Great Barton Church of England Primary Academy

Inspection of Great Barton Church of England Primary Academy School Road, Great Barton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP31 2RJ

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 November 2023

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Claire Ratley. This school is part of the Thedwastre Education Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Phillip Mackay, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gary McDonald.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Great Barton Church of England Primary Academy as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 14 and 15 November 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s warm and caring environment provides a safe space for pupils to thrive and flourish. Whether chatting with friends across the dining table or pulling on wellies to get muddy at lunchtime, pupils play and socialise together very happily. Adults set high standards for pupils’ learning from early years upwards. Pupils live up to these expectations. They always try their very best in lessons and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Opportunities for pupils to take part in activities to promote their wider personal development are in abundance. It goes beyond what many pupils may normally get to experience. Be it sporting, musical or charitable, pupils involve themselves with great enthusiasm. Pupils elected to the school council, the eco-council or those who act as junior road safety ambassadors, do so with pride. Older pupils delight in preparing for the upcoming Indonesian ‘Gamelan’ music performance. Not only does this broaden their musical understanding and talents, but also enriches their understanding of different cultures.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and adults enact the school’s values. A deep culture of mutual respect runs through the school. Pupils, including the very youngest, behave extremely well. On the rare occasions a pupil’s behaviour falls below what is expected, they are well supported to discuss, evaluate, amend and learn from mistakes they may have made.

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better?

The school’s curriculum provides pupils with a well-curated path to success as they move through the school. Children in the Reception class learn a rich and precisely designed curriculum. This equips them with the knowledge they need, setting down strong foundations for their future learning. Children are highly motivated to join in with meaningful learning opportunities. They quickly learn to respect their classroom, playground and one another. They develop high levels of concentration and engagement in activities while in Reception. This includes children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers accurately identify, and meet, the needs of these children in Reception. The youngest children in the early years receive a high-quality education. They are well supported and guided in their first year in school and so are very well equipped for Year 1

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better?

More widely, pupils in Years 1 to 6 benefit from teachers with strong subject knowledge. Teachers explain new concepts clearly, so pupils understand well. The curriculum steers adults to teach new ideas and skills in a sensible order. For example, pupils learn the recorder, and related musical notation, in Year 3. This prepares them for the rigours of learning the clarinet in Year 4. Pupils with SEND are well supported and guided by adults and, in the main, learn well. However, in some cases, some individual targets set for pupils with SEND are not sufficiently precise. At times they are too broad. This means that adaptations to activities are not as effective in supporting pupils with SEND to achieve exceptionally well. 14 and 15 November 2023

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The youngest children are immersed in stories, poems and songs. They learn many new words. Adults skilfully help them remember to practise the sounds they know and use this ever-growing vocabulary. Therefore, pupils are well supported to crack the reading code quickly and so become fluent and confident readers. Those who need extra support in learning to read receive regular help from skilled adults and quickly catch up.

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Lessons are calm and rarely disturbed. Pupils have fun in class but respect when it is time to concentrate on their work. Children develop positive attitudes to their learning from Reception, and these habits continue to embed as they grow older. Pupils’ mature approach as they reach Year 6 means they can tackle sensitive subject matter, such as learning about World War 2 with age-appropriate consideration. Attendance is high. The school keep a close eye on pupils who miss too much school and provide helpful support if this is needed.

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The school’s established personal development programme supports pupils as they grow and develop. This highly considered and deliberate approach helps pupils to develop their character and independence over time. They learn about different relationships through the school’s highly effective relationships and sex education provision. Pupils learn about their mental health and celebrate difference between themselves and others. The ‘chill and chat’ club provides well-tailored opportunities for pupils to develop their self-confidence.

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The school provides effective support for teachers and keeps a close eye on their workload. Staff are united in their approach to provide the best education they can for pupils.

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The open flow of information between the board of trustees and school governors ensures that they all have the knowledge needed to carry out their statutory roles effectively. Governors and trustees visit school regularly to quality assure school improvement.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Support for some pupils with SEND lacks precision. This is because the school does not consistently set out clearly enough what these pupils need to know, learn and remember. This means that adaptations to teaching and activities are not as effective in supporting pupils with SEND to achieve exceptionally well. The school needs to provide support and training for staff to ensure targets are 14 and 15 November 2023

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precise and activities are carefully adapted to support pupils with SEND to achieve exceptionally well.

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 14 and 15 November 2023

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School details

Website www.greatbartonprimaryschool.co.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Thedwastre Education Trust multi-academy trust and joined the trust in 2016.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

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

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, science and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the 14 and 15 November 2023

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curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector listened to pupils from Years 1, 2 and 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and other leaders, including the special educational needs coordinator. The lead inspector met with the chief executive officer of the trust and held a meeting with members of the local governing board and the chair of the trust board.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils interests first.  The inspection team considered the views of parents shared through the Ofsted surveys and the lead inspector spoke to some parents during the inspection.

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Inspectors gathered the views of pupils and staff through surveys as well as interviews and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Nathan Lowe, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Benjamin Axon Ofsted Inspector 14 and 15 November 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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