Barncroft Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. The majority of pupils feel happy and safe. Barncroft Primary is a highly inclusive school.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Leaders and staff really want the best for all pupils in this school. They expect pupils to always do the best they can.

Pupils appreciate the varied opportunities available in their school. For example, the on-site swimming pool is highly valued by pupils. Pupils enjoy talking about their school and the many things they learn about.

One pupil spoke for many when they shared with an inspector how the school gets them to think about 'treating others the... way you want to be treated'. Pupils respect others' differences.

Bullying is rare.

Pupils say that if it does happen, they are supported by the staff to help resolve it. Most pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school.

Pupils take part in a range of planned activities outside the classrooms.

The Barncroft Voices is a well-attended pupil choir. Performances by the choir bring the wider community together and are a highlight of the school calendar.

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

Leaders have designed an ambitious curriculum for pupils to study.

They have ensured that the curriculum is planned to help pupils develop their subject skills and knowledge. Recent changes in how the curriculum is led have quickly improved the ways in which teachers plan sequences of lessons to build on pupils' previous learning. For example, in Year 1 science, pupils learn about plants and how they grow, in a well-planned series of lessons.

Nevertheless, some pupils do not remember the knowledge they have been taught well enough before teachers move to the next steps in the subject.

Leaders ensure that teaching pupils to read well is given high priority. Pupils read a wide range of books, thoughtfully guided by their teachers.

Leaders have improved the way in which pupils' understanding of the books they read is checked by teachers. These are effective. Leaders ensure that there are reading strategies in place to help pupils needing the most support to catch up.

However, a few pupils do not have the reading skills and knowledge they need to access the curriculum as well as they should by the end of key stage 1.

Children, as soon as they join early years, quickly start to learn the letters and sounds they need to read and write well. Teachers ensure that pupils know the taught sounds well through engaging speaking and writing activities.

For example, Year 1 pupils enjoy singing the sounds they have learned together with their class.

Pupils take part in a wide range of activities to learn how to keep healthy, both physically and mentally. For example, sports such as hockey and golf are played by all in physical education (PE) classes.

The school's knitting club is very popular with pupils. Other useful strategies, such as 'worry monsters' in all classes, allow pupils to write down and confide their well-being concerns to their class teacher. Pupils value sharing in this way.

Teachers respond quickly and appropriately to these concerns, whenever raised.

Teachers have planned an ambitious and interesting curriculum for children in early years to study. For instance, children learn about numbers and shapes while building small houses with real bricks.

However, teachers do not always successfully choose resources to stimulate and promote children's curiosity. Consequently, some children lose focus and do not achieve as well as they could through the planned curriculum.

Pupils with SEND are very well supported.

Leaders have developed personalised and effective strategies to help pupils realise their best. The school's 'L2L' classroom is a welcoming and caring space that supports pupils to access the curriculum in ways that are appropriate to their individual needs. Pupils with SEND achieve highly.

Leaders have ensured that pupils know the school's high expectations for good behaviour. Pupils understand the rewards and consequences linked to their behaviour in class very well. Most pupils behave well in lessons.

Staff are highly supportive of the school leaders. They enjoy working at the school. They value the professional development opportunities they have through the training they receive.

Governors know the school's priorities. They share the school leaders' high ambitions and aspirations for all pupils in the school. They challenge and support leaders accordingly.

They fulfil their legal duties. They are well placed to support leaders to further improve the school.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that staff are well trained to recognise and report any concerns they have about a pupil's safety. As a result, staff are vigilant and report things swiftly when needed. Staff know that these concerns will be addressed quickly and appropriately by leaders.

Leaders make sure that vulnerable pupils and their families receive the support they need. They work closely and effectively with other agencies to ensure this happens in a timely manner. Home–school links are highly effective in supporting pupils' needs.

Consequently, vulnerable pupils and their families are very well supported.

Governors regularly check that the culture of safeguarding remains effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

Leaders have developed the curriculum since the last inspection.

It is planned to help pupils to know more. However, some pupils do not always remember the knowledge they have been taught well enough. Leaders need to ensure that teachers are confident that pupils' knowledge is secure, before they move pupils along in the subjects they teach them.

. Leaders have identified and use a range of strategies to support the lowest-attaining readers to catch up. However, not all of these pupils can read as well as they should.

Leaders need to ensure that the strategies they use for supporting the lowest-attaining readers to catch up are the most effective so that these pupils have the reading skills they need for the next stages of their education. . Most children engage well and develop the knowledge and skills they require in early years.

Teachers, in the main, use resources to stimulate children's interest well. However, at times the resources do not encourage children's curiosity enough, so some children lose focus and their learning time is not used as well as it could be. Leaders need to ensure that the resources teachers use stimulate children's concentration, curiosity and enjoyment more, such that children in early years make the best use of time to learn and remember the intended curriculum.

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