Barley (VA) Church of England First School

Barley (VA) Church of England First School is a very small rural Church of England first school, federated with Barkway, with a high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and a well-above-average proportion with education, health and care plans. Safeguarding standards are met, and leadership and governance are a notable strength: leaders are strategic, realistic and resourceful, governors bring considerable expertise, staff feel valued, and parents and professionals are overwhelmingly positive about the school. Most other areas are judged at the expected standard. Pupils are happy, calm and attentive, behaviour at breaktimes is particularly impressive, and pupils benefit from strong pastoral care, enrichment, trips and pupil councils. Inclusion is also a clear strength, with effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and disadvantaged pupils' attendance significantly above the national average.

Strengths

• Strategic, realistic leadership that finds practical solutions for a small rural school
• Governors bring strong education, finance and social care expertise
• Staff feel valued and are supported with professional learning
• Parents and professionals are overwhelmingly positive about leadership
• Safeguarding culture is strong and standards are met
• Disadvantaged pupils' attendance is significantly above the national average
• Pupils are generally attentive, calm and sensible
• Pupils' behaviour at breaktimes is particularly impressive, with older pupils supporting younger ones
• Ambitious curriculum supported by high-quality schemes and secure subject knowledge
• Pupils with SEND and/or EHC plans are well supported academically and pastorally
• High-quality pastoral care and mental health support
• Rich enrichment, trips and councils broaden pupils' experiences
• Pupils are happy, feel safe and enjoy school
• Strong relationships with families and trusted advice on inclusion

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils recall key facts more securely than they explain the reasoning behind them
• Depth of discussion and application of knowledge varies across subjects
• Effective teaching approaches are not consistently embedded across the school and in all subjects
• Adaptations for pupils with additional needs vary in precision and impact on independence
• How much pupils remember and can explain from the personal, social and health education programme varies
• Overall absence and persistent absence have been above national averages in recent years

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Barley (VA) Church of England First School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 24.1% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Barley (VA) Church of England First School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Barley (VA) Church of England First School had 6.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 59.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 16.0% of pupils at Barley (VA) Church of England First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Barley (VA) Church of England First School received £17,198 and spent £18,309 for each of its 48 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £70,000 (£1,484 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). This school files a single return with the other schools in its federation, so the figures are for the whole federation.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Royston · Cambridgeshire local authority: places and applications

What is Barley (VA) Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Barley (VA) Church of England First School is Expected standard, from an inspection in October 2026.

When was Barley (VA) Church of England First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Barley (VA) Church of England First School was last inspected in October 2026.

How many pupils does Barley (VA) Church of England First School have?

Barley (VA) Church of England First School has 25 pupils on roll.

What age range does Barley (VA) Church of England First School cover?

Barley (VA) Church of England First School for pupils aged 3 to 9.

Where is Barley (VA) Church of England First School?

Barley (VA) Church of England First School is at Church End, Barley, Royston, Hertfordshire, SG8 8JW.