Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School was deemed to be a “good” school in a recent inspection by education watchdog, Ofsted.
The school was inspected on Tuesday, November 22 and Wednesday, November 23, 2022. The subsequent report was released to the public on Tuesday, January 31, and described the school as “good” in all areas of inspection, apart from the school’s personal development sector, which was noted as outstanding by the inspector. The report said: “Pupils are happy and feel safe at this school. Pupils are kind, polite and respectful. They welcome new pupils to the school and make sure they feel part of the school family.”
Further in the report, the inspector highlighted reading as a strong element of the school’s curriculum. Praise was given to teachers and leaders at the school for their work developing the children’s skills, with key lessons starting as soon as the pupils start at the school. It was also said that with proper progress checks, the children’s ability was well matched to the books they were given, with pupils of all ages reading a wide range of works. The wider curriculum structure was acknowledged by the inspector as robust but in its early stages. The report detailed: “Leaders have taken decisive action to improve the quality of the curriculum. They have thought carefully about the knowledge that they want pupils to learn and the order in which it will be taught and this helps pupils to remember and build upon their previous learning.” The inspector highlighted that one of the reason’s why the school’s quality of education was high was because teacher’s received subject-specific training. This training, however, was found to be inconsistent in mathematics, with some teachers not using the same resources and techniques across the school. Pastorally, the school was commended by the inspector, who added in the report that pupils had nurtured a deep respect for themselves, for others and for the school and their wider community, with the support and guidance from staff. This positivity was also reflected in the pupils’ behaviour, which was described as good in the report.
The inspector added: “Pupil prefects remind their peers to follow the five golden rules. Pupils in all year groups are enthusiastic about their learning and proud of their achievements, the respond well to the staff’s high expectations.” Commenting on the report, the school’s headteacher, Vikki Vaughan, said: “We are incredibly proud of the Ofsted report and feel that it truly reflects our amazing school. “The hard work, dedication and love shown on a daily basis is inspiring and we are particularly pleased that the report highlights our Mission Statement, ‘With God’s guidance, we grow and learn’, is central to our ethos. “We are pleased that our Personal Development curriculum and opportunities have been highlighted as ‘Outstanding’, as the children are at the heart of everything we do. “All members of our school community share a collective focus of high expectations and ambition for every child to achieve their potential, enabling them to experience a fantastic primary education here at Barkston Ash.”
Students and staff at Barkston Ash Catholic Primary School were delighted with their recent Ofsted report. (23-02-224 SU)
