Barnby Dun Primary Academy

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 http://www.gov.uk/ofsted

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28 July 2016 Claire Robinson Headteacher Barnby Dun Primary Academy Church Road Barnby Dun Doncaster South Yorkshire DN3 1BG

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Short inspection of Barnby Dun Primary Academy

Following my visit to the school on 6 July 2016, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since your predecessor school was judged to be good in February 2012.

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Short inspection of Barnby Dun Primary Academy

Leaders and governors have maintained the good quality of education since the last inspection. A cheerful, bustling ethos is tangible. You have recently created renewed strength in the leadership and management team. Having appointed an experienced deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher since the previous inspection, you have appropriately broadened capacity for improvement. This is resulting in better outcomes for pupils across all key stages. There are clear indications of sustainable improvement as your plans focus insightfully on the correct priorities.

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Short inspection of Barnby Dun Primary Academy

You have successfully addressed the areas for improvement from the previous inspection, having tackled writing in key stage 2 with zeal. Pupils’ books demonstrate heightened expectations in terms of the breadth, quality and content of pupils’ writing. Staff now use the school’s marking and feedback policy with consistency, skilfully monitoring the progress that individuals make towards their writing goals.

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Short inspection of Barnby Dun Primary Academy

Pupils are eager to come to Barnby Dun. This is clearly demonstrated by excellent rates of attendance. Efforts are praised and pupils are valued as individuals. The pupil council is proactive and proud of its contributions to school improvement. Members are particularly buoyed by their involvement in interviewing for new appointments. Consequently, pupils feel assured that their opinions count. Work to support national and local charities also matters a great deal to pupils. Positive, empathetic attitudes towards others which demonstrate understanding, respect and tolerance, develop well. You and other leaders are ambitious for the school but are honest and reflective about its performance. Dissatisfied with previous outcomes for pupils in the early years and in the Year 1 phonics screening tests, you took decisive action. As a result, both areas show real improvement, indicating the validity and positive impact

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Short inspection of Barnby Dun Primary Academy

of leaders’ actions. The large majority of parents agree that the school performs well. A minority of parents, however, feel that communications and information offered via the website could be improved. More clarity about pupils’ achievements and the work of the school would be welcomed. You value the opinions of parents and are keen to address points raised.

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Short inspection of Barnby Dun Primary Academy

You undertake duties regarding the safety and protection of pupils with due diligence. All staff, including governors and regular visitors, receive regular training to keep them up to date with the most recent national recommendations. For example, statutory duties outlined in July 2015 in the Department for Education’s ‘Keeping children safe in education’ document are upheld and safeguarding plays a significant role in your recruitment procedures.

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Short inspection of Barnby Dun Primary Academy

Leaders and managers recognise the importance of good attendance and the potential risks associated with pupils being absent. As a result, the attendance of all pupils is tracked systematically and action taken swiftly to address any concerns. Parents work well in partnership with the school to ensure their children attend well. Attendance for all groups of pupils sits well above the national average.

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Short inspection of Barnby Dun Primary Academy

The overwhelming majority of parents feel confident that children feel safe and are well looked after. Pupils say adults in school ‘make sure it’s a safe environment’. They say teachers talk with them about keeping themselves safe online and know staff will listen if they have any worries. Pupils are adamant that behaviour is good. They insist that bullies are not welcome in their school and have a good understanding of the effect that bullying can have on others. Regular anti-bullying work takes place so pupils are equipped with skills and confidence in managing potential issues or dilemmas.

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Inspection findings

 Leaders and governors are committed to continuous improvement. In addressing issues identified in the early years and those pertaining to pupils’ knowledge, skills and understanding of phonics, better results have been secured this year. This year the proportions of pupils reaching a good level of development have risen to exceed national averages, while the proportions reaching the required standard in phonics have risen to match those seen nationally. Plans are afoot to build further on this positive picture by strengthening links with local pre-school providers and other early years settings in order to share expectations and effective practice.  Senior leaders successfully introduced a thorough system of assessing and monitoring pupils’ achievements. Rates of progress, as well as pupils’ achievement in relation to nationally determined age-related expectations, are closely monitored. Regular meetings between teachers and leaders take

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Inspection findings

place to discuss the wealth of information gathered about each child’s progress. This means strengths and any barriers to learning are identified and addressed. Support and challenge are put in place rapidly.  Good teaching is resulting in rising attainment. Senior leaders use frequent lesson observations, conversations with pupils and meticulous evaluation of the work in pupils’ books to monitor precisely the performance of teachers and the quality of teaching and learning taking place across classes. Training for staff takes account of individual needs and there exists a healthy and beneficial desire to share good practices and learn from others. This is exemplified by the work that you undertake to support and challenge school leaders in other settings. Your own professional skills are developed effectively and you are enabled to be receptive to the ideas of others and reflective about Barnby Dun’s practices and performance.

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Inspection findings

 Governors are in school regularly, which means they have first-hand information about its work. They hold leaders accountable for pupils’ achievements, seeing themselves as ‘critically constructive’ friends of the school. Pupils are well acquainted with their class governor. They talk confidently about the role of governors and feel that governors actively listen to them and promote their comments. Information for parents about the work of governors, however, is lacking in clarity and detail on the school’s website. Governors agree this needs updating and improving.  Pupils are making good progress across key stages. Improved outcomes for all year groups in reading, writing and mathematics mean they are well prepared for the next step in their education. By the end of key stage 2, pupils are now reaching standards exceeding national averages in each subject. Work in lessons is altered to suit the range of needs and abilities.

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Inspection findings

Targeted interventions and challenge tasks enhance provision effectively. The quality of pupils’ work in terms of presentation is developing well, though this remains a focus for improvement, particularly with regard to handwriting.  Reading takes place daily. Pupils know and talk with enthusiasm about a wide range of authors. They are successfully inspired by teaching staff to enjoy books and learning, holding positive attitudes to reading and writing as a result.  Mutually respectful behaviours between adults and pupils are evident. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge and well-honed questioning skills to elicit ideas from pupils and immerse them in their learning. A positive and lively atmosphere, with a distinctive buzz of productivity, exists.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that:

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Next steps for the school

 the website captures precisely the work and responsibilities of the governing body  improvements seen in phonics and outcomes for the early years children are sustained and built upon  pupils’ handwriting skills, including the presentation of work in books, are further developed to improve fluency, quality and legibility as per national curriculum requirements.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Doncaster. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection I met with you to discuss the effectiveness of the school and its leadership and management. We jointly observed teaching, learning and assessment in classes across the school. I scrutinised work in pupils’ books in partnership with five senior leaders to consider the progress being made by pupils currently in all year groups and looked at the work in pupils’ books during lesson observations. I reviewed school documentation and information, including policies, assessment information, monitoring files and your self-evaluation. I met with the chair and vice-chair of the governing body, the early years leaders and English leaders. I took account of staff and parents’ responses in the online questionnaires. I also held discussions with the pupil council and spoke with pupils in and outside of classes.

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