St Barnabas CofE Primary School, Barnetby

St Barnabas CofE Primary School, Barnetby

Address: St Barnabas Road, Barnetby, Lincolnshire, DN38 6JD Unique reference number (URN): 118004

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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This school requires special measures

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to provide an acceptable standard of education, and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Leaders, who have recently joined the school, have renewed the school’s approach to managing pupils’ behaviour. However, the new behaviour policy is not applied consistently by all staff. Pupils’ attitudes to learning vary. In lessons, they do not always respond quickly to staff direction or follow instructions. A significant number of pupils do not engage well with their learning. They often do not involve themselves fully in the tasks they need to complete.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Beyond the classroom, most pupils respond well to leaders' high behaviour expectations. Pupils walk around school calmly and sensibly. They are polite and well mannered, holding doors open for one another and engaging in conversations with visitors to the school. Recent training has improved staff understanding of how to help the most vulnerable pupils manage their feelings and emotions. As a result, the number of incidents of poor behaviour has reduced.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

New systems to check and monitor pupils’ attendance and punctuality have led to improved attendance for some. However, disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not attend school often enough. Leaders know there is further work to do to ensure that those at risk of persistent absence attend school more frequently.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Pupils do not achieve well enough. This includes pupils who have barriers to their learning and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Pupils' outcomes at the end of key stage 2 vary too much when compared with national measures. In some aspects of writing, such as in spelling, grammar and punctuation, pupils’ outcomes have declined. In other subjects, such as mathematics, pupils do not learn or remember their times tables well enough.

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Achievement Urgent improvement

Until recently, the school’s expectations of what pupils can achieve were not high enough. In lessons, pupils are not challenged to think deeply. They do not make enough progress from their starting points. New leaders are acting swiftly to make changes that are needed in order to improve pupils’ achievements. Pupils at the start of their education journey, including those in the early years, do not learn the basic knowledge they need to become good communicators, readers and writers. This means that they are not prepared well for their next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Across most subjects, the curriculum does not precisely identify the knowledge that pupils need to learn at each stage. The sequence of learning is not clear, meaning that pupils do not build on, or remember, prior knowledge. Teaching does not deliver the key knowledge that pupils need to know. Often, learning activities are either too complex or lack ambition. This results in pupils becoming disengaged from their work.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Teachers do not check routinely what pupils know and understand. This leaves pupils with gaps in their learning in reading, writing and mathematics. Teaching is not adapted to resolve these gaps swiftly enough. Errors and misconceptions in pupils’ knowledge often persist. This includes for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

The teaching of early reading is inconsistent. Pupils do not receive the support they need to quickly close gaps in their knowledge of reading. Opportunities to support pupils who need to develop their spoken language are not prioritised and delivered as urgently as they should be.

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Curriculum and teaching Urgent improvement

Leaders, who are new to the school, acknowledge that the quality of the curriculum and teaching is not of an acceptable standard. They have acted swiftly to prioritise essential improvements, for example providing training to update staff knowledge and expertise, including in relation to the teaching of reading. However, these developments are only recent, and any signs of impact are limited.

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Early years Urgent improvement

Children in the early years do not receive an education that meets their needs or stage of development. The curriculum has only been developed recently and is, currently, not implemented well. Children spend too much time not engaged in purposeful learning.

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Early years Urgent improvement

Leaders have prioritised the developments that are needed urgently. This includes enhancing the learning environment by providing purposeful learning activities so that children build their knowledge and plug gaps in their learning. This work is at a very early stage. Some staff training has taken place. However, child-adult interactions do not promote high-quality language and social skills.

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Early years Urgent improvement

Children in the early years are beginning to follow some of the rules and routines in place. However, a lack of consistency in how staff implement these is having a negative impact on some children’s behaviour.

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Early years Urgent improvement

Leaders are working to develop relationships with parents and carers, who they recognise are important partners in their child’s early education. Changes to the start of the school day mean that parents have regular opportunities to speak with staff. There is a phonics programme in place for the teaching of early reading. However, teachers do not deliver this consistently well. Children in the early years are not prepared well enough for their next stage.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Leaders do not identify the needs of pupils who are in receipt of pupil premium funding clearly. As a result, the school does not help these pupils to overcome the barriers to learning that they face well enough. The wider offer for disadvantaged pupils is limited. It is not targeted specifically to support the learning or development of these pupils.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Recently, new leaders have put much-needed systems and procedures in place to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, this work is at an early stage. Leaders seek help for pupils with SEND from external agencies and professionals. However, while some of these pupils now benefit from wider support, this is not the case for all of these pupils who need it.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Teachers do not effectively meet the needs of pupils with SEND or resolve gaps in their learning. Bespoke interventions do not happen often enough. They are not consistently of the quality needed to ensure that these pupils make suitable progress from their starting points. Training to develop staff knowledge and expertise about how to support pupils with SEND is new. It is too soon to evaluate its impact.

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Inclusion Urgent improvement

Leaders have started to establish some effective relationships with parents and carers to ensure that everyone is working in the best interests of pupils who are vulnerable.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Leadership and governance have both experienced a period of instability since the previous inspection. New leaders joined the school in January 2026. Since then, they have identified the most urgent priorities that need to improve. Their focus on establishing systems, routines and procedures for safeguarding has shown early signs of positive impact. Pupils talk about, and welcome, how some aspects of the school have improved, such as the new behaviour system. However, many of the changes are recent and are not yet embedded. Leaders know there is more work to do.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

There is fragility in the school’s wider governance. The school and the local authority have identified the need to strengthen this. However, their actions to resolve this have been too slow. Current leaders are relying heavily on external support to make changes in the school. This limits the speed of any improvements that can take place.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

New leaders have prioritised the professional development of staff. They have ensured that staff have the knowledge they need to keep pupils safe. Opportunities to work with other schools have been identified to improve the teaching and learning offer; however, this work is at an early stage. Leaders consider staff workload and wellbeing in the decisions that they make and the timings of any changes they put in place.

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Leadership and governance Urgent improvement

Parents and carers have a very mixed view of the school and its ability to provide a high- quality education for their children. Some of these opinions are based on the school's previous policies and procedures, while others reflect the number of changes that have taken place. Leaders are working to improve the school’s relationship with parents.

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Personal development and wellbeing Urgent improvement

The personal development offer is limited. Pupils talk of the clubs they can attend, such as choir, karate and football. Some pupils undertake roles such as worship councillors or reading ambassadors. However, these opportunities are not available to all pupils. Additional experiences, such as visits out of school, are not planned regularly to help pupils find out more about the wider world or make links with their learning in school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities do not receive targeted opportunities to develop the wider knowledge or skills that they need to be prepared fully for their next steps. This includes opportunities to develop specific character traits, such as confidence and resilience.

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Personal development and wellbeing Urgent improvement

Leaders, who have recently joined the school, have put a pastoral offer in place for pupils. Currently, leaders are the main source of this support. External agency involvement, for example counselling and health support, has been provided recently for some pupils. Most pupils in school can identify staff they can talk to if they have any worries or concerns. They are building positive relationships with the new leaders.

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Personal development and wellbeing Urgent improvement

The taught curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) includes the teaching of sex and relationships education. Pupils know about healthy relationships and have an age-appropriate understanding of consent. They know how to keep themselves safe online. There are currently no systems in place to identify how well pupils have learned key knowledge from the PSHE curriculum in order to keep themselves healthy and safe.

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Personal development and wellbeing Urgent improvement

The ethos of the school guides pupils to show respect to one another. However, their understanding of fundamental British values and the protected characteristics is in its infancy. Leaders have prioritised the need to develop this knowledge so that pupils are prepared fully for their next steps, both in education and in the wider world.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The school has been through a period of significant turbulence. Pupils do not benefit from the high-quality education and care that they need to be ready for their next stage of their education. New leaders, who have recently joined the school, recognise this. They are addressing the improvements needed with urgency.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils have positive relationships with staff in school. Most pupils say they feel safe. While pupils identify some cases of bullying, they say staff respond to incidents quickly. Pupils benefit from the new morning routines in place. They meet their friends happily on the playground before coming into school safely and calmly. Pupils generally attend well. However, there has been a recent decline in the attendance of some groups of pupils. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders are aware of this and are taking action to address it. Behaviour around school is generally positive. However, during lessons, too many pupils do not engage with their learning. The current curriculum does not meet their needs.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

In the early years, actions to improve the quality of teaching and learning are at an early stage. There is not the sharp focus needed to develop children’s language and social skills in order to be ready for Year 1.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The needs of pupils with SEND are being identified. However, this is not the case for pupils in receipt of pupil premium funding. The school does not provide effective support for these pupils to address their barriers to learning swiftly.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The personal development offer for pupils is too narrow. Pupils talk positively of the clubs they can attend at lunchtimes and are keen to share their responsibilities as worship leaders. However, opportunities and experiences to broaden their understanding of life in modern Britain are limited.

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Next steps

Those responsible for governance must act with urgency to ensure that leaders have the capacity and support they need to bring about rapid school improvement. Leaders must ensure that the provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those in receipt of pupil premium funding accurately identifies and reduces barriers to the learning and achievements of these pupils. Leaders must improve the curriculum, across all subjects, so that it identifies clearly the knowledge that pupils need to learn at each stage and that this builds effectively on what pupils know already. Leaders must continue their work to upskill staff to ensure that staff deliver the curriculum effectively and in line with leaders’ expectations. Leaders must ensure that pupils at all stages secure the foundational knowledge that they need in communication and language, reading, writing and mathematics so that pupils are

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Next steps

prepared well for their next steps in learning. Leaders must develop the quality of education and provision in the early years, including making sure that staff understand how children learn. Leaders should continue to improve pupils’ attendance so that more pupils, particularly disadvantaged pupils, attend school every day and on time. Leaders should continue their work to ensure that staff have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour at all times of the school day. Leaders should ensure that all pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, benefit from a comprehensive personal development programme that offers a wide range of experiences and opportunities.

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Team inspector:

Lorraine Bamforth, His Majesty's Inspector

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About this inspection

The school is part of a federation called The Federation of St Barnabas and St Helena's CofE Primary Schools.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Paul Brewster.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher and with other staff. The lead inspector spoke with representatives of the governing body, including the chair of governors. Inspectors also spoke with a representative from the local authority and from the Diocese of Lincoln during the inspection.

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About this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, His Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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About this inspection

The school may not appoint early career teachers before the next monitoring inspection. The position regarding the appointment of early career teachers will be considered again during any monitoring inspection we carry out.

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About this inspection

Inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The executive headteacher took up the post in January 2026. This leader oversees both schools in the federation.

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Church of England religious character. The most recent section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in November 2017.

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About this inspection

The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The data was used by the inspector(s) during the inspection. More recent data may have been published since the inspection took place.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational support needs at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English Indices of Deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced Provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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