Norris Bank Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Norris Bank Primary School Green Lane, Heaton Norris, Stockport, Cheshire SK4 2NF

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Outcome

Norris Bank Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school, including the beautiful school garden. This is full of flowers, fruit and vegetables which pupils have grown. The school council has made sure that playtimes have something for everyone. Pupils play and explore, enjoy sports or read quietly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All are very welcome at this happy school. Leaders plan plenty of interesting trips and visits for pupils. For example, pupils in key stage 2 take part in residential trips. Older pupils explained how important their many leadership roles are. These include helping at lunchtimes and with sporting activities. Teachers show pupils how to follow the school’s values. Pupils learn how to be respectful and work well together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Teachers make sure that pupils achieve well. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils said that teachers give them lots of extra help when work is complicated. Pupils told me that their lessons are fun. They really enjoy themed weeks like the ‘big arts project’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave very well. They are exceptionally polite. They told me that bullying is rare. If it does happen, pupils trust adults to sort it out. This helps them feel safe.

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

Leaders have planned a curriculum which is interesting and varied. Pupils enjoy their learning and achieve highly in reading, writing and mathematics. In other subjects, teachers provide a wide range of experiences to help pupils learn. For example, in history, pupils told me they had visited an archaeological site and an air raid shelter to bring their learning to life.

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

Pupils enjoy reading and read with good understanding. Teachers are experts in teaching reading. They make sure that pupils learn new sounds in a well-planned way. A high proportion of pupils succeed in the Year 1 phonics screening check. Staff give pupils who 2–3 October 2019

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find reading hard lots of extra practice. This helps them catch up. The experienced school librarian is passionate about reading. She makes sure that teachers read a wide range of interesting books to their classes.

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In mathematics, teachers plan work which helps pupils to practice what they have learned. Pupils set out their work clearly. This helps them to calculate with accuracy. Pupils learn how to solve tricky problems.

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Pupils painting, modelling and drawing work is displayed tastefully in the school. For example, in a history lesson about The Great Fire of London, Year 1 pupils made detailed pictures of houses in Pudding Lane. Older pupils made Egyptian clay masks. Pupils worked with specialist teachers to paint colourful butterflies, which staff displayed in a school gallery. Leaders are rewriting the curriculum plans for art and design. This is to make sure that teachers plan lessons which build on pupils’ previous learning, for example helping pupils to improve their painting and drawing skills over time. Leaders are developing ways to check how well pupils are learning in art and design.

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In the Reception classes, it is very clear that children love school. Learning is active and fun. Phonics lessons start as soon as children begin in Reception. Leaders check on children’s progress and make sure that all children are keeping up. In mathematics, Rainbow Bear and Counting Dog, the class toys, show children how to count accurately. Through singing and talking, staff help children to understand mathematical language, such as more than, bigger and fewer. Staff give parents and carers lots of useful information about how to help their children learn at home.

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A strength of the school is how well staff prepare pupils for secondary school. Pupils learn that everyone is equal. They develop confidence so that they transfer to the next school smoothly. The school’s choir performs very regularly to audiences. Pupils with SEND have valuable lessons in independence. These lessons include cooking, reading a timetable and using money.

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Leaders have put in place a successful behaviour policy. Pupils learn to think about the consequences of their actions. Staff teach pupils a wide range of strategies to help them socialise well, stay calm and manage their own behaviour.

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Governors know the school very well. They provide a good balance of challenge and support for leaders. Governors keep a careful check on pupils’ learning, including for pupils with SEND.

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Leaders ensure that staff have lots of training to keep their skills up to date. Teachers use their expertise to support each other. For example, the leader for art and design is supporting staff in how to further improve their teaching. Staff work very well as a team. Staff report that leaders take account of their work-life balance.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 2–3 October 2019

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Leaders make relevant checks on staff to ensure that they pose no threat to pupils’ safety and well-being. Staff receive regular training and updates to keep their knowledge fresh. This means everyone knows how to check for signs that a pupil may be at risk of harm. Leaders take the right actions when necessary.

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Staff teach pupils about the risks that they might face in their everyday lives, including road safety, fire safety and cycling safely. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe when using technology. Pupils know that they should speak to a trusted adult if they are worried.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In art and design, leaders have recently improved the school’s curricular plan. The improvements have been made so that that the sequence of learning in art and design helps all pupils to improve their mastery of art and design techniques. Leaders have put in place plans to train staff in delivering improvements. Leaders are developing the way they check whether the improvements are helping pupils to make good progress in art and design. Leaders need to check whether these improvements are having the intended impact on improving pupils’ knowledge and understanding in this subject.

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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 Norris Bank Primary School to be good on 7–8 January 2015.

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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. 2–3 October 2019

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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. 2–3 October 2019

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School details

Inspection number 10058045 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 7–8 January 2015

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Information about this school

 The school’s headteacher was appointed since the last inspection.

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Information about this inspection

 I met with the headteacher and the deputy headteacher.  Art and design, mathematics and reading were considered as part of this inspection. Inspection activities included discussions with leaders, visits to lessons, discussions with teachers, scrutiny of pupils’ work and discussions with pupils about their learning. In reading, I also observed a member of staff listening to pupils read.  I held meetings with three governors, including the chair of governors.  I met with the coordinator of the provision for pupils with SEND and the specialist teacher for pupils with SEND.  I checked the school’s safeguarding policies and procedures and the single central record. I met with leaders, staff and pupils to check how effective safeguarding is in school.  I met with parents and carers at the school gate to seek their views. I also considered 105 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire for parents, including free-

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text responses. I also considered one written submission from a parent.  I considered 18 responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff and 10 responses to Ofsted’s survey for pupils.  During the inspection, I met with groups of pupils from Year 3 to Year 6, including pupils with SEND, and I observed lunchtimes and playtimes.  I examined a range of documents. These documents included the development plans and self-evaluation documents, minutes of the governing body meetings and safeguarding documentation.

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Stevens, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 2–3 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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