Barrington CofE VC Primary School

Barrington CofE VC Primary School Haslingfield Road, Barrington, Cambridge, CB22 7RG

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Achievement for all groups of pupils is good. Pupils make good progress throughout the school. When they leave Year 6, their attainment is above average in English and mathematics.  Teaching is consistently good and sometimes outstanding in English. The highly effective teaching of phonics enables pupils of all abilities to develop particularly good reading skills. Teachers also boost progress in writing by providing pupils with many interesting opportunities to write in different styles across a range of subjects.  Systems for evaluating learning are rigorous and used well by teachers to guide planning. All staff know how well their pupils are doing and respond promptly to their differing needs.  Pupils have good attitudes to learning. They behave well, are proud of their school and keen to take on responsibilities. They enjoy coming to school and attendance is high.  Strong leadership by the headteacher and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

governing body has brought about significant improvement since the previous inspection.  Teaching is monitored rigorously. The staff team are held to account for pupil progress. Targets and on-going training to strengthen teachers’ performance are closely linked to school priorities. Consequently, teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved over a sustained period.  The school is highly valued by parents and carers who express positive views about the school, and a desire to be more involved in their children’s learning at home.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teaching is not yet strong enough to promote outstanding progress in all key subjects. In some mathematics lessons, not enough time is provided for pupils to work independently and there are insufficient opportunities to apply numeracy skills across all subjects.  There are not enough opportunities provided to help parents and carers to contribute to their children’s learning outside of school.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed seven lessons or part-lessons, taught by five different teachers, including four joint observations with the headteacher.  The inspector spoke formally with one group of pupils and informally with others during work and play.  Meetings were held with four members of the governing body, a local authority officer, the headteacher and subject and phase leaders.  The inspector visited an assembly, listened to children read and discussed the work they have been doing in class.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation including that related to school improvement planning, safeguarding, and the recording of pupils’ progress, pupils’ work and the school’s self-evaluation.  The inspector took account of the 14 returns of the online questionnaire (Parent View) in planning the inspection and spoke informally with parents and carers.

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Inspection team

Susan Thomas-Pounce, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average-sized primary school. Pupils are taught in four mixed-age classes.  Most pupils are of White British heritage and no pupil is at the early stages of learning English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium is below the national average.  The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported at school action, at school action plus or who have a statement of special educational needs are above average.  Cohorts are often very small. In the past, a significant number of pupils entered and left the school at different times in both Key Stage 1. Recently pupil numbers have remained more stable.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which determine the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the amount of outstanding teaching to accelerate further improvement especially in mathematics by:  ensuring pupils regularly apply and reinforce their numeracy skills across all subjects  providing sufficient opportunities for pupils to work independently and follow their own lines of enquiry.  Increase opportunities for parents and carers to become involved in and support their children’s learning at home.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with a range of skills that are typical for their age, especially in personal and social development. However, this varies from year to year due to the small size of year groups.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Recently, attainment has exceeded that normally expected of five-year-olds. Most children in the Early Years Foundation Stage now make good progress, reflecting the upward trend in the performance of the school as a whole.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Good induction procedures help the children to settle quickly. Children play together well and are well behaved. A strong focus on learning letters and sounds (phonics) and developing basic writing and mathematical skills ensure they make good progress and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Levels of attainment at the end of each key stage vary considerably due to the different characteristics of each small year group, but are generally above average. Recent initiatives have been successful in accelerating progress, which is securely good and improving. Pupils who join the school at different times also achieve well in relation to their starting points.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Although achievement in mathematics is good overall, there is some variability in the progress made because pupils are often given too much information, inhibiting them from finding things out for themselves.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The effectively planned and implemented phonics programme continues throughout Years 1 and 2. Consequently, pupils of all abilities make good progress in reading and their attainment is securely above average by the end of Year 2 and Year 6. Discussions with pupils, work scrutiny and displays around the school indicate that pupils make good use of their skills, reading for pleasure and researching topics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Boys and girls, and those entitled to benefit from additional funding through the pupil premium, make similar progress to most other pupils. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, also make good progress as a result of the careful identification of their particular needs, well-focused tasks and good in-class support. The progress of more-able pupils is accelerating and is similarly good.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enjoy their learning and respond well in lessons. Pupils who find learning difficult are increasingly able to work independently on appropriately challenging tasks.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Most parents and carers feel their children are achieving well and have a good understanding of how they are progressing.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is regularly good and sometimes outstanding. This reflects the positive views of pupils, parents and carers and the good progress made by all groups across the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers use their good subject knowledge to provide pupils with clear and helpful explanations that encourage them to learn. The quality of marking is good and assessment is regular and accurate. Consequently, pupils know their target, how well they are doing and how to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the best lessons, teachers have high expectations of pupils’ learning and, in their planning, ensure that pupils of all abilities are given activities that embody both support and challenge and, as such, add to the progress that pupils make.

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The quality of teaching is good

 All teachers make the learning that is expected clear to pupils and develop pupils’ personal skills well through work in pairs or groups. In the best lessons, there are opportunities for pupils to share and compare each other’s work and discuss how to improve it.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In most lessons, additional staff provide good support for individuals or groups. They know exactly what these pupils need to learn and are clear about their roles.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Although teachers plan lessons to include a range of activities, they don’t always ensure there is sufficient time for pupils to work independently so that they can follow their own lines of enquiry. This is more noticeable in mathematics lessons. Teachers’ planning accommodates pupils’ interests, giving their learning added relevance.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Literacy activities are given high priority. These include guided reading, handwriting sessions, daily phonics for younger pupils and spelling for older pupils. The thematic approach enables pupils to apply their literacy skills in a range of other subjects. Pupils have good opportunities to produce extended pieces of writing and write for different purposes and audiences.

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The quality of teaching is good

 There are insufficient planned opportunities taking place for the application of numeracy skills.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In classrooms and around the school site, pupils get on well together and behave well. There is a culture of respect and pupils trust staff to listen to their concerns and worries, knowing that action will be taken if necessary.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils show good attitudes to learning, are engaged and show good levels of concentration in lessons. Learning takes place in an ordered and purposeful environment, where pupils enjoy working independently or collaboratively in pairs or groups.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils report that bullying is rare and that, if it occurs, is tackled effectively by the teachers. The school’s behaviour records confirm this. Pupils are very aware of different types of bullying, including cyber-bullying. They know what to do and who to speak to if they have any worries.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Strategies to encourage children to attend school regularly are effective and pupil attendance is consistently high.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they feel extremely safe in school. School records indicate that there have been no exclusions for a significant period of time.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, ably supported by the governing body, knows the school very well and has developed a whole-school approach to making decisions. She is determined to continue to drive improvement, which has been incremental and sustained since she took up post.

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The leadership and management are good

 There are good systems in place to monitor pupils’ progress and for evaluating key aspects of the school’s work. Consequently, subject and phase leaders have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas that need improving. School self-evaluation is accurate.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders quality assure the school’ work well through the checking of pupils’ work in their books, evaluation of curriculum planning and seeking view of parents, carers and other stakeholders. This provides secure evidence for setting future priorities. A good example is the shortfall that the school found in information supporting parents and carers wishing to help with their children’s learning at home.

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The leadership and management are good

 All staff are very receptive to training and other initiatives to improve their practice. The programme of lesson observations has given school leaders an accurate view of the quality of teaching and this, matched with a good level of support, has consolidated the good practice in classrooms. Success is evident in the improvements in performance across the school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school provides many opportunities for pupils from a range of backgrounds to work closely together and, as a result, makes a good contribution to developing a cohesive community. In addition, monitoring of the performance of different groups, including those who benefit from the pupil premium funding, ensures that they get the help they need and reflects the school’s commitment to promoting equality of opportunity. The school ensures that discrimination in any form is not tolerated.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is good because it has been strengthened by developing stronger and more purposeful links between subjects. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is good and is reflected in the school’s atmosphere of tolerance and harmony. It is carefully woven through all subjects and other aspects of the school’s work.

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The leadership and management are good

 There is no evidence of prejudice-based incidents or other forms of bullying. Safeguarding procedures are reliable and robust.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority supported the school very effectively in the early days of the current headteacher’s appointment. This good school is now, appropriately, in receipt of light-touch monitoring and support.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  ensures all statutory duties are met including those related to safeguarding.  makes good use of the full range of information on the school’s performance enabling them to make a significant contribution to the school’s strategic planning.  works with the staff of the school to ensure that central to their work is the well-being of all pupils and the raising of achievement and standards.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 110781 Local authority Cambridgeshire Inspection number 401154

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

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 107 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Malcolm Price Headteacher Francesca Catterson Date of previous school inspection 14 October 2009 Telephone number 01223 712273 Fax number 01223 712273 Email address head@barrington.cambs.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

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 and as part of the inspection.

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School details

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

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School details

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. 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,

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School details

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’.

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School details

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

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