Newton Flotman Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School

Inspection of Newton Flotman Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School School Road, Newton Flotman, Norwich, Norfolk NR15 1PR

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Overall effectiveness Inadequate

The quality of education Inadequate Behaviour and attitudes Inadequate Personal development Inadequate Leadership and management Inadequate Early years provision Inadequate Previous inspection grade Outstanding Primary School 21–22 January 2020

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What is it like to attend this school?

Over time, pupils do not achieve well enough because the quality of the education they receive is inadequate. Most pupils spend their time trying to catch up in reading, writing and mathematics as they move through the school, instead of experiencing a rich and varied curriculum. Pupils have limited opportunities to learn subjects such as art and science in depth.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are safe on the school site, and say they are happy and feel safe. However, leaders do not do enough to help those pupils who share their worries about their safety.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour is poor. Some pupils do not listen to teachers and are not respectful when they respond to adults. Too many pupils have poor attitudes towards their learning; they do not make any effort to try their best.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Until very recently, bullying has not been dealt with properly. More recently, the acting headteacher has worked hard to improve pupils’ behaviour towards one another.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not receive enough opportunities to understand the wider world. Pupils’ understanding of different faiths, cultures and communities is underdeveloped. Pupils are not well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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better?

Since the previous inspection, there has been a considerable decline in the quality of education. Leaders and governors have not checked the quality of the school’s work well enough. They have not identified and responded quickly to the significant weaknesses that exist. Significant leadership changes have not been well managed.

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better?

Over time, the early years curriculum has not made sure that children are well prepared for Year 1. Despite some very recent improvements in the early years, children do not receive enough opportunities to develop their basic reading, writing and mathematical skills.

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better?

Until recently, phonics has not been taught regularly. Pupils have significant gaps in their phonics knowledge, which hinders their ability to read. Staff do not have the expertise to teach reading well. A love of reading is not being encouraged as a matter of routine. Too many pupils say reading is ‘boring’. Where pupils are positive about reading, they are grateful for the refurbished library and new books in school.

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better?

Pupils have not been taught the full range of curriculum subjects. There are too many pupils who miss out on other subjects because they need to catch up on their reading, writing and mathematics. Primary School 21–22 January 2020

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The curriculum across subjects is not well considered. Pupils do not gain the skills, knowledge and understanding they need. Too often, lessons are unconnected and do not help pupils build on what they know already. As a result, the quality of education across subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics, is weak. Pupils do not achieve well. They are not well prepared for the challenges of secondary school.

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Pupils’ behaviour is poor. Leaders have not made sure that staff are able to manage pupils’ behaviour effectively. Staff and pupils are not clear about what the behaviour expectations are.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) do not do well. Pupils’ needs have not been identified. There has not been any consideration about how the curriculum should be adapted to make sure pupils with SEND can achieve well. Furthermore, staff do not have the skills to provide the precise support that pupils require. Although staff want the best for pupils, they have not had the training and support they need to help pupils with SEND effectively.

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Leaders provide assemblies and ‘one-off’ lessons to inform pupils about British values and other faiths and cultures. However, there is no follow-up learning to these. Pupils are aware of the school values but link these to assemblies rather than consider how they might demonstrate the values in their day-to-day life. As a result, pupils do not uphold these values in how they treat one another.

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Despite the good will of governors, they do not have the knowledge and understanding they need to carry out their roles effectively. Governors have not focused on making sure that leaders and staff are held to account so that pupils achieve well.

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In the past, leaders’ expectations of staff have not been high enough. Furthermore, staff have not received appropriate guidance, support and training to carry out their roles effectively.

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Since her arrival in September 2019, the acting headteacher has acted swiftly to identify weaknesses in the school. She has started to address some of the issues in phonics, reading and the early years. However, the problems she faces are deeply rooted and cannot be resolved quickly.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are not effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders and governors have not made it a priority to check the effectiveness of their safeguarding systems. Leaders, governors and local authority officers have identified the issues, but leaders have not acted with urgency to rectify the weaknesses.

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Safeguarding

Leaders do not act in the best interests of pupils when pupils share their worries. They have failed to use legal guidance appropriately to inform and work with Primary School 21–22 January 2020

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appropriate external agencies. Although staff know to report any concerns, and do so, leaders do not check that staff fully understand what the systems are and how to use these effectively.

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Checks on the suitability of staff to work with children are fully in place and follow the legal guidance.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Leaders are not acting urgently or effectively to keep pupils safe. This requires urgent action. Pupils’ worries about their own safety are not acted upon appropriately. Leaders need to ensure that staff have an up-to-date understanding of how to identify and record concerns appropriately and consistently follow the systems in place. Leaders also need to make sure that all concerns are monitored, followed through and recorded in a timely manner, including their work with relevant external agencies, and in line with legal guidance.  The quality of education is inadequate. Pupils do not achieve well enough. The curriculum does not meet the needs of the pupils at the school. Leaders have not designed and implemented a curriculum that is fit for purpose from the early years through to Year 6. Leaders should ensure that a suitable, well-considered curriculum is put into place throughout the school, so that staff know what should

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

be taught and when this should happen. Leaders should also make sure that staff are trained to deliver the planned curriculum effectively.  The school’s approach to reading is ill-considered and poorly taught. Pupils cannot read as well as they should and are not being helped to improve their reading. Leaders should ensure that reading has a high priority in the school from the time pupils enter Reception to the end of Year 6. They must ensure that staff are well trained. Leaders should ensure that staff know how to spot when pupils fall behind and that they take steps to help everyone to keep pace and become confident readers.  Support for pupils with SEND is ineffective. Pupils’ needs are not identified or addressed appropriately. Leaders need to establish effective procedures to identify and assess pupils’ needs at the earliest possible stage. The right support should be provided to ensure that pupils with SEND have their needs met and become

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

successful learners.  Poor behaviour is not dealt with effectively. This disrupts learning. Leaders must take immediate action to ensure that inappropriate behaviour stops, and pupils understand the impact of their actions. Leaders must also make sure that they provide effective support for all staff to have the skills and confidence to manage unacceptable behaviour, so it does not stop other pupils from learning.  Pupils do not have a well-developed and deep enough knowledge and understanding about British values, other cultures and beliefs. Leaders need to ensure that the planning and content of the curriculum include opportunities for Primary School 21–22 January 2020

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pupils to deepen their knowledge of other cultures and prepare them for life in modern Britain.  Governors do not have the knowledge and understanding required to urgently improve the school. They need to develop the knowledge and skills to challenge leaders effectively about the impact of strategic decisions and actions on pupils’ achievements, and the quality of education the school provides.  The school should not appoint newly qualified teachers.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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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. Primary School 21–22 January 2020

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School details

Inspection number 10110337 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Charlotte Whyte (acting headteacher)

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School details

Website www.newtonflotman.norfolk.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12–13 July 2010

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Information about this school

 Newton Flotman Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  There have been a significant number of leadership and staff changes since the previous inspection.  Following the absence of the substantive headteacher in December 2018, the English leader took on the role of acting headteacher. In February 2019, a local headteacher supported the school for two days per week. In June 2019, the substantive headteacher returned on a part-time basis and was supported by the current acting headteacher. Since September 2019, the acting headteacher has led the school for four days per week. A new headteacher has been appointed and will join the school in April 2020.  As a school designated as having a religious character, it was subject to a separate section 48 inspection of its denominational religious education, school ethos and content of collective worship in October 2015.

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Information about this inspection

We carried out this inspection under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We deemed the inspection a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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Information about this inspection

In accordance with section 44(1) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires special measures because it is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the persons responsible for leading, managing or governing the school are not demonstrating the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school.

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Information about this inspection

 During this inspection, we held meetings with the acting headteacher to discuss the quality of education. We also met with the curriculum leaders for reading, mathematics, science and art.  I met the office administrator, the acting headteacher and the designated safeguarding leader to discuss the safeguarding arrangements.  I met with three governors, including the chair of the governing body. I also met with the local authority representative and the headteacher designate due to start in April 2020.  We did deep dives in reading, mathematics, science and art. We also checked the curriculum provision in most other subject areas. We visited lessons, looked at a range of pupils’ work, and spoke to teachers and pupils. I visited phonics lessons, heard pupils read and observed staff teaching reading to pupils as part of phonics and guided-reading sessions.  We considered a wide range of pupils’ work from different year groups and across a

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Information about this inspection

range of subjects to evaluate pupils’ learning in reading, mathematics, science and art and throughout the wider curriculum.  We spoke to pupils about their experiences of school life and their learning to find out what it is like to be a pupil at Newton Flotman. We also observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and during breaktime and lunchtime.  We considered the views of parents and carers, gathered both during an arranged formal meeting and when they collected pupils at the end of the school day.  The newly appointed headteacher and local authority representative joined the inspection team meeting on the second day.  A wide range of documents was scrutinised during the inspection, including those related to curriculum planning and development, safeguarding arrangements, behaviour, attendance and the school’s evaluation of its own performance.

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Inspection team

Tracy Fielding, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Kay Tims Ofsted Inspector Primary School 21–22 January 2020

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