Barnsbury Primary School and Nursery

Inspection of a good school: Barnsbury Primary School and Nursery Almond Avenue, Barnsbury, Woking, Surrey, GU22 0BB

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Inspection dates: 16 and17 November 2021

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Outcome

Barnsbury Primary School and Nursery continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy at Barnsbury Primary School. They enjoy school and feel safe. Teachers expect pupils to work hard and behave well. Pupils live up to these high expectations. They behave exceptionally well. If bullying happens, staff deal with it promptly. Pupils are confident that any concerns they raise about bullying are taken seriously by staff.

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What is it like to attend this school?

During social times, pupils play sensibly together in the different areas of the school playgrounds. They often sit in the outdoor library to read, or they play games with their friends. There are a range of opportunities for pupils to develop their resilience and confidence. Pupils are proud to join the school council, where they discuss and debate school issues. Older pupils can apply to become ‘house captains’ or ‘sports captains’ by writing an application letter to the headteacher and making a speech in front of other pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils attend a variety of after-school groups, including gardening, design and cooking clubs. Pupils who have worries or are worried about a friend can write their concerns down and post them in the ‘worry monster’. Teachers then speak to pupils about what is concerning them. Pupils visit the ‘rainbow room’ where they can talk to a specially trained member of staff if they need help or advice.

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

Leaders have worked hard to further improve the school since the last inspection. They have reviewed the curriculum and made changes to make it more ambitious. In reading and mathematics, leaders have organised how and when knowledge is taught precisely. However, in some subjects leaders have not yet selected and organised what they want pupils to learn in sufficient depth. Pupils do not build up their knowledge in these subjects as well as they could. Leaders are in the process of sharpening their plans to improve the organisation of knowledge across these subjects. 16 and 17 November 2021

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Leaders focus on reading. Well-trained staff teach phonics well. They ensure that pupils learn to read with increasing fluency in Reception and in Year 1. Children are well prepared for Year 1 where they continue to learn stories, rhymes and songs that reinforce their understanding of phonics. As pupils move into Years 3 to 6, they become more interested in books and are keen to use the school’s library. Pupils are accustomed to reading often in class and to their teachers.

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In mathematics, younger pupils develop their understanding of numbers and counting quickly. In early years, the vibrant learning environment provides rich opportunities for pupils to learn more about numbers. By the time children leave Reception, they can count and do simple calculations. Further up the school, pupils develop a deep and secure understanding in mathematics. For example, pupils in Year 6 demonstrated to each other how to simplify fractions and then perform calculations using two fractions.

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Teachers explain increasingly difficult knowledge to pupils skilfully and use questioning to find out what pupils understand. For example, in religious education, the teacher helped Year 4 pupils to recall what they had learned in the previous lesson about Guru Nanak so that they could investigate how Sikhs show their devotion to Sikhism.

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Pupils who need extra support are identified and supported quickly. Teaching assistants provide timely and effective help for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders work well with external agencies to make sure that those pupils who need more specialist help receive it. For example, pupils have access to extra support from a speech and language therapist and an educational psychologist.

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The special educational needs coordinator accurately assesses pupils’ needs. Leaders readily involve parents to decide what support is right for each pupil. Detailed plans describe what works best for pupils with SEND. These plans are shared with staff so that they are well informed about how to adapt their teaching.

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Pupils develop their confidence and character effectively. For example, older pupils become ‘digital leaders’. Their role is to help younger pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils develop their understanding of fundamental British values well. They experience what it is like to vote for pupil leadership positions in the school.

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Staff are proud to work at Barnsbury. They feel that leaders support them well. Leaders consider staff workload when they put policies in place.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders’ understanding of the most recent safeguarding guidance is secure. They train staff regularly and ensure that staff know how to spot the signs that a child might be at risk of harm. Leaders follow the correct procedures when they need to make referrals to external agencies. 16 and 17 November 2021

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Well-trained staff administer prescribed medicines to pupils who require them. Staff follow well-considered procedures and have received appropriate training. Several staff in early years are trained in paediatric first aid.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some curriculum subjects, such as religious education and art, leaders have not yet planned and sequenced the knowledge that they intend pupils to learn well enough. This means that pupils do not build their knowledge as well as they could, over time. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum is carefully sequenced in all subjects. It is clear that leaders have taken some action to improve their planning in this area. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.

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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 outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Barnsbury Primary School to be good on 15th November 2016.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 16 and 17 November 2021

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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. 16 and 17 November 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200366 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 15 November 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed in September 2021.  The school has been part of the Swan Trust since September 2013. In September 2019, the Swan Trust became a multi-academy trust.  The nursery provides education for children between the ages of two and four.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, subject leaders, the special educational needs coordinator, governors, the chair of the board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the trust.  On the first and second day of the inspection, the inspector did deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and religious education. This meant that in each 16 and 17 November 2021

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subject, the inspector met with subject leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspector also looked at curriculum plans from other subjects.  The inspector considered the views of staff from meetings with groups of staff and from the 49 staff who responded to Ofsted’s confidential questionnaire.  The inspector reviewed safeguarding records, including the central record of recruitment checks on staff.  The inspector considered the views of 155 parents who responded to the confidential Ofsted parental questionnaire and 97 parents who provided free-text responses.  The inspector considered the views of 72 pupils who responded to Ofsted’s confidential pupil questionnaire.

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Inspection team

Harry Ingham, lead inspector Her Majesty's Inspector 16 and 17 November 2021

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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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