Barton Hill Academy

My headship of Barton Hill Primary School (BPS) commenced in 2005. The school had historically comprised separate infant and junior schools sharing the same site, and had been constructed during the 1930s. Having merged into a primary school, the perception amongst staff was that it was “outstanding”. At first glance, it was evident this was not the case, and this was confirmed by Ofsted just months into my tenure, that it was “satisfactory”.

My primary concern was behaviour and safety of children both in class and on the playground. At this time, parents were not permitted in school and in the first year existing staff had negotiated around thirty exclusions. My very clear focus became that of “inclusion”. It was apparent that staff understanding for the emotional needs of the children and parents needed development. I began a culture change by inviting parents into school to build community links, a major programme of staff CPD in special needs, and I moved my SENCO from class based into a dedicated role. I also introduced a pastoral team to promote a better level of care. However, the poor behaviour reflected in the less than satisfactory pupil attainment, which contributed to the school having a bad reputation, including at local authority level. Current day, this long journey in culture change has culminated in the school obtaining the Inclusion Quality Mark Flagship School Award (2013), and adjudged “outstanding” in Behaviour and Safety (Ofsted 2014)