Aldborough Primary School

Inspection of Aldborough Primary School Alby Hill, Aldborough, Norwich, Norfolk NR11 7PH

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 4 and 5 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Aldborough are proud to be part of their school community. They are members of a ‘family’ where everyone looks after each other. Pupils are confident and happy. Parents and carers are highly positive about the level of care and support their children receive.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a new curriculum that is ambitious and well designed. The curriculum builds pupils’ knowledge progressively. There are opportunities for pupils to revisit and revise core content to help them remember it. Pupils are guided to success through well- structured learning activities. They take pride in their work and enjoy sharing their learning across a range of subjects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils achieve well. The newly developed curriculum has raised expectations further. The curriculum in the early years prepares children well for their later learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn about the school’s values as soon as they start school. These values encourage pupils to be individuals and to take pride in their learning. Strong relationships between staff, pupils and parents support pupils to behave well in lessons and around the school. A culture of respect, inclusion and high expectations ensures that pupils are safe and valued.

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

There have been many positive changes at the school over the last three years, including the implementation of a new curriculum. Where the curriculum is more established, pupils are increasingly achieving well. Staff have had time to develop and improve how they teach the curriculum. They anticipate pupils’ misconceptions. They know where pupils may struggle to learn new content and plan for this.

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

Phonics is taught well. Pupils benefit from high expectations and familiar routines. Staff ensure that pupils read books that are closely matched to their phonics knowledge. There are daily opportunities for pupils to revisit, practise and revise their phonics knowledge. This helps pupils become confident readers. Pupils read regularly. Staff pick up on any gaps in pupils’ reading knowledge. They help pupils who fall behind with reading to catch up quickly. Pupils study a wide range of literature, which inspires them to read more.

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

Staff help pupils to learn to form their letters correctly. Pupils can apply their phonics knowledge in their spellings. They develop a good understanding of grammar, spelling and punctuation and can identify the features of different genres of writing. However, in subjects other than English, teachers do not routinely provide opportunities for pupils to write at length and to use, practise and apply their writing knowledge. This means that some pupils’ written work is not consistently of the high quality they are capable of.

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

Pupils learn a broad and balanced curriculum. Children in the early years are enthusiastic learners. Adults know pupils well. They encourage them to try new things and challenge themselves. Pupils’ knowledge builds sequentially. Staff check pupils’ understanding. This 4 and 5 February 2025

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helps them identify where pupils may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils with SEND have a voice in deciding what will help them learn. They can explain what is working well. They can use strategies to help themselves learn. Staff adapt teaching effectively. This means pupils with SEND increasingly achieve the ambitions of the curriculum.

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In some subjects, the curriculum is less established. In these subjects, the school has not identified clearly all of the knowledge that pupils need to know. Consequently, pupils lack the prior knowledge upon which to build new learning securely. There are gaps in pupils’ knowledge and understanding.

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The school’s strong relationships with families and welcoming environment make it a positive place to be. Pupils attend well. Behaviour is well managed through clear expectations, consistency and a positive school culture. Pupils trust adults to help if there are any problems or concerns.

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The school recognises the need to extend pupils’ knowledge of the world beyond their rural community. This starts with the books pupils read. These provide different views and perspectives. Visits to the city and the seaside, trips to museums and visitors to the school broaden pupils’ horizons. There are opportunities for pupils to develop character by taking on leadership roles. By the end of Year 6, pupils are well prepared for secondary school.

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There is a shared vision and ambition for the school, its staff and pupils. Staff access high-quality training and support. Governors know the school well. The changes made to the curriculum have impacted positively on staff workload. The school regularly includes parents in events and learning opportunities. This helps foster a feeling of community and shared ambition for pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects where the curriculum is newer, pupils have gaps in their knowledge as a legacy of weaker learning in the past. This makes it hard for pupils to build new knowledge securely. The school should ensure that staff use effective strategies to identify and address missed learning so that pupils achieve all that they should in these subjects.  The writing curriculum does not successfully support some pupils to apply their grammar and spelling knowledge in their writing. They do not have sufficient opportunities to use what they have learned. The school should provide more opportunities for pupils to practise and apply their writing knowledge. 4 and 5 February 2025

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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). 4 and 5 February 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Richard Hembling

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School details

Date of previous inspection 20 March 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, there has been a change of headteacher.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  The school operates a breakfast and after-school club.

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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. 4 and 5 February 2025

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 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 inspectors met with the headteacher, the senior leadership team and members of the governing body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and music. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the provision for pupils with SEND and sampled work from other areas of the curriculum.  Inspectors considered the responses and free-text responses submitted by parents to Ofsted Parent View. They also gathered some parents’ views by speaking with them at

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the end of the school day.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the 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.

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Inspection team

Oriana Dalton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Emma Davies Ofsted Inspector 4 and 5 February 2025

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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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