Normanton-on-Soar Primary School

Inspection of Normanton-on-Soar Primary School Main Street, Normanton-on-Soar, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5HB

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 December 2022

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 13 and 14 December 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in this school are happy. Staff work hard to make sure pupils ‘Soar Together’. Pupils feel safe. They enjoy coming to school. One pupil, typical of many, described the school as ‘Brilliant’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to demonstrate the school values of ‘Resilience, kindness and curiosity’. They are kind to each other. They enjoy taking on extra responsibilities to help each other. At lunchtimes, older pupils help serve food to younger pupils. They are proud of this role.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils access a range of after-school clubs, including craft and Lego clubs. Parents and carers help to run these clubs and pupils enjoy them. Parents are positive about the school. One parent, representing many, said, ‘I would recommend this school to anyone. It is brilliant.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils know about bullying. They say that it is rare. Pupils are confident that staff would deal swiftly to resolve any bullying. Pupils behave well in lessons and during social times. They are polite to staff and welcome visitors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for their pupils. They have improved the curriculum, but they know that there is more to do to make sure that all pupils achieve their best.

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better?

Senior leaders are ambitious for all pupils. In most subjects, including mathematics and computing, clear and coherently designed curriculums are in place. In these subjects, leaders have thought carefully about the knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember from the early years through to Year 6. Pupils learn key knowledge well and build on it over time.

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better?

In some subjects, it is not yet clear what knowledge pupils need to learn and in what order. Pupils’ understanding in these subjects is not as well developed as it should be across all key stages.

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better?

There is some inconsistency with which teachers use assessment to check what pupils have learned. Where it is used well, pupils build their learning securely, and can connect what they are learning with what they have learned previously. When assessment is used less well, teachers do not always set tasks that enable pupils to develop a secure understanding of what they are learning. Some curriculum leaders have had limited opportunities to check the development of their subjects across the key stages. This means that they do not reliably know how well all subjects are taught and how well pupils across the school learn in some subjects.

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better?

Leaders have prioritised the teaching of reading. They have focused on developing all pupils’ love of reading. Teachers read to their classes, and pupils enjoy this. 13 and 14 December 2022

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Teachers bring these stories to life in their classrooms. In the early years, children learn phonics straight away. Leaders introduce phonics to children in Nursery, to help them to understand sounds. Children enjoy this work. They are excited to share the sounds they know. Over time, pupils become confident readers. Leaders support pupils who fall behind with their reading. These pupils catch up well.

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Children get off to a good start when they arrive in the early years. They learn routines that help them to settle in well. Children enjoy learning and engage well in activities that develop their learning, including their learning about numbers. They enjoyed learning about the number four, for example, receiving lots of opportunities to practise what they had learned.

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Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive effective support. Teachers adapt their teaching so that these pupils access the full curriculum.

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Leaders place great emphasis on pupils’ personal development. Pupils learn about British values. They know to respect others’ views. They learn about democracy by holding ballots to vote for their favourite book. They learn to listen to different opinions by holding debates. They have discussed animal cruelty and why it is wrong, for example. Pupils learn about different cultures and faiths. They believe that difference is a good thing.

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Pupils have opportunities to learn to play the guitar in school. They develop their talents and are keen to share them with the school community. Pupils are proud to perform in front of others.

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Pupils value the rewards, including sports awards, which they celebrate at the ‘Soaring High’ assemblies. Pupils contribute to the local community, including through the recent ‘Jingle Jogs’.

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Staff feel that leaders support them, including in managing their workload. Leaders are developing links with other schools to help reduce workload further.

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Governors are ambitious for the school and they challenge leaders about performance. They check the school’s progress against priorities that leaders have identified.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know their responsibilities to safeguard pupils. Staff receive up-to-date safeguarding training. They know the signs to look for that may indicate concerns about pupils’ welfare. Leaders act appropriately to make sure that pupils are safe, including working with external agencies. Leaders keep accurate records that detail any actions they have taken in response to concerns about pupils’ well-being.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe, including when online. 13 and 14 December 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, leaders have not precisely identified what knowledge pupils should learn and when. When this is the case, pupils do not always recall what they have learned and why. This prevents them from developing a secure understanding of their learning in those subjects. Leaders should ensure that there is clarification as to what knowledge pupils should learn, and in what order, across all subjects, to help pupils to achieve as well as they should in all subjects across all key stages.  Subject leaders do not have full oversight of how well the curriculum in some subjects is being delivered across all key stages. As a result, there are some inconsistencies in the way teachers plan and teach the different subjects. This includes how well teachers use assessment to check understanding. Leaders should make sure that subject leaders have the knowledge and skills to secure their oversight of the subjects they lead, so that they can secure consistent

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

implementation of the curriculum, across all subjects, in line with the school’s expectations.

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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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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. 13 and 14 December 2022

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School details

Local authority Nottinghamshire County Council

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School details

Inspection number 10254859 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Stuart Armstrong

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School details

Website www.normantononsoarprimary.co.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 14 and 15 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The headteacher took up their substantive role in September 2021.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded 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 has received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, inspectors met with the headteacher, a senior leader and a range of staff.  Inspectors met with members of the governing body. The lead inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, history and computing. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the 13 and 14 December 2022

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curriculum, spoke with teachers, and spoke with pupils about their learning. They visited lessons and looked at samples of pupils’ work. An inspector observed some pupils reading to a familiar adult.  To evaluate the effectiveness of the school’s arrangements for safeguarding, inspectors reviewed school policies, procedures and records. The lead inspector met with the designated safeguarding lead. Inspectors also spoke with staff, governors and pupils about the school’s approach to keeping pupils safe.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  Inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including free-text comments. Inspectors met with staff and considered responses to the Ofsted survey for school staff.

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Inspection team

George Huthart, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Wicken Ofsted Inspector 13 and 14 December 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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