Barnby and North Cove Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Barnby and North Cove Community Primary School learn an ambitious curriculum. Pupils attend a small school, but they learn big ideas about their place in the wider world. Pupils enjoy reading because they are taught to be proficient readers.

They speak keenly about the books their teachers read to them.

The pupil parliament is valued by staff and pupils alike. Pupils use the suggestion box to share ideas.

They say that this means they can effect change in their school. The trust's online learning platform allows pupils to demonstrate traits that encourage success both in school and at home.

Pupils behave well.

They know the rules a...nd routines set out by staff. They play happily together at breaktime and lunchtime. They like the wide range of play equipment.

Pupils say that there are rarely problems with behaviour and bullying at their school. They feel confident that staff will sort these out when they occur. Because of this, pupils say that they feel happy and safe.

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

The school's approach to early reading is well thought out. Owing to helpful support from the trust, including regular training and support, staff teach reading effectively. Leaders have made suitable adaptations to their adopted phonics curriculum.

These help the children in early years to start reading successfully. Staff ensure that pupils receive books they can read unaided. This helps to build pupils' confidence and fluency with reading.

Leaders' evaluation of their curriculum is astute. They have set out clearly what knowledge pupils will learn in curriculum plans from Nursery to Year 6. Most teachers use these plans to good effect.

The school's values and themes are woven seamlessly into learning across the curriculum. For example, pupils in Years 3 and 4 learn about multicultural Roman Britain. This links directly to leaders' ambition for pupils to develop a broad knowledge of identity and diversity.

There are systems for assessment in all subjects. Teachers often use these effectively to identify what pupils know and where pupils need more support. Occasionally, teachers do not assess pupils' understanding as well as leaders would intend.

They do not necessarily notice, or put right, pupils' misconceptions. This means that some pupils' knowledge of subject matter is not as strong as it could be.

Staff liaise with the trust's inclusion team to identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) accurately.

Staff use their observations and assessments, along with information shared by parents and carers and external agencies, to put in place suitable support. There is a timely approach to how staff review this support. Because of this, pupils with SEND achieve well.

Leaders train staff to support pupils' behaviour confidently. This ensures an environment in which pupils concentrate to learn and play together kindly. Staff put in place sensible plans that help to improve pupils' behaviour when it falls short of leaders' expectations.

Prior to the pandemic, the trust organised inter-school sports competitions. Pupils discussed these excitedly. These, along with other events, will be returning soon.

Meanwhile, leaders have maintained a wide range of other extra-curricular activities, such as clubs to learn Spanish, coding or times tables.

Leaders have worked sensitively with parents on attendance. They made adjustments to address some parents' anxiety around returning their children to school during the pandemic.

However, leaders' system for managing pupils' attendance is not ensuring that pupils attend school regularly. Even in the context of the pandemic, attendance at the school is too low.

Many parents are complimentary about staff.

They reflect on how staff support their children to do their best and feel safe in school. Some parents report less favourably on how the school communicates with them. These parents say that they want to know more about school systems, the curriculum and how their child is progressing with their education.

Leaders have plans to address this. At this stage, these plans have not been put into effect.

Trustees monitor the school closely.

They praise leaders for the many aspects that work well, and challenge leaders to address the few aspects that need development. Leaders ensure that staff members' workload and well-being are considered well. Staff respect leaders at the school, saying they feel valued.

This ensures that pupils learn in a positive, supportive environment.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The trust oversees the necessary checks on staff and visitors.

Trust leaders organise detailed training for school leaders, who share it with staff. This ensures that staff feel confident to identify pupils who may be at risk of harm.

Staff know how to use the online system to report any concerns efficiently.

Leaders follow up staff concerns well. They liaise with external agencies to manage helpful support for vulnerable families. Leaders respond to pupils' needs in a timely way.

For example, leaders held assemblies in response to their pupil survey to teach pupils about how staff keep them safe. As a consequence, pupils feel comfortable sharing their worries with staff.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Sometimes, teachers do not use leaders' assessment systems in the way leaders would intend.

Some pupils' misunderstandings are not addressed effectively. These pupils then continue to lack some understanding of what was taught. Leaders must ensure that systems for assessment are clear and understood by teachers to ensure that pupils remember more over time.

• Pupils' attendance, particularly pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, is not as good as it should be. This affects some pupils' ability to learn well. Leaders must make sure that the system for managing attendance ensures that pupils attend school regularly.

• Some parents are unhappy with the systems for communication between the school and parents. This weakens the partnership between home and school. Leaders should work with parents to ensure that they receive clear and timely information that allows them to work well together for the benefit of pupils.