Barley Close Community Primary School in Mangotsfield, Bristol, underwent an inspection on May 14 and 15, 2024. The overall effectiveness of the school was rated as requiring improvement, with specific areas such as the quality of education, behavior and attitudes, and leadership and management also marked as requiring improvement. However, personal development and early years provision were rated as good. The previous inspection had rated the school as good, indicating a decline in performance.
The school has focused on developing its curriculum since the last inspection, aiming to ensure that all pupils achieve success. Despite these efforts, the curriculum is still in the early stages of development and does not adequately support pupils in building their knowledge over time. While pupils express enjoyment in attending school and feel safe, some older students struggle to concentrate when the curriculum lacks sufficient ambition.
Attendance has been a significant concern, with high rates of absence impacting students' learning. The school is actively working to improve attendance, but progress has been slow, resulting in many pupils missing essential learning opportunities. The school’s initiatives to promote personal development are commendable, with pupils benefiting from interactions with inspirational community athletes and engaging in projects that teach economic and financial management. The variety of extracurricular clubs, including football and yoga, further enriches the students' experiences.
The curriculum is described as broad and ambitious, yet it lacks a well-structured design and sequencing in some subjects. This deficiency prevents pupils from building a secure understanding of essential knowledge, leading to gaps in their learning. Reading is prioritized, with a strong emphasis on phonics and communication skills from the early years. Adults are well-trained to support pupils at risk of falling behind, and there is a structured reading curriculum in place for older students. However, in mathematics, many pupils struggle with basic number facts, which hinders their ability to solve more complex problems.
The school has made strides in supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, but these students face similar challenges in the curriculum as their peers. While most pupils demonstrate politeness and good manners, some lose focus during lessons due to the curriculum's lack of effective sequencing and the unaddressed gaps in their knowledge.
The personal, social, and health education curriculum effectively teaches pupils about responsible citizenship and healthy living. Pupils understand the importance of democratic processes and can articulate the dangers of smoking and alcohol. They also learn practical skills such as swimming and road safety, and they are educated on online safety.
The arrangements for safeguarding at the school are effective, ensuring that pupils are protected and their welfare is prioritized. However, the school needs to improve its processes for analyzing and monitoring attendance to identify patterns and address issues more effectively. Additionally, the school lacks a clear understanding of the curriculum's impact on pupils' learning, which hampers its ability to evaluate what is working well and where improvements are needed.
To enhance its effectiveness, the school must design a well-structured curriculum that allows pupils to build on their existing knowledge and address any gaps in understanding. It is crucial for the school to implement a systematic approach to resolving attendance issues and ensure that pupils can catch up on missed learning. Furthermore, the school should focus on evaluating all aspects of its work to ensure that pupils build knowledge effectively over time. Overall, while Barley Close Community Primary School has strengths in personal development and early years provision, significant improvements are needed in curriculum design, attendance monitoring, and understanding the impact of educational practices on pupil learning.
