Barley Hill Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Barley Hill Primary School Ludsden Grove, Thame, Oxfordshire OX9 3DH

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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Outcome

Barley Hill Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to this school. The school has high expectations for all pupils’ achievement. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well to ensure that they are fully engaged in their learning. Typically, pupils learn well, developing detailed knowledge and confidence in a range of skills.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well. They live out the school’s values and are respectful to staff and to each other. Staff establish strong relationships with pupils, and this helps pupils to feel safe. Pupils rightly know that there are adults to talk to if they have a worry, who will resolve any issues swiftly. The ‘Friendship Stop’ on the playground is used well during playtimes to help pupils find friends and join in games quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a rich array of different experiences, such as visits to local zoos and Roman villas. Pupils appreciate the opportunity to take on interesting leadership roles, including being house captains and values ambassadors. This helps them to learn about responsibility. Pupils attending the range of clubs, such as computing, dance and football, receive meaningful opportunities to build on their talents and interests. For example, pupils are proud of the many sporting trophies won in the local ‘Thame League’.

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

The school curriculum is ambitious for all pupils. The curriculum is well sequenced to help pupils build their knowledge over time. It is especially well developed and embedded in English and mathematics. The school has thought carefully about how the curriculum that children learn in Reception is built on throughout their time at the school. Securing children’s early mathematical knowledge and communication skills is given appropriate focus and prepares children well for Year 1. 14 and 15 January 2025

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The school prioritises the effective teaching of early reading. It has responded swiftly to the discouraging 2024 phonics outcomes by making thoughtful and carefully considered changes to the curriculum. Pupils who need additional help with reading receive regular, well-planned support. Skilled staff deliver the phonics programme with high levels of consistency. This helps pupils to develop confidence and fluency in reading and catch up quickly. Older pupils read confidently and fluently. They discuss characters and plot with understanding. Pupils enjoy hearing adults read and appreciate the wide range of books available to them across the curriculum.

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In most subjects, teachers have good subject knowledge. Curriculum approaches such as the ‘Barley Hill Way’ help them structure lesson content in a manner that focuses on the important knowledge pupils need to know and remember effectively. This is particularly true in English and mathematics, where pupils are helped to secure their understanding and then apply what they have learned. Teachers help bring pupils’ learning to life, for example by using practical resources and real-life examples. They check pupils’ learning regularly, adapting their explanations well to make sure pupils understand what they need to do. Occasionally, these checks are not as effective, and teachers start new learning before pupils are ready. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND swiftly. Provision such as the school’s internal resource base, ‘The Cloud’, provides effective support for pupils to develop important communication and interaction skills. In class, staff ensure that they adapt their delivery of the curriculum to meet pupils’ individual needs. This enables most pupils with SEND to learn successfully alongside their peers.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to learning. In lessons, they listen very attentively to their teachers and try their best with their work. Most pupils attend well. Recent improvements in how the school works with pupils who struggle to attend, and their families, are having a positive impact and reducing absence.

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Pupils are very well prepared for life beyond the school. The curriculum helps them to know how to stay safe and healthy, including online. Pupils learn about fundamental British values and how these relate to their everyday lives. Pupils contribute to the wider community by fundraising for local and national charities, including collecting food for the school’s food bank. Pupils learn about democratic processes through voting for members of the pupil leadership team or house captains. They have a keen sense of equality. Pupils demonstrate respect for those from different backgrounds and beliefs.

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School leaders and governors have a clear, shared vision for the school. They work together well to continue to improve the school. There are effective processes in place to make sure that improvement planning makes a positive difference. Staff rightly feel valued and enjoy working at the school. They feel well supported to carry out their roles effectively.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 14 and 15 January 2025

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, some teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning are not as effective as they should be. They do not identify errors and misunderstanding. This affects how well pupils build knowledge over time, as teachers do not consistently address their gaps and misconceptions. The school should ensure that it supports teachers to check pupils’ learning consistently well and to adjust their teaching appropriately so that pupils learn as well as the school intends them to.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in April 2015.

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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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You can search for published performance information about the school.

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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 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The before- and after-school provision is managed by the school.  The school makes use of two unregistered alternative provisions.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They also met with members of the governing body and representatives of the local authority.  The inspector focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: English and mathematics; science, design and technology and physical education. For each group of subjects, the inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 During the inspection, the inspector met with a range of pupils to discuss their views about the school and talked to them informally during social times.  The inspector reviewed the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspector also took account of staff responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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.

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Inspection team

Laura James, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 14 and 15 January 2025

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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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