BAYARDS Hill is a school in transition.

Results have improved dramatically since the Barton primary school was given a ‘notice to improve’ by standards watchdog Ofsted in January 2008.

And when inspectors visited last month they said there were good prospects of continued improvement.

Inspector Ian Hodgkinson said: “Significant improvements in pupils’ behaviour have made a substantial contribution to better learning in the classroom.

“Teachers are using their assessments of pupils’ work to increasingly good effect to show pupils how to improve their work.

“Pupils respond well to this helpful guidance, and are increasingly confident in assessing their own work and that of others against clear success criteria.”

And the school now stands on the cusp of an exciting new phase of development.

Last year, delays to a long-awaited rebuild meant the school missed out on Goverment funding.

But now Oxfordshire County Council has found £6.6m to replace its decaying 1950s classrooms spread across three buildings. Next week, councillors are expected to approve capital funding over four years.

Headteacher Keith Ponsford said: “Things at the school are very exciting. All these developments have come together to make the place buzz. It is really improving.

“The rebuild will be part of the development of Barton as well. The swimming pool is here, the community centre is doing wonderful things, and so is the Roundabout Centre.

“A new school will give the children of Barton a better chance in life.”

He added: “The real focus over the last five years has been improving the quality of teaching and learning.

“The staff have had lots of training .

“That made a significant difference in raising standards.

“There is also no question that the pupils’ behaviour has improved considerably, and is no longer a barrier to learning.”

The improvement in last year’s Sats results were some of the most dramatic in the county.

In 2008, 27 per cent of pupils reached the expected level in their Key Stage Two English and maths tests.

Last year, the proportion reached 60 per cent.

Mr Ponsford said: “I hope the trend for improvement will continue.

“This year’s Year Six will probably not achieve as high results, but will have improved on their own personal level.

“Each child has exceeded high and challenging targets that they are expected to achieve, and we expect that rate of improvement to go up year on year, even though different year groups are different.”

ANNEKA Horne arrived at Bayards Hill Primary School four years ago as a newly qualified teacher.

Now she is responsible for much of the core curriculum in the school and is the phase leader of Year Five and Six, during which pupils prepare for their Sats exams and the move to secondary school.

As the co-ordinator for literacy and science in the school, Miss Horne, pictured left, has introduced new forms of assessment to monitor children’s progress.

She said: “It is about setting targets we can achieve and moving us forwards to becoming a school where we have higher achievement in reading and writing.

“We felt that teachers’ views and knowledge of the children were far superior to what we were getting from tests.

“The teachers are professionals and they know their class and the progress they need to make.”

She added of the school: “It is a very stimulating environment. The children are very enthusiastic, and they want to improve and achieve highly.

“We can see the results improving and the difference we are making in the school.”

Miss Horne has also been able to continue her own studies while working at the school.

She has just completed an MA in Education at Oxford Brookes University, funded by the school, and four other teachers are currently undertaking the same part-time course.

She said: “The MA gives a huge range of skills, including leadership, management and curriculum design.”

She is now training to become a maths specialist as part of the school’s vision of becoming a “learning community” where staff can also learn and improve their skills alongside pupils.