Barlow Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve the quality of teaching in key stage 1 and key stage 2 so that pupils make faster progress by:
  • raising the expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • setting work that is sufficiently challenging, especially for the most able
  • providing opportunities for pupils to develop writing skills in subjects other than English
  • pupils applying their calculation skills to investigate and solve more complicated problems in mathematics
  • ensuring that pupils spell everyday words correctly and use punctuation in their writing accurately
  • insisting that the presentation of pupils’ work is consistently of a high standard.
• Improve leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • the role of subject leaders for English and mathematics is developed further so that underperformance is challenged and teachers are held to account
  • the curriculum is broad, balanced and meets pupils’ needs.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

• Over time, leadership has lacked capacity and rigour. Weaker aspects of the school’s performance have not been tackled well enough. As a result, standards have declined. The recent arrival of an acting headteacher and strong support from the local authority have brought some stability, clear direction and noticeable improvement to the school. However, it is too soon to see the impact of this on teaching and pupils’ achievement.
• Leaders have not improved the quality of teaching over time so that it is at least good. Leaders’ checks on teaching have not been regular or sufficiently focused on its impact on pupils’ progress.
• Subject leaders for English and mathematics are aware of the need to improve teaching and learning in these subjects. However, they are new to their roles and, as yet, they have not been given appropriate support or sufficient opportunities to effectively address the changes that need to be made.
• Current leaders, including governors, are well aware of the need to improve pupils’ outcomes and the quality of teaching. Plans are in place to improve teaching and accelerate pupils’ progress. However, these plans are not sharp enough and do not present sufficient challenge to raise standards.
• Curriculum plans are detailed, showing appropriate breadth and balance. Subjects are taught through topics and pupils’ learning is enhanced by school visits, such as the one to a sculpture park to support their work in art. However, inspection evidence shows that curriculum plans are sometimes not consistently followed. This has not been addressed by school leaders. This has contributed to disruption in learning and to pupils not completing work to a high standard.
• Teachers now have challenging targets linked to improving pupils’ achievement. Good links with local schools are providing opportunities for teachers to meet with colleagues to compare standards. More recently, teachers have had access to good-quality training in teaching mathematics and English and in special educational needs.
• Leaders have established a community where pupils develop into caring, responsible citizens, based on strong Christian values such as forgiveness, courage and truthfulness. Pupils learn about other faiths and to be tolerant and respectful of difference. Pupils have developed a good understanding of British values, such as democracy and the rule of law.
• The very small amount of funding the school receives to support disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. This funding is used to provide additional support for targeted pupils.
• The physical education and sport premium is used well. As a result, more pupils are participating in sport and competing in tournaments and events with other schools.
• Effective use of funding results in well targeted support for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. This enables this group of pupils to make the progress expected of them.
• The school has gone through a period of disruption that has affected leadership, teaching and pupils’ outcomes. Strong and effective support from the local authority and the STAR Teaching School Alliance has brought stability to the school, and early indications are that this is beginning to have a positive impact.

Governance of the school

• Governors are starting to provide effective challenge. They know their school well and know the issues they face regarding pupils’ progress and teaching and leadership. They have stood by the school during a very turbulent time and show a determination to make the changes needed to rapidly improve the school’s performance.
• New additions to the governing body and changes in responsibilities have added expertise, rigour and challenge. They have received, and are continuing to receive, good support and training from the local authority.
• The school’s website does not meet requirements because of insufficient information about the curriculum.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Leaders have made sure that all safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose.
• Staff and governors are fully aware of their safeguarding duties and are appropriately trained, including how to identify ways that pupils may be at risk from extremist views. Staff know what to do if they have concerns. Suitable records are kept of any concerns raised, and pupils who may be at risk are referred to social services. Leaders work well with outside agencies and parents to ensure that pupils are safe and free from harm.
• The school’s record of staff and visitor checks is kept effectively and meets requirements.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

• Teaching, learning and assessment are not consistently good. This is seen in both key stages 1 and 2, where pupils do not make sufficiently strong progress, especially in mathematics and writing.
• Teaching regularly lacks challenge and teachers do not have high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Too often work is too easy or not covered in sufficient depth, and pupils do not have enough opportunities to work at the highest standards. As a result, attainment is below what is expected for many pupils.
• The most able pupils are not sufficiently challenged. Teaching does not consistently build on what pupils can do, know and understand. Pupils have too few opportunities to deepen and extend their thinking.
• Pupils’ written work shows that there are not enough occasions when they write at length, especially in subjects other than English. This means that pupils do not have the chance to develop and extend their writing skills and their progress is slower than it should be.
• Too often learning activities for mathematics do not present enough challenge, and learning time is lost because pupils are completing calculation work that is too easy and sometimes unnecessary. Opportunities for pupils to apply their arithmetic skills to more complex problem-solving activities are too infrequent.
• Teachers do not insist on high standards of presentation. Consequently, pupils’ work is frequently untidy and poorly presented.
• There are very positive relationships in classes between adults and pupils, and between pupils and their peers. This leads to a positive culture for learning and a calm learning environment.
• The support from teaching assistants is valuable. These adults work very effectively with targeted pupils and help them to move on successfully in their learning.
• Phonics teaching in Reception and Year 1 is effective. Currently, pupils are making good progress because they quickly gain a secure knowledge of phonics.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good
• Pupils confirm that they feel safe and that teachers deal with any concerns that pupils may have.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, including when using a computer. The older pupils were very keen to tell the inspector about the presentation on e-safety which they produced on computer and subsequently presented to younger pupils in the school.
• Pupils know about the different kinds of bullying, including cyber bullying. They are confident that if any bullying does arise, they can trust the staff to sort it out.
• The school’s seven core Christian values are at the heart of all relationships and pupils are very happy at school. One pupil commented that the school ‘feels like one big happy family’.
• Older pupils in the school act as play leaders during breaktimes. These pupils engage younger pupils in a range of activities and help keep them safe from harm.
• Pupils have the opportunity to participate in active sport, especially during the school day. However, several of the older pupils said that opportunities to participate in after-school clubs have become limited.
• Although generally pupils take a pride in their work, some pupils’ work is untidy and poorly presented.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Behaviour in lessons and attitudes to learning are typically good. In lessons, pupils are mostly engaged in what they are learning. Just occasionally, when learning slows, a minority of pupils can lose concentration, but this does not hinder the learning of others.
• Outside the classrooms, pupils’ behaviour is good. Around the school, in the dining room and on the playground, pupils are also well behaved. School records shows that this is consistently the case.
• The school has positive relationships with parents and, on the whole, parents feel that their children are safe and happy and believe that staff are approachable and caring.
• Attendance has been consistently higher than the national average and remains so. Pupils are rarely absent and they arrive to school each morning on time.

Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

• Prior to 2016, outcomes were above average at key stages 1 and 2 for reading, writing and mathematics. In 2016, they declined significantly to below that seen nationally, especially for reading and writing. As a result, pupils left Year 6 in 2016 ill-prepared for their next stage of education.
• Because of slow progress, very few pupils, including the most able pupils, reach a greater depth of learning in reading, writing and mathematics. No pupils reached the highest standard in Year 2 and Year 6 for writing in 2016, and too few achieved the higher standard for reading and mathematics.
• The school’s assessment information indicates that current pupils are making more rapid progress than previously. However, rates of progress seen in pupils’ books are still too variable and remain less than good. This is especially the case in key stage 2 for writing and mathematics, and particularly for those pupils who are most able.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard for English grammar, punctuation and spelling in 2016 was above average, and pupils’ writing currently shows that they often use a range of grammar techniques correctly. However, too frequently pupils spell common everyday words incorrectly and do not consistently use basic punctuation accurately.
• Progress in subjects other than English and mathematics varies. It is better in some classes than others. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to develop their writing skills in these subjects.
• The majority of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make the progress expected of them in reading, writing and mathematics. These pupils are supported well during lessons.
• The proportion of pupils that meet the expected standard in phonics by the end of Year 1 is below the national average. The proportion that reach the expected standard in Year 2 is above the national average. School leaders judge the teaching of phonics to have improved and the inspector noted strong teaching of phonics during the inspection.
• Less-able pupils who read to the inspector successfully used their phonics skills to read unfamiliar words. Most-able readers read with fluency and confidence.
• The very small number of disadvantaged pupils in the school are making similar progress as their peers.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter the Reception class with skills and abilities that are broadly typical for their age. As a result of good teaching, they make good progress, especially in reading and writing. The proportion of children reaching a good level of development has improved and is now just above the national average.
• The early years is well led and managed. The early years leader has a good knowledge of the children and the progress they make. She is knowledgeable and aspirational for all children, which means that they make a positive start to their time in school.
• Parents are involved in their children’s progress and achievements through an online system. This is appreciated by parents, who feel well informed.
• Teaching in the early years is good because all adults have high expectations of what children can achieve. Interesting activities are well planned and closely matched to children’s needs. The outdoor area provides good opportunities to enhance further the learning indoors.
• Children’s behaviour is good. Well-established classroom routines and effective support from additional adults have helped children develop good learning behaviours. Children work and play cooperatively.
• The culture of safeguarding is secure in the early years. Children feel safe and staff know how to support children if there are concerns about safety and welfare.

School details

Unique reference number 121548 Local authority North Yorkshire Inspection number 10023973 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Voluntary controlled Age range of pupils 4 to 11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 52 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Caine Headteacher John Donnelly Telephone number 01757 618 319 Website www.barlow.n-yorks.sch.uk Email address admin@barlow.n-yorks.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 13 December 2012

Information about this school

• The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about the curriculum on its website.
• The school is considerably smaller than the average-sized primary school.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils is well below average.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is above the national average.
• All pupils are of White British heritage.
• Because of the small number of pupils, reporting on whether the school meets the floor targets or not does not apply.
• The school currently has a temporary acting headteacher brokered by the local authority through The STAR Teaching School Alliance.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector, accompanied by the acting headteacher, observed learning in all classes in the school.
• Meetings were held with pupils, the acting headteacher, subject leaders and three members of the governing body. The inspector also held several meetings with a representative from the local authority.
• The inspector observed pupils moving around the school outside lessons, including on the playground during breaks and in the dining hall.
• The inspector listened to pupils read.
• A number of documents were scrutinised, including the school’s view of its own performance, school improvement plans and documents relating to attendance and safeguarding.
• The inspector took account of the 23 free text opinions from parents and the 26 responses to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View. The inspector also took account of the four online questionnaires completed by members of the school staff.
• The inspector spoke informally with parents at the end of the school day.
• The headteacher was not present in the school during the inspection.

Inspection team

Alan Chaffey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector