St Barnabas CofE Primary School, Barnetby

Inspection of St Barnabas C of E Primary School, Barnetby St Barnabas Road, Barnetby, Lincolnshire DN38 6JD

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

St Barnabas Church of England Primary School has experienced significant change in recent years. Many leaders, and professionals supporting the school, describe the school as being ‘on a journey to improvement’. Leaders recognise that there is still much to do to provide a consistently high standard of education for all pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most parents and carers who provided feedback for inspectors are positive about the school. They value the friendly and happy atmosphere that leaders have established. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well and feel included in the life of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. Teachers have developed routines that support pupils to work effectively in groups or to discuss their work with a partner. Classrooms are calm places for pupils to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have not established a consistent approach to record behaviour incidents, including bullying. Leaders and teachers do not have a clear overview of trends and patterns of poor behaviour. Some incidents are not dealt with consistently. This is because staff are not clear about how to report and record behaviour incidents. Leaders do not routinely check that the actions taken result in improvements in behaviour.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils feel safe in school. They trust staff to respond to their concerns. However, a small number of pupils do not consider that leaders’ actions have gone far enough to resolve the issues that they have raised.

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better?

Pupils’ outcomes, particularly in key stage 2, have declined since the previous inspection. The newly appointed headteacher quickly identified weaknesses within the school’s curriculum. Leaders have implemented strategies to support high-quality teaching across the school. They prioritised the teaching of reading, writing and mathematics. This is beginning to have a positive impact on pupils’ learning. However, leaders do not routinely check that the actions taken to improve the school have resulted in the intended outcome. During the past year, leaders, including governors, have gained an improved understanding of the school’s areas for development. They have, with support from the local authority, identified the improvement priorities for the school. The governing body has recently restructured the way it operates to provide a sharper focus on improving standards.

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better?

Leaders have ensured a consistent approach to phonics teaching across the school. Most pupils read books that match their phonic knowledge. Over time, pupils read with increasing fluency and accuracy. Most pupils enjoy reading. In English lessons, they experience a range of genres and authors. 4 and 5 May 2023

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In Reception, children enjoy opportunities in the classroom and outside area to read, write and be creative. Children develop skills in early reading and writing. They learn to apply their phonic knowledge to write words and simple sentences well. Children learn to replicate patterns with shapes. During the inspection, children created patterns to decorate a crown in preparation for the King’s coronation. Adults promote discussion and opportunities to support children’s use of language. Children enjoy sharing their news and listening to their peers. The early years curriculum enables children to make progress during their time in Reception. It prepares children well for moving into key stage 1.

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Leaders have, within the past year, reviewed and rewritten curriculum subject plans. Teachers have greater clarity about what they must teach than the previous curriculum provided. Curriculum leaders have considered what pupils will learn as they progress through the school. However, leaders recognise that most curriculum plans, such as history, contain too much content for pupils to learn. Leaders have not precisely identified the important knowledge that pupils must learn. Teachers are not able to easily assess whether pupils have remembered what they will need in future lessons.

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In more established subjects such as mathematics and English, pupils usually experience success in their learning. Many pupils identify these subjects as their favourite. In mathematics, pupils complete calculations with confidence. They benefit from the carefully sequenced curriculum, which builds knowledge over time. At the beginning of the year, leaders identified that pupils were not able to use their mathematical knowledge to solve problems and provide reasons for their answers. Despite this, some pupils do not have regular opportunities to apply their learning. This is because leaders do not check how the curriculum is being implemented.

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Leaders have introduced clear systems and processes to support pupils with SEND effectively. These help teachers identify pupils who need extra support. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) uses assessment data and visits to lessons to check that pupils’ needs are met.

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Opportunities to support pupils’ broader development are not well established. Acts of worship, as well as personal, social and health education (PSHE) lessons, provide times for pupils to learn about topics such as the environment and humans’ impact on it. Pupils find it difficult to talk about what they have learned about other faiths and cultures. They do not have a secure understanding and appreciation of ways in which to appreciate and respect difference in the world and its people.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Through the school’s PSHE curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. 4 and 5 May 2023

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Staff regularly complete online training to develop their knowledge about a range of important safeguarding topics, such as county lines. (County lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, usually by children or vulnerable people who are coerced into it by gangs.) Leaders do not reinforce this with opportunities for staff to discuss what they have learned in their training and how it applies to the context of the school. Some staff develop misconceptions about what they have learned.

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Leaders have adopted a child protection policy that meets current statutory requirements. However, the policy does not clearly set out how staff should report concerns about a pupil. This, and other policies, do not give clear information about what to do if staff have concerns about a colleague. Although these points need to be addressed, inspectors are satisfied that processes are in place for staff to raise concerns.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders have not identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn as they progress through the school. In some subjects, such as history, teachers do not know what pupils need to know. In these subjects, pupils are not able to make links to prior learning. Leaders need to ensure that the important knowledge that pupils should learn is clearly mapped out, building on learning in the early years, in all subjects.  Leaders, including governors, do not routinely check that what they have implemented is having the intended outcome. Leaders do not have an accurate view of the impact of their work to improve the school. Leaders should establish systems for leaders at all levels, including governors, to routinely check the impact of their work.  Leaders have not established systems to monitor and review behaviour incidents in school. Thresholds for recording and reporting behaviour are inconsistent.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Some incidents are not resolved satisfactorily. Leaders must establish a clear and consistent process so that all staff know how to record and report behaviour incidents and for leaders to use this to identify and address patterns of behaviour.  Leaders do not provide regular opportunities for staff to reflect on learning once they have completed online safeguarding training. Some staff do not know how their learning applies to the school’s context. Some staff have developed misconceptions about matters relating to safeguarding. Leaders should ensure that staff have regular opportunities to discuss what they have learned so that they are confident to identify and manage any concerns that they encounter. 4 and 5 May 2023

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How can I feed back my views?

or 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. 4 and 5 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 November 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is smaller than the average-size primary school.  The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is above the national average.  The proportion of pupils identified as SEND support is close to the national average.  The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan is below the national average.  The school is part of the Church of England Diocese of Lincoln. The school’s previous section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was carried out in November 2017.  The headteacher started in his post in January 2022.  Three new teachers started at the school in September 2022.  The school does not use any alternative provision. 4 and 5 May 2023

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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 have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors spoke to the headteacher and deputy headteacher about their work to develop the school.  In order to evaluate the quality of the curriculum, inspectors conducted deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and physical education. They met with leaders, visited lessons and reviewed pupils’ work. They met with pupils and staff separately.  An inspector met with the school’s link adviser from the local authority as well as the local authority peer leader.  Inspectors reviewed documents relating to safeguarding. During the inspection, some administrative changes were made to the single central record to ensure that it met with statutory requirements.  The lead inspector met with the local authority’s safeguarding officer.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors considered how pupils with SEND were supported in school. An inspector met with the SENCo to discuss this aspect of the school’s work.  An inspector spoke to the director of schools from the Diocese of Lincoln.  An inspector visited the school’s breakfast club.  Inspectors reviewed responses to Ofsted’s parent survey, Ofsted Parent View. An inspector also spoke to parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Matthew Harrington, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Yeomans Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 May 2023

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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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