St Barnabas CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, staff and visitors are greeted with a sense of community as they arrive at this school. Relationships between pupils and staff are exceptionally supportive. Adults have high expectations that all pupils will achieve their potential.

Pupils are successful in their learning. They achieve well over the time they are in school.

There is a purposeful atmosphere around school.

Pupils focus on their learning well, work hard and want to learn. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They are proud to belong to their school.

This shows when they speak to visitors about their work. Pupils move around in a calm and orderly manner. During social times they get a...long well together.

Pupils are safe and know who to talk to about any concerns they may have.

The school prioritises pupils' personal development exceptionally well. Pupils receive a range of careers, cultural and leadership experiences.

Pupils enjoy their responsibilities as librarians, house captains and 'buddies' for younger pupils. The school offers a range of experiences, such as a Year 3 residential to Bath. This supports pupils' work in history about the Romans.

Many pupils take part in enrichment clubs across the year, including debating, chess and running.

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

The school has designed a highly ambitious curriculum for pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). As a result, by the end of key stage 2, pupils achieve well, particularly in reading and writing.

The school continues to excel in its work with pupils' oracy. Pupils show high levels of confidence when talking about their learning and achievements. This is a strength of the school.

The school is clear on the improvements still required to develop the curriculum further. For example, leaders are taking effective action to improve phonics outcomes at key stage 1.

The school successfully identifies the key knowledge pupils need to succeed across subject areas.

Teachers present new subject matter clearly to pupils and use effective questions to check that pupils know and remember previous learning. However, at times, the school does not consistently take enough account of all pupils' individual needs. Sometimes learning is not adapted sufficiently well to reflect pupils' needs or build on and address gaps in their previous learning.

In the early years, children get off to an exceptionally positive start. Teachers provide activities that are well matched to children's needs. Staff model effective communication, supporting children to develop their language and independence.

This results in high-quality interactions between children and staff, as well as each other. Children are happy and thrive in an environment that is engaging both indoors and outside.

The school identifies the needs of pupils with SEND well.

It supports these pupils to access the same, ambitious curriculum as their peers. For those pupils across the school who are at risk of not achieving well in reading, the school quickly identifies the specific support they need to catch up. Well-trained staff help pupils to address any weaknesses they may have in their knowledge of phonics, grammar and comprehension.

The school supports pupils' wider reading in all year groups exceptionally well. An extensive range of reading activities, using a broad range of texts, helps all pupils to deepen their understanding of vocabulary.

Pupils show high levels of focus and engagement in their learning.

They demonstrate respect for each other during breaktime and lunchtime. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the new zones and activities within the playground. These help pupils to play together in different year groups and to take part in new games and sports.

Overall, school attendance is exceptionally positive. The school takes decisive action to support the small number of pupils who are absent. It ensures that pupils quickly catch up on any missed learning when they return.

Personal development is a strength of this school. Pupils take part in local and national sporting and musical events, as well as hosting a local debating competition with other schools. An extensive range of activities enable pupils to successfully support the local community.

For example, pupils choose where the harvest festival food is donated each year. The extensive personal, social, health and economic education programme allows pupils to learn about personal and online safety, healthy relationships and treating others with respect. Pupils receive appropriate, comprehensive and timely advice about the next stages of their education and career opportunities.

This prepares them exceptionally well for life beyond school as members of society.

All leaders, including those responsible for governance, understand how the school's local context impacts on pupils' learning and attendance. The governing body holds the school to account exceptionally well for all aspects of provision, including safeguarding.

The school has implemented a comprehensive and well-thought-out professional development programme for staff, which staff welcome. Any changes to school policies and practice are in line with the school's commitment to support staff 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)

• The school does not consistently take enough account of the individual needs of pupils in a few subjects. As a result, in some classes, learning is not adapted sufficiently well to reflect pupils' needs or build on and address gaps in their previous learning. The school should refine its approaches to the use of assessment in these subjects so that teaching across the school consistently and effectively meets the needs of all pupils.