ current work and school data show that pupils are attaining skills much closer to those expected for their ages. Gaps in performance are narrowing in relation to that of pupils nationally.

p.6

Achievement of pupils

Most parents and carers who returned the inspection questionnaire say that their children make good progress, commenting, ‘My child has thrived at this school.’ Inspection findings show that, although improving, pupils’ learning is inconsistent over time, so progress and achievement are satisfactory.

p.6

Quality of teaching

In the best lessons, teachers’ pacey introductions engage pupils wholly in their learning. There is close attention to helping pupils to build on prior learning, by checking previous work. Teachers encourage whole classes to evaluate together the strengths and weaknesses of different pieces of each other’s work. This develops pupils’ evaluation skills. Although the most effective lessons move forward rapidly, teachers are skilled in allowing pupils enough time to think about a problem and then respond. In a mathematics lesson, one pupil said that, ‘We read questions carefully so that we know what calculation we need to do next.’ Teachers and teaching assistants promote resilience within all pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, so that they persevere well with tasks. All adults focus on teaching secure reading skills from Reception onwards, making effective use

p.6

Quality of teaching

of new phonics (letters and sounds) resources and encouraging parents and carers to support children’s reading at home .

p.6

Quality of teaching

Teachers collate assessment data and analyse precisely the progress made by pupils in their class. They use this information to help plan future work. Although this is improving, there are still occasions where the match of work to the ability of individual pupils is not sufficiently accurate. This results in some pupils wasting time on tasks which are too easy, while others struggle too long to understand what is required. Some lessons lack impact because teachers do not refocus pupils quickly enough when they do not make a prompt start on their activities. There is good support for disabled pupils and those with special educational needs. Teachers and skilled teaching assistants work well together to ensure that these pupils receive an effective range of support in lessons.

p.6

Quality of teaching

Teachers’ marking improves pupils’ understanding of what they are doing well and how they could improve. Pupils like the ‘star and a step’ system. They regularly revisit work completed to check for teachers’ guidance and to make corrections.’ Most parents and carers say that their children are taught well. Most pupils agree that teaching is good and they learn a lot in lessons. Inspection findings show that these views are too positive and that teaching is satisfactory.

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils

The school hums with purposeful activity. It is a happy place and pupils and their parents and carers confirm this. Staff manage pupils’ behaviour well and consistently implement agreed behaviour management routines. The majority of pupils confirm that behaviour is Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 7 of 12

p.6

Behaviour and safety of pupils

good in lessons and around school. Pupils are considerate to each other and there are few instances of homophobic bullying, name-calling or racism. School records and its own surveys show that the school is calm and orderly. Pupils carry out responsibilities conscientiously, including when they support the learning of others. Older pupils act as ‘reading buddies’ for younger pupils who are proud to show off their new skills. Pupils remark that ‘no-one ever leaves you out and people notice if you’re upset’. People are kind here. Pupils know very well how to keep themselves safe. They are clear about how important it is to use the internet carefully as well as other new technologies.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Attendance is average and is rising. There are secure procedures to support those pupils’ whose attendance is low. However, current systems are not sufficiently innovative to encourage all parents and carers to strive for 100% attendance for their children.

p.7

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Most parents and carers who returned the inspection questionnaire confirm that the school takes good care of their children. They confirm that behaviour is of a good standard and inspection evidence reflects these positive views.

p.7

Leadership and management

The headteacher leads the school well. She sets an unequivocal agenda for improving pupils’ achievement. She has made best use of all the support forthcoming from the local authority and other lead professionals to hone her leadership skills rapidly and move the school forward at a fast rate from a previous position of underperformance. Strong appointments mean that the senior leaders are highly effective and constantly review the school’s priorities. Since taking up their roles in 2009 the senior leaders have worked effectively to develop and embed high expectations and monitoring systems that have led to improved teaching and achievement. They set challenging expectations of pupils’ progress. Half-termly analyses of accurate assessment information ensure that dips in performance are now quickly tackled. The performance of all groups of pupils is monitored assiduously and shows that improving progress is secure. There is no discriminatory practice and staff

p.7

Leadership and management

ensure equality of opportunity for pupils regardless of background or need.

p.7

Leadership and management

Professional development opportunities enable all adults to improve their skills so that the quality of teaching is improving rapidly. The efficient management of teachers’ performance ensures that targets are sufficiently robust to sustain this fast pace of improvement. Improved and highly-focused leadership and governance that is well-embedded, coupled with achievement that has risen significantly from a previous picture of weak performance, are key factors in the school’s good capacity for further improvement. The impact of the governing body has strengthened this year as a result of knowledge and expertise gained from training and increasingly open and frank dialogue on the performance of the school with senior leaders. The governing body provides senior leaders with equal measures of support and challenge. It plays a key role in evaluating the school’s performance and in setting strategic direction. The school meets requirements with regard

p.7

Leadership and management

to safeguarding. The strong focus on safety within the curriculum ensures that pupils are helped to stay safe both in school and in other spheres of their lives outside school.

p.7

Leadership and management

The rich curriculum has been developed well over the past two years and is now having a significant impact on pupils’ progress and engages them in their learning. It has a strong and effective focus on developing pupils’ basic skills of literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) across all subjects. Pupils say that they relish these Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 8 of 12

p.7

Leadership and management

opportunities. The curriculum engages pupils well in their learning and involves them in a wide range of research. Daily opportunities and planned activities nourish pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness. Parents and carers appreciate this element of the school’s work, saying, ‘The school’s values and ethos help the children to develop their characters and be caring and sharing young people.’ Children learn and develop well in the Early Years Foundation Stage because they engage in a range of exciting activities including ‘forest school’ which provide regular opportunities for learning through the exploration of nature.

p.8

Leadership and management

The school works hard to establish positive communication between home and school. A large majority of parents and carers confirm that the school keeps them well informed, although a few would welcome improved levels of communication. Inspection findings show that the school communicates effectively with parents and carers. Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 9 of 12

p.8

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.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see ).

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

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.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

p.9

Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add up exactly to 100. Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 10 of 12

p.9

Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school's efforts to encourage good attendance.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils' punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

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

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

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.

p.10

Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils' freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning. Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 11 of 12

p.10

to share with their children. It describes Ofsted's main

findings from the inspection of their school.

p.11

Primary School, York, YO26 4YZ

Thank you for your friendly welcome when I inspected your school. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent with you in lessons and the more detailed discussions I had with some of you. It was interesting to hear some of you read and to see how much you enjoyed your new phonics reading books! Thanks too, to all of you who filled in a questionnaire. Most of you, and your parents and carers told me that you feel safe in school and I saw this too.

p.11

Primary School, York, YO26 4YZ

I judge that St Barnabas is giving you a satisfactory education. You reach broadly average attainment in English and mathematics. Your teachers help you to learn at least satisfactorily and the progress you make in many lessons is improving rapidly. You behave well and you follow the rules. You are usually very kind to each other.

p.11

Primary School, York, YO26 4YZ

I have asked your school to help you to make faster progress so that you reach higher standards in English and mathematics. I have also asked your teachers to make sure that the lessons they prepare help all of you, whatever your needs, to learn as well as possible. I would like all of you to settle down to work as quickly as possible when you go off to independent activities. I would also like you to try, when reading, to remember all that you have learned in phonics and to use blending, for example, to build up words rather than just guessing, which some pupils are still doing. The adults are also going to work even harder to make sure that your parents and carers send you to school every day so you do not miss any important work. You can help with all of this by listening carefully, practising your phonics work and reminding your parents and carers to send you to school every day the school is open.

p.11

Primary School, York, YO26 4YZ

I send you all my very best wishes for the future.

p.11

Primary School, York, YO26 4YZ

Jane Hughes Lead Inspector Inspection report: Saint Barnabas Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, 2–3 May 2012 12 of 12

p.11

Primary School, York, YO26 4YZ

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 .

p.12