Great Barford Church of England Primary Academy

Overview

Pupils speak with pride about their school and work hard to meet leaders’ high expectations. The report highlights an ambitious curriculum and a strong ethos where pupils ‘grow together through learning, friendship and worship’. Since the previous inspection, leaders have made necessary improvements, resulting in a positive environment where bullying is rare and pupils are articulate about their learning.

Strengths

• Teachers deliver a well-designed curriculum in a sensible order, checking that pupils remember key knowledge before progressing.
• Reading is a high priority, with staff systematically teaching new vocabulary to help pupils understand sophisticated texts.
• Pupils demonstrate high expectations for themselves, care for each other’s needs, and show respect for diverse lifestyles and beliefs.
• Staff identify learning difficulties quickly and work effectively with external experts to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with staff knowing the signs of risk and responding quickly to concerns.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure teachers have the necessary training to implement guidance for supporting pupils with SEND effectively, as some currently struggle to learn aspects of the curriculum.
• Trustees must ensure they understand the quality of the whole curriculum, as they currently do not pay sufficient attention to subjects beyond English and mathematics.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective, with staff trained to identify risks, respond quickly to concerns, and teach pupils how to keep themselves safe.