Salhouse CofE Primary School

Inspection of Salhouse CofE Primary School Cheyney Avenue, Salhouse, Norfolk NR13 6RJ

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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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 Good 12 and 13 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders are ambitious for what pupils can achieve at this school. However, over a period of time, pupils have not received a high-quality education. Too many pupils leave this school not academically prepared for their secondary school experience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe at this school. They value the warm relationships that they have with staff. Pupils know that they will be supported if they feel worried. They have trusted adults in school who care for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils generally get on well together at social times. In the playground, adults manage pupils’ behaviour well. Playtime is a hive of activity. Pupils take part in a range of physical activities. During lesson time, pupils’ behaviour is variable. Expectations of how pupils should behave are not always clear. Pupils’ learning is sometimes disrupted by the behaviour of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school wants pupils to ‘soar on wings like eagles’. Pupils achieve this through the wider opportunities that they get to develop their talents. For instance, through sporting competitions or as part of the school’s salsa band. Older pupils act as house captains and look after younger pupils well in their role as senior students.

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

School leaders are making positive changes at this school. They are working with urgency to raise expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. However, there is more work to do to ensure a strong education for pupils beyond the early years.

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

Children make an excellent start in the Nursery. The curriculum is well established. It combines children’s interests with the knowledge that they need to develop. Well-trained adults interact positively with children and extend their learning through meaningful conversations. This creates a positive environment for learning. In the Reception class, children continue to prosper. They apply what they have learned and make progress through the curriculum. As a result, children achieve well in the early years and are suitably prepared for their next stage.

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

The school has prioritised early reading. Staff typically deliver the school’s phonics programme effectively. Adults check pupils’ progress as they move through the programme to ensure that pupils are keeping up. A positive reading culture is developing across the school. Pupils read books which match the sounds that they have learned. They talk positively about their favourite authors and the books they like to read. Most pupils become fluent and confident readers.

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

The school has recently redesigned much of its curriculum. This has increased the ambition of what pupils should learn each year. The school has set out how pupils will build on what they have learned previously in a carefully organised way. However, as much of the curriculum is new, the school has not had the time it needs to ensure that staff deliver the curriculum as intended. This means that there is variability in the way 12 and 13 November 2024

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lessons are delivered. In some lessons, pupils do not learn as well as they should. As a result, they develop gaps in their knowledge.

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The school has established effective systems to identify any pupils who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). However, staff do not always adapt their teaching for these pupils as well as they could. This means that, in line with other pupils, expectations for pupils with SEND are not high enough. Pupils with SEND do not achieve as well as they could.

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The school is revising its approach to managing poor behaviour. Pupils know the new school rules and understand the importance of behaving well. However, at times, these rules are not enforced consistently. On some occasions, negative behaviours are not addressed effectively by adults. When this happens, learning in class is interrupted. The school is in the process of training staff to manage behaviour in an agreed way.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is a strength of the school. Pupils’ knowledge of different faiths is strong. They are respectful of different cultures and beliefs. Pupils know the school’s values. These help them to be polite and articulate when they speak to adults. Pupils know how to remain safe, including online. This supports pupils to be well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Until recently, governors did not rigorously hold leaders to account for the underperformance at this school. They have now devised a more thorough approach to quality assurance. This work is in its infancy. It has not yet had a positive impact on the quality of education that pupils experience at the school.

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Staff welcome the additional training and support that they now receive. They recognise the need to improve and have faith in school leaders to be mindful of their well-being in making the necessary changes.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school does not set high enough expectations for what pupils can do and achieve. This means that some pupils, including pupils with SEND, are not encouraged to achieve as well as they could. As a result, pupils do not progress through the curriculum as well as they should. The school should raise its expectations of all pupils across the curriculum.  At times, the new curriculum is not delivered in the most effective way. This means that some lessons do not support pupils effectively to learn the most important 12 and 13 November 2024

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knowledge. The school should ensure that the way the curriculum is taught supports pupils to learn and remember what is intended.  Until recently, governors have not monitored or held leaders to account with enough rigour or consistency. This means that weaknesses in the quality of education have not been challenged or addressed with enough urgency. Governors should strengthen the way that they hold leaders to account, so that pupils are supported to achieve more highly.  The school has not fully trained staff to manage pupils’ behaviour in an effective way. This means that learning in class is sometimes disrupted. The school should implement its new approach to managing behaviour to enable learning to proceed without interruption.

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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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Hayley Sonnex (Executive headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection 27 September 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Salhouse CofE Primary School is federated with two other nearby primary schools. The executive headteacher works across the three schools in the federation.  The school’s executive headteacher took up post in January 2024. The head of school has been in post since September 2024.  The school makes use of one registered alternative provision.  The school run its own before- and after-school provision.  This is a Church of England school within the Diocese of Norwich. The last section 48 inspection of the school’s religious character took place in May 2024. The next is due to take place within 7 years.

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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 12 and 13 November 2024

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provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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.  The lead inspector spoke with members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, and geography. 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.  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

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extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors reviewed a range of documents, including attendance records, pupil records, records of governing body meetings, school development plans and school self-evaluation documents.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and during breaktimes.  The inspectors considered the views of parents through responses to Ofsted Parent View and conversations during the inspection.  The inspectors gathered the views of pupils and staff through Ofsted’s surveys, as well as discussions conducted throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jonny Wallace, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Imran Khan Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 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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