Barrow Hall Orchard Church of England Primary School

Inspection of Barrow Hall Orchard Church of England Primary School Church Street, Barrow-upon-Soar, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 8HP

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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

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The headteacher of this school is Steve Dunn, who is also the chief executive officer. This school is single academy trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Vicky Bowman. 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school feels like one happy family. Pupils, staff, parents and carers all talk about their sense of belonging. This is because the school really cares about its pupils, families and the wider community.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The pastoral support for pupils in this school is exceptional. The school is relentless in its pursuit to remove any barriers pupils may have to their learning. Support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), and the most disadvantaged, is highly effective. Pupils do well in this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy and safe in this school. They behave well. There is a sense of calm around the school. The school’s ‘HOPS High 5 – community, friendship, respect, resilience, aspiration’ successfully guide pupils in their actions and behaviours. All pupils are proud to attend this school and of their achievements.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many opportunities for pupils to develop their character. For example, prefects and mental health champions support other pupils with great maturity. These pupils talk passionately about how they should ‘be their best self’ and help others to do the same. These advocates make a tangible difference to the lives of others. In doing so, they also know they help themselves.

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

Leaders are passionate about helping pupils to love reading. Children begin to learn to read as soon as they join in the Reception Year. The school makes sure that all staff have the requisite knowledge to teach phonics. Staff regularly check if pupils fall behind. These pupils receive swift and targeted support and soon catch up.

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

The school places novels at the heart of learning to read beyond phonics. It has established a range of quality texts. These texts enable pupils to understand more about our diverse world. A consistent approach to exploring books enables pupils to study meaning within texts. They gain a deeper understanding of the authors’ intentions. ‘Reading leaders’ help younger pupils to share their enthusiasm for reading. Pupils enjoy reading.

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

The school constantly reviews its work on the curriculum. In the strongest subjects, the curriculum sets out key knowledge for pupils to learn explicitly. This enables teachers to create learning sequences. It ensures that pupils connect concepts and key knowledge. Pupils apply what they have learned and talk in depth, with understanding about it. In a few subjects, the curriculum is less well developed. It does not identify key knowledge as precisely. In most subjects the school has adopted a system to ‘retrieve, remember and review’ what pupils know. This encourages pupils to revisit what they have learned. However, in a few subjects, teachers do not use the system effectively to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This means they do not always adapt activities to suit individual pupils’ needs. 25 and 26 February 2025

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The school’s provision to support pupils with SEND is strong. Teachers swiftly identify these pupils’ needs. They adapt learning so that these pupils succeed. Pupils with SEND do well.

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The school’s expectations for pupils to behave well are high. Pupils respond to these expectations. Pupils enjoy coming to school and attend regularly.

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There is an excited buzz in the early years. Children are eager to learn. Routines are well established. Children settle quickly. Teachers design activities that encourage children to remain focused and explore their learning. Children work well together. Staff regularly check how well children are doing. Teachers adapt activities to ensure that all children participate, including those children with SEND. However, the early years curriculum does not fully begin in the pre-school. In pre-school, the curriculum content has not been thought through carefully enough. At times, activities for children to access independently leave children’s learning to chance.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is exceptional. It promotes tolerance and respect. Pupils develop a deep understanding of different faiths and cultures. The school places the highest priority on mental well-being. It recognises the need to remove obstacles to learning and works to this aim. The school ensures that pupils understand how to keep themselves safe when working online. It also works to help parents understand the risks and benefits of social media. The range of responsibilities pupils can undertake helps develop their understanding of what it is like to be a good citizen. For example, pupils talk of their pride in helping raise money for those less fortunate than themselves: ‘It helps them, but it helps us too.’

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The school has a sense of unity. Staff and governors understand what is working well in school and what needs to improve. Staff respect the consideration given to their workload and well-being. They 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)

 Work to streamline the curriculum for a few foundation subjects is not yet complete. There is too much content. Teachers are not always clear on the key important knowledge pupils need to know and remember. Pupils are not always clear on what they are learning. The school should complete its work on the curriculum so that it designs effective learning sequences that build pupils’ knowledge well.  In a few foundation subjects, teachers do not use the school’s approach to checking pupils’ learning effectively to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge. This means they do not always adapt activities to suit individual pupils’ needs. Some pupils do not achieve 25 and 26 February 2025

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as well as they could. The school should ensure that teachers have the tools needed to identify gaps in pupils’ knowledge then adapt tasks to enable pupils to remember what they have learned.  The curriculum in the early years does not fully begin in the pre-school. The curriculum content has not been thought through carefully enough. At times, activities provided during continuous provision leave children’s learning to chance. The school should ensure that the precise knowledge children need to know is identified clearly in all areas of learning from the earliest opportunity.

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a single academy trust  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  The school is part of the Diocese of Leicester. It was last inspected under Section 48 of the Education Act 2005 in October 2023. The school’s next section 48 inspection will be within eight school years.  Since the last inspection there has been a change in headteacher.  There is a before- and after-school club managed by the school.

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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 and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 25 and 26 February 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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and the special educational needs coordinator.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, mathematics, geography, religious education and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector met with five members of the governing body including the chair.  Inspectors took account of the responses to the Ofsted Parent View, including free-text

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responses and Ofsted’s survey for school staff.  An inspector spoke informally with parents outside the school.  An inspector visited the breakfast club that pupils attend.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.  Inspectors considered pupils’ behaviour at various times of day, including in lessons, around the school site and at lunchtime. They scrutinised the school’s records for attendance and behaviour.

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Inspection team

Mark Anderson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jamie Nairn Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 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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