Barnes Infant Academy

Barnes Infant Academy is a 314-pupil infant school that joined Vision Learning Trust in May 2025 and has experienced significant leadership and staffing changes, including a new headteacher from September 2025. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard across all evaluated areas, with safeguarding standards met. The school's strongest work is in the early years and early reading: children receive a consistent start in reading, writing and number, and pupils are typically well prepared for junior school. Inclusion is also a clear strength, with swift identification of SEND and effective targeted support, including the Oak classroom, and disadvantaged pupils achieve well compared with disadvantaged pupils nationally. Behaviour and attitudes are a notable strength. Pupils are calm, respectful and positive about learning, bullying is rare and dealt with quickly, and therapeutic support helps pupils manage their emotions. Attendance has improved and leaders engage well with parents, though punctuality remains a concern and overall absence has been above national averages in recent years. Leadership is effective and well supported by staff, and governance works closely with trustees. The main areas for improvement are around consistency. Teaching quality can vary, and some teaching does not sufficiently address gaps in pupils' reading, writing or mathematics, which limits how highly some pupils achieve. Leaders need to embed highly effective teaching across all subjects and year groups, continue closing key-skill gaps, and build on their work with families to improve punctuality and attendance.

Strengths

• Consistent focus on early reading, writing and number builds strong foundations from the early years.
• Pupils are typically well prepared for the next stage by the end of Year 2.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve well compared with disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Leaders have full oversight of attendance and engage effectively with parents.
• Persistent absence for pupils with SEND has reduced markedly.
• Pupils work calmly and purposefully, with positive attitudes and a genuine thirst for knowledge.
• Bullying and discriminatory behaviour are dealt with quickly and effectively.
• Highly effective therapeutic support helps pupils manage their 'big feelings'.
• The learning environment is peaceful and tranquil throughout the school.
• Curriculum subjects are well sequenced and well planned.
• Early years provision is a high priority, inclusive and led by enthusiastic, well-trained staff.
• Inclusion is effective, with swift identification of needs and targeted support for SEND pupils.
• Additional funding for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND is targeted well and has demonstrable impact.
• The newly formed leadership team is determined and has driven improvements across the school.
• Staff feel well supported, with workload and wellbeing taken into account.
• Governance has significant expertise and works effectively with trustees to hold leaders to account.
• Parents speak positively about the school and its open, supportive ethos.
• Personal development includes all pupils, promoting tolerance, respect, safety and health.
• Pastoral support and the Oak provision significantly benefit pupils with additional needs.
• Pupils enjoy enrichment opportunities such as dance festivals, community visits and performances.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching quality can be inconsistent across subjects and year groups.
• Some teaching does not address gaps in pupils' reading, writing or mathematics skills sufficiently.
• Curriculum implementation is not always in line with leaders' intentions.
• Some pupils arrive late to school, missing important learning.
• Overall absence rates are above national averages.
• Persistent absence was above national averages in 2023/24 and 2022/23.

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 Barnes Infant Academy attended 94.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.3% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Barnes Infant Academy 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 Barnes Infant Academy had 19.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.2% 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, 18.3% of pupils at Barnes Infant Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 2023–24 Barnes Infant Academy received £6,098 and spent £6,320 for each of its 316 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £432,000 (£1,367 per pupil).

Across all 3 schools of Vision Learning Trust Limited, income was £5,715 and spending £5,968 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Sunderland · Sunderland local authority: places and applications

Barnes Infant Academy is part of Vision Learning Trust Limited, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Hill View Junior Academy Sunderland
• Hill View Infant Academy Sunderland

What is Barnes Infant Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Barnes Infant Academy is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Barnes Infant Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Barnes Infant Academy was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Barnes Infant Academy have?

Barnes Infant Academy has 311 pupils on roll.

What age range does Barnes Infant Academy cover?

Barnes Infant Academy for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Barnes Infant Academy?

Barnes Infant Academy is at Mount Road, Barnes, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, SR4 7QF.