Dear Parents and Carers,

As many of you will know, Ofsted inspectors visited Barrington at the end of June, and their report is now available. I am grateful to all parents who provided feedback directly to Ofsted as part of the inspection, to all the pupils who participated in school, and particularly to the school staff who work so hard for our children and for whom these inspections are always a challenging experience.

The report is a fair reflection of the school.  Over the last few years, the school has nearly doubled in size and this has presented a number of challenges.  As a governing body, adapting to the rapid growth of the school and making the best use of limited resources have been our strategic priorities.  This has resulted in a new leadership structure, including now a deputy and assistant headteacher, seven single year group classes (as opposed to mixed year groups) each with a qualified teacher every day, more teaching assistants, the new inclusion hub and the appointment of a dedicated special educational needs coordinator and a family support worker, amongst many other things.  The school has also benefitted from additional resources and enrichment experiences for the children, which would not have been possible without the incredibly valuable support of FOBS.

There is much to be proud of in the report.  It reflects the caring ethos of the school and commitment to the children’s well-being and personal development.  The description of what it is like to be a pupil at Barrington says that pupils are happy, safe, and supported through positive relationships with staff; enjoy coming to school and engage positively in their learning; make the most of the wide range of activities on offer; and value the available leadership opportunities.

The report also identifies other positives including effective safeguarding and how the school promotes regular attendance, sets high expectations for behaviour and uses the school values effectively.  It highlights mathematics as an area where pupils apply their knowledge confidently to reason and solve problems. It recognises the broad range of learning opportunities that pupils have in many subjects.

However, the report also identifies areas where we must do better.  The inspectors acknowledge that the governing body and school leadership have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and the areas that require further improvement.  We had identified these prior to the inspection taking place, and plans were already underway to address them. Showing evidence of the impact of these actions takes time, and we see that reflected repeatedly in the report. Clearly those areas that have been graded as ‘Needs Attention’, and the specific actions identified, are our priority.  The report is helpful in that it validates the assessments that had been made by the leaders and governors of the school, and will help us clearly demonstrate our successes when these have been achieved.  One early example is the changes to our Phonics and Reading, with a new scheme that was being prepared over recent months and has now been implemented across the school.

We are looking to make rapid progress this year. We are able to invite Ofsted back to inspect our school and re-evaluate gradings once we can show the impact of our progress against the ‘Needs Attention’ areas, and we hope that this will take place sooner rather than later.  We will, of course, keep you updated.

Thank you for your ongoing support for the school, it is very much appreciated.  I have three children at Barrington – for this year only before one moves on to secondary school - so this matters to me personally, as well as in my capacity as Chair of governors. I can assure you that the governing body and leadership team will continue to work hard, together to make the improvements needed.

With best wishes

Claire Stoneham

Chair of Governors