Heaton St Barnabas’ CofE Aided Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Heaton St Barnabas' CofE Aided Primary School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a happy and inclusive school which sits at the heart of the community. Leaders and staff have built a caring culture.

The core values of honesty, happiness, responsibility, respect, kindness and enthusiasm are central to the work of the school and its pupils. This means that pupils develop as well-rounded members of the community.

Staff are ambitious for pupils and 'want to open pupils' eyes and minds' to life beyond Bradford and the United Kingdom.

Staff have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the s...chool. Relationships between pupils, staff and parents are strong.

Leaders' knowledge of the community means that they have been able to shape the curriculum so that pupils are prepared for life beyond the school.

Pupils make a positive contribution to the school and local community. For example, they held an Eid celebration to raise money for earthquake victims, and take part in inter-generational aerobics with local elderly people.

Pupils are proud of their school and its place in the community. Pupils feel safe and well supported by staff. Bullying is rare.

When it happens, leaders deal with it quickly.

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

Leaders have prioritised the development of the reading curriculum along with the teaching of phonics. As soon as pupils start in Reception, staff begin to teach the phonics programme.

Pupils read books that match the sounds that they are learning. This helps them to develop fluency and confidence in reading. Leaders check on pupils' reading progress each term.

Any pupils who fall behind benefit from extra help. Most staff have benefited from training to ensure that they teach reading well. However, there are a few inconsistencies in the teaching of the reading programme because some staff have had less guidance and support.

This means some pupils do not make as much progress as they could.

Pupils enjoy mathematics. The curriculum is well considered, which enables pupils to know more and remember more.

Staff use their good subject knowledge to explain new mathematical ideas and concepts clearly. Teachers ask questions to help pupils understand new learning or to deepen pupils' thinking. For example, in a Year 4 lesson, the teacher asked pupils to think about the number of edges on different-shaped prisms.

This helped the pupils to identify a pattern they could apply to other prisms. Pupils work hard in lessons and benefit from the careful use of appropriate teaching materials. For example, when tackling calculations, pupils can use objects to help them to work out the answers.

Leaders want to open pupils' eyes to the wider world. For this reason, they have developed a curriculum that includes many visits out of school. Leaders have identified the curriculum content for each year group.

They have begun to identify and order the knowledge that they want pupils to acquire. This work is not complete for all subjects. Where this work is not complete, sometimes teachers do not teach content in a logical order.

This limits the depth of knowledge that pupils acquire.

The curriculum is taught as a series of interesting and engaging lessons, often linked to questions. For example, questions about a banana box led to pupils learning about South America, climate, and the journey of bananas to pupils' lunch boxes.

Staff check what pupils have learned and remembered at the end of a unit of work. This helps leaders to identify strengths in the curriculum and where further work is needed. Good use is made of local resources.

For example, when studying human geography, pupils compared Cartwright Hall to the Sydney Opera House. Teachers carefully select resources to reflect the local community and modern British society. This helps pupils learn about people who are both similar and different to themselves.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are fully included in the life of the school. Like their peers, they benefit from access to the full range of subjects and learning experiences. Staff are patient and supportive of individual pupils and their needs.

They offer unobtrusive help and guidance within classrooms.

Leaders promote pupils' broader development well. They ensure that pupils learn about a range of faiths and cultures that are different to their own.

This is delivered through the curriculum, assemblies and special events. For example, older pupils talk about the importance of values, such as respect and tolerance, noting that everyone has a right to make their own choices. The personal, social, health and education programme ensures that pupils become thoughtful members of the community who are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

Staff speak positively about the support that they receive from leaders for their workload and well-being. Leaders ensure that staff are given time to work on new initiatives as well as time for tasks such as report writing. Those responsible for governance know the school and its community well.

They make visits so they know where the work of the school is effective and where further improvements may be needed.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders ensure that all staff receive regular training and updates.

Staff are alert to any concerns about pupils' safety. They record these concerns and share them appropriately. Leaders follow up on concerns and work closely with other agencies to offer help to pupils and their families.

All the required vetting checks are completed before new staff join the school.

The school's personal, social and health education curriculum teaches pupils how to keep physically and mentally healthy. Leaders have identified risks for pupils, such as road safety, stranger danger and how to stay safe online.

Pupils learn about these topics regularly. Through the curriculum, pupils learn about healthy lifestyles and relationships.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• There is some variance in how consistently the phonics scheme is taught because some staff have not had the same degree of support, guidance and training.

This means that some pupils do not learn to read as well as others. Leaders should ensure that all staff get effective support, training and guidance in how to teach the phonics scheme. ? Subject leaders have begun to break down learning into small steps, but there is more to be done to make clear which aspects are the most important for pupils to learn and remember.

Pupils do not always learn everything required in a logical order, which means they do not develop the depth of knowledge that they could. Leaders should ensure that the curriculum continues to develop and that teachers understand clearly what pupils need to learn and in what order.

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 July 2014.