Barningham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Barningham Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Church Road, Barningham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP31 1DD

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Inspection dates: 14 and 15 January 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 14 and 15 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Barningham is a school at the heart of its community. Pupils and their families value the welcoming ‘family feel’. Pupils are supported ‘to be ambitious, to be kind and to give’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The taught curriculum supports pupils to learn and build upon their knowledge over time. They achieve well, particularly in the core areas of learning. Pupils are well prepared academically for their next stage.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pastoral support is a real strength. Pupils feel safe in school. They speak very confidently about adults they can talk to if they ever feel worried. Relationships between pupils and adults are strong. Pupils know they are listened to and valued.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave positively around school. They want to learn and make the right choices to ensure this happens. Pupils are highly motivated to move up the ‘rainbow ladder’ for demonstrating excellent behaviour. Playtimes are a happy, sociable time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

School councillors revel in their roles. The worship council supports, organises and leads acts of worship. Pupils raise money and contribute to the local community. These roles of responsibility help pupils develop their leadership skills. The annual careers week helps raise aspirations. Pupils are ambitious for what they can go on and achieve.

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

The school has developed an ambitious and well sequenced curriculum which considers the school’s mixed-age classes. It identifies the key knowledge and vocabulary pupils should learn from early years onwards. Some subjects are more developed than others in the wider curriculum.

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

Children make a strong start in early years. The curriculum for children in Reception is firmly established. Adult-led and child-initiated tasks are designed to support children in learning and developing their learning through play. There is a clear focus on children developing their key learning foundations. For example, children eagerly and accurately order numbers using a washing line in the outdoor environment. The curriculum for Nursery children is developing. Nursery children settle in well and are well supported by trained adults to complete meaningful tasks. The school is intent on further developing its provision for Nursery children to help them increase their independence.

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

The school has a well-established early reading curriculum designed to help pupils learn to read from the time they start school. This is typically delivered well and supports pupils to be successful in the early stages of reading. Pupils’ progress is checked, and support is given to any pupil who falls behind. However, some staff are developing their expertise in delivering the phonics programme. This means that sometimes the teaching of phonics is not as effective as it could be. As a result, some pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they could. 14 and 15 January 2025

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The school curriculum is typically delivered well. Teachers revisit previous learning. They question pupils skilfully to check understanding and adjust the curriculum to help pupils when they need some additional support. On occasion, though, the key knowledge pupils need to learn is not introduced as clearly as it could be. Sometimes the activities pupils complete do not support them in learning and remembering the key content identified in curriculum plans. In these lessons, pupils do not achieve as successfully. Over time, they do not learn the intended knowledge as securely.

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The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are accurately identified. The school identifies any significant barriers to learning. Teachers adapt learning tasks to support most pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers successfully.

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The school’s approach to managing behaviour has recently been revised. There are clear expectations. Pupils are expected to follow the rules of ‘be ready, be respectful, be safe’. Many pupils eagerly meet these expectations. Pupils who need more bespoke support are provided with this. Classrooms are typically calm and orderly, and learning proceeds without disruption.

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Attendance has improved significantly. The school has placed great importance on pupils being in school as often as possible. They celebrate good attendance and do not delay in tackling any absence. Having not done so in the past, pupils now attend school very well.

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The personal, social and health education programme is firmly in place. Pupils develop a strong understanding of different cultures and beliefs. They respect and value difference. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils talk confidently about how to keep their minds and bodies healthy.

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The governing body is heavily invested in the school. Members care deeply about the school and offer strong support and challenge to school leaders. Staff feel valued and appreciated by school leaders. They know their well-being and workload are carefully considered when changes are made. Staff are proud to work at this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, the teaching of the early reading curriculum is not supported by secure subject and teaching knowledge. This means that some pupils are not fully supported to ensure they read fluently and accurately at the early stages of reading. The school should ensure staff have sufficient expertise to deliver their early reading curriculum effectively. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 On occasion, in wider curriculum subjects, the core knowledge and vocabulary pupils need to secure is not suitably prioritised. This means some pupils do not secure the core learning they are intended to learn and remember over time. The school should support teachers so that the key learning content is at the forefront of teaching approaches used.

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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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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 January 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 June 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 This is a Church of England school in the Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich. The last section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in January 2017. The next inspection is due to take place this academic year.  The school runs its own breakfast club provision.  The school does not currently use alternative provision.  The school opened up a Nursery provision in September 2024. It now caters for three- year-olds.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 14 and 15 January 2025

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 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, subject leaders, staff, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to pupils read with a familiar member of staff.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors reviewed the single central

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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.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including behaviour logs, attendance records, pupil records, records of governing body meetings, school development plans and school self-evaluation documents.  The inspection team considered the views of parents through responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and conversations held during the inspection.  Inspectors gathered the views of pupils and staff through Ofsted’s pupil and staff surveys, as well as discussions conducted throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jonny Wallace, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Matt O’Grady Ofsted 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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