Overstrand, the Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 10–11 May 2012 Inspection number 380171 Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School Inspection report

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Unique reference number 121123 Local authority Norfolk Inspection number 380171 Inspection dates 10–11 May 2012 Lead inspector John Horwood

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 108 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Jon Wood Headteacher Titus Cotton Date of previous school inspection 18 September 2008 School address 23 Cromer Road Overstrand Cromer NR27 0NT Telephone number 01263 576040 Fax number 01263 576050 Email address office@overstrand.norfolk.sch.uk Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 2 of 12

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when.

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You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk , or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 3 of 12

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out with two days' notice. The inspector used a number of strategies to observe learning. These included lesson observations ranging from 10 to 30 minutes. Approximately three hours was spent observing teaching which included visiting seven lessons taught by five teachers. Meetings were held with staff, the chair of the governing body and a group of pupils. Informal discussions also took place with parents, carers, helpers, visitors from external agencies and pupils. The inspector observed the school’s work, and looked at documents including the school development plan, minutes of meetings, the school’s information on pupils’ progress and samples of pupils’ work. The responses to questionnaires from 62 parents and carers were examined and analysed.

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Information about the school

This is a smaller-than-average-size primary school. Most pupils are taught in mixed- age classes. The proportions of pupils from minority ethnic groups and of those who speak English as an additional language are much lower than average and none are at the early stage of speaking English. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is lower than that found nationally. The proportions of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs including pupils who are supported at school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs are similar to those found in most schools. The school meets the current government floor standards which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school manages a daily breakfast club which is held within the school. The current headteacher took up his post in May 2011 having previously been a teacher within the school. Among the awards obtained by the school are Healthy

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Information about the school

School Status and The Woodland Trust Green Tree School Gold Award. Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 4 of 12

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Information about the school

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Key findings

 This is a good school. Effective leadership ensures that teaching has improved rapidly enabling pupils to reach above average levels of attainment. Pupils’ behaviour is outstanding. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly satisfied with the school. A typical comment was ‘Very impressed with the school, all staff are excellent.’ It is not outstanding because some teaching is still satisfactory.

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Key findings

 All groups of pupils, including disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, make good progress in all subjects. The trend in attainment has been broadly average but is now above average.

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Key findings

 Teachers make lessons exciting and set a good pace of learning to motivate pupils. Most teachers adapt activities well to meet the needs of all pupils but in a few lessons the work does not always enable all pupils to make good progress. Teachers mark pupils’ work regularly and targets are well-used together with written comments to help pupils reach the next step in their learning.

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Key findings

 Pupils’ behaviour and their attitudes to learning are outstanding. They all have an excellent understanding of how to keep safe and the older pupils are excellent role models. These excellent relationships ensure the school is a harmonious community. Pupils say they feel extremely safe in school and are taught how to keep safe and healthy.

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Key findings

 Leaders have a shared vision to drive the school further to be an outstanding school. There is a strong focus on developing the confidence and self-belief of all pupils so that they can improve their academic skills and achieve their full potential. School performance is monitored closely and professional development provided for staff has ensured that the quality of teaching has improved, leading to greater achievement by pupils. The curriculum is good and fully supports all aspects of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 5 of 12

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Key findings

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

Raise attainment by ensuring all teaching is good or outstanding by consistently setting work which matches the abilities of all pupils and enables them to make the maximum progress.

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Achievement of pupils

All pupils have made good progress over the past two years. Pupils really enjoy their learning and are very keen to learn. This was typified in a Key Stage 1 English lesson where teaching was outstanding which had a focus on pace and enjoyment. The teaching of letters and sounds (phonics) was made to be fun but was also challenging. All pupils were keen to ‘have a go’ at challenging words. In a Key Stage 2 mathematics lesson pupils enthusiastically used their multiplication skills to evaluate division facts. The teacher discreetly split the single task into three ability groups enabling all to make progress. Children in Reception really enjoyed their lessons which were well planned and gave them stimulating opportunities both indoors and outdoors. School records show that in a few lessons the work does not always match pupils’ abilities and their learning in those lessons is satisfactory rather than good.

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Achievement of pupils

Children’s skills on entry to Reception are below age-expected levels. Children join from a variety of pre-school provision and they make good progress across all the areas of learning as a result of effective teaching. Attainment levels and progress made are closely monitored and analysed and when they move to Year 1, pupils are working at nationally expected levels.

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Achievement of pupils

In Key Stages 1 and 2 pupils continue to make good progress. Attainment levels are rising rapidly and are consistently above average throughout the school. Currently, in mathematics and English, including reading, attainment levels are above average in Year 2 and high in Year 6. There is no significant variation in the achievement of boys or girls. Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are usually fully integrated into activities and well supported by teaching assistants although where appropriate, they are taught in small groups for short periods. The most-able pupils are given extra support and are on track to reach the higher levels. Pupils’ good progress is confirmed by the work seen in their books, and the responses of the overwhelming majority of parents and carers who returned questionnaires.

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Quality of teaching

The Early Years Foundation Stage is a well-resourced provision for the small number Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 6 of 12

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Quality of teaching

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Quality of teaching

of children. They benefit from a well-planned curriculum which links both indoor and outdoor learning. The teacher has good systems to monitor progress and the learning journals for each child are excellent records of their best achievements. During the inspection a supply teacher was teaching the class and ensuring that they were well cared for and able to continue making progress.

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Quality of teaching

Throughout the school teachers have excellent relationships with pupils. Most teachers ensure that all pupils are consistently given challenging work and have high expectations of pupils’ academic ability and their behaviour. This contributes strongly to the good progress pupils make. Teachers are less effective when they do not plan work with sufficient challenge to help pupils make good progress. Teachers and teaching assistants work well together. This was seen in a Key Stage 1 phonics lesson where the teaching assistants checked pupils’ reading records while the teacher started the lesson and then provided support to younger pupils or those who found work hard. Recent improvements in identifying the needs of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs enable teaching assistants to be properly trained and effective in their support. All of the lessons seen during the inspection were good or better but school observations have identified that a small minority of

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Quality of teaching

teaching is satisfactory. All lessons observed had good pace and activities challenged pupils. All teachers had good subject knowledge and excellent classroom management skills. They always help pupils understand what they have to do in lessons and how to improve. Teachers use targets well to motivate pupils and they mark pupils’ work carefully to help them know exactly how to get to the next level in their learning.

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Quality of teaching

Teachers plan their lessons well and make good use of visual aids to make lessons interactive and enjoyable. They set good examples within this caring environment and use curriculum content well to extend learning of their own faith and also to teach about other faiths and cultures. This ensures that teaching makes a significant contribution to pupils’ good spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

The behaviour and attitudes to learning seen during the inspection were outstanding. Parents and carers, as well as pupils and staff, confirm that this is the normal situation in the school. The questionnaire responses about behaviour and bullying were overwhelmingly positive about behaviour. Several parents and carers commented that they did not know how well the school dealt with bullying because they had never been aware of any bullying in the school. Pupils say they feel extremely safe in school, a view shared by staff, parents and carers. Pupils did talk about a few pupils with known behaviour difficulties but these are very well managed. There have been no exclusions during recent years. There is no evidence of bullying of any kind in the school. Pupils are aware of the dangers of internet use and some say they have experienced cyber bullying but not within school. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are well cared for and feel safe. They play and

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

learn together well, have positive attitudes and good behaviour. Pupils are aware of the school’s high expectations of behaviour and respect this. They take on Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 7 of 12

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Behaviour and safety of pupils

responsibilities enthusiastically such as organising activities; this has led to developing their own self-esteem and gaining the ability to take responsibility for all their actions. There is a collective worship committee associated with the Christian theme each week; helpful and thoughtful behaviour is celebrated and awards are presented. The school is a very harmonious community with excellent relationships throughout. Attendance is above the national average.

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Leadership and management

The senior leadership team and the governing body provide good leadership and management. The headteacher provides outstanding leadership with a typical comment from one parent or carer being ‘The headteacher is continually giving 100% on children’s needs, welfare and safety.’ His vision to take the school to be outstanding is shared by all leaders. Since the previous inspection they have broadened the leadership team to motivate staff through responsibilities. They have made strong appointments to the teaching staff and provide good professional development for all staff. This has led to rapid pupil progress throughout the school.

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Leadership and management

Leaders have shown great determination to support pupils’ personal skills through giving them many opportunities to make choices and decisions; this has helped the behaviour and safety of pupils to become outstanding. The school has a good capacity for sustained improvement. The governing body is well led and provides good support and challenge to the school. Governors are strongly involved in monitoring progress and most are regular visitors to school which helps them gain a good insight into how the school operates. The school self-evaluation is accurate and the school development plan demonstrates the clear vision of leaders. All stakeholders are actively involved in monitoring school improvement.

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Leadership and management

The excellent relationships throughout the school mean that every pupil is well known by adults and their needs are addressed to ensure they all have equal opportunities to succeed. Leaders recognise that the school is mainly mono-cultural and have developed a single equality policy which is central to school life. The achievement of all pupils is similar and there is no evidence of discrimination of any kind. Safeguarding requirements are fully met with good focus on health and safety. The governing body manages a breakfast club to extend the care beyond the normal school day. Supervision of the breakfast club is good and pupils behave well and demonstrate good relationships with all age groups who attend the breakfast club.

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Leadership and management

The curriculum has a strong focus on literacy and numeracy as a basis for improving academic standards. The breadth and balance has been extended through topic work and through subjects such as music, Spanish and religious education. Information and communication technology is widely used throughout the curriculum. Pupils say they have a wide range of clubs and activities at lunch time and after school. The curriculum is adapted well to support disabled pupils and those with special educational needs, as well as providing opportunities for the specific gifts and talents of pupils. The curriculum makes a good contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, especially through its links with the church community. Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 8 of 12

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Leadership and management

Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 9 of 12

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 54 42 2 2 Primary schools 14 49 32 6 Secondary schools 20 39 34 7 Special schools 33 45 20 3 Pupil referral units 9 55 28 8 All schools 16 47 31 6

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements have been introduced from 1 January 2012. This means that inspectors make judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September to 31 December 2011 and represent judgements that were made under the school inspection arrangements that were introduced on 1 September 2009. These data are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk ). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Primary schools include primary academy converters. Secondary schools include secondary academy converters, sponsor-led academies and city technology colleges. Special schools include special academy converters and non-maintained special schools.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 10 of 12

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning and development taking account of their attainment.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attendance: the regular attendance of pupils at school and in lessons, taking into account the school’s efforts to encourage good attendance.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Behaviour: how well pupils behave in lessons, with emphasis on their attitude to learning. Pupils’ punctuality to lessons and their conduct around the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving based on its self-evaluation and what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Floor standards: the national minimum expectation of attainment and progression measures.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the governors and headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Safety: how safe pupils are in school, including in lessons; and their understanding of risks. Pupils’ freedom from bullying and harassment. How well the school promotes safety, for example e-learning. Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 11 of 12

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Primary School, Cromer, NR27 0NT

Thank you for making me welcome when I visited your school. I enjoyed talking with you, reading the questionnaires some of you completed, and looking at the work you do. It was good to see you enjoying your school grounds and equipment at lunch time. Your school provides you with a good education.

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Primary School, Cromer, NR27 0NT

There are many things I admired about your school and these are a few of them.

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Primary School, Cromer, NR27 0NT

 Your behaviour and how you keep yourself safe are outstanding.  You all get on very well together and enjoy coming to school.  Most of your teaching is good or outstanding and lessons are made enjoyable.  You make good progress throughout the school. Attainment levels are rising and for most of you attainment is at least above average.  The headteacher provides excellent leadership and ensures that all aspects of the school are well led and managed.  You are very well cared for in school.

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Primary School, Cromer, NR27 0NT

For the school to improve further I have asked your headteacher to help you attain even higher levels in all subjects by ensuring all teaching is good or better and teachers plan activities that consistently match your abilities.

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Primary School, Cromer, NR27 0NT

All of you can help the school to move forward by continuing to work hard. I wish you every success in the future.

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Primary School, Cromer, NR27 0NT

John Horwood Lead inspector Inspection report: Overstrand, The Belfry, Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, 10–11 May 2012 12 of 12

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Primary School, Cromer, NR27 0NT

procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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