Norton Church of England Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Norton Church of England Primary School Old Tewkesbury Road, Norton, Gloucester, Gloucestershire GL2 9LJ

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Outcome

Norton Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils thoroughly enjoy attending Norton Church of England Primary School. They are enthusiastic about their learning because teachers make it fun and meaningful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils show positive learning attitudes towards the varied activities and learning they receive. Leaders and all adults have high expectations. The work the pupils produce is of a good quality. Pupils are proud of their school. They are well aware of the school’s vision and how they are able to put this into their everyday lives.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous to each other. Pupils say that everyone is kind and thoughtful, nobody is left out. Leaders have created a culture of respect and care among the adults and pupils. Pupils behave well and support each other both in class and at play. Pupils say that there is no bullying in school but would know who to talk to if they had any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Positive relationships are a strong feature of the school. Staff, pupils and parents commented on the ‘family’ atmosphere of the school. All pupils are welcome. Pupils have many different opportunities to develop themselves both socially and academically. Those pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported well by adults.

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

Leaders and governors are highly ambitious for the pupils. Leaders have created a clear and coherently designed curriculum which ensures all pupils receive a good quality of education. As a result, teachers know what to teach and when.

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

Teachers plan learning that is generally sequenced well. They deliver learning that enables pupils to gain important knowledge. This helps pupils to learn more and remember more. In science, learning is very well structured. Pupils are able to recall key facts about their prior learning. Pupils are aware of how to work scientifically. This is 24 March 2022

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because lessons have a good mix of developing knowledge and practical learning. This ensures pupils develop a strong scientific understanding and can apply their knowledge to more-complex problems. Pupils are provided with a range of diverse artists to study in art. Pupils enjoy these lessons and begin to build the knowledge that is required to be successful themselves.

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The curriculum for most subjects establishes the key knowledge and understanding pupils will be taught from the early years. However, in some subjects this is not the case. This means that the children do not always build the right foundations to help them in their next stage of learning.

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Pupils have a love of reading. Leaders prioritise and promote the teaching of reading. Phonics teaching starts early in pre-school, where children learn rhymes and listening skills. Leaders have ensured that the teaching of phonics is consistent across the school. Teachers provide extra help for those pupils who struggle to secure their phonics knowledge. However, teachers’ use of assessment is sometimes not swift enough to ensure that these pupils catch up quickly. Pupils develop fluency of reading and are well supported by the staff who help them. Guided reading lessons provide the pupils with the knowledge to develop their understanding of a range of texts. Teachers’ use of questioning enables pupils to probe the text to gain a deeper understanding, especially of new vocabulary they encounter.

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Leaders and teachers know the needs of those pupils who have SEND well. Teachers adapt learning for these pupils to make sure they are successful. Experienced and qualified staff work closely with leaders and parents to support these pupils well.

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Pupils value the rich variety of activities that promote their personal development and well-being. These include educational trips as well as many extra-curricular activities. Older pupils are able to develop leadership skills and form the school council. Pupils in Year 6 stated they are role models to the younger pupils in the same way teachers are to them. Some pupils have become ambassadors for the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

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Leaders consider staff well-being carefully. Staff value the way everyone works as the school ‘family’ team.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have a strong ethos of keeping all children safe from harm. Leaders and all staff are vigilant to ensure that they spot when children may be at risk from harm. This is due to the regular training and guidance staff receive.

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Safeguarding

Leaders support families well through the use of school resources and outside agencies. Leaders are dogmatic and tenacious in their approach to making sure pupils receive the service and support they need to keep them safe. Pupils feel safe. They know how to keep themselves safe, including when online. 24 March 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum in some subjects is not as well developed as in others. As a result, pupils do not always build on solid foundations as they move through the school. Leaders should ensure that there is a clear sequence of knowledge to develop pupils’ learning in all subjects, beginning in the early years.  Teachers’ assessments for some pupils’ acquisition of phonics are not acted upon quickly enough. This means some pupils do not gain a strong knowledge of the sounds letters make. Leaders should ensure that they provide these pupils with effective support that enables them to become successful readers quickly.

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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 or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, 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 deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 24 March 2022

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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. 24 March 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10211127 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 10 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school has provision for pre-school children from the age of two.  The school runs wraparound care provision at the start and end of the school day for pupils who attend the school.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  Norton is a Church of England school. The school’s previous section 48 inspection took place in April 2017. The school was judged to be good.

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Information about this inspection

 This is the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the leaders and have taken that into account their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, special educational needs coordinator, subject leaders, a group of staff, representatives of the local authority and members of the local governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, science and art. Inspectors met with subject leaders; visited lessons across the school, including the 24 March 2022

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pre-school class; spoke to teachers; spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work .  A wide range of documents was scrutinised, including those relating to safeguarding, behaviour, school self-evaluation and curriculum documentation.  The lead inspector reviewed the 33 responses to Ofsted Parent View, including free-text responses, and spoke to some parents and carers.

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Inspection team

Paul Smith, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Hilary Goddard Ofsted Inspector 24 March 2022

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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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