St Barnabas Church of England Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 April 2026

The school has experienced a significant period of turbulence. This has had a negative impact on pupils' behaviour and achievement. leaders have taken firm and decisive action to address weaknesses in teaching and tackle disruptive behaviour. There are signs of improvement. This is helping pupils to enjoy their learning. Pupils feel safe at school. They have trusted adults to turn to if they need help or support. They have confidence that staff will help them resolve any issues related to unkind behaviour. Bullying is rare. The school has a broad and ambitious curriculum. However, currently, this is not being delivered consistently effectively. Too many pupils have not met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2. This means that pupils do not develop detailed knowledge in subjects such as geography, history and religious studies. Leaders have rightly addressed weaknesses in the mathematics and writing curriculums and, most of the time, pupils are now learning more effectively in these areas and starting to fill gaps in their knowledge. Children benefit from effective phonics teaching and get off to a strong start in the early years. Staff successfully promote a love of reading. Pupils enjoy spending time in the library reading from a range of carefully selected books which are matched to their interests and abilities. This is a strength of the school, alongside carefully planned trips and workshops which complement the curriculum. Pupils value the school’s outdoor spaces and opportunities to play with their friends. They enjoy a range of clubs and activities. Pupils understand the school's vision to 'let your light shine'. Most pupils attend well, although work is ongoing to ensure that the number of pupils who are persistently absent reduces.

What the school should improve

• Leaders must continue to robustly monitor the impact of the writing curriculum, addressing weaknesses in practice, so that all pupils improve their writing fluency and accuracy.
• Leaders must ensure that the work pupils are given, including in wider curriculum subjects, enables them to deepen their thinking and develop a detailed knowledge across the curriculum.
• Leaders must ensure that teachers use assessment effectively in lessons to identify when pupils have misconceptions, and when pupils need to extend their knowledge, so that pupils complete work that is matched to their needs.
• Leaders must maintain high expectations for all pupils’ behaviour, so that the poor behaviour of a minority does not have a negative impact on others.
• Leaders must ensure that all aspects of the personal development curriculum are implemented effectively, so that pupils consistently remember what they have learned.

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