Attleborough Primary School

Inspection of Attleborough Primary School Besthorpe Road, Attleborough, Norfolk NR17 2NA

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The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy school. Many behave well in lessons. They listen to their teachers and work hard. The children in Reception already follow school rules and routines. A minority of older pupils do not behave as well as they should. Teachers sometimes ignore this. Because poor behaviour is not addressed, it interferes with the learning in class. In the corridors, the youngest children behave well. Some of the older children need to be reminded of how the school expects them to behave.

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What is it like to attend this school?

In some classes, teachers do not have clear expectations of what they want pupils to learn. The work they give pupils does not help them to make enough progress. This also applies to pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe because there are always adults around to supervise them. They understand the school rules, which they helped to write. They welcome visitors and pupils new to the school. They know how to collaborate, which is one of the school’s values.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy roles of responsibility. These include being a sports ambassador, reading leader or a prefect. Some children enjoy coming to school early to help with jobs. Pupils enjoy visits organised by the school. These include going to places of interest in London. Pupils also learn some independence during a residential visit.

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

Leaders have worked well with external agencies to understand the challenges the school faces. They have an accurate understanding of its strengths and weaknesses. They are beginning to address the issues, but have some way to go. Published results in 2023 show that pupils have not performed well in national examinations.

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

The school has recently developed a new curriculum. It is well planned and sequenced. Staff have secure subject knowledge. There have been some recent improvements in mathematics, reading and writing standards. In these subjects, teachers increasingly present new learning clearly. The school has developed effective methods of checking pupils’ learning in some subjects such as phonics. This is still developing in other areas.

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

Sometimes, the work given to pupils does not help their learning. For example, some teachers ask pupils to write at length before they have developed the necessary knowledge to do this. Others ask pupils to spend too long practising skills that are already well understood.

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

In the past, the school has been slow to identify pupils’ additional needs. A few parents rightly say that their child does not receive the right support. The school has recently sought advice on how to identify and best support pupils with SEND. This has led to some improvements. However, the school is sometimes too slow to implement the recommendations. Support plans do not always outline exactly what pupils need to make progress. They are not specific enough and this leaves staff unclear on how best to meet individual pupils’ needs. 8 and 9 October 2024

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The school prioritises reading. There is a new library to promote the love of reading. The school has made this area very welcoming and pupils enjoy reading here. Staff use every opportunity to check that the children remember the sounds they are learning. For those at the earliest stages of learning to read, the school provides books well matched to their ability. Pupils take home their books to practise and this helps them to become more fluent. The school supports parents to understand the approach to the teaching of reading so that they can help their children. Teachers help pupils to write. However, some older pupils do not read well enough to read back what they have written. Teachers do not always notice when this happens.

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The school makes attendance a high priority. It understands why some pupils are often absent. It is working hard to improve attendance for those pupils. The school has recently reviewed its behaviour policy. Pupils understand how the school expects them to behave. However, some teachers do not correct poor behaviour, which means pupils repeat it.

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Pupils understand that there are views and beliefs different to their own. They discuss issues that are important to them. They know that bullying is wrong and that teachers will stop it happening. Pupils understand that democracy and respect are important in modern Britain. They are looking forward to electing school council representatives to the new school council. The school provides high-quality pastoral support. All pupils know who to speak to if they have worries.

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There have been changes to governance since the last inspection. Governors have recently received appropriate training and are now able to hold leaders to account. There is now significant expertise on the governing board which is being used to drive school improvement. Governors recognise where the school needs to improve and what it does well. They take account of staff workload, when planning meetings for example.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school gives pupils work that is not precisely matched to their needs. Sometimes, pupils undertake tasks they already understand or are asked to draw on knowledge they have not yet secured. The school should ensure that teachers understand how to implement the curriculum effectively through appropriate lesson and task selection.  Some pupils with SEND are not given appropriate support. This means they make slow progress. The school should ensure that the individual plans for pupils with SEND identify precisely the support needed so that teachers can plan appropriate support for them. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 Some pupils do not behave well and this is not challenged effectively by the school. This interferes with learning in some classes. The school should ensure that the behaviour policy is understood by all and implemented consistently across the school.

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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’ 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). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.attleborough-pri.norfolk.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 1 and 2 March 2022

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Information about this school

 At the time of the inspection, the head of school had been acting headteacher for four months.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors met with the acting headteacher, the assistant head teacher, the special educational needs coordinator, a representative from the local authority, a representative from a trust providing support for the school, the chair of governors and five other members of the governing board.  To evaluate the quality of the curriculum, inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, English, history and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors held a discussion about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’

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work.  An inspector spoke with a teacher at the registered alternative provision used by the school.  Inspectors observed behaviour in classrooms and around the school.  The lead inspector listened to several pupils reading to a familiar adult. Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their experience of school life and their views on behaviour and bullying.  The lead inspector considered the responses of parents on Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text responses. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff and pupils.

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Inspection team

Linda Allison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Sally Garrett Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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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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