St Mary’s Church of England Primary School, Barnsley

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school where staff and pupils glow with pride. Staff greet pupils in the playground in the morning.

This positive welcome sets pupils up for a day of learning and discovery. Pupils are exceptionally kind and caring towards each other. They have excellent relationships with their teachers and staff.

Enjoyment and inclusion are at the heart of this school. Leaders ensure all pupils study a broad and ambitious curriculum designed to meet the needs of all pupils. They learn new knowledge with enthusiasm and determination.

Pupils make good progress from their starting points. In the early years, children experience an exciting day of exploration and acti...vity.

Parents and carers appreciate the high level of care and support given to pupils and their families, especially pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

These pupils receive timely and precise support.

Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. They are proud of their leadership roles in school.

Pupils are consistently encouraging towards each other. They learn to manage their own behaviour exceptionally well. Pupils say that they love coming to school.

One pupil said, 'I want my children to come to this school in the future; it is that good.'

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

Leaders, in partnership with colleagues from the trust, have created a curriculum that is ambitious and bespoke for all pupils. It is taught consistently well across the school because teachers know what to teach and when to teach it.

Pupils make good progress and enjoy the challenge that every day offers as they learn.

In the early years, detailed planning and a learning environment that is carefully adapted to meet the needs of young children help teachers ensure that children get off to a good start to school. This means that pupils are ready for Year 1.

Reading is at the heart of the curriculum. In Reception and Year 1, pupils benefit from a well-structured approach to teaching phonics. Staff are highly skilled and teaching is focused and precise.

Pupils learn sounds quickly. They confidently read books matched to the sounds that they are learning. Pupils who find reading difficult are identified and given carefully planned support.

This helps them catch-up quickly. Older pupils talk with enthusiasm and confidence about reading. They share their thoughts on the stories and characters in the books they read.

Pupils and staff love to read. They read together in all classes. Pupils know that reading is an important skill.

Pupils show a deep understanding of learning across the curriculum. In mathematics, pupils use division and multiplication to solve problems. In history, pupils talk with confidence about the Great Fire of London and the end of the Roman Empire.

In art, pupils learn skills and study the work of great artists. They produce high-quality pieces of work, using techniques such as batik.

Teachers are knowledgeable.

They use the detailed curriculum to plan learning that builds well over time. In lessons, pupils revisit prior learning to help them remember important knowledge. Sometimes, in some subjects, opportunities are not taken to allow pupils to develop higher-level thinking, make connections and reason.

In all subjects, teachers use ongoing assessment and feedback effectively to address pupils' misconceptions. However, in a few subjects, assessment at the end of a sequence of learning is not as well used. This means that teachers are not always aware of what pupils have learned over time or identified any gaps in their learning.

Every child is seen as unique. Staff are clear about individual pupil's specific needs. Barriers to success are reduced or removed.

Pupils with SEND have clear support plans to ensure that targets are known by staff. They are helped to learn successfully.

The school provides an environment in which pupils can flourish.

Personal development is deeply rooted in the culture of the school. Pupils model tolerance and respect, and seize every opportunity to be a leader. The collective worship council run assemblies linked to fundamental British values and protected characteristics.

Pupils are articulate when discussing the importance of family and values such as democracy. They are able to make links between ideas like individual liberty and the rule of law and have an excellent knowledge of different faiths and cultures. Pupils are exceptionally well prepared for life in modern Britain.

The school works hard to build on their good relationships with the local community. Parents appreciate the work of the school. One parent said, 'We love this school and all the staff who work very hard to provide a secure, safe environment for children to thrive.'



Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Daily ongoing assessment is strong, however assessments at the end of a sequence of learning are not used as effectively as they could be in all subject areas. As a result, in some subjects, teachers are unable to clearly establish what pupils have learned over time and where any gaps remain.

The school should continue to develop summative assessment to support teachers when planning lessons to meet the differing needs of pupils. In some subjects, the development of pupils' reasoning and problem-solving is not as secure as their learning of key facts. The school should continue to develop ways that pupils can reason, use and apply their knowledge in all subjects.

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