Barley (VA) Church of England First School

Barley (VA) Church of England First School

Address: Church End, Barley, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 8JW Unique reference number (URN): 117386

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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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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders balance ambition with realism. They act strategically, prioritise astutely and find practical solutions to the challenges of leading such a small school. For example, leaders refuse to let the limitations of a rural setting restrict pupils' opportunities. Careful financial planning and the determined efforts of the parent teacher association help ensure that most school trips are offered free of charge. Leaders tenaciously explore local partnerships to continually improve access to facilities and transport that will further widen the curriculum offer.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Governors bring considerable expertise from education, finance and social care. Combined with their understanding of the local community, this enables them to oversee the school's work with confidence and care. For example, governors know that strong safeguarding is about culture as much as compliance. They seek assurance that vigilance and professional curiosity remain strong.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leaders lead others as they would wish to be led. They adapt meeting arrangements to involve part-time colleagues and accommodate family commitments where possible. Feeling appreciated and valued means staff are willing to go the extra mile to support leaders' aims for the school.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff value the professional learning opportunities leaders provide. Visits to other schools and regular opportunities to refine practice are helping to strengthen expertise. Leaders lead by example and have workable plans to make effective teaching increasingly consistent.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Parents and carers and professionals who work with the school are unanimous in their praise. They are overwhelmingly positive about leaders' professionalism and people skills. Leaders' approach to consulting others on change, for example, has built trust and a strong sense of community.

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Achievement Expected standard

Leaders are systematically strengthening how staff secure the foundations for learning. This is evident in rising Year 4 multiplication tables check outcomes and pupils' growing enthusiasm for reading and writing. Leaders are now focused on the next stage of improvement. An oracy project is developing pupils' language and communication skills. A new handwriting scheme and focused spelling practice are working to improve the quality and accuracy of pupils' written work.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils with additional needs progress well from their various starting points. The support they receive extends beyond classroom learning. It builds confidence, strengthens muscle movements and helps pupils manage their emotions. This means pupils are increasingly able to learn alongside their peers without difficulty. Pupils usually remember their learning well. However, they are more secure in recalling key facts than explaining the detail and reasoning behind them. Consequently, the depth with which they discuss and apply their knowledge varies across subjects.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

As the school is small, a few pupils' absence can have a marked effect on overall attendance. Leaders recognise this. Still, they remain steadfast that pupils must attend regularly to benefit from all that the school offers. Leaders oversee attendance strategically. They adjusted the structure of the school day to reduce lateness for families with children at different schools. Reward systems are carefully designed to be inclusive. For example, pupils earn raffle tickets for 100% weekly attendance ahead of a prize draw. It allows pupils to reset and try again if in one week they were unable to attend every day. Leaders' work is having impact. Disadvantaged pupils' attendance, for example, is now significantly above the national average.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are generally attentive and calm. This allows teachers to focus on teaching and pupils to focus on learning. Pupils are sensible too. For example, they change into their outdoor shoes without reminders. Where routines are well established and expectations are consistently reinforced, pupils develop positive habits and make the right choices. This is reflected in the fact that neither pupils nor parents and carers raise concerns about bullying or discrimination.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have carefully curated an ambitious curriculum. They selected high-quality schemes of work. These provide staff with access to expert guidance, such as online videos that explain subject-specific concepts. Consequently, staff demonstrate secure subject knowledge.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders are working methodically with staff to secure the basic foundational knowledge pupils need to succeed. The impact of this is best seen in reading and mathematics, where pupils have built reading fluency and times tables recall with greater confidence over time. Leaders are adopting the same methodical approach to now improve pupils’ handwriting and spelling. Pupils benefit from regular, timetabled opportunities to learn, practise and revisit these essential skills throughout the week.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teaching is at its best when staff consistently use the school's agreed approaches. For example, pupils achieve well when staff show their thinking out loud, break learning into manageable steps and give pupils time to rehearse before working independently. These strategies also support pupils with additional needs. When staff provide extra help outside the classroom, they ensure pupils receive the same explanations, modelling and guidance as their peers on return to the lesson. However, leaders recognise that such effective practices are not consistently embedded across the school and in all subjects.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school's small size can bring financial and logistical challenges when providing additional support. Leaders manage these proactively. They work to upskill staff, source resources and timetable extra support in manageable ways. Staff typically enact and adapt pupils' support effectively. However, there is some variation in how precisely adaptations are refined to aid pupils' independence and maximise their progress.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Parents and carers value the way leaders help them advocate for their children's needs. They recognise leaders as a trusted source of advice and information. Leaders help parents navigate services, access appropriate support and identify effective strategies for home and school. In this way, leaders' expertise in inclusion helps to ensure that the high proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities receive the academic and wellbeing support they need to thrive.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders carefully identify barriers to achievement for disadvantaged pupils. They select suitable evidence-informed approaches to overcome them. Where the number of disadvantaged pupils fluctuates, leaders recognise that tracking outcomes for them as a group can be less meaningful than monitoring individual pupils. They therefore have a well- thought-through approach for tracking pupils' progress, such as hearing pupils read. This helps leaders check that resources and interventions funded by the pupil premium grant are enabling pupils to succeed.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders are highly resourceful and constantly seek new ways to enrich pupils' experiences. They secure charitable funding to make memorable trips possible, from exploring famous London landmarks to visiting local farms and discovering animal habitats first-hand. These opportunities broaden horizons, bring learning to life and create experiences that many pupils might not otherwise have.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

For pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, leaders make thoughtful adaptations so they can take part in every opportunity. For example, before a residential trip, pupils and their friends may camp overnight at school. This builds confidence, reduces anxiety and helps ensure they enjoy the same experiences as their peers.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils receive high-quality, prompt pastoral support. This includes play-based therapy and friendly check-ins with trusted members of staff. This support helps pupils feel safe and cared for when sharing their thoughts and feelings. Parents and carers value this highly. Leaders are rightly proud to receive recognition for their work to safeguard pupils' mental health and wellbeing.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Staff teach a high-quality personal, social and health education programme. Leaders build on this through awareness days and weeks. These help pupils learn about the challenges that other people may face. From this, pupils develop empathy and learn how to look after their own wellbeing. There is lots of valuable information for pupils to learn, such as how to share worries or how to safely cross the road. However, how much they can remember and explain varies. Pupils become eco councillors, sports councillors or school councillors. Each council helps bring fundamental British Values to life. For example, school councillors promote democracy by gathering pupils' ideas and representing their views on changes, such as updates to the lunch menu. Eco Councillors champion environmental projects and explore the rule of law, for example through campaigns with a charity to protect local chalk streams.

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

Pupils receive a warm welcome from leaders, staff and classmates at the gate each morning. Because pupils enjoy coming to school, they typically listen attentively, join in enthusiastically and strive to do their best. They persevere with their learning, whether crafting their own ideas in writing or reading aloud with increasing fluency and expression. When pupils need extra help, staff show patience and determination in equal measure. They generally give pupils the guidance, practice and encouragement they need to build confidence and learn successfully. Therefore, pupils feel valued and are achieving more over time.

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

Extracurricular opportunities make a valuable contribution to pupils’ personal growth. For instance, regular visits to a nearby residential care home allow pupils to chat, read and walk with residents. Doing so helps pupils learn how to build positive relationships with people whose experiences may differ from their own. These interactions bring genuine enjoyment to both pupils and residents. Pupils also benefit from a range of after-school clubs, including art and music, where they develop new skills, explore their interests and express their creativity.

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

Pupils’ behaviour is particularly impressive at breaktimes. Older pupils take younger pupils under their wing on the football pitch, modelling fair play and respect. Across the playground and field, pupils fill the space with activity and enjoyment, whether scaling the climbing frame, chatting under the gazebo or creating imaginative games around the trees. The atmosphere is warm, active and harmonious. In classrooms, lessons are mostly calm and purposeful. Pupils typically work hard and take pride in their achievements. They value the recognition they receive, such as earning a place in the ‘Kindness Book’. They like having teachers celebrate their personal successes in the weekly assembly. Having staff who care about them explains why pupils attend school frequently and feel happy and safe.

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Next steps

Leaders should refine how staff check the impact of adaptations for pupils with additional needs and respond to ensure the extra support makes a sustained difference. Leaders should strengthen how staff teach pupils to develop, retain and apply learning, enabling them to recall knowledge confidently and produce high-quality work across the curriculum.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Amy Martin.

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About this inspection

The school is part of a federation called Barley and Barkway Church of England First Schools Federation.

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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

This inspection took place from 15 to 16 September 2026.

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About this inspection

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

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About this inspection

During the inspection, inspectors met with five governors, including the chair of governors. They also spoke with the headteacher, assistant headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, behaviour lead and representatives of the diocese and local authority.

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About this inspection

The inspector(s) confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

The school federated with Barkway Voluntary-aided Church of England First School in September 2017. The headteacher and governing body oversee both schools, which remain separately registered and inspected by Ofsted. Because leaders aim to maximise opportunities for pupils to learn in single-year classes, children in Nursery to Year 1 attend Barkway, while pupils in Years 2 to 4 attend Barley. Most pupils then transfer to a nearby school serving Years 5 to 13.

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About this inspection

This school is registered as having a Church of England religious character. It is in the Diocese of St Albans. Its last section 48 inspection was on 23 September 2024.

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About this inspection

The school uses no alternative provision.

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About this inspection

The school offers before- and after-school childcare for pupils attending the school. It is run by leaders and staff and overseen by the governing body.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Lara Miere This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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About this inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 15 September 2026

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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 6 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 needs support 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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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 5.4% 5.5% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2023/24 (3 term) 11.4% 14.6% Close to average

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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. 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

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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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