Barry Primary School

Barry Primary School Barry Road, Northampton NN1 5JS

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Overall effectiveness Good

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Requires improvement

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This is a good school

 The headteacher and governing body provide effective leadership and are determined that the school will continue to improve.  Leaders have improved the provision for pupils significantly since the last inspection. As a result, pupils now make strong progress and most pupils are on track to reach the standards expected for their age.  Senior leaders monitor teaching and pupils’ progress rigorously and provide appropriate professional development for staff. Consequently, teaching has improved and is good overall.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe is effective.  Leaders have ensured that assessment arrangements support the new curriculum and enable teachers to plan lessons that challenge pupils and give them the opportunity to make good progress.  Good leadership of the early years has ensured that children benefit from a stimulating learning environment and good teaching. Consequently, children make good progress.

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This is a good school

 Behaviour is good overall. Leaders have introduced a new approach to managing behaviour this year and pupils say behaviour is better as a result.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 In few lessons, teachers do not use time well enough and as a result the learning of a very small minority of pupils slows.  A small minority of older pupils have gaps in understanding of mathematics.  Too few of the most able pupils make outstanding progress in mathematics.  A small minority of activities in the early years are not challenging enough for children.  The setting of homework is inconsistent and it does not support pupils’ learning well enough.  In a very few cases, staff do not communicate the resolution of poor behaviour, including rare instances of bullying, clearly enough to the pupils involved and their parents.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the number of pupils making outstanding progress, by: ensuring that all groups of pupils are more fully challenged in their learning, particularly the most able in the early years and in mathematics improving teaching to that of the best so that time is used effectively and all pupils remain engaged in their learning identifying the gaps in pupils’ mathematical understanding related to the change in the curriculum, and providing pupils with the opportunities to catch up if they are falling behind ensuring the consistent implementation of the whole-school homework policy.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the way in which staff communicate the resolution of poor behaviour to pupils and parents, particularly on those rare occasions when a pupil believes they have been bullied.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders have set high expectations for all staff and pupils. This is evident in their collective, successful efforts to improve the quality of teaching and the outcomes of pupils.  Leaders know the school well. They use a range of evidence to evaluate the performance of the school and to identify the areas that need further improvement. Leaders plan effectively for improvement, accurately identifying the activities that need to be undertaken, and the key staff, resources and deadlines necessary. They clearly set out the results they intend to achieve. As a result, leaders have ensured that the school has improved since the last inspection, particularly in the past year.  Leaders and governors have effectively used performance management to drive recent improvements. They have raised teachers’ expectations of themselves and pupils by setting teachers targets related to pupils’ progress and school improvement priorities. Leaders effectively use performance management to hold

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

teachers to account for pupils’ outcomes and to provide them with professional development that meets individual need and whole-school priorities.  Leaders use a range of monitoring strategies to good effect to ensure that staff have taken on and sustained the various improvements that have been made. This has been particularly effective over the past year and the positive impact can be seen in pupils’ books.  Middle leaders have also played an important part in securing recent improvements. They have a good understanding of their areas of responsibility and provide colleagues with advice and support. They effectively monitor standards in their areas of responsibility and provide feedback to colleagues, which enables them to develop their practice further. For example, leaders, including the lead for pupils with English as an additional language, understand the school needs to continue to build on the good work in this

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

area and to develop an induction programme for new arrivals to the school. This will mean they can assess and meet these pupils’ needs more quickly so they can make stronger progress. This is particularly important as disadvantaged pupils joining during the school year often have a history of under attainment and those who have English as an additional language often have little or no English.  Leaders are ambitious for all pupils and track their progress regularly and in detail. When they identify a pupil who is at risk of falling behind or with additional needs, they check that teachers are providing appropriate support. The impact of this support is then evaluated and the evaluation informs future actions. Consequently, leaders ensure that all pupils, including the most able, those pupils with English as an additional language, and those who have special educational needs or disability make strong progress.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

 Leaders are equally ambitious for disadvantaged pupils and track their progress as rigorously as others. They ensure that support meets the needs of these pupils and enables them to make strong progress. They make good use of the pupil premium funding to enable disadvantaged pupils to make good progress and to participate in extra-curricular activities.  Leaders also ensure that assessment information is used to inform developments in the curriculum. Leaders ensure that teachers assess pupils’ key skills and knowledge in each subject. This has enabled teachers to evaluate the curriculum. For example, leaders have identified that with the change to the new curriculum older pupils have gaps in their mathematical skills, knowledge and understanding. They have begun to address this, but it is too soon to see a positive impact on pupils’ outcomes at the end of key stage 2.  Leaders have ensured that the new national curriculum has been implemented and that it fits the context

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

and needs of pupils at Barry Primary School. It is broad, balanced and provides rich learning opportunities for pupils, including opportunities for pupils to improve their skills in English and mathematics. The curriculum is also enriched by activities, such as trips, visitors and extra-curricular clubs and activities.  Leaders have ensured that pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development effectively helps them to understand the importance of British values. For example, a visit from a magistrate helped pupils to develop their understanding of the rule of law, and the elections for the school council and mock national elections enabled pupils to experience democracy in action. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.  Leaders have used the physical education (PE) and sports funding to develop the teaching of PE and to provide greater opportunities for pupils through membership of the Northampton Town Schools Partnership.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

As a result, teachers report that they are much more confident teaching PE and this has led to development in pupils’ skills.  Relationships between staff and parents are good. The large majority of parents that responded to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, and those who spoke to the inspectors, said that communication was good, staff respond well to concerns and that they receive valuable information about their child’s education. Typical comments from parents included, ‘great team,’ ‘lovely headteacher’ and ‘approachable staff’.  The local authority has provided the school with effective support, including brokering school-to-school support from a local teaching school. Local authority staff have worked closely with the governing body to provide training and advice, for example, how to restructure governors’ committees so they can effectively hold school leaders to account. They have also supported and challenged school leaders to make the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

necessary improvements and their monitoring reports have provided leaders and governors with information to evaluate the progress the school has made.  The governance of the school Governors have a good understanding of the quality of education provided by the school. Since the last inspection, governors have taken effective action in order to secure the necessary improvements. They have acted on the findings of the external review of governance and are now well organised and trained. As a result, they challenge and support school leaders effectively, questioning them in detail about the impact of school-improvement activities, the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress, including those who are disadvantaged. The governing body has a good understanding of performance management and its role in it. Governors manage the headteacher’s performance well and hold her effectively to account. The governing body

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Effectiveness of leadership and management is good

maintains appropriate oversight of the performance of staff and its relationship to pay progression.  The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have ensured that there is a well-trained designated lead for safeguarding. Staff are also well trained, including training on the ‘Prevent’ duty to combat extremism. Consequently, staff know the signs they should be looking for and know what to do if they have any concerns about safeguarding. Safeguarding systems and processes are effective and the designated lead works effectively with partners, including the local authority.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

 Teaching has improved since the last inspection and is good overall. Teachers make effective use of assessment information to plan rich lessons and opportunities for pupils to learn well. As a result, most pupils are challenged and supported effectively in all their lessons and make strong progress from their starting points. However, teachers’ planning to meet the most able pupils’ needs in mathematics is not always effective and as result, a small minority of mathematical activities do not challenge the most able sufficiently.  Teachers ensure that time is used well in most lessons and as a result, pupils concentrate well and are keen to learn. However, in a few lessons there is a lack of urgency and time is not used well enough. Consequently, a very small minority of pupils become disengaged for a short time.  Teachers and support staff teach reading, writing and mathematics effectively, both in discrete lessons and

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

across the curriculum. As a result, a very large majority of pupils make good progress in these subjects. However, there is some inconsistency between subjects, classes and groups of pupils. Consequently, in a very small minority of classes and in a very small minority of mathematics lessons, progress slows. This is particularly the case for a minority of the most able pupils in mathematics lessons.  Phonics (letters and the sounds they make) is taught well and as a result, the proportion of pupils meeting the national standard continues to improve.  Teachers and support staff are secure in their subject knowledge and use specific vocabulary effectively. They also use questioning well to check pupils’ understanding and to address their misconceptions. Staff also use explanations and demonstrations effectively. As a result, pupils make good progress.  Support staff are effectively deployed to support disadvantaged pupils, those with English as an additional

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment is good

language and pupils who have special educational needs or disability. They understand the needs of these pupils, what they need to learn next and the most effective way to achieve it. As a result of their support, the pupils they work with make strong progress from their starting points and given their needs.  Teachers assess pupils’ learning regularly against the standards for pupils’ age in all year groups and this informs their teaching. Overall, staff implement the school’s new assessment policy well and provide pupils with good feedback that clearly supports them effectively in their learning. Pupils value this support from adults and the time that they are given to act on the guidance.  Teachers inconsistently set homework and as a result, it does not effectively support pupils’ learning.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good. The school’s culture promotes pupils’ welfare. Systems and processes for safeguarding are effective. The school has effective relationships with partners and ensures that they also fulfil their responsibilities.  All parents who spoke to the inspectors or completed Parent View said their children are safe and happy at school and almost all pupils agree. Pupils explained the ways that staff keep them safe and teach them how to stay safe. They recognise that teachers also help them to know about the risks they face and how to protect themselves from dangers through lessons on topics, such as e-safety, and courses such as ‘stranger danger’ and ‘Bikeability’.  The school fulfils its statutory duties to promote the education of children looked after by the local authority very well. Leaders ensure that all staff and agencies also fulfil their responsibilities.

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Personal development and welfare

 Incidents of bullying are rare but when they do occur or when a child misbehaves, most pupils, parents and staff believe it is dealt with effectively and promptly. However, a very few pupils, staff and parents do not believe it is dealt with effectively.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils respect each other and listen to each other well. Pupils told inspectors that behaviour has improved significantly over the past year and that they are confident that it will continue to improve. An important factor in this improvement is the introduction and effective implementation of a new behaviour management policy and practice.  Pupils are proud of their school and their work. Almost all books are well presented and cared for well.  The overwhelming majority of pupils behave well in lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. Almost all pupils come to lessons ready to learn and those few who do not are supported effectively so they settle quickly and engage in the lesson. On the few occasions when adults’ expectations of pupils are not high enough, a very few pupils do not behave well and this sometimes results in low-level disruptive behaviour

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Behaviour

until it is tackled by a member of staff.  Behaviour at breaktimes is good and pupils play well together.  Pupils’ attendance currently at Barry Primary School is good. Leaders and the attendance officer analyse attendance data well and know which families need support with their children’s attendance and those families that need to be challenged. They have used a variety of strategies, including parent contracts and prosecution, effectively. Previously, the attendance of pupils who have special educational needs or disability was high compared to other pupils. Leaders were able to show how they had taken effective action and that the pupils’ attendance was good, given their circumstances.

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Outcomes for pupils are good

 From their starting points on entry to school, pupils currently at the school make good progress overall. This represents a significant improvement since the last inspection.  The proportion of pupils achieving the national standard in phonics has continued to improve and most of the current Year 1 pupils have already met the standard.  Pupils currently in key stage 1 are making strong progress from their starting points and most of them are on track to meet the expectations for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. This is an improvement on 2015, when pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was below the national average.  In 2015, Year 6 pupils made good progress in reading, writing and mathematics and their attainment was in line with the national average, except in writing in which it was below average. Pupils currently in key stage 2 are making strong progress in reading and writing from their starting points, and most of them are on

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Outcomes for pupils are good

track to achieve the expectations. Pupils are also making strong progress in mathematics and the majority of pupils are on track to meet the expectations for their age, but this is a smaller proportion than in reading and writing. Overall, this is an improvement since the last inspection.  Overall, the proportion of the pupils attaining highly has increased significantly between Year 2 and Year 6. The most able pupils are currently making strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics, although more of the most able pupils are making better progress in reading and writing than in mathematics.  Fewer disadvantaged pupils are on track to meet expectations for their age than other pupils. However, these pupils are making strong progress in reading, writing and mathematics and gaps between their attainment and that of other pupils are closing rapidly.  Pupils who have special educational needs or disability are making strong progress from their starting points,

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Outcomes for pupils are good

given their individual needs, in reading writing and mathematics.  Fewer pupils who speak English as an additional language are on track to meet expectations for their age than other pupils. However, they make strong progress from their starting points, given their stage of English language acquisition.  Overall, pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

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Early years provision is good

 Good leadership and management have led to improvements in the early years provision and it is now good. Children make strong progress and are ready for Year 1.  Most children enter Reception with skills and knowledge broadly typical for their age. However, there are a small minority of children who enter with skills and knowledge in reading, speaking and understanding that are below that typical for their age. Children currently in Reception have made good progress from their starting points and 73% have achieved a good level of development. This is a significant improvement compared to 2015, when the proportion was below the national average.  Leaders, teachers and support staff have developed a warm, welcoming and stimulating learning environment. Consequently, children settle in happily, behave well, develop good relationships, and play and learn well together. Children’s personal development is good, they cooperate well with each other and are

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Early years provision is good

able to share and take turns. They were keen to engage inspectors in conversation and explain about their visit to the zoo and all that they were learning about animals.  Teaching is good. Teachers plan learning based on clear and accurate assessments of each child’s needs. Staff effectively involve parents in the initial assessments of their children, meeting with them in their homes to begin the process. This helps staff to get to know the children quickly and provide them with activities, teaching and resources to learn effectively.  Teachers ensure that children experience a wide range of well-planned activities both indoors and outdoors, many of them beginning with the children’s ideas, which enable them to make good progress. However, a very small minority of activities in Reception are not challenging enough; consequently, children’s progress slows.  Leaders and teachers have effectively employed a range of strategies to engage with parents to support

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Early years provision is good

children with their learning. These include a teddy bears picnic for new families, encouraging parents to remain in class with their children for the first 10 minutes of the first activity of each day, and the provision of a family support worker.  Leaders have made effective use of the pupil premium funding to support children to develop their language and communication skills.  Safeguarding is effective, meaning children feel and are kept safe.

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School details

Unique reference number 121939 Local authority Northamptonshire Inspection number 10009111

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School details

This inspection 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 417 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Michelle Walters Headteacher Anne Smith Telephone number 01604 234574 Website www.barryprimary.com Email address head@barry.northants-ecl.gov.uk Date of previous inspection 12–13 March 2014

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Information about this school

 This school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs or disability is below average.  Just over half the pupils are from White British backgrounds and the remainder belong to 15 different minority ethnic groups.  The proportion of pupils who have English as an additional language is greater than the national average and between them the pupils speak 39 different languages as their first language.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils for whom the school receives pupil premium funding (additional government funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after by the local authority) is lower than average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for attainment and progress of pupils by the end of Year 6.  The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 17 lessons or parts of lessons and the headteacher accompanied the lead inspector on a walk around the school looking at short periods of learning in several classes.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ books, listened to pupils read and talked to them about their work. Inspectors also met with groups of pupils, including members of the school council, and took account of the 38 responses to the online pupil survey.  Inspectors held meetings with school leaders, the designated person for safeguarding, the designated teacher for children looked after, the leader responsible for pupils who have special educational needs or disability (SENCo) and members of the governing body.  The lead inspector also reviewed correspondence from the local authority and met with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors considered parents’ views, including 21 responses to the online Ofsted questionnaire, Parent

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Information about this inspection

View.  The inspectors listened to the views of staff and evaluated 32 responses to the Ofsted staff survey.  The inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including information about safeguarding, the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, the most recent performance information on pupils’ achievements, and information relating to teaching, behaviour and attendance.

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Inspection team

Derek Myers, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Ann Glynne-Jones Ofsted Inspector Mark Mitchley Ofsted Inspector guidance 'Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-ofsted . 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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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Inspection team

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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, 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. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence , write to the Information Policy Team,

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Inspection team

The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

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Inspection team

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

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