Barwick and Stoford Community Primary School

P R O T E C T – I N S P E C T I O N School report

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Barwick and Stoford Community Primary School South View, Barwick, Yeovil, BA11 9TH

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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.  Pupils are achieving well. Their attainment is rising as a result of rapid progress since the last inspection. This is because teaching focuses precisely on meeting the needs of pupils.  Teaching is good across the school with some outstanding elements, such as the way teachers question pupils carefully to develop their understanding.  Attainment in reading is good because reading skills are taught systematically and thoroughly. Pupils are developing a love of literature as well as the essential skills to handle a range of texts.  Good behaviour ensures that pupils learn well in lessons. The school provides a caring and supportive environment that helps pupils to feel very safe.  The leadership and management of the school, including governance, are good. The very effective headteacher has motivated the staff team to continue developing ways to improve their practice.  Robust checking of the quality of teaching

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

followed by good support and training for staff has helped to improve pupils’ learning.  New technology is used effectively to enhance pupils’ learning across a range of subjects.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Teachers do not always give pupils the precise steps they need to be successful in lessons and sometimes pupils are not given enough opportunities to write at length.  The targets and milestones in the school’s improvement plans are not sharp enough for leaders and managers to judge how successful they have been.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector observed teaching in six lessons, of which two were joint observations with the headteacher. In addition, the inspector made a number of short visits to lessons.  Meetings were held with pupils, the governors, the headteacher, and the school’s senior staff. In addition the lead inspector spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspector took account of the 21 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View) as well as consulting informally with parents before school.  She observed the school’s work, and looked at a range of documents including the school’s improvement plans, data on pupils’ current progress, minutes of governing body meetings, and records relating to special educational needs, behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.  The inspector heard pupils read, talked to them in lessons and evaluated samples of their work.

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Inspection team

Sandra Woodman, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is much smaller than the average primary school, organised in three classes.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding, which provides additional funding for children in local authority care, pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those from service families, is above average.  There are no children in local authority care on the school roll; a very small proportion of pupils are from service families.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs supported at school action is above average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below the national average.  The very large majority of pupils are White British.  The school does not have any specialist or alternative provision.  Since the last inspection there has been a change in the leadership. The new headteacher took

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Information about this school

up her substantive post in September 2011.  The school is a member of the Yeovil Federation of Schools.  The school meets the current floor standards which set the government’s minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise the proportion of outstanding teaching by:  ensuring that teachers always provide pupils with the precise steps they need to produce their best work in lessons  increasing the opportunities for pupils to write at length so that they strengthen their writing skills.  Improve the effectiveness of the school’s improvement planning by:  making targets for improvement sharper, and milestones clearer, so that they provide leaders and managers with clearer evidence on which to monitor progress, and base their judgements of the success of actions.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Children join the school in the Reception class with skills broadly in line with those expected for their age. They make good progress across all aspects of their learning, especially in phonics (letters and the sounds that they make).  Since the last inspection, attainment has risen in both key stages. In 2012 almost all Year 6 pupils attained above the national averages in all subjects. This is because progress has accelerated, most notably in reading and mathematics and is good for all groups of pupils in the school. On occasions pupils are not given enough opportunities to write at length and strengthen their writing skills to ensure faster progress.  Progress is more rapid as pupils’ work is matched more precisely to their needs. Pupils are enjoying the higher levels of thinking demanded of them because, they say, they find the learning activities interesting. As one pupil said, ‘Sometimes it’s so much fun you don’t realise

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The achievement of pupils is good

you’re learning’. However, on occasions pupils are not given the precise steps needed to help them produce their best work in lessons, and their concentration diminishes as a result.  The robust system for checking progress during the year ensures that any pupil who falls behind is identified quickly and then helped to catch up. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are well supported and are making good progress in line with their classmates.  The attainment of all groups of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding at the end of Key Stage 2 is in line with other pupils in both English and mathematics.  The school is committed to ensuring that all pupils have equal opportunities to succeed. Consequently, the pupil premium funding is used to provide more tailored support for pupils, and this is helping to narrow the gaps in achievement.  Reading is taught systematically throughout the school, and as a result pupils are making rapid

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The achievement of pupils is good

gains in their skills of comprehension and appreciation of texts. The precise grouping of younger pupils to ensure they develop their phonic skills has proved successful, as demonstrated in the school’s well-above-average performance in the Year 1 screening check for phonics. Pupils use the new technology effectively to explore the writing of new authors, and their learning is enriched through experiencing a variety of different literary styles.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is consistently good with some that is outstanding. The profile has improved since the last inspection due to the implementation of extensive checks on the work of teachers with a sharper focus on the progress pupils are making.  Better use of assessment information is ensuring that teachers match pupils’ work more closely to their needs, and build on prior learning. Feedback makes clear to pupils what they are learning but is not always precise enough to give pupils the steps for success that they need to ensure they produce their best work in lessons.  Teachers are very skilled in matching their level of questioning to challenge pupils through extending their thinking and developing their understanding. For example, in one effective lesson, Reception children were exploring symmetry with reflections in mirrors. The probing questioning of the teacher enabled them to discover refraction, much to the children’s delight

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The quality of teaching is good

and wonderment.  Marking and feedback provide pupils with clear information on how well they are doing and how they can improve their work. The school has recently introduced personal targets for pupils in writing and mathematics, though sometimes there are insufficient opportunities for pupils to strengthen their skills in writing at length; consequently they do not always meet their writing targets as quickly as they could.  Technology is used imaginatively to enhance pupils’ learning, especially in reading and mathematics. For example in one well-planned mathematics lesson in Key Stage 2, the teacher showed pupils how to create models on the computer. As a result, pupils were able to extend their understanding of ratio through developing skills in enlarging the models proportionately.  Pupil premium funding has been used effectively to provide additional small-group teaching that focuses on developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding, especially in mathematics. As a

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The quality of teaching is good

result gaps in achievement are narrowing. Teaching assistants give good support to disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who need additional input in specific areas, or help with their social or emotional development.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

 Typically pupils behave well in and around the school. They are friendly and courteous, and are considerate of each other. They pay attention in lessons and are keen to succeed. Behaviour is not yet outstanding because occasionally pupils are not clear about how to be successful in lessons and then concentration dips.  Pupils, their parents, and the staff are positive about standards of behaviour. Pupils report that bullying is rare but where there are any concerns, they say that the adults sort it out effectively. They have a clear understanding about the forms that bullying can take, such as cyber-bullying and the bullying of people with disabilities, but they are adamant that no discrimination is tolerated at their school.  Pupils report that they feel very safe in school because the adults take good care of them and treat them kindly. Pupils have been given a good range of strategies for keeping themselves

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The behaviour and safety of pupils is good

safe. Warm relationships between adults and pupils ensure that the school has a harmonious environment.  Behaviour is managed skilfully by staff so that any disruption in lessons is uncommon. Pupils respond well to the clear and consistent systems in place to promote good behaviour and address any lapses. Effective support plans are in place for pupils with behavioural or emotional needs so that incidents are infrequent and exclusions are rare.  Pupils attend regularly and arrive punctually to school, and to their lessons. There are good opportunities for pupils to contribute to the life of the school in roles such as councillors, eco- warriors or members of the ‘bullying intervention group’ and they undertake these responsibilities with relish.

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The leadership and management are good

 With good leadership at all levels the pace of improvement has accelerated since the last inspection. The new headteacher has imbued the school community with a renewed sense of ambition and purpose, and morale is high. She has implemented effective strategies for improving teaching and learning with the help of local authority support and through links developed with the local federation of Yeovil schools.  Checks on teaching are frequent and thorough. Staff have been given support and training, which has helped to raise the quality of teaching, especially in mathematics. The introduction of a robust tracking system means that teachers can be held to account more easily, and any slowing in pupils’ progress can be quickly identified and addressed promptly.  Provision for literacy is well led, especially in the way improvements have been made to the teaching of reading, so that progress is strong across the school. The better leadership of special

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The leadership and management are good

educational needs, including for those pupils with behavioural issues, has resulted in effective provision for this group of pupils through the careful matching of support to meet pupils’ individual needs.  Improvements to the curriculum, such as the new topics and the increased use of technology, help to ensure that pupils experience a greater breadth and richness in a range of activities. The way the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong, encouraging pupils to be considerate and responsible members of the school community.  All statutory requirements for safeguarding pupils are met because the school ensures that the arrangements for child protection are up to date and that staff receive regular training.  The school and governing body have benefited from local authority support in providing training activities for staff and governors, and reviews of teaching and the school’s use of data.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  Governors are knowledgeable about the performance of the school because of the high-quality information they are provided with by the school’s leaders. They know the strengths in teaching, and where it needs further development, and they know also how well the pupils are achieving by comparison with the national context. They keep up to date through undergoing their own professional development, to equip them to hold the headteacher to account rigorously through her performance targets, and when discussing reports on progress. They are well informed about the ways in which the performance of the teachers is being managed, and how this is aligned to their pay progression. Increasingly they check the school’s work for themselves, but this is not fully effective, as the improvement plans do not provide sharp enough targets and milestones against which to measure progress. Governors manage the

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The leadership and management are good

budget well in order to secure the best possible provision for pupils, including the use of the pupil premium to ensure that gaps are being closed in achievement.

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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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 123718 Local authority Somerset Inspection number 406186

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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 Community Age range of pupils 4  11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 66 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Malcolm Yesson Headteacher Jo Wardally Date of previous school inspection 24  25 March 2011 Telephone number 01935 476736 Fax number 01935 476736 Email address office@barwickstoford.somerset.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, 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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