Barlborough Primary School

Inspection of Barlborough Primary School High Street, Barlborough, Chesterfield, Derbyshire S43 4ET

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 24 and 25 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to be members of the school community. They are respectful, and they embrace opportunities to help each other. The school has ensured that pupils take on leadership roles to help develop their confidence. Pupils are enthusiastic about these roles and are active in contributing to the life of the school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave positively around the school and in lessons. Anti-bullying ambassadors are active in their roles. They support pupils who may require help joining in with play activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There have been recent changes in leadership at the school. The high expectations that the school has for pupils’ achievement has begun to have a positive impact on the curriculum development and oversight of key areas of the school’s work. However, the curriculum still requires improvement. This includes ensuring that pupils who have special educational needs and or disabilities (SEND) consistently receive high-quality support and guidance. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has ensured that, in some subjects, pupils achieve well. Parents and carers appreciate this and the community feel of the school. They recognise the positive changes that have been made with one parent, typical of many, saying this is an ‘exciting time for the school’.

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

Teachers have high expectations of pupils and what they can achieve. Typically, pupils achieve well in reading and mathematics in external tests at the end of key stage 2. However, at times, pupils struggle to recall their learning across the breadth of the curriculum. This is in part because the important knowledge that teachers want pupils to learn has not been clearly identified in all subjects. This can result in teachers providing tasks for pupils that do not help them to achieve the aims of the curriculum. Teachers, in the main, have good subject knowledge. However, they do not routinely check pupils’ understanding or make adaptations to their teaching to support all pupils. This means that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not consistently identified and addressed. As a result, some pupils fall behind and do not achieve as well as they could.

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

Reading is prioritised at the school. Pupils quickly learn the sounds that they need to be able to read. They practise reading using books matched to their ability. Any pupils at risk of falling behind their peers are identified and receive personalised support that helps them to keep up. There are meaningful opportunities for pupils to develop their love of reading through a range of events and activities. This includes buddy reading, where older children will support younger children with their reading. It also includes a ‘mystery reader’ where volunteers from the school community will come and read to children.

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

Children in the early years benefit from a more carefully designed curriculum. In the Reception Year, staff use questions skilfully to extend children’s thinking and enrich their 24 and 25 June 2025

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vocabulary. Staff have strong subject knowledge. The environment is nurturing and provides children with the strong foundations that they need for key stage 1.

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There is process in place to identify pupils who may require additional support. However, there has been a lack of oversight of support for pupils with SEND. This means that teachers do not consistently have the information that they need to adapt the curriculum effectively. This lack of guidance can lead to support that is not well matched to pupils’ individual needs. This means pupils with SEND can become confused and do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should.

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Pupils benefit from a well-considered personal development programme. They attend a range of trips and visits. This includes residential visits and overnight stays. Pupils are proud to represent their school at events such as cricket tournaments and are often successful in their sporting competitions. Pupils gain the knowledge they need, in order to keep themselves safe, including when online. Pupils are able to talk about the fundamental British values and how they can apply them to their daily life.

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In a short space of time, new leaders have recognised the actions that are needed to improve the school. This includes an improvement in the oversight and support for pupils with SEND. However, this is still in the very early stage of implementation. Governors know the priorities of the school and now hold the school to account for the quality of the provision. Staff are positive about working at the school and appreciate the consideration given to their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not ensure that pupils with SEND have appropriate adaptations to help them access the curriculum. This means that some pupils with SEND find lessons too difficult and are unable to learn as well as they should. The school should ensure that teaching is routinely adapted to meet the needs of pupils with SEND so that they can access the curriculum and achieve well.  In some subjects, the school has not defined the important knowledge that pupils should learn. As a result, the curriculum does not support pupils to build on key ideas or deepen their knowledge over time. The school should ensure that the curriculum is consistently well structured across all subjects, with clearly defined knowledge that pupils are expected to know and develop over time.  In some subjects, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding carefully enough. On these occasions, gaps and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge are not identified and

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

addressed and pupils do not develop their knowledge as well as they should. The 24 and 25 June 2025

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school should ensure that teachers consistently check pupils’ understanding carefully so that they can address misconceptions and help pupils to develop their knowledge.

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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). 24 and 25 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Catriona Growns and Samantha Norton (Co-chairs) Headteacher James Thompson

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School details

Website www.barlborough.derbyshire.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 24 and 25 September 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up their post in April 2025.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision.

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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.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 24 and 25 June 2025

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 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 met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other school staff and members of the governing body, including the two co-chairs of governors. The lead inspector also met via telephone with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, modern foreign languages and geography. 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, listened to pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Throughout the inspection, the inspectors met with groups of staff and considered the opinions expressed through the staff survey.  The inspectors considered the views of parents expressed through Ofsted Parent View and met parents at the school gate.

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Inspection team

Roxanne Fearns-Davies, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Anita Denman Ofsted Inspector 24 and 25 June 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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