Barrow CofE Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 24 February 2026

Weaknesses in safeguarding procedures mean that pupils are not consistently kept safe at this school. When pupils turn to adults that they trust to share their worries, staff do not routinely pass on these concerns to leaders. Leaders do not act quickly enough. At times, this means that some pupils do not receive the support that they need in a timely manner. Even though pupils are happy, attend regularly and describe a great sense of security at school, leaders and staff do not fulfil their duties to protect them. Leaders and governors have relied heavily on external support to bring about improvements at the school. This means that, despite many aspects of the school performing well, leaders do not have the capacity to tackle ongoing school development successfully enough. Pupils now access a curriculum that is ambitious. Pupils rise to leaders’ and teachers’ strengthened expectations for their learning. Typically, pupils achieve well and are ready for their next stage of education. Pupils are proud to grow and learn in this small village school that they consider a family. They enjoy school and are motivated to learn. Warm and respectful relationships between staff and pupils contribute to a positive and nurturing atmosphere. Mostly, staff know pupils' needs well. For disadvantaged pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, this ensures that they have their barriers to learning and wellbeing reduced so they can also flourish in their learning. Pupils, including children in the early years, learn in calm and purposeful classrooms. They show genuine care, respect and consideration for one another. Playtimes are harmonious. Pupils take a collective responsibility to make everyone feel included. They know that adults in school promote positive behaviour and will protect them from bullying. Pupils develop a strong sense of moral and social justice. They enjoy finding out about current affairs and engage in high-quality debates on issues that they feel strongly about. Through community events and leadership roles, pupils learn to be active citizens. Pupils are well prepared for modern-day life beyond their school community.

What the school should improve

• Leaders must ensure that staff have secure knowledge of how to keep pupils safe and that they consistently follow the school's policy for reporting safeguarding concerns.
• Leaders must ensure that they take timely action to respond to safeguarding concerns, including by making referrals to other agencies, and record these actions promptly and accurately.
• Governors must ensure that they fully understand and fulfil their statutory responsibilities so that have a robust oversight of the school's work. This includes ensuring that policies, systems and processes for safeguarding are effectively and continually reviewed.
• Governors must ensure that they build leadership capacity and provide effective support and challenge to leaders. This is in order to reduce the school's reliance on external support to drive school development work.
• Leaders should develop the school's approach to mathematics in key stage 1 in order to ensure that pupils secure number fluency before they reach key stage 2.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)