Barlby Bridge Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Barlby Bridge Community Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

The school is proud of its 'family feel' that contributes to everyone feeling a valued member of the Barlby Bridge community. Staff know all the pupils as individuals. Relationships between adults and pupils are positive and nurturing.

Because of this, pupils feel happy and safe at school.

The school wants the best for its pupils. Pupils respond well to the high expectations that staff have for them.

They behave well at playtimes, lunchtimes and when moving around the school. The school deals with rare instances of bullying quickly and decisively.

...The school understands pupils' individual needs well.

Children experience care and nurture from the moment they arrive in early years. Pupils demonstrate very positive attitudes to others. They are highly inclusive and have strong and positive attitudes to tolerance and diversity.

These attitudes are promoted by the school's BEAM representatives (Barlby Equalities Ambassadors).

Pupils benefit from leadership roles that they undertake. School councillors play a part in planning for school improvements.

Play leaders support their peers at playtimes. Pupils in Year 6 provide important 'buddy' support to children in Reception. The school provides a range of extra-curricular activities for pupils to develop their interests beyond the academic.

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

The school's curriculum is undergoing a period of review and change. In some curriculum, areas, including mathematics and history, the school has developed a programme of learning that is ambitious and well sequenced from the early years. It precisely identifies the essential knowledge and skills it intends pupils to learn over time.

This helps pupils to build their knowledge and skills in a precise and logical sequence. In a small number of subjects, however, this approach is still developing. In these subjects, pupils do not acquire knowledge as effectively.

The school has strong systems in place for identifying pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). These pupils are supported well by adults who understand their individual needs. They benefit from access to the same curriculum as their peers with appropriate adaptations made when necessary.

The school has a strong culture of reading. Books are celebrated and pupils enjoy reading. Children get off to a good start to their reading in Reception where they learn the sounds that letters make.

High-quality texts are used to support learning in the early years. The school's chosen scheme for phonics teaching is taught well by expert teachers. Regular checks are made on pupils' progress with reading and, if they fall behind, they are supported well to catchup.

Children in the early years get off to a positive start to their education. They learn in a well-planned and organised environment. Children in Reception settle quickly and respond well to the high expectations of adults.

They quickly develop independence. Their behaviour is calm and orderly. Children take turns and cooperate, for example, when using the interactive whiteboard to identify and create repeating patterns.

Staff have a consistent and positive approach to managing pupils' behaviour. Pupils have a strong understanding of the behaviour policy. They appreciate that everyone is treated with fairness at Barlby Bridge.

The school places a very high priority on securing good attendance. Leaders have worked relentlessly on improving attendance. As a result, pupils' attendance is improving.

The curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE) is carefully thought through. Through this curriculum, pupils discuss important and relevant issues, such as the impact of social media on body image. Pupils learn about keeping healthy and about the importance of healthy relationships and positive friendships.

When oral hygiene was identified as an issue in the locality, the school arranged for a visit from an oral hygienist. Pupils demonstrate respect and maturity when discussing difference and diversity. One pupil, expressing the views of many said, 'It is not how you look that is important, it is how you behave'.

There is a relatively new leadership team in place. New leaders have quickly identified areas for improvement and have acted decisively to enact their high ambitions for the school. Staff feel that leaders are considerate of their workload and well-being.

Governors share the high ambition of leaders. They understand their role and fulfil their statutory duties well. While overall, parents are happy with the quality of education the school provides, a few expressed concerns about the effectiveness of the school's communication with them.

Inspectors agree that opportunities to provide parents with the relevant information needed to best support their child's education at home, are sometimes missed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In a small number of subjects, the curriculum requires further refinement.

The curriculum content does not build in a precise, logical sequence, and, as a result, pupils' learning is variable. The school should precisely identify the essential knowledge and skills it intends pupils to learn, as it does in other subjects. ? Communication with parents is not fully effective.

A few parents express concern that, sometimes, they are not provided with the information they need to effectively support their child's education at home. The school should continue to work with parents to improve the relevance and effectiveness of existing communication so that all parents feel able to support their children's learning at home.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2014.