St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning at St Barnabas CofE First and Middle School. They feel happy and safe and know that there is always someone to talk to. Staff know the pupils well and provide high-quality pastoral care.

Pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

The school has planned an ambitious curriculum, in which learning builds on what pupils already know. Pupils study a good range of subjects and learn well.

Learning moves smoothly from one key stage into the next. Teachers are skilled at adapting work for pupils, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils quickly become fluent and enthusiastic reade...rs.

Adults forge good relationships with pupils. The school is a calm and orderly place. Pupils concentrate and behave well in lessons.

They are keen to succeed and work hard. Pupils learn to respect those different from themselves. At social times, they play happily together.

Pupils have a range of opportunities to take up positions of responsibility and to influence how the school runs, for example as worship leaders or in the school parliament. They take part in a variety of after-school clubs, including baking, gardening and sports.

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

The school makes learning to read the top priority.

From the early years onwards, pupils follow a phonics programme in which they learn letters and sounds in a logical order. Teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning. Staff are highly skilled and provide effective support for any pupils at risk of falling behind.

Books for younger pupils are well matched to their phonics knowledge. Across the school, pupils read widely and often, and quickly become confident readers.

Pupils study the full range of subjects in the national curriculum.

Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can achieve and review the curriculum regularly. The school has recently changed the curriculum in a number of foundation subjects to increase pupils' interest and curiosity. Leaders have set out clearly how learning in each subject should build up over time.

Teachers in each key stage design activities that prepare children well for what follows. The curriculum in Year 7 gives pupils a strong start to key stage 3. Pupils apply their knowledge of literacy and numeracy well in other subjects.

In some subjects, at the very early stages of learning, the small steps that pupils need to take in their learning are sometimes not defined precisely enough. This limits learning on some occasions.

Teachers have secure knowledge of the subjects they teach.

They identify the key vocabulary for pupils to learn and present information clearly. Teachers make effective checks on pupils' learning and recap it to help them to remember it in the longer term. However, in those subjects where leaders have recently made changes, the school is still establishing the end points that the learning is building towards.

Because of this, it is not clear how teachers will use these to measure what pupils have learned, or to help address any misconceptions.

The school accurately identifies the additional needs of pupils with SEND. Staff draw effectively on guidance to ensure that pupils' needs are met.

As a result, pupils with SEND are able to make good progress through the full curriculum. Leaders ensure that those pupils who join the school with social, emotional and mental health needs take rapid strides in overcoming them.

From the outset, the school sets high expectations for pupils' behaviour.

Staff in the early years establish clear routines. Disruption to learning is rare, in part because pupils are keen to learn and enjoy what they do. Pupils collaborate well when asked to do so.

Pupils learn to take responsibility for their own behaviour and move sensibly around the site. Leaders track attendance rigorously, and pupils attend well.

Pupils follow a well-planned programme of personal development that teaches them about healthy relationships and how to keep themselves safe.

They also learn about different traditions and cultures, for example, through the range of texts that they study. Pupils come to understand fairness and democracy. They see and reflect in their attitudes how everyone is different and worthy of respect.

With the support of the multi-academy trust, the executive headteacher has led the rapid improvement of the school. This is an inclusive school, with a strong commitment to all its pupils. Staff work effectively with parents, for example, to involve them in their children's reading.

Leaders have provided effective support for inexperienced teachers joining the school. Staff are happy and motivated and believe that senior leaders are considerate of their well-being and workload.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• At the very early stages, children's learning is sometimes not broken down into precise steps. As a result, there is a lack of clarity in some subjects about what children should learn and what they have learned previously. The school should make sure that, from the very beginning, the curriculum identifies accurately each step in children's intended learning.

• In some subjects, where changes to the curriculum have been made, teachers are not always clear about what knowledge to assess. Teachers are not able, therefore, to judge how far pupils have understood the things that they have been taught. The school should set out clearly the intended outcomes against which teachers can assess what pupils have learned and address any misconceptions that may remain.