Barton Moss Community Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Barton Moss Community Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The head of school is Claire Woolley. This school is part of Prestolee Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Michael Tonge, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Andrew Sargeant.

There is also an executive headteacher, Alex Keane, who is responsible for this school and one other.

What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils have the chance to shine at Barton Moss. The school is a place of community and belong...ing.

Pupils have faith in staff. They rightly trust staff to sort out any problems or worries they might have. Pupils feel happy, secure and able to give their best.

Staff are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Most pupils relish the opportunity to live up to these expectations. They talk about their learning, and particularly their reading, with infectious enthusiasm.

Children in the early years learn in a welcoming and purposeful environment. They follow well-planned routines and learn to cooperate with others. Older pupils work hard in lessons.

They show resilience when they find things difficult. Pupils are considerate and kind towards their peers, including during playtimes.

The school prepares pupils for a future of possibilities.

Pupils enjoy an extensive range of clubs, including sign language, yoga and chess.

Pupils fulfil their leadership roles with pride. These roles include membership of the school, faith and eco councils.

Pupils become active citizens during their time at the school. Pupils in Year 6 make a strong contribution to the community food hub, which operates from the school.

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

The school's curriculum reflects the ambition that staff have for pupils' learning.

The school has prioritised early reading, writing and mathematics. This is to ensure that future learning builds on strong foundations. Children get off to an exceptional start in the early years.

They benefit from meticulously planned opportunities to develop their speech and communication. Pupils' enjoyment of rhymes, stories and songs starts in the early years.

Reading is at the heart of the school's work.

Most pupils become accurate readers quickly. Staff support those who need more help. Once pupils can read accurately, the school helps them to read with fluency and expression.

Staff teach early mathematics and writing well. They break down learning into small, manageable steps. They explain and model things clearly.

Pupils practise new skills until their learning is secure. This helps them to master basic skills, such as handwriting and times tables.

The school has made further improvements since the last inspection.

The school has thought carefully about the ambitious vocabulary that it wants pupils to learn across the full curriculum. The curriculum builds seamlessly from what children learn in the early years. The school has improved the way that it checks pupils' learning.

The school uses strategies that help pupils to remember the most important curriculum content. These improvements are reflected in pupils' improved performance in national tests and assessments.

Despite these clear improvements, pupils' learning is uneven across subjects.

The school has introduced new curriculums and ways to check pupils' understanding in several subjects recently. Where this is the case, some pupils have not learned important content well. This is because new curriculums and the way teachers check learning are not fully embedded.

The school identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND quickly. Staff help pupils with SEND so they can learn alongside their peers and work towards the same goals. Pupils with SEND learn well and are fully involved in all aspects of school life.

The school takes appropriate action to ensure that pupils attend regularly. It works closely with families to remove barriers to regular attendance. Staff use different rewards effectively to incentivise good attendance.

Despite this, the school's impact on pupils' attendance varies between year groups. The school has taken appropriate steps to further strengthen its work in this area recently.

The programme to support pupils' personal development is impressive.

The school's 'STAR' values thread through all aspects of school life. They are well understood by pupils and make a strong contribution to the growth of their character. Pupils develop a strong sense of right and wrong.

This is reflected in their commitment to raising money for different charities. The school provides many opportunities to develop pupils' interests and talents through a range of sporting and creative endeavours. These opportunities ensure that most pupils are very well prepared for life at secondary school and beyond.

The school has created a welcoming and aspirational culture. The school's effective engagement means that many parents and carers recognise the school has made a big difference to their child and family. Similarly, the school has established a culture where staff are exceptionally proud to work there.

Leaders are considerate of staff's workload and well-being, and staff rightly feel trusted and supported.

School and trust leaders share a clear understanding of the school's strengths and priorities. Those responsible for governance understand their roles well.

They provide appropriate support and challenge. This has helped to sustain improvement over time.

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 school has introduced new curriculums and methods of assessment recently. In these subjects, pupils' knowledge is less secure than in other areas. The school should embed, and where necessary refine, these subject curriculums and approaches to assessment so that pupils know and remember more across the full curriculum.

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade.

This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in March 2020.

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