Staff, pupils and parents at Bar Hill Primary School, part of Meridian Trust, are celebrating after securing high praise from Ofsted inspectors in their latest report. This is the first time the school has been inspected under the new Ofsted inspection framework and its first full inspection since 2013.
The school retained its overall Good rating, with all areas of the school being praised by inspectors. The report said ‘Bar Hill Primary School continues to be a good school’.
Inspectors added ‘pupils at Bar Hill benefit from a purposeful education’ and that ‘they are supported to grow and learn in an environment that is caring and supportive’. ‘The result is a community where behaviour is respectful, both in lessons and at playtimes’.
Charlotte Linden, who became Principal of Bar Hill Primary School shortly before the Covid-19 pandemic, said: “We are delighted with the many fantastic comments made by Ofsted inspectors. The supportive and caring culture at Bar Hill is a direct result of the strong relationships we have between staff, parents and pupils – everyone has played a role in creating the good school the community deserves. I am particularly pleased that inspectors found that pupils grew increasingly confident to share and discuss their ideas as they moved through the school. Our teachers and curriculum is designed for this very reason, and to make sure all pupils are ready to thrive in secondary school.”
The report continued to heap praise on staff and leaders of the school:
• Leaders have designed a curriculum that sets out in detail the relevant knowledge pupils in the school need for future success
• Staff use assessment data and positive relationships to ensure they know the individual needs of pupils well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)
• Leaders have made sure that reading and the learning of phonics are core priorities. They identify how this helps pupils access all their other subject learning
• As pupils move through the school, they are increasingly confident to share their thoughts and ideas out loud. This is because teachers deliberately plan to teach new, useful words
• Leaders’ investment in pastoral support makes a difference to pupils. Pupils access a range of experiences that help them develop important strategies, such as ways to manage their feelings
• Staff value the collaborative working approaches introduced by leaders. They say this supports them to manage their workload effectively
• Leaders have a robust oversight of the safeguarding needs of pupils. They have invested in a culture where all staff are alert to the risks pupils may be exposed to
Mark Woods, Chief Executive Officer of Meridian Trust, said: “The staff, pupils and community at Bar Hill should be very proud of this Ofsted report. The work they are doing is focused towards creating successful and confident young people – the very heart of what our schools aim to achieve. We look forward to seeing the school continue this for many years to come.”
To find out more about Bar Hill Primary School, or to view the report, please click here: www.barhillprimary.org.