Barton CofE VA Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Barton CofE VA Primary School School Lane, Barton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB23 7BD

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Outcome

Barton CofE VA Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an increasingly popular school. Pupil numbers are rising. All parents who responded on Ofsted Parent View would recommend the school. A parent’s comment that, ‘Barton is a caring school where individual children are known and supported’ reflected the views of many.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say this is ‘a peaceful school that welcomes everyone’. They model the school’s values of being safe and respectful. Pupils have good manners.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know what behaviour is appropriate in different environments. They are sensible and sociable in the lunch hall. Pupils play with carefree energy at breaktimes. In lessons, pupils listen to and support each other. They like the learning activities that teachers provide them with.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe and feel safe. Parents agree. Pupils know what bullying is. There is little bullying here. If it does take place, adults deal with it well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders provide very effectively for pupils’ personal development. Pupils respond splendidly to adults’ high ambition for them. Pupils respect and understand people’s differences. Pupils are encouraged to develop their creativity, through drama, speaking or music. All Year 5 and Year 6 pupils play a musical instrument. Pupils are proud to carry out the many leadership roles available to them.

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

Governors and leaders provide pupils with a rich, varied education. School leaders have changed the curriculum. It reflects the school’s values and it matches the ambition of the national curriculum. Leaders have forged strong partnerships within the local community. Pupils get interesting opportunities to work with businesses, other schools and university students and staff. 25 February 2020

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Teachers are well trained. They know how best to deliver learning in many subjects. Teachers have a clear grasp of what pupils need to know in most subjects. Adults also know how pupils learn effectively. Pupils told us that teachers make lessons interesting. However, in a very small number of subjects the curriculum is not as well delivered. Where this is the case, pupils do not build on previous learning as effectively as they do elsewhere.

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In lessons, teachers often give pupils time to remind themselves of what they have learned in the past. Teachers check that pupils understand what they are studying. Adults give suitable help to pupils who get stuck. So, pupils remember a lot of what they have been working on. They then make good use of their knowledge of several subjects to learn new content and skills. For example, we saw pupils confidently using their understanding of mathematics to reach accurate conclusions in their science investigations.

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Children behave and learn well in the early years. They learn how to read from the start of their education. Adults are enthusiastic teachers of reading. They make sure that stories are an important part of the school day. Children listen carefully to adults read. As a result, children want to read for themselves. This eagerness to read continues in key stage 1. Pupils read story books, poetry and non-fiction books. Those who fall behind get the help that they need to catch up.

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Leaders have made changes to how reading is taught in key stage 2. This is because some pupils do not read with the same confidence and enthusiasm as many other pupils. Aspects of this work are relatively new. Many older pupils told us how much they now enjoyed reading. That said, some adults are still getting to grips with how best to implement aspects of this new approach to reading.

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Adults have a detailed knowledge of pupils’ needs and abilities. Staff have equally high expectations for all pupils. Adults make sure that pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) have equal access to the curriculum. When it is needed, adults give pupils suitable support for their emotional and mental welfare.

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Leaders make sure that children are very well looked after. Parents are positive about the school’s close-knit community. Pupils consider the ‘Barton B’s’ (Be safe, be respectful, be learners) to be ‘intertwined in all we do’. Pupils have trusting relationships with their classmates and with adults. This enables learning to take place with calm enthusiasm.

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Leaders place a high priority on providing for pupils’ personal development. In keeping with the school’s values, pupils are understanding, and considerate, of different faiths, cultures and abilities. Pupils make important contributions to school life: be it as play leaders, reading ambassadors or members of the school council.

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Governors play their full role in ensuring that the school provides a good quality of education and care. They know what is going well and what needs to be better. Governors and leaders listen to what staff and pupils tell them. Governors take seriously their duty to safeguard staff and pupil well-being. 25 February 2020

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are well trained and know the tell-tale signs that indicate that a pupil may be at risk. Records show that leaders act promptly when a pupil or their family is in need of additional support.

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Safeguarding

Leaders provide pupils with age-appropriate information to help them stay safe when online and in other environments. Pupils are safe and know how to stay safe.

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Safeguarding

Governors make sure that leaders carry out the necessary checks on adults working at the school. The record of these checks is well maintained.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Over the last 18 months, the headteacher has led staff in a thorough redesign of the curriculum in many subjects. The governing body and headteacher have made sure that this work has been done over a manageable timescale. Many subjects are well planned and delivered. Leaders now need to continue the development of the curriculum so that it is equally well ordered and ably implemented in all subjects.  Leaders have made changes to how reading is taught. This has led to many pupils reading with enthusiasm and confidence, and achieving well. Aspects of this work are new. Some pupils do not share the same enthusiasm for their reading. Leaders need to check the impact of adults’ implementation of the new approach to reading. Leaders then need to make any changes that are needed so that pupils in key stage 2 further develop their reading and understanding.

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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 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 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 on 4–5 May 2016. 25 February 2020

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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 are the school and you are 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. 25 February 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121444 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 4–5 May 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Barton CofE VA Primary School is a smaller than average-sized primary school.  The school was judged to be outstanding at its most recent Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAMS) in June 2017.  Higher proportions of pupils join the school at times other than the start of the school year than is the case nationally.

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Information about this inspection

 We held meetings with: the headteacher; other members of the senior team; the special needs coordinator (SENCo); administrative staff; teachers and teaching assistants; and members of the governing body.  We also had a telephone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and science. In each subject, we looked at curriculum plans, spoke with curriculum leaders, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils, visited lessons and scrutinised pupils’ work. We also looked at pupils’ work in a small number of other subjects. 25 February 2020

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, we reviewed school policies, procedures and records. We spoke with the headteacher (who is the designated lead for safeguarding). We spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe. We also considered the views of parents.  We spoke with several groups of pupils and with others informally when visiting lessons and at breaktime and lunchtime. We took into account the 41 responses to Ofsted’s online pupil survey.  The 51 responses and free-text comments submitted to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire, were considered. We spoke with parents to gather their views about the school. We considered the school’s analysis of its own recent survey of parental opinions.  The 12 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey were considered alongside the views of staff gathered during meetings.

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Inspection team

John Lucas, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachael Judd Ofsted Inspector 25 February 2020

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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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