St Barnabas CofE Primary School

St Barnabas CofE Primary School Green Lane, Worcester, WR3 8NZ

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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.  Since the last inspection the school has improved the quality of teaching which is now good.  Teaching in the Reception classes is good and enables children to make a good start in their learning.  Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics, often from low starting points.  Good systems are in place to track the progress of all groups of pupils.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because their needs are understood and they are well supported.  Because teachers encourage pupils to have a curiosity in the world around them, their attitudes to learning are good.  Pupils behave well and feel safe in lessons and around school.  Relationships between staff and pupils are good.  School leaders do a good job in raising the quality of teaching and in ensuring good progress.  Governors know the school well and effectively hold the school’s leaders to

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The quality of teaching, although generally good, is occasionally less skilful. Sometimes, teachers do not always ensure that all pupils play an active part in their learning.  There are inconsistencies in the way a few teachers help pupils to link sounds and letters to improve their spelling skills.  Teachers’ questioning does not always challenge more-able pupils.  Some leaders have not yet had sufficient opportunity to provide effective monitoring and support to their colleagues.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. Each class was observed at least once. In all, 19 lessons were observed.  Inspectors had discussions with the Chair of the Governing Body, a representative from the local authority, the head teacher, all teaching staff, some teaching assistants and various groups of pupils.  Inspectors looked at a range of documentary evidence including the school’s tracking of pupils’ progress, documents relating to safeguarding and special educational needs, and the school’s self-evaluation.  Pupils’ written work from the previous school year was scrutinised.  Inspectors took into account the views of 15 parents and carers as recorded on Ofsted’s Parent View online survey.

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Inspection team

Roisin Chambers, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Janet Bird Additional Inspector John Croghan Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than average.  The proportion of pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and for whom the school receives additional income (the pupil premium) is average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching and increase the level of pupil engagement by ensuring that: - in all lessons all pupils play an active part in learning activities - there is greater consistency in teachers’ questioning skills so that more-able pupils are challenged in their thinking in the few lessons where this is not currently the case - there is more consistency in the way teachers help pupils to improve their spelling skills.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Develop the role of leaders, especially those of the different phases, by: - creating further opportunities for them to observe teachers so that they can identify aspects of classroom practice that need improvement enabling them to provide staff with the necessary support and training as quickly as possible.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils join Reception with skills, knowledge and abilities that are below, or well below those expected for their age. During their time in Reception they make good progress and achieve well, so that by the time they join Year 1 they are just slightly below average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 At both key stages and in all subjects attainment is average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in English and mathematics. Almost all pupils reach or exceed the nationally expected standard in these subjects by the end of Year 6. Achievement in reading is particularly good and achievement in mathematics is improving rapidly. Achievement in writing, although improving, is not quite as good, because of inconsistencies in the teaching of letters and the sounds they make.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make good progress in most lessons. They are curious about the world about them and curious about themselves as learners and so are keen to practise new skills and solve problems.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In a few lessons, pupils do not get as involved in activities as they could and teachers do not act promptly enough to re-engage them in their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make particularly good progress and achieve close to the national average. In lessons, these pupils benefit from specific teacher questioning and very effective support from teaching assistants.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils for whom the school receives additional funding achieve as well as their peers. The school’s good tracking system and regular reviews of pupil progress ensure that lack of progress is spotted and quickly addressed.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The most-able pupils make good progress in all subjects but are not always provided with activities that are demanding enough.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection. A small proportion of the teaching observed during the inspection required improvement. Staff are keen to improve their practice and share the good and outstanding practice within the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage there is a good balance of indoor and outdoor learning activities led by adults and chosen by children themselves. All opportunities for children to develop their curiosity in the world around them and apply their learning are used to good effect. For example, when children found an ant, they were immediately encouraged to count the legs.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Reading is taught well. For younger pupils there is an appropriate emphasis on teaching the sounds that letters make and this has enabled the vast majority of pupils to read fluently.

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The quality of teaching is good

 By the time pupils are in Years 5 and 6 reading has become a pleasure and many are keen to discuss their current choice. As one Year 6 boy proudly said, ‘I’m reading George Orwell’s 1984’. Most teachers are good at helping older pupils to link letters to the sound they make, and this supports accurate spelling and confident writing. However, a few teachers are less skilful in this.  Teachers frequently plan together. Planning is detailed and imaginative, providing good opportunities for pupils to work both independently and collaboratively. Pupils’ learning logs show records of visits, design challenges, science challenges and book reviews.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The thoughtful organisation of group work is a feature of all lessons. In most lessons the majority of pupils are actively engaged but occasionally teachers do not ensure that all pupils work hard throughout the lesson.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In lessons where teaching is good or better, questioning is well used to challenge pupils in their thinking and move them to the next level of learning. In a few lessons, questioning is not consistently skilful enough to provide a good level of challenge to more-able pupils.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is good. Senior leaders regularly check that marking is providing pupils with good advice and guidance. Pupils know their targets and use teachers’ comments well to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. Teaching assistants are skilful in their use of questions to help pupils understand and to check for misunderstanding. They are deployed effectively by teachers to provide support where it is needed.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to succeed. They respond enthusiastically to their teachers and collaborate well with each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Almost all pupils know their targets and say they like having them ‘because they make you think.’ Older pupils are quick to refer to their targets and use them well to improve.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 In lessons and around the school pupils behave well. They are courteous and helpful. In whole school assemblies or rehearsals their behaviour is exemplary.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Bullying is extremely rare and promptly dealt with by staff. A few parents and carers expressed concern about the way the school deals with bullying, but these views were not supported by the views of pupils, staff or governors.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school curriculum provides pupils with a good range of opportunities to learn about the risks associated with the internet, smoking and alcohol.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s emphasis on spiritual, moral, social and cultural development has successfully promoted the values of tolerance and respect and this is evident in the way in which pupils care for and help each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The punctuality of pupils is good and attendance is average.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has improved since the last inspection. The headteacher, senior leaders and staff have tackled issues identified in the previous inspection report effectively.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leadership responsibilities are distributed more effectively than before and there is a strong team ethos.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has in place good systems for tracking pupil progress and routine pupil progress meetings are convened so that teachers are held to account for the progress of children in their class.

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The leadership and management are good

 The performance management of teachers is well embedded and links clearly to school priorities and to raising pupil progress.

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The leadership and management are good

 Thorough self-evaluation has given senior leaders a good understanding of what the school needs to do to improve and detailed action plans are in place to address school priorities. As a result, pupil progress has accelerated and there is little difference in the achievement of different groups. The school successfully narrows identified achievement gaps and thus promoting equality of opportunity and tackling discrimination well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The role of the phase leaders has recently been changed to give them greater influence in improving classroom practice. However, there are not yet enough opportunities for them to use all their skills to further improve teaching.

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The leadership and management are good

 As a result of improvements within the school, the local authority’s involvement has been reduced. The leadership team has benefitted from, and valued, the good support provided by the local authority.

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The leadership and management are good

 The safeguarding of pupils meets requirements. The school carries out the necessary checks on staff to ensure that they are suitable to work with children and all staff have received the appropriate level of training. Staff are vigilant and provide a high level of care for the children. Parents and carers are confident that the school keeps their children safe.

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The leadership and management are good

 Provision for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. It is well managed and good links with agencies are maintained. Pupils’ needs and progress are reviewed regularly and the work of teaching assistants is well planned and co-ordinated.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Instrumental in this are strong links with the church, a good range of extra-curricular activities including visits to non-Christian places of worship, and international links. Within the school there are many opportunities for pupils to undertake additional responsibility and to engage in sporting, artistic and musical events.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  is good. The governing body is well led and managed. It provides good support and realistic challenge for school leaders. The members have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school and are highly committed to helping the school continue to improve.

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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

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Grade Judgement Description

school 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 116858 Local authority Worcestershire Inspection number 401625

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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 408 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Robert Morrison Headteacher Angela Deakin Date of previous school inspection 23 July 2010 Telephone number 01905 22766 Fax number 01905 619828 Email address head@st-barnabas-primary.worcs.sch.uk the 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, please

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School details

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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