Barrow Hall Orchard Church of England Primary School

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

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Ms Jane McKay Headteacher Barrow Hall Orchard Church of England Primary School Church Street Barrow-upon-Soar Loughborough Leicestershire LE12 8HP

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School

Following my visit to the school on 26 March 2019, 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 the school was judged to be good in July 2015.

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School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection.

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School

The school environment is bright and welcoming. Pupils are extremely proud of their school and their attitudes towards learning are positive. Pupils persevere with tasks and show resilience when faced with more challenging work. They are polite and courteous and work well with one another, sharing resources and listening to others’ ideas. Pupils were keen to tell me about their visits out of school, including a residential visit to Castleton and a recent visit to the Houses of Parliament. They also told me how much they enjoyed composing music in the studio and putting on drama performances.

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School

Pupils throughout the school behave well. They understand how to keep safe and know who to go to if they are upset. Pupils understand the school values of aspiration, respect, friendship, resilience and community. They speak respectfully about raising funds to support two families in Ethiopia so that ‘the children can go to school and have clean water’. Pupils enjoy a range of after-school clubs, for example baking and hockey. All key stage 2 pupils access the Forest Schools provision, where they develop team-building skills, ‘build dens and toast marshmallows’.

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School

As headteacher, you are well supported by governors and the deputy headteacher. Governors have a clear understanding of the school’s priorities and how these are being met through the school development plan.

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School

You, your deputy and the governors have a detailed and accurate view of the school. At the previous inspection, you were asked to ensure that all staff use questioning in lessons to probe pupils’ understanding and to amend the level of challenge or support where necessary. All staff have taken part in action research projects to consider what effective questioning looks like. Teachers have been supported to develop this through regular training opportunities and they have presented their findings to governors. Pupils are now challenged by questions provided by teachers. Pupils have more ownership of their learning and they are given the opportunity to explain their thinking to one another.

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School

At the previous inspection, you were also asked to build upon the good standards of behaviour by establishing systems to record behavioural incidents and check improvement. Rigorous systems are now in place. The impact of any support, or improvements in behaviour, can be seen through the online system you are using.

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School

During our observations in classes, we looked at a range of writing and topic books. Recent changes in how pupils use these books has led to a reduction in the quality of presentation and shows that pupils’ pride in their work is lacking. Evidence from the school’s own monitoring indicates that expectations of presentation and pupils’ pride in their work are not as high in key stage 1 as in key stage 2. Efforts are already in place to ensure that this is being checked regularly so that improvements can be made quickly.

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School

The leadership team has ensured that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. Records are kept using an online system. They are detailed and of a high quality. Leaders and governors place high importance on safeguarding. Staff see safeguarding as everyone’s responsibility. You provide staff with relevant and regular training so that they know what to do if they have any concerns. A clear and thorough induction process is in place for all new staff.

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School

Pupils receive good guidance on how to keep safe. This includes advice about the school grounds and regular information about staying safe online. Pupils I met with said that bullying is not a problem in their school and that any issues are dealt with swiftly.

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School

Governors have a good understanding of safeguarding procedures and are rigorous in their approach. The lead governor for safeguarding makes regular checks in school. External agencies are appropriately involved in safeguarding issues where necessary.

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School

A significant majority of parents and carers agreed, through Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, that their children are safe in school.

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Inspection findings

 Over the last three years the number of children achieving a good level of development by the time they reach the end of the Reception Year has been below what is expected nationally.  You and governors have rightly identified in the school development plan that outcomes need to improve at the end of the early years. An increasing number of children enter the Reception Year with levels of skills in reading and speaking and listening that are below those typically found nationally. You have increased the consistency of teaching through targeted provision and you are tracking children’s progress carefully. Timely actions are in place that include identifying when these children need additional support so that they can catch up with their peers.  You are working closely with parents to suggest ways they could support their children with reading at home. Recent initiatives, including a ‘Grandparents Café’

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Inspection findings

and ‘stay and play’ sessions, are providing adults with the necessary skills to support their children at home.  Your current attainment information indicates that the proportion of children who are currently on track to meet the expected standard has increased this year. You are confident that children will make faster progress from their starting points. You have identified several actions in the school development plan that you are keen to continue working on and embed for future improvements.  An analysis of the school’s current assessment information indicates that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not always achieve as highly as their peers. The newly appointed special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) identifies gaps in their learning through detailed tracking systems. Gaps in learning are now being addressed through a range of initiatives. These are supporting pupils with SEND to make progress in reading as well as

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Inspection findings

motivating them to succeed so that they catch up with their peers.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils across the school is lower than seen nationally. Current pupils benefit from good teaching and well-focused extra help when they need it. Leaders have rigorous tracking systems in place to identify the needs of these pupils and identify any gaps in their learning. You hold regular pupil-progress meetings with teachers. You view these as the key driver for decisions regarding targeted support for disadvantaged pupils.  Timely actions to address the slower progress made by disadvantaged pupils are in place and resources have been allocated accordingly. A scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that some disadvantaged pupils are making similar or better progress than their peers in school.  You use the pupil premium funding in a variety of ways to ensure that disadvantaged pupils make the maximum progress they are capable of and to

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Inspection findings

improve their confidence, for example attending Forest Schools each week. Additional support from your learning support assistants is reviewed each half term and an education welfare officer makes sure that all pupils come to school each day.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they:

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Next steps for the school

 improve the consistency of presentation in books in key stage 1 so that writing in all areas of the curriculum is of the same standard  build on the improvements made in the early years so that a greater proportion of children consistently achieve a good level of development.

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Next steps for the school

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

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Information about the inspection

During the inspection I met with you and the deputy headteacher and shared my lines of enquiry. I also met with representatives from the school’s governing body, the SENCo, the early years leader and the pupil premium leader. I met with members of staff which included the school bursar. We jointly observed teaching and learning in classes and I examined samples of pupils’ work during the observations. I listened to a sample of pupils read. I met with pupils to discuss behaviour and safeguarding in school and spoke informally with pupils in breakfast club and in classes. I analysed documents, including plans for the school’s improvement, published data and reports showing the school’s view of its own performance. I held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority. I evaluated the school’s website. Safeguarding documents, policies and records relating to behaviour and attendance were inspected. I took account of the

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Information about the inspection

83 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, and the 47 free-text comments. I also spoke to parents at the beginning of the school day.

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