St Andrew's (Barnsbury) CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Andrew’s (Barnsbury) Church of England Primary School Matilda Street, Islington, London N1 0LB

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Outcome

St Andrew’s (Barnsbury) Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are energetic, enthusiastic and happy. They enjoy all aspects of the school day, including their lessons and playtime. Staff take the time to get to know all the pupils as individuals. They understand what each pupil is good at, where they need further support and what they enjoy doing. Teachers expect all pupils to do well. They put extra support in place if a pupil is struggling with a particular part of their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The welfare of the pupils is at the centre of everything staff do. Pupils can write their worries down and put them in the ‘worry box’ for teachers. This helps them to feel safe and listened to. Teachers get to know the families of the children and there is a real sense of community at this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and at break and lunchtimes. They are polite in the way they talk to each other and to staff. Children learn what bullying means and they trust their teachers to deal with it if it does occur.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school still provides a good quality of education. Leaders focus on nurturing and supporting pupils so they can achieve as much as possible. They have thought about what pupils should learn in each subject and how to link subjects together. Leaders have designed a curriculum to help their pupils understand London and its history. This helps to make it meaningful.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Younger pupils learn their phonics quickly. Teachers are well trained to use the phonics programme. New teachers get support so that they can teach phonics accurately. Teachers check pupils’ progress regularly, so they are always taught at the right level. If pupils do fall behind, teachers give them extra support. Pupils read books which are matched to the stage they are at. They read these frequently at home. 12–13 November 2019

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Leaders recognise that pupils need a broad vocabulary to become fluent readers. They address this through whole-class reading sessions in every year group. In some year groups this works well. Teachers use these sessions to develop vocabulary and ignite a love of reading. In others, it works less well. For example, teachers stop the story too often and the point of the story gets lost.

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Some subjects do not cover certain aspects of the curriculum in enough depth. For example, the plans in science are too focused on what knowledge pupils need to know. They do not build in enough opportunities for pupils to plan and carry out experiments. In music, pupils develop their skills well. However, they do not have the opportunity to learn about different famous composers or the history of music. In mathematics, pupils often practise multiplication, division, addition and subtraction. They can use these skills to solve tricky calculations. Other topics, such as converting between units of measurement, are not taught in as much detail. This means that pupils struggle to apply their knowledge to solving problems.

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The school’s curriculum goes beyond what pupils learn in lessons. Pupils have many chances to learn outside of the classroom, including trips and after-school clubs. Leaders use collective worship to explore themes such as coping with change. They encourage pupils to think about their own experiences and the experiences of others. Pupils conduct themselves well. Low-level disruption is rare. Teachers take quick and effective action if it does happen.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do well. This is because teachers and support staff get to know them and understand what helps them to learn.

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The school is well led by the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the governors. They understand the strengths and weaknesses of the school. They have used this understanding to make plans to further improve. Teachers and other staff feel well- supported by leaders. They have lots of help to manage their workload.

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Children are safe and happy in the early years. Teachers and early years practitioners are knowledgeable about what they teach. They make sure that lessons help children to build their knowledge and understanding. Staff give children lots of opportunities to play, explore and explain their learning. Staff in Reception get to know the children well and support them to make the transition to attending school every day. Parents can come into school to read with their children. This helps them to understand the phonics programme.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained to spot signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. They know what to do if they have any concerns about a pupil. Leaders get to know pupils and their families well. Staff know that additional needs and experiences outside of school, such as trauma, can affect pupils’ behaviour. They work with external agencies such as local charities to make sure that pupils and their families get the support they need. Leaders have worked 12–13 November 2019

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closely with pupils and parents on the issue of online safety to make sure all pupils are safe when using electronic devices.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school has made improvements in reading since the last inspection but there is still further work to do. Reading in key stage two does not always develop pupils’ love of reading or broaden their vocabulary. Leaders need to continue to work on these areas, so pupils develop extensive vocabularies and a love of reading.  The requirements of the national curriculum are not covered well enough in all subjects. This is particularly so in music and science at key stage 2. As a result, pupils have gaps in their knowledge and key skills.  Some areas of mathematics are taught very well but there are still improvements to be made so this is consistent for all topics. Some of the topics are not taught in sufficient depth, so pupils do not remember them well enough. Leaders need to ensure that every part of the national curriculum is covered in sufficient depth, so pupils are prepared to study these subjects at secondary school.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

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 . 12–13 November 2019

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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. 12–13 November 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10121574 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13–14 April 2016

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Information about this school

 St Andrew’s (Barnsbury) Church of England school is a school with religious character. Its previous section 48 inspection was in February 2018. The report for this inspection is available on the school website.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the school business manager, the chair of the governing body, senior teachers and curriculum leaders. I also met with teachers and support staff.  I did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, science and music. I discussed these subjects with pupils, teachers and leaders. I visited lessons and looked at pupils’ work. This included discussions with leaders of the subject, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers about the subject, scrutiny of pupils’ work in the subject and discussions with pupils about the subject. 12–13 November 2019

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 I met with the designated safeguarding lead to discuss the school’s safeguarding procedures. I scrutinised the school’s register of checks made on staff and their safeguarding records. I also talked with parents, pupils and staff to hear their views on the safety of the pupils.

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Inspection team

Amy Jackson, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12–13 November 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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