St Barnabas CofE Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy to attend this caring school. Those who move from other schools during the school year receive a warm welcome and settle quickly into the friendly atmosphere.

Right from the start of the Nursery Year through to Year 6, children enjoy excellent relationships with adults and with their peers.

The school has raised its expectations of pupils' achievement. It has also made positive and swift changes to the curriculum to enable pupils to gain a deep body of knowledge across different subjects.

Pupils have responded well to the higher demands. They demonstrate a strong understanding of the knowledge that they have gained over time.

Childre...n in the early years, and pupils across the rest of the school, are enthusiastic learners.

They are supported to behave well. Pupils are polite and courteous to visitors and to one another.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences that enhance the curriculum, such as building and programming their own robots to develop their computing skills.

They also have access to a range of clubs that cater for their interests, such as yoga or rock climbing.

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

In 2023, the school's published data for pupils' progress and attainment in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of key stage 2 was significantly below that of other schools nationally. This was due to considerable turbulence in staffing in recent years.

The trust has taken effective action to stabilise staffing arrangements, especially in the leadership team. This has enabled the school to provide curriculum leaders with careful support and suitable training to ensure that they are well equipped to lead their areas of responsibility, including in the early years. The school has made swift improvements to the curriculum to ensure that staff have a shared understanding of how pupils should build their knowledge in each subject.

As a result, pupils currently at the school are achieving well against the curriculum goals.

There is a sharp focus on defining the key knowledge that the school wants pupils to learn in each subject. In the early years, staff receive the guidance that they need to know what children should learn in each area of learning.

This is enabling staff, right from the start of children's education journey to design lesson activities that build pupils' knowledge over time. Staff assess pupils' knowledge carefully to help identify where further work is needed to secure pupils' previous learning. However, the changes in a small number of subjects have only recently taken place, which means that, although improving, there continue to be small gaps in pupils' recall of key knowledge.

The school has provided staff with comprehensive training to ensure that the phonics curriculum is delivered consistently well. Learning in the Nursery Class is carefully structured to build children's understanding in readiness for developing their phonics knowledge in the Reception Year. In key stage 1, pupils read books that are well matched to their knowledge.

This helps them to develop their reading fluency and comprehension skills.

For some pupils, there is extra support that helps them to keep up with the phonics programme. Even so, the strategies to support some pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to overcome their difficulties in learning to read are not effective enough.

Consequently, these pupils do not read as confidently and as fluently as they should. Otherwise, the school's approach to identifying the needs of pupils with SEND has improved. This is enabling staff to assist these pupils to access the curriculum in other subjects and to achieve well.

The school has put stringent arrangements in place for the management of attendance. This means that it is well aware of the different reasons why some pupils do not attend school regularly. This is leading to marked improvements in reducing the absence levels for some pupils who, in the past, missed large periods of time away from school.

From the start of the Nursery Year through to Year 6, staff have a consistent approach to supporting pupils' behaviour. Pupils behave well in lessons and at breaktimes. When misbehaviour does occur, staff deal with this swiftly so that there is no disruption to learning.

Pupils benefit from a well-thought-out set of opportunities that enhance their personal development. Pupils are respectful of others' opinions and beliefs. They have a strong awareness of how different faiths have common features and also how they differ.

Pupils have a strong sense of what it means to be equal. Pupils demonstrate a clear understanding of fundamental British values, such as when voting for school councillors as part of their work on democracy.

The school promotes pupils' social and emotional development well.

This includes in the early years and in Year 1. Here, the provision to develop pupils' speech and language enables them to express their wishes and preferences and to fully participate alongside their peers. This enables children to talk confidently to visitors about their work.

The local advisory board question the school in detail about its provision. This ensures that the trustees have a clear understanding of the school's effectiveness. There are clear arrangements in place to quality assure the work of the school, which has enabled trust leaders to play a key role in bringing about the positive change.

Staff feel well supported in their roles. They appreciate the steps taken by the school to help them with their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In key stage 1, a small number of pupils with SEND do not receive effective enough support to develop their reading knowledge. This means that they do not read with fluency or confidence. The school should ensure that the support that these pupils receive enables them to gain the phonics knowledge that they need to read accurately.

• Some pupils have gaps in their learning due to weaknesses in the previous curriculum. As a result, some pupils do not know some of the essential knowledge that some pupils need for their future learning. The school should ensure that staff identify and address the gaps in pupils' knowledge so that they have the knowledge that they need to absorb new knowledge.