St Bartholomew's CofE VC Primary School

Inspection of St Bartholomew’s CofE VC Primary School Princess Way, Areley Kings, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire DY13 0EL

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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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 7 and 8 February 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff describe St Bartholomew’s CofE VC Primary School as ‘a family’. Staff make time to get to know pupils and families well. Staff care about each individual and work hard to promote pupils’ well-being. This makes the school a happy, welcoming and inclusive place to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for all pupils. Pupils respond well to leaders’ expectations and show pride in their achievements. Pupils value their education. Pupils say that staff help them to be the best they can be.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and welcome visitors. Adults teach pupils to be ‘courageous advocates’. Staff reward pupils for helping, being kind or doing something good. Pupils appreciate these rewards and behave well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils say bullying is dealt with quickly by staff. This helps everyone to feel safe. Pupils are confident that staff listen to them and take their views and concerns seriously.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have many opportunities to contribute to daily school life. Pupils across the school, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), take on leadership roles such as ‘global stars’, prefects, house captains and well- being ambassadors. They carry out their responsibilities with maturity.

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better?

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum that covers a broad range of subjects. They have identified the knowledge they expect pupils to know and remember in most subjects. Teachers deliver this information in a logical order. Pupils achieve well as they move through school. However, in a small number of subjects, the curriculum is not yet fully developed. In these subjects, the curriculum lacks precise detail about the key knowledge pupils should learn and remember. This means that pupils do not develop a depth of knowledge over time as well as they might. Leaders have made significant changes to the school’s approach to early reading. Children in early years are immersed in a world of reading where they hear lots of rhymes and stories. Children in Reception then start to learn phonics early in the autumn term. These daily lessons are well organised and build children’s phonics knowledge logically. Staff quickly identify any children who need extra help to enable

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better?

them to keep up with the reading programme. In addition, teachers promote a love of reading. For example, they invite parents to join their children at reading workshops. However, the range of genres and texts that pupils read is not as broad as it might be. 7 and 8 February 2023

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Children in the early years get off to a super start. From the age of two, children learn in a supportive, caring environment. Staff carefully plan what children need to learn and ensure that activities are purposeful. Staff provide many activities to capture the children’s imagination and curiosity. This helps the children to achieve well.

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Leaders make sure the needs of pupils with SEND are identified swiftly. Staff help pupils to be independent learners; they provide additional resources and support them skilfully. As a result, pupils with SEND access a broad range of subjects and make progress through the curriculum.

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Staff work closely with families to ensure that they understand the importance of pupils being in school. Although attendance has improved for some pupils, too many still do not attend school regularly. Leaders are determined to improve pupils’ attendance, but there is still more work to do to ensure that all pupils attend as leaders expect.

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Staff have high expectations about pupils’ behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and have positive attitudes to learning. If any pupils lose focus in class, staff ably refocus them. This helps all pupils to make the most of all learning.

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Pupils are proud of their achievements. They develop confidence in their abilities through a variety of experiences that extend beyond formal lessons. For example, they work with visitors, take part in competitions, attend residential experiences and work with local businesses. Such experiences help pupils learn to be resilient and keep trying. Pupils and staff say working as a team is really important at St Bartholomew’s.

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Staff across the school appreciate the help and support they receive from leaders to make their workload manageable. Parents speak highly of the school. Leaders actively engage parents and carers in their children’s learning and school life.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that a strong culture of safeguarding runs throughout the school. Staff receive regular training. This means they are vigilant and know what to do if they have any concerns about a child. Leaders’ systems to report concerns are robust, this includes any concerns about pupils who miss school regularly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders prioritise communication with families. They work hard to maintain positive relationships with parents and work well with external agencies when necessary. 7 and 8 February 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The range of genres and texts that pupils read is not as broad as it might be. This limits pupils’ reading experiences. Leaders should continue to broaden the range of texts included in the reading curriculum.  In a small number of subjects, leaders have not identified the key knowledge and ideas they want pupils to know and remember. This means that pupils do not develop a deep understanding of the subject. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum precisely identifies the key knowledge pupils should learn in all subjects.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly. As a result, they miss too much learning. Leaders should continue to work with families to ensure that all pupils attend school regularly.

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How can I feed back my views?

to 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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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. 7 and 8 February 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10256845 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.st-bartholomews.worcs.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 11 and 12 February 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Severn Academies Educational Trust (SAET).  The school operates a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, phase leaders, subject leaders, early years leader and the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors met with staff, trustees and members of the local governing board.  During the inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography and music. For each deep dive, inspectors 7 and 8 February 2023

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met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupil’s work.  Inspectors looked at school documents, including information about the school’s curriculum, behaviour, attendance and governors’ minutes.  To check the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the school’s policies and procedures. Inspectors met with safeguarding leaders and spoke to pupils, staff, parents and governors.  Inspectors reviewed information published on the school’s website.  Pupil behaviour was observed around school, in classes and at social times.  Inspectors reviewed and discussed records of pupils’ attendance.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for parents, staff and pupils.  Inspectors spoke to parents. Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted Parent View free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Pamela Matty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Whitcombe Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 February 2023

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