Barling Magna Primary Academy

Inspection of Barling Magna Primary Academy Little Wakering Road, Southend-on-Sea, Essex SS3 0LN

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected 9–10 October 2019

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a calm and positive atmosphere for learning at this school. They get on very well together. Pupils respond well to teachers’ high expectations of behaviour. School is a happy place where pupils can thrive. Leaders and staff have high expectations of what all pupils can do. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum, particularly so in reading, writing and mathematics.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s motto is ‘caring, learning and achieving together’. The day-to-day life of the school reflects this well. Comments from parents included, ‘This is a lovely school with a small village feel.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say they feel safe at school. Bullying is rare. Pupils know there are caring adults they can turn to if they are sad. Pupils attend well and enjoy the extensive variety of subjects that they learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say school is fun. They join lots of different clubs. They experience exciting outings, including to the theatre and the planetarium.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders know what needs to improve. Teachers need to provide pupils with ways to check the meaning of some difficult words they learn to spell. New subject leads need time to further develop teachers’ knowledge so they are equally skilled and confident in all subjects as they are in English, mathematics, science and computing.

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better?

The quality of education has improved markedly since the appointment of the new head of school. Leaders, well supported by the trust, have embedded a culture of high expectations. Pupils’ achievement and behaviour has improved markedly as a result. Leaders make good use of external support. The routines which teachers establish ensure that pupils know what the rules are and how to behave.

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better?

Pupils’ attitudes to learning are positive. They maintain a high level of concentration in lessons. Pupils commit to their learning and this helps them to learn well. Teachers have a strong focus on high expectations for the quality of work pupils do.

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better?

All subjects have clear plans, which meet the demands of the national curriculum. Teachers plan topics in a logical order. Subject leaders develop their expertise by working with colleagues across the trust. In some subjects, such as geography, subject leaders still need time to identify what further support teachers might need to help pupils learn even more effectively.

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better?

Teaching reading has a high priority. All children read every day. Staff are well trained to deliver high-quality phonics sessions, so that younger pupils learn to read as quickly as possible. Those who fall behind are speedily identified and receive the right support to help them catch up. 9–10 October 2019

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Leaders have focused on ‘getting the basics right’. Spelling is an important part of this. Pupils’ work shows that this focus has been successful. Pupils learn to spell an ambitious range of words. However, teachers need to equip all pupils with the skills and strategies to check for themselves what unfamiliar words mean.

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Teachers ensure that pupils have a good understanding of mathematics knowledge and skills. Pupils use this knowledge well across the curriculum. Teachers deal with pupils’ misconceptions skilfully and swiftly.

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Leaders involve parents well in school life. For example, through ‘family Friday’, when parents visit the Reception class and join in with learning activities.

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Pupils learn about other religions and cultures and understand the need for tolerance and kindness. They vote to choose pupils who take up leadership roles. This helps them to understand the concept of democracy.

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The school provides good support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Teachers adapt work to meet pupils’ needs. Staff are ambitious for what pupils can achieve.

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In the early years, children receive good care. The indoor and outdoor areas provide a varied range of opportunities to develop children’s social and physical skills. There is a strong focus on developing early language and phonics knowledge. Children enjoy story time and join in by acting out the characters. They are well prepared for learning in Year 1.

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Trustees know the school well. They challenge and support school leaders to ensure that the school is managed effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have established a vigilant and caring ethos in the school. Staff receive regular and appropriate training. They can recognise the signs that a pupil is at risk of harm. Staff are confident to report any concerns. Leaders follow up concerns rigorously and swiftly. Leaders accurately record concerns and actions taken. They seek support from external agencies when required so that pupils get the help that they need.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn to keep themselves safe, including when working online. Leaders know the risks that exist in the local area. Pupils learn about these risks through assemblies and special lessons. 9–10 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 School leaders have thought carefully about the support that teachers need to teach different subjects well. This has had a very positive impact on pupils’ learning, particularly in English, mathematics, science and computing. Since new curriculum plans have been introduced, leaders have not yet evaluated whether teachers need support and professional development to improve further their teaching in other subjects. All subject leaders need to evaluate whether all teachers are equally effective in supporting pupils’ learning across the whole curriculum.  Leaders are determined that pupils are exposed to a wide range of ambitious vocabulary so that pupils can access challenging texts. Occasionally, pupils have difficulty in understanding some harder words they come across, for example when practising spellings. Teachers need to provide pupils with strategies and skills so that all pupils can check the meanings of unfamiliar words for

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you’re not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 9–10 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10112151 Type of school Primary

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School details

Headteacher Hayley O’Dea (Executive Headteacher), Susan Clarke (Head of School) Website www.barlingmagna.essex.sch.uk/essex/p rimary/barlingmagna Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is a member of The Brickfields Multi-Academy Trust. The school became a sponsored academy in February 2017. The head of school was appointed in February 2017. It is a smaller-than-average-sized primary school. The very large majority of pupils are of White British heritage.  The predecessor school, called Barling Magna Community Primary School, was judged to be inadequate in June 2016.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors held meetings with the head of school, the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and other members of staff.  A meeting was held with two trustees, one of whom is the chair of trustees.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school, including at break and lunchtimes. Inspectors also spoke to two groups of pupils and spoke to pupils 9–10 October 2019

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when visiting lessons to gather their views on the school.  The school’s records of safeguarding checks were reviewed, including the single central record. We spoke to pupils about how they keep themselves safe and whether there was any bullying in school. An inspector held a meeting with the designated lead for safeguarding. Inspectors spoke to staff to ascertain their understanding of their safeguarding duties.  Both inspectors talked to parents at the end of school on the first day of the inspection.  An inspector met with staff to ask about their well-being and workload. Fourteen responses to the staff survey were considered along with 23 responses to the pupil survey.  Inspectors took into account the 31 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, along with 31 free-text responses.  The inspection focused on reading, mathematics, computing and science. We visited lessons, spoke to subject leaders, spoke to pupils and teachers, and

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reviewed pupils’ work.  Inspectors also reviewed other areas of the curriculum and the school’s plans for pupils’ wider personal development.

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Inspection team

Kay Leach, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Russell Ayling Ofsted Inspector 9–10 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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