Cobholm Primary Academy

Inspection of Cobholm Primary Academy Mill Road, Cobholm, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 0BA

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Inspection dates: 20 and 21 October 2021

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 20 and 21 October 2021

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What is it like to attend this school?

Cobholm Primary Academy is a welcoming and friendly environment. Everyone is valued and well cared for. Pupils speak with great enthusiasm about the staff and about their learning. One pupil said, ‘I really love that this school influences us to try new things like reading more books and learning different subjects.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a calm, orderly, and purposeful learning environment. Both pupils and parents speak about how much behaviour has improved over the last year or so. Pupils say there are the occasional fallouts over football, but that staff deal with any issues rapidly and effectively. Pupils say there is no bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the many opportunities the school provides for them to visit interesting places and hear from people with expertise in different subjects. Recently, pupils took part in a video shoot with the Countrywide Trust. All pupils participate in the school’s enrichment programme. This includes different sports activities and curriculum learning like food technology.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Improvements in teaching and pupils’ behaviour are helping pupils to achieve well. Pupils of all ages gain the knowledge they need to be well prepared for the next stage of their learning.

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better?

The school is well led and managed. There have been several changes in leadership at all levels since the previous inspection. Despite these changes, school improvement has continued. However, leaders at all levels need further time to embed recent improvements and refine further their leadership skills. Staff say there is no problem with their workload. They greatly value the training they receive from the school and from the multi-academy trust. Teachers new to teaching say they are well prepared for a career in teaching.

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better?

The school’s curriculum has been carefully designed to build on pupils’ knowledge in each subject. Curriculum leaders help teachers to teach important knowledge in a logical order. This helps pupils to know more and remember more in each subject.

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better?

Pupils build their knowledge and understanding throughout the curriculum from when they start at the school. They talk enthusiastically about what they have learned over time in different subjects. Pupils achieve well across the curriculum. They gain the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to be successful in the next stage of their education.

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better?

There is effective teaching of reading from Reception to Year 6. Most children know the sounds they need to read and write simple words by the end of their Reception Year. Pupils build on this good start to reading in Year 1 and Year 2. Pupils read books that match the phonics knowledge they are learning in class. As a result, pupils read accurately and with understanding. 20 and 21 October 2021

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Pupils develop a love of reading as they go through the school. They are very impressed with their new library. They like that it is easy to find books written by their favourite authors. When pupils reach Years 5 and 6, they start to set themselves reading challenges, for example to read more pages a week or to read factual books as well as storybooks.

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Staff provide effective support so that all pupils can access the full curriculum. The special educational needs coordinator knows the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) well. Staff have the training, advice, and resources to adapt the curriculum, so it meets pupils’ needs. Pupils with SEND receive the help they need to thrive and learn well.

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The early years curriculum is well planned and put into practice. Children are taught the knowledge and skills they need to be ready for Year 1. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most children in Reception have not had any pre-school experience. Leaders’ thoughtful planning and effective teaching help children make strong gains in their learning and personal development.

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Pupils have many opportunities to develop as citizens of modern Britain and the wider world. Leaders’ chosen programme to develop pupils’ understanding of their rights and responsibilities provides many opportunities to build pupils’ character. Pupils better understand why it is important to include everyone. Leaders are building strong links with the Cobholm community. Pupils are beginning to understand their role in their local community.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders give safeguarding the highest priority. Staff are well trained and alert to any sign of risk or harm to pupils. They know how and when to report concerns. Leaders work effectively with external agencies to ensure pupils receive expert support when required. During the pandemic, leaders went the extra mile to ensure the most vulnerable pupils were safe.

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Safeguarding

The pastoral team work hard to keep pupils in school. They are aware of the potential risks pupils face if frequently absent or excluded from school.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online, in school and in the community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Throughout the school, some leaders, including senior leaders and subject leaders, are new to their roles. The multi-academy trust needs to ensure that all 20 and 21 October 2021

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leaders continue to have further training and time to be able to consolidate and develop their leadership expertise, so they are fully effective in their roles.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View 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. 20 and 21 October 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10200498 Type of school Primary

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School details

Website www.inspirationtrust.org/cobholmprimary

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School details

Date of previous inspection 26 September 2017, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The predecessor school converted to academy status, sponsored by the Inspiration Trust, in December 2014.  The chief executive officer has overall responsibility for governance and works with the school’s academy committee, Inspiration Trust trustees and the trust executive. The chief executive officer has overall responsibility for the management of the school and works together with the Inspiration Trust senior leaders and with senior leaders at the school.  Inspiration Trust senior leaders provide formal support to the school.  The school is smaller than average. There is no nursery. Children in the Reception Year attend full time. There is no provision for two-year-olds.  The school has a higher-than-average proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is much higher than the national average.  The proportion of pupils with SEND is above average. The number of pupils who

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Information about this school

are supported by an education, health and care plan is lower than average. 20 and 21 October 2021

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the school’s senior leaders and senior leaders from the Inspiration Trust. Inspectors met with the academy committee, chief executive officer for the Inspiration Trust and the chair of trustees.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: reading, art, mathematics, and science.  For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects.  Inspectors spoke to 11 parents and considered 11 responses to Ofsted’s online

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Information about this inspection

survey, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors considered 14 responses to the staff survey. There were no responses to the pupil survey. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils and spoke to pupils when visiting lessons to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Julie Winyard, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Darron Jackson Ofsted Inspector 20 and 21 October 2021

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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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