Norbreck Primary Academy

Inspection of a good school: Norbreck Primary Academy Norbreck Road, Thornton-Cleveleys, Lancashire FY5 1PD

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Outcome

Norbreck Primary Academy continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love coming to school. They enjoy the wide range of exciting activities that staff provide for them. They are proud of their many musical and sporting achievements. Pupils told us that these activities help to develop their confidence. Leaders have inspired pupils to try things they would not otherwise have done. Staff expect pupils to do their best at all times. Pupils enjoy opportunities to be leaders. For example, some have been in charge of making a ‘chill-out’ room to be used at breaktime.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils told us that they feel safe at school. They said that staff are kind and caring and help anyone who is upset. Pupils happily follow the clear expectation for the ‘Norbreck Standard’ of behaviour. They are keen to earn the many rewards on offer for pupils who make the right choices. Parents and carers and pupils agree that bullying is rare because staff sort out problems quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well. They said that they enjoy learning most when they have the chance to find things out for themselves. Pupils work well together. They listen to each other and respect different points of view. Teachers help them to learn by building on what they already know.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Senior leaders, including trustees, make sure that pupils flourish academically and personally during their time at Norbreck. They have high expectations for behaviour and for what they want pupils to know and remember. Staff and pupils live up to the school motto, ‘Whatever we do, we do it well.’ This is clear in the way that staff and pupils interact with each other in class. It is also evident in how pupils take up every chance to lead and help each other throughout the day. Teachers help pupils to keep trying when they find their work hard through the school’s ‘steps to resilience’ programme.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have developed a rich and well-planned curriculum. They ensure that pupils are well-rounded individuals who are not afraid of taking chances to shine. Pupils have secure 9–10 October 2019

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reading, writing and mathematical knowledge and skills. They learn well in all areas of the curriculum and they are ready for the next stage of their learning. Pupils are modest and considerate. They are also proud of their achievements. They are keen to celebrate their best work, whether it is displayed on walls or in their workbooks.

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Experienced leaders in English, mathematics and science are clear about what pupils need to know and be able to do. Leaders are ambitious in what they expect pupils to achieve. They provide strong support for teachers through clear plans and guidance. These help teachers to make sure that pupils are doing as well as they can. Staff value the support they receive from leaders. Senior leaders are aware that they will need to support less experienced subject leaders as they settle into their new role.

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This expectation to do well begins as soon as children enter the school in early years. Teachers begin to teach children to read soon after they start school. Staff have a good knowledge of the things that they teach. They also keep checking that children understand what they have learned in their lessons. For example, when children ask adults for help, staff insist that children correctly pronounce the sounds they have been learning. Staff use every opportunity to help children learn about number, for instance by getting children to count as they line up for different activities.

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All pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), get the support they need to do well. Pupils enjoy a wide range of experiences, including trips and visitors, that make their learning fun and relevant.

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Pupils’ learning goes beyond the classroom. They raise funds for charity by making donations to walk Rory, the school’s therapy dog. They act as anti-bullying ambassadors. The school choir takes part successfully in town, county and national competitions. Pupils think about the customs and traditions at Diwali through Indian dance workshops. Activities such as these help to prepare pupils to make a positive contribution to the world in which they live. They also help pupils to develop their talents and interests.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There are secure procedures in place to ensure that staff keep pupils safe. Leaders understand the challenges that some pupils and their families face. The school’s family worker supports vulnerable pupils well. She ensures that parents get practical help as well as advice. Staff and trustees are trained well. They know how to spot children who are at risk of harm. They know what to do if they have any concerns. Pupils learn about many aspects of how to keep themselves safe. This includes knowing what to do if other pupils upset them when they are online or using social media. 9–10 October 2019

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Teams of leaders have provided guidance for teachers in foundation subject areas such as history, geography and art in a topic-based approach. Senior leaders want to develop this leadership further. They have appointed new leaders for all foundation subjects. Senior leaders need to ensure that new subject leaders are trained and supported so that they can carry out these new roles effectively.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good school or non-exempt outstanding school. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find some evidence that the school could now be better than good or that standards may be declining, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will convert the section 8 inspection to a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good on 25 November 2014.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use Ofsted Parent View information when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 9–10 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10058022 Type of school Primary

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Information about this school

 This is a large primary school. The structure of leadership changed during the last academic year. New subject leaders have been appointed to lead each subject area. Until recently, subject leaders worked in groups.

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Information about this inspection

 We spoke with the headteacher, the special educational needs coordinator and a small group of trustee, including the chair of the board of trustees.  We looked at a range of documentation for safeguarding, including: the school central record of staff and visitors; training records of staff; records of safeguarding; and samples of records of individual pupils.  We looked in depth at reading, mathematics and history. We talked to leaders of these subject areas. We also visited lessons, looked at examples of children’s work, held discussions with teachers and talked with pupils.  We looked at pupils’ workbooks in other subject areas and class online records that are shared with parents.  We observed pupils’ behaviour at breaktimes and lunchtimes. We watched them as they moved around the school. We observed them arriving in the morning for breakfast 9–10 October 2019

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club and during some extra-curricular activities.  We spoke to groups of pupils about their experiences at school.  We looked at the responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey, and the 62 free-text responses from parents to find out their views of the school. We spoke with parents as they dropped off their children at school and during parents’ evening.

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Inspection team

Claire Cropper, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

David Hodgkiss Ofsted Inspector 9–10 October 2019

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regulates and inspects to 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 and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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