St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School

St Barnabas’ Church of England Aided Primary School is a happy, inclusive primary school that has improved markedly since its previous inspection. Pupils are ambitious and achieve well, with strong published outcomes in 2024, warm relationships and calm, considerate behaviour. Staff changes in recent years have been managed well, and the school now benefits from high expectations, a logically ordered curriculum and effective support for pupils with SEND. Reading is a particular priority, and pupils develop fluency and comprehension well; writing, spelling and handwriting are also developing strongly. The school provides a wide range of opportunities that nurture pupils’ talents and interests, including choir performances and collaborations with local universities and museums. Attendance has risen considerably, pupils have positive attitudes to learning, and personal development is promoted strongly. Safeguarding is effective, governance is knowledgeable, and leaders consider staff workload and well-being. The main area for improvement is assessment in a few subjects. Teachers do not consistently check whether pupils have remembered previously taught knowledge, which can leave gaps and limit how well some pupils connect prior learning to new content. Overall, the school is performing well across all inspected areas, with this targeted weakness the key next step.

Strengths

• Inclusive and ambitious culture with high expectations for pupils
• Strong published outcomes in 2024
• Warm, respectful relationships and calm, considerate pupil behaviour
• Wide range of clubs, choir performances and local collaborations
• Logically ordered curriculum across subjects and early years
• Precise, individualised adaptations help pupils with SEND access the curriculum
• Focused staff training and attention to staff well-being
• Effective phonics teaching and strong reading development
• Good writing, spelling and handwriting provision
• Improved attendance and positive pupil attitudes to learning
• Strong personal development and character education
• Effective governance and safeguarding arrangements

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, teachers do not check well enough that pupils have retained prior knowledge
• Some pupils develop gaps in knowledge and do not achieve as well as they could

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 St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School attended 94.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.7% 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, 0.7% of pupils at St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary 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 St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School had 19.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 22.8% 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, 27.4% of pupils at St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.2% 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 St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School received £8,530 and spent £9,350 for each of its 133 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £54,000 (-£405 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).

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What is St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School have?

St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School has 135 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School cover?

St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 69% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School?

St Barnabas' Church of England Aided Primary School is at Hart Street, St Barnabas Primary Hart Street, Oxford, Oxfordshire, OX2 6BN.