Barnfield Primary School

Barnfield Primary School Silkstream Road, London, HA8 0DA

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 This inspection: Outstanding 1 Achievement of pupils Outstanding 1 Quality of teaching Outstanding 1 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Outstanding 1

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is an outstanding school.  Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. Pupils start school needing a lot of support for their learning, but make exceptionally good progress to reach standards which are well above average by the end of Year 6.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage receive very effective help and soon gain confidence in becoming independent, keen learners.  Teaching is outstanding and brings out the best in every pupil. Teachers have high expectations and pupils rise to meet them, tackling demanding activities and challenging questions with determination to succeed.  Pupils from different groups, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs and those who receive additional funding, make excellent progress because their needs are quickly understood and skilled support is put in place.  Pupils’ behaviour, attitudes to learning and respect for each other are outstanding. Pupils

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

are enormously proud of their school and play an active part in contributing to the calm, positive atmosphere.  There is a culture of high aspiration and success for all. Pupils have a rich and stimulating learning experience, inspired by a range of topics and themes which help to motivate them and contribute strongly to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Leadership is outstanding. School leaders are committed to the vision of continuous improvement and all are powerful role models around the school. Staff support for the leadership team has driven up standards across the school.  The governing body is highly effective in supporting and challenging the school to help it become even better.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 25 lessons, three jointly with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They also observed support sessions for pupils at risk of falling behind with their learning.  Inspectors attended three school assemblies and visited the school’s breakfast club.  Inspectors listened to pupils read in class and met with school councillors and other pupils informally at break times. They spoke with a school governor and a representative of the local authority. They also spoke to school staff, including senior and subject leaders.  Inspectors noted the views of 24 parents and carers who responded to the on-line Parent View survey and spoke to parents and carers who were bringing their children to school. They also contacted a parent specifically requesting a telephone call.  The inspection team reviewed the responses to the school’s own, recent staff and parent and carer questionnaires.  Inspectors observed the school’s work and looked at a number of documents, including the

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Information about this inspection

school’s information on pupils’ current progress, planning documents, checks carried out by leaders on the school’s effectiveness, and records relating to behaviour, attendance and safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Aune Turkson-Jones, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Anna Majcher Additional Inspector Jane Richmond Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than most primary schools.  The majority of the pupils are from minority ethnic groups and the proportion who speak English as an additional language is well above average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through 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 proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional government funding provided for looked after children, those known to be eligible for free school meals and pupils with a parent in the armed forces, is well above the national average.  The school has a children’s centre onsite which is used by the local community but was not inspected as part of this inspection.  The breakfast and after-school clubs are managed by the governing body.

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Information about this school

 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?

 Encourage pupils to use their initiative and take more risks in their learning, by creating more opportunities to apply their investigation skills across all subjects.

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

 Pupils make excellent progress through the school. School information and current work indicate that pupils are on track to continue to improve further in both key stages, reaching standards which are above average in 2013. An increasing number of pupils is set to achieve Level 6 in reading and writing as well as in mathematics.  Pupils known to be eligible for free school meals achieve exceptionally well. Overall, pupils eligible for the pupil premium were almost a term ahead of their peers in school in reading, in line with them in writing and slightly ahead in mathematics. When compared with their peers nationally, they are ahead for all subjects. Extra funding is now used very effectively to provide additional teaching staff, smaller classes of pupils with the same ability, and clubs to support additional needs. In addition, it provides free computers so that early barriers to learning are quickly removed. As a consequence, these pupils are moving further ahead of their peers in

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

writing and mathematics.  Pupils’ standard of reading is high and rises quickly to reach above age expectations across the school. Less-able pupils in Year 2 and Year 6 show a secure grasp of the principles of reading. Pupils have exceptionally positive attitudes and high levels of enthusiasm about their enjoyment of reading. They have been instrumental in choosing the new additions to the school library.  Writing standards have greatly improved, supported by a writing club and a regular session of extended writing each week. More boys are reaching higher levels than boys nationally, inspired by trips and a visit from a very well known male author. Pupils write for a range of purposes with competence and confidence, checking their own and each other’s work so that they are constantly improving.  In numeracy, pupils have increasing opportunities to think for themselves when choosing how to solve mathematical problems. They use mathematical language and apply what they already

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The achievement of pupils is outstanding

know across a range of topics, to secure their understanding. This contributes well to raising their achievement; however, using and developing investigation skills further are not yet widespread enough across all years in mathematics and in science and this can hamper pupils’ progress.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive exceptionally good quality support and achieve very well as a result. Additional funding to provide specialised adult support has been highly effective in promoting these pupils’ success.  The achievement of pupils from minority ethnic groups is similar to that of other pupils. Those who speak English as an additional language also make good and better progress because the school identifies their language needs early on and provides suitably skilled language support.

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

 School leaders have placed a strong focus on teaching and learning and this is one of the main reasons why the quality of teaching has improved and is now outstanding.  Teachers set high expectations and the pace of lessons is typically swift, containing a good variety of challenging activities and opportunities for pupils to be involved throughout.  Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are encouraged to be independent and quickly develop high levels of confidence as their communication skills improve and adults engage their interests with a series of enjoyable, purposeful activities both indoors and outside. Early reading and writing skills develop particularly well and provide an excellent basis for their next steps in learning.  Literacy, including reading, and mathematics are taught extremely well, so pupils have lots of opportunities to develop their writing and mathematics skills across different subjects. As one

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

pupil said, ‘Teachers make us work hard, but it’s fun at the same time.’ Teaching is enhanced by the effective use of an excellent range of resources, including new computers in the ICT suite, interactive whiteboards and other digital equipment, which provides variety in the ways pupils learn.  Teachers are very effective in linking activities with learning targets so that pupils understand exactly what is expected of them and how they can achieve greater success. Pupils understand their targets for different subjects and frequently use ‘success criteria’ when reviewing a piece of work. They have the highest motivation to achieve their absolute best.  Teaching assistants make a huge contribution to pupils’ excellent learning and progress. They know their pupils well and are sensitive to their needs, providing the right balance of support at the right time, helping with learning, while promoting pupils’ independence. As a result, they

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The quality of teaching is outstanding

help to ensure that all pupils make the very best progress that they can.  Marking across the school is excellent in all lessons and subjects. The very best examples refer to pupils’ individual targets and offer high quality, helpful feedback so that pupils can reach the highest levels in their work. Pupils read, and increasingly respond to, comments which help them to continue to improve their work.  Homework is set regularly and pupils know exactly what is expected for each night of the week. They are happy with the amount and the level of their homework and see how it helps them to continue to achieve their very best and consolidate what they have learned in lessons.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Pupils have exceptionally positive attitudes to learning. They manage their own behaviour very well and play a very active part in maintaining the positive, friendly atmosphere in their school.  The vast majority of parents, carers, and staff agree that pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school is excellent. Pupils’ attendance levels are rising, and with the help of the pastoral manager and incentives like attendance awards and certificates presented in assemblies, have reached above average levels.  School councillors represent pupils well and act as positive role models for others in the school. Older pupils are trained mediators and together with the ‘playground squad’ are highly successful in helping others, tackling problems with enthusiasm and a sense of maturity.  All Year 6 pupils are trained in restorative justice, so that they know how to resolve their own and others’ conflicts effectively.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 Bullying is rare and dealt with effectively when it occurs. Pupils understand risk, particularly as they are involved in a high number of visits, and as junior road safety officers know how to stay safe outside school. They are highly aware of different types of bullying and how to keep themselves safe, especially on the internet. Racist incidents are rare and discrimination in any form is not tolerated.  Pupils are very proud of their school and all speak positively about how much they enjoy and value being a part of it. They wear the uniform and school tie, which they requested, with a great sense of personal pride.  Pupils say that they feel very safe in school. If they have any concerns, they say that there are several adults who they can turn to for help and the ‘worry box’ and specific lunchtime clubs provide excellent care and support.

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The leadership and management are outstanding

 School leaders have been highly successful in continuing to improve the school, so that all aspects of its work are now outstanding. They work together with a clear vision and commitment to continuous improvement. Their high expectations are reflected throughout the school.  Leadership roles have evolved and strengthened and new roles created to retain talented teachers and drive key improvements identified in the school’s development plan. Staff responses were resoundingly positive in praising the leadership team.  The school reviews all aspects of its work thoroughly and acts quickly to address any gaps so that the pace of improvements remains rapid. School development plans are realistic and sharply focused. Plans to raise standards are linked to close checks on the quality of teaching, learning and progress, and these are shared by all leaders and staff at every level in the school. Excellent training and the highly effective retention of talented newly qualified teaching staff in

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The leadership and management are outstanding

recent years have led to consistent improvements across the school.  Leaders make sure that teachers’ pay and performance link directly to whole-school priorities and pupils’ progress. This has helped to improve the quality of teaching so that the majority is now outstanding.  Equal opportunities are rigorously promoted and no pupil is denied access to anything the school has to offer. All pupils benefit from a wide range of exciting trips and visits which bring their learning experiences to life, and Years 4 and 6 pupils spend a week away at different outdoor education centres in Kent and Hertfordshire.  The local authority has an established partnership with the school and offers support when it is requested by the school. In recognition of the school’s performance, this has more recently been at a light touch level.  The governance of the school:  Governors are highly skilled and they have developed their capacity to be more challenging of

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The leadership and management are outstanding

school leaders in the pursuit of raising standards. They have an excellent understanding of information on pupils’ progress, and use the very latest available to make comparisons with other schools. Governors are committed to enhancing their own skills and focused training is integral to their continued development. They make regular visits to check directly on key areas of the school’s work and governor open days provide them with essential insights into the daily running of the school. They also ensure that financial resources are efficiently managed including pupil premium funding, the creation of additional booster classes and how this impacts on pupils’ achievement. Governors see that targets to improve the performance of staff are reviewed carefully and that teachers’ pay is linked to how well pupils are doing. They check that the breakfast club is well run and that safeguarding meets requirements.

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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 101258 Local authority Barnet Inspection number 413283

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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 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 533 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Allan Turner Headteacher Paul Wiggins Date of previous school inspection 22 May 2007 Telephone number 0208 9526026 Fax number 0208 9514117 Email address head@barnfield.barnetmail.net 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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