A primary school where pupils are “well cared for” and where they are “happy and safe” has been rated good by Ofsted.
St Barnabas and St Paul’s CE Primary School in Oakenhurst Road, Blackburn, was deemed to be outstanding at its last full inspection in March 2017.
This latest inspection found a couple of areas at the school to still be outstanding, including personal development and early years provision.
Quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership and management were all rated good.
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Inspectors said the school had not identified key vocabulary that pupils need in order to access the full curriculum, hampering them from “building a secure body of knowledge in different subjects.”
Overall, though, the inspectors found there was a well-structured curriculum that was ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs.
Teachers’ knowledge was said to be strong, which allowed them to deliver the curriculum in a way that enables “most pupils to build their knowledge over time.”
The report continued: “Children in the early years excel. They benefit from a very well-thought-through curriculum that is delivered exceptionally well. This helps children to learn all that they should across each area of learning.
“The school places a high priority on teaching pupils to read. Staff are well trained. They deliver the school’s phonic programme consistently well. Staff carefully check for any gaps in pupils’ phonic knowledge.
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“The school has established strong routines, from the early years to Year 6. This helps to ensure that most children and pupils display high standards of behaviour. Pupils’ positive attitudes help to create a peaceful and focused environment in which pupils can learn without disruption.”
Ofsted also deemed safeguarding measures set by the school to be effective.
This was the school’s first graded inspection since the Covid-19 pandemic, and inspectors took the impact of that into account when giving their evaluation.
To read the report in full, visit the Ofsted website.
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