Great Harwood St Bartholomew’s Parish Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Great Harwood St Bartholomew's is a friendly and welcoming place to be.

Pupils are happy and well cared for at this school. They feel safe. They are confident that staff will listen to them if they have any worries.

The school's values of courage, friendship, service, forgiveness, justice and love are embedded throughout the curriculum and underpin the positive relationships between all in the school. Pupils are well-mannered. They extend a warm welcome to visitors.

Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. They are respectful to one another. Pupils enjoy the rewards that they receive for behaving well and working hard.

Most pupils, including c...hildren in early years and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. This is because the school has high expectations of their learning. Pupils try their best to live up to these expectations.

The school supports pupils to achieve their personal best.

Pupils value the range of opportunities on offer beyond the academic curriculum. They spoke excitedly about activities such as visits to a football stadium, outdoor learning and trips to museums, caverns and places of worship.

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

The school has been through a period of instability; however, it is settled now. The school has made considerable improvements to the curriculum since the previous inspection. It has developed an ambitious and well-thought-out curriculum in most subjects across key stages 1 and 2.

The school has considered carefully what it wants pupils to know and the order in which this content will be taught in these subjects. This is similar in the early years. The curriculum in many areas of learning identifies the key knowledge that children should learn in readiness for key stage 1.

Most children and pupils progress well through the curriculum. They are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

In a small number of subjects and areas of learning, the school is still finalising its work to ensure that teachers are clear about what they want pupils to learn.

This means that, on occasion, teachers find it difficult to design learning that helps pupils to gain important knowledge. At times, this leads to gaps in pupils' learning.

Teachers typically deliver the curriculum well.

However, some pupils do not have enough opportunity to recap and deepen their learning. At times, teachers do not check gaps in pupils' learning or address misconceptions that they have. This sometimes makes it difficult for pupils to make connections between their existing knowledge and new learning.

Pupils with SEND access the same ambitious curriculum as their peers. The school accurately identifies pupils' additional needs. It ensures that pupils with SEND receive the support that they need to achieve all that they can.

Teachers are well supported to understand the best ways to help pupils with SEND thrive in all aspects of their development.

The school prioritises reading. Pupils enjoy reading a wide range of books, which are well matched to their reading ability.

They also enjoy listening to adults read carefully chosen books to them at story times.

A new early reading and phonics curriculum has recently been introduced. Staff have received training so that they deliver this curriculum effectively.

As a result, most children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 gain a secure knowledge of phonics. However, a small number of pupils are not supported to catch up in phonics as well as they could. This hinders these pupils in becoming fluent readers as quickly as they should.

Pupils behave well in lessons and at playtimes. Children in the early years settle in quickly and enjoy well-established routines. Pupils are positive about their school and their learning.

Low-level disruption is rare.

The school has thought carefully about pupils' wider development. Pupils have opportunities to try as many new things as possible.

Pupils learn about the differences between people, for example different families. They learn about different religions and regularly visit their local parish. They understand the importance of treating everyone with respect.

Older pupils are keen to contribute their ideas about how to improve their school as school councillors or head of school.

Governors use their expertise effectively to provide support and challenge for the school. They ensure that the school focuses on improving the curriculum.

Most staff are proud to work at the school. They said that leaders provide effective support for their well-being and ensure their workload is manageable.

The school communicates well with parents and carers.

For example, it provides parents with guidance on how to support their children's learning at home. This includes holding phonics meetings, which help parents to understand how best to help their children to practise reading.

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 not given sufficient thought to the essential knowledge that pupils must learn and in what order this should be taught. Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. The school should finalise its curriculum thinking so that teachers know exactly what pupils must learn and when this should be taught.

• Occasionally, teachers do not use the assessment information that they gather as effectively as they could to address misconceptions and gaps in pupils' knowledge. This hampers some pupils from achieving as highly as they could. The school should ensure that teachers use assessment information consistently, so that all pupils get the most out of their learning across the curriculum.

• A small number of pupils at an early stage of reading are not supported to catch up in phonics as well as they could be. This hinders how well some of these pupils develop reading fluency. The school should ensure that pupils who have gaps in their reading knowledge are supported to catch up with their peers as quickly as possible.

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