Norden Community Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Norden Community Primary School Shawfield Lane, Norden, Rochdale, Lancashire OL12 7RQ

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Outcome

Norden Community 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. They enjoy being with their friends. They behave well in lessons and around school. They are happy, polite, confident and respectful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for pupils’ learning. This includes pupils with special educational needs/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders and staff expect all pupils, including children in the early years, to do their best. Pupils work hard in lessons and take pride in their work. They achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe in school. They know that adults care for them. Pupils know that if they have any worries, they can speak to a member of staff. Leaders deal with any incidents of bullying or misbehaviour quickly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

There are many extra-curricular activities in school. Pupils can learn to play a variety of musical instruments or take part in a range of sports clubs, such as trampolining. They can perform in the rock band, act in plays or do pottery. Older pupils have many leadership roles. These include well-being ambassadors, play leaders or supporting children in the early years with their reading.

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

Leaders and staff have designed a detailed and ambitious curriculum. In most subjects, they have identified what pupils should learn and when this should happen. However, this is not the case for a few subjects. This means teachers are sometimes unsure about what content they should teach and when pupils should learn this. As such, in some subjects, pupils develop gaps in their knowledge. 29 and 30 March 2023

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Leaders have ensured that staff are knowledgeable about the subjects they teach. They introduce new learning skilfully. Assessment strategies are used effectively to check what pupils know and remember.

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Children in the early years develop their vocabulary and communication skills well. This helps them to be ready for Year 1. Children in Reception have a great start to early reading. They learn phonics from their first day. Staff are well trained to deliver the new phonics programme. They ensure that pupils receive extra support when they are struggling to keep up. Leaders ensure that pupils read books that match the sounds they have learned. Children in the early years and pupils throughout the school enjoy reading.

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Pupils with SEND access the full curriculum. Staff identify pupils with SEND quickly. Leaders ensure that pupils with SEND get the help they need so that they achieve well.

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Throughout the school, pupils behave well. They understand the importance of good behaviour in class to help each other learn. Learning is rarely interrupted by low-level disruption.

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Pupils experience a rich variety of activities, which prepares them well for life in modern Britain. Pupils visit different places of worship and learn about diversity. They develop a sense of citizenship. This includes support for the local hospice and charities. Pupils develop a range of skills in the woodland space. Pupils learn about being healthy. They also learn about respectful, loving relationships in an age-appropriate way.

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Staff morale is high. Leaders consider staff’s workload and their well-being when making decisions about the school. Staff know that they could speak to any school leader if they had any concerns.

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Governors are effective. They have a clear overview of the strengths and areas of development for the school. They are well trained, know the school well and are regular visitors.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that staff get regular safeguarding training. Governors, leaders and staff know how to raise any concerns about a pupils’ welfare. They understand and carry out their safeguarding duties effectively.

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Safeguarding

Leaders make sure that pupils and their families get the support they need as soon as possible. They work well with a wide range of outside agencies. The procedures to ensure concerns are identified, recorded and reviewed are effective.

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Safeguarding

Throughout the curriculum, pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, including when online and in the local community.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, it is not clear what pupils should learn and when this will happen. This means teachers are not able to design learning that ensures pupils build their knowledge effectively over time. Leaders should ensure that the knowledge pupils must learn is clearly identified so that pupils know and remember more over time.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually, this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 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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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. 29 and 30 March 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10240824 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 Sue Moore-Holmes

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School details

Website http://www.norden.rochdale.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection 12 July 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Leaders do not make any use of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector completed deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. He met with subject leaders, visited lessons, reviewed samples of pupils’ work and spoke with staff and pupils.  The inspector heard pupils read and observed pupils reading to staff.  The inspector met with the headteacher and other leaders throughout the inspection.  The inspector also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector met with a representative of the local authority. 29 and 30 March 2023

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 The inspector also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects with leaders.  To inspect safeguarding, the inspector met with leaders, staff and pupils. The inspector checked a sample of leaders’ safeguarding records and reviewed the recruitment checks made on staff.  The inspector met with leaders to discuss SEND, behaviour and the provision for pupils’ personal development.  The inspector considered the responses to Ofsted’s parent questionnaire, Parent View, including the free-text comments. He took account of responses from staff and pupils to Ofsted’s online surveys and gathered the views of staff and pupils throughout the inspection.  The inspector spoke with staff to discuss leaders’ support for their workload and well- being.

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Inspection team

Mike Tonge, lead inspector Ofsted inspector 29 and 30 March 2023

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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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