Barn Croft Primary School

Inspection of Barn Croft Primary School 2 Brunel Road, Walthamstow, London E17 8SB

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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 Requires improvement 8 and 9 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Barn Croft is an extremely friendly and welcoming school at the heart of the local community. The school has set an ambitious mission for its pupils to aim high and achieve their potential as socially responsible citizens. Pupils live up to these expectations, they work hard and generally achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff set equally high expectations for pupils’ behaviour. Pupils understand that they must be ‘ready, respectful, and safe’. They are politely and respectful, make sensible choices and behave well. This creates a positive learning environment, which supports pupils to feel happy and safe at school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are well supported in terms of their emotional and mental health. They know why this is important, and where they can go for help. For example, they are confident that concerns they post in the ‘worry box’ will be dealt with well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn how to be responsible citizens by taking on one of the leadership roles at the school. These include peer mentors, playground friends and school council. They know the importance of contributing positively to the local community, including activities from painting murals to creating a sensory garden.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has developed a curriculum which is broad and matches what is expected nationally. The curriculum is well constructed. Learning is ordered to ensure teaching builds on pupils’ prior knowledge. This supports pupils to secure a depth of knowledge in different subjects. However, in a few subjects, the curriculum is at an earlier stage of design and implementation and, therefore, not fully embedded. In these subjects, assessment is not used as precisely to check what pupils know and remember. As a result, some pupils are not as secure in their understanding and less well prepared to learn more complex ideas.

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

The school prioritises the development of communication, language and vocabulary from early years onwards. Pupils increasingly demonstrate their understanding through precise use of language and good-quality writing. Pupils start to learn phonics from the Reception Year. Staff have the support and training needed to ensure that pupils become confident and fluent readers. There is a focus on reading across the curriculum, including in early years. The school provides effective support for pupils who find reading difficult and need to catch up. Additional opportunities, including immersive storytelling workshops, promote positive attitudes to reading. Pupils have access to a diverse range of books that are linked to the curriculum in different subjects. These opportunities help to ensure pupils learn to read well and develop a love of reading.

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

The early years is a warm and inviting space for children to learn in. Children play and learn together confidently. For example, they take turns as they practise their number skills by counting out items on a treasure map. The outdoor provision supports the development of pupils’ gross motor skills effectively, including balance and coordination. 8 and 9 July 2025

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The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified. Many of these pupils benefit from appropriate adaptations that help them access the same curriculum as their peers. However, for some pupils, the strategies used are not as well linked to their needs. This results in some pupils with SEND not being given sufficient opportunity to practise and embed the skills that they need to develop.

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A range of educational visits and leadership roles is offered at the school and helps develop pupils’ sense of responsibility, cultural understanding and personal interests. For example, pupils spoke highly of visits to the British Museum, the British Library and being a ‘playground friend’, who supports younger pupils. Pupils demonstrate awareness of what constitutes a healthy and safe relationship, including understanding the importance of consent and being aware of inappropriate touch. The curriculum is also designed to help pupils to discuss and debate local, national and international events in a thoughtful and respectful way.

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Pupils’ attitudes to their learning and behaviour around the school are consistently positive. Pupils learn about being safe within and beyond school. They are polite, respectful and play well together. Pupils and staff spoken with say that poor behaviour is rare and dealt with swiftly. The importance of attendance is widely promoted. Leaders ensure that families get the support they need when pupils’ attendance is a concern. The school’s effective work to tackle absence is having an increasingly positive impact on improving pupils’ attendance.

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Leaders and those responsible for governance offer appropriate support and challenge. They are knowledgeable about the school and make decisions in the best interests of pupils. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about their workplace. They appreciate the investment in their continuous professional development and the consideration for 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 curriculum in some subjects is at an earlier stage of design and implementation. In these instances, older pupils have not experienced the current curriculum throughout their time at the school. Assessment is not used consistently well to check pupils’ prior understanding. This means that the knowledge some pupils have is not as secure as the intended curriculum would suggest. The school should ensure that the revised 8 and 9 July 2025

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curriculum is fully embedded and that any gaps in pupils’ prior knowledge is identified and addressed before tackling new ideas.  The strategies to support some pupils with SEND are not sufficiently focused on their needs. As a result, some pupils with SEND are less well supported to access the curriculum and to achieve well. The school should ensure that strategies to support pupils with SEND are robust and well matched to pupils’ specific needs.

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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). 8 and 9 July 2025

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School details

Local authority London Borough of Waltham Forest

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 25 April and 5 May 2023, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses no alternative provision.  The headteacher has been in post since January 2025.

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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). 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 8 and 9 July 2025

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 Inspectors met with the headteacher and senior leaders. They also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, history and science. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  Inspectors also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  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 gathered the views of pupils, parents and staff through discussions and their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Lisa Smith, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Harvey Webb Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 July 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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