Barley Lane Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Barley Lane Primary School Huxley Drive, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex RM6 4RJ

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Outcome

Barley Lane Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and safe place for pupils. Pupils are respectful to each other and to staff and visitors. We saw this throughout the inspection. Bullying is rare and staff deal with any concerns quickly and fairly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend this school. Leaders enrich pupils’ learning with memorable visits. Pupils visit places such as the Tate Gallery and Colchester Castle. Pupils said that they remembered the visit to Colchester Castle particularly well when they studied their history topic.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The introduction of ‘house teams’ has brought the school community together. They help to embed the school values. Pupils like getting points when they show these values in their attitudes to work. Older pupils have opportunities to take on extra responsibilities. Pupils can be ‘young leaders’ or ‘advocates’, for example. They take pride in these roles. Pupils told us how they have developed their own leadership skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

One parent’s comment reflected the views of many when they said that ‘the school is a great platform’ for their children’s futures.

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

Leaders have planned a rich and exciting programme of study based on the needs of the community. As a result, it is ambitious and well designed.

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

Teachers have high expectations for all pupils. Staff adjust work well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). This means that all pupils can access the learning.

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

Clear and sequenced mathematics teaching across the school has improved pupils’ outcomes. High-quality teaching supports pupils to develop effective strategies to use when solving problems. They can explain their workings out when given more difficult 3–4 March 2020

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challenges. Pupils understand that learning is their responsibility. They work with each other to solve problems before asking adults for support.

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Leaders ensure that reading is a priority in the school. The teaching of early reading is effective. Staff use a well-structured programme for teaching phonics in the early years. They help children learn practical ways to read and write simple words and sentences. In key stage 1, pupils continue to develop fluency and confidence when reading aloud. Some pupils need more help to keep up. They receive extra support from highly trained staff. Reading books match the sounds pupils learn. As a result, pupils get the support they need to develop fluency in their reading. Reading corners in every classroom are attractive spaces. Teachers read to their classes daily to further promote enjoyment of reading.

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Leaders organise subject learning into different topics. ‘Big questions’ help to stimulate pupils’ curiosity. For example, Year 6 pupils considered the question ‘Does crime ever pay?’ when studying the Victorians. Planning for pupils is well thought through and builds on prior learning. Teachers are clear what they are teaching and why. Over time, pupils build up an understanding of historical events and people. They also develop knowledge of the wider world. In Year 4, pupils learned about Roman Britain through different sources of information. They drew their own conclusions about what life was like at that time. Pupils were keen to explain their learning in geography. In Year 6, for example, pupils could compare the physical geography of Great Britain and Japan. Children in the Nursery picked out local geographical features.

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Computing is a developing subject. Leaders have provided guidance, support and training which has increased teachers’ confidence. Pupils talk with enthusiasm about the subject. They know that computing skills will help to equip them for life outside and after school. For example, pupils in Year 3 were developing their awareness of a digital footprint. Pupils understand e-safety issues, particularly around the risks of unsafe contacts .

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Behaviour across the school is strong. Children in the early years develop good listening and speaking skills. Pupils’ behaviour in all classes and at breaktimes is calm and purposeful. In lessons, pupils are enthusiastic about their learning. Leaders ensure that there are a range of opportunities open to all pupils. This includes creative and sporting clubs after school.

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Attendance has improved since the previous year and is now in line with the national average. However, a number of pupils regularly miss school. This remains a high priority for the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders, including governors, foster a strong culture of safeguarding. They keep meticulous staff recruitment records and check them regularly. Training has made staff more aware of signs that may indicate that pupils are at risk of harm. Concerns are raised and addressed swiftly using the school’s online system. Work with external agencies is 3–4 March 2020

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effective and leaders give support to families when required. Leaders have a robust understanding of the risks that pupils may face in the local area. They provide pupils with information and experiences that help them develop their own strategies to mitigate these when outside school.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have developed coherent plans for most areas of the curriculum. Where these are more embedded, they are clearly having a positive impact on pupil outcomes. These are not so well developed in subjects such as computing. Leaders should ensure that their plans to further strengthen teaching mean that pupils achieve well in all curriculum subjects.  Attendance is improving overall. However, there are some pupils that have high rates of absence. Leaders should ensure that the plans to improve attendance for identified pupils are successful.

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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, 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 are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 3–4 March 2020

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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. 3–4 March 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10121565 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The Local Authority

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27–28 April 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a larger than average primary school.  The school runs an ‘early bird’ drop-in session for pupils at the beginning of the school day.  The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is below the national average.  The proportion of pupils with English as an additional language is well above the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is below the national average.

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Information about this inspection

 We met with the headteacher, senior leaders, curriculum leaders and other members of staff. We also met with a group of governors, including the chair of governors. We had a meeting with a representative from the local authority. We took account of the 46 responses to the staff online survey.  We observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school, including playtime. We gathered pupils’ views about the school through formal and informal discussion. 3–4 March 2020

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 We scrutinised a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plan, curriculum planning, minutes of governing body meetings, external visits to the school by the local authority, subject leaders’ action plan and safeguarding documents. I also evaluated information relating to pupils’ behaviour and attendance.  We considered the 128 responses from Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire. There were no responses from the online pupil survey.  We did deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics, history, computing and geography. All other subjects were considered. We listened to pupils read. We spoke to pupils about their learning with their books.

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Inspection team

Sara Morgan, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Laura Pease Ofsted Inspector 3–4 March 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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