Bacton Primary School

Inspection of Bacton Primary School Walcott Road, Bacton, Norwich, Norfolk NR12 0EY

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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 Good 16 and 17 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make the most of life by the seaside. They also enjoy learning about the wider world. Pupils go on a range of sporting and residential trips. Here, pupils from different schools in the federation come together. These provide opportunities for pupils to mingle, learn about nature and become more independent.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lessons help pupils to become more knowledgeable. They have plenty to talk and write about. Pupils also look forward to their topic ‘quizzes’. This is because the school has worked hard to create a curriculum that is well sequenced. Teachers ensure that pupils have good opportunities to become accomplished readers and mathematicians. For example, by teaching pupils how to be quick and efficient at their calculations.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn and practise the language of politeness and kindness. This helps them to behave well in lessons and have happy experiences during play times. Older pupils are proud to look out for and help younger pupils. Staff ensure that pupils feel happy and safe. There is always someone to talk to and help if a pupil has a worry.

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better?

The school’s curriculum sets out the important knowledge and vocabulary that pupils need to learn. It is the product of collaboration between schools within the Coastal Together Federation. Teachers and leaders regularly come together to review the curriculum, plan future lessons and share resources. In a small number of subjects, leaders are still refining the curriculum sequence. In these subjects, pupils do not secure as deep an understanding of the important knowledge as they do in others.

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better?

The school provides effective training for staff. Teachers choose tasks that enable pupils to secure their understanding and achieve well. The school has recently improved the way that writing is taught. Some staff are still getting to grips with the school and federation’s expectations of rigour in lessons, where pupils use their writing skills. As a result, some pupils do not quickly master core writing skills. This affects the way they present their work.

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better?

Teachers know that pupils need to frequently revisit prior learning so that they do not forget it. Teachers regularly check how well pupils are learning the curriculum. They use this information to adapt lessons to help any pupils who need to catch up. As a result, pupils understand and remember key knowledge in subjects, such as history and geography.

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better?

Reading lessons start as soon as children join in the Reception Year. Pupils learn how to read in small groups. This means that that staff can more easily notice when pupils need more support. The school makes sure that when pupils have learned the sounds that letters make, subsequent lessons help pupils to build their reading fluency. Pupils who need to catch up have effective, extra help and increased opportunities to practise. This gives pupils more confidence. Older pupils say that 16 and 17 July 2024

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one of the best things about this school is the library. The school has recently re- stocked the library with interesting books about subjects such as technology, history and different cultures.

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Staff ensure that all children in the pre-school and the Reception Year have opportunities to hone their language and communication skills. Every day, children sing nursery rhymes and listen to stories. As a result, they learn new words and phrases to use in their own conversations. Children quickly learn important routines, such as how to participate in snack time. This helps them to learn how to be patient, take turns and share. Children are being well prepared for Year 1.

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Staff know pupils well. This helps them to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). The school involves parents and external professionals in decisions about how best to meet pupils’ needs. Parents appreciate the way that the school helps pupils with SEND to access the curriculum.

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The school’s rules remind pupils how to behave well and which behaviours to avoid. Staff model and expect pupils to be polite to each other and with staff. Leaders closely monitor pupils’ behaviour and attendance. The school has built positive relationships with pupils’ families. This helps the school to work with families to overcome barriers to regular attendance and punctuality.

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Leaders are rightly proud of the school’s provision for pupils’ wider development. This, too, is the product of collaboration within the federation. The residential programme starts from Year Two and culminates in a trip to the Isle of Wight in Year 6. Pupils learn about different beliefs and cultures from visitors and trips. Pupils can take on a range of roles and responsibilities. Pupils are accepting of difference and warmly welcome new pupils to the school.

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Leaders, including governors, know the school’s strengths and areas for improvement. They are focused on providing a strong education and personal development programme for pupils. The work of the federation helps to mitigate some of the potential barriers that small schools face, such as subject expertise or opportunities for support and challenge. Staff appreciate the way that the federation’s work supports their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff are at the early stages of implementing the rigorous federation-wide teaching approaches, for example in writing. As a result, some pupils do not build foundational knowledge as quickly as they could. The school should continue to 16 and 17 July 2024

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work with staff to ensure they consistently uphold the federation’s expectations, to raise standards further.  In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is at an earlier stage of development. As a result, pupils do not deepen their knowledge in these curriculum areas. The school should continue its work to refine the curriculum in these subjects, to further improve standards.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 16 and 17 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Co-chairs of governing body Mike Blake and Steve Luniss

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 July 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Coastal Together Federation.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school runs a nursery for children aged two to four years old.  The school runs a breakfast club.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 16 and 17 July 2024

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 The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body and spoke with a representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and religious education. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke with teachers, spoke with some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector heard pupils read to a member of staff. Inspectors also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and during

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breaktimes.  The lead inspector considered 10 responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View, including 9 free-text responses. Inspectors gathered pupils’ views during the inspection. The lead inspector considered 13 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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Inspection team

Hannah Stoten, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracy Warner Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 July 2024

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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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