Bure Valley School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Bure Valley School Hungate Street, Aylsham, Norwich, Norfolk NR11 6JZ

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Outcome

Bure Valley School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is a happy place. Relationships between adults, pupils and their families are warm. This contributes towards pupils wanting to attend school and having positive attitudes towards their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils talk positively about the quality of education they enjoy and the experiences they gain as part of school life. They achieve well across all areas of the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour around school is conducive to learning. In class, pupils typically meet the school’s high expectations. Lessons proceed in a calm, orderly fashion.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have an active and valued voice at this school. Older pupils take on a wealth of leadership responsibilities in and around school. Playleaders, for example, lead a range of games for their peers, while the ‘friendly faces’ support any pupil who needs help finding a friend. Playtime is a happy occasion for all.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have rich and varied opportunities to develop their wider talents and interests. Trips and clubs in sport, music and arts are offered to all. Pupils gain many exciting and valuable experiences. For example, every pupil learns to play an instrument and forms part of a school orchestra that performs at an annual concert.

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

The school has worked hard to further develop and improve its curriculum since the previous inspection. A planned and ambitious curriculum is in place across the different subjects of learning. 25 and 26 March 2025

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Reading is a priority. Trained staff deliver the school’s chosen phonics programme effectively. This provides strong support to any pupil who joins the school needing extra help. Most pupils become fluent, confident readers. Once pupils are ready, they learn a structured reading curriculum and access a range of diverse texts. Supported by a well- stocked library, pupils develop a love of reading.

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The school’s approach to teaching writing is under development. While pupils write regularly, the expectations in terms of how pupils construct sentences and present their work are not consistent across the curriculum. In English lessons, the expectations are clear, and pupils respond well. In other subjects, their writing is not consistently to the same standard.

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The school curriculum is delivered well, generally. Teachers revisit previous learning. They question pupils to check understanding and usually make appropriate adaptations to learning tasks to help pupils when they need some additional support. On occasion, though, the key knowledge pupils need to learn is not taught clearly. Sometimes, the activities pupils complete do not support them to learn and remember the most important content. Over time, when this happens, pupils do not learn the core knowledge in the planned curriculum as securely as they might.

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The needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are precisely identified. Any significant barriers to learning are removed. Teachers adapt learning tasks to support many pupils with SEND to access the same curriculum as their peers successfully.

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The school’s behaviour policy ensures that there is an agreed approach. Well-trained staff manage behaviour in a consistent way. Pupils know the expectations and are eager to meet these around school. The school monitors attendance rigorously. It quickly identifies any pupil not attending well. The school provides support and challenge to ensure that pupils attend whenever they can. Pupils who struggled to come to school regularly in the past now attend well.

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The school prioritises pupils’ wider development. It has considered what its pupils need most. The school actively promotes diversity and raises pupils’ aspirations through its curriculum and extra-curricular offer. Visits to school from different faith leaders, for example, support pupils to respect different cultures and beliefs. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. Pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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Those responsible for governance provide strong support and challenge. They recognise the many strengths of the school. Equally, they continue to challenge leaders to drive further improvement.

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Staff are proud to work at this school. They know that leaders listen and that they care about their workload and well-being. Staff also appreciate the fact they are supported to access training to develop further in their roles. 25 and 26 March 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 On occasion, the school does not ensure that the teaching of the curriculum makes the intended learning as clear as it could be. This means that pupils do not secure the core knowledge as well as they might. The school should continue to support staff to ensure that what pupils need to learn and remember is at the forefront of teaching across the curriculum.  The school does not set clear enough expectations for pupils’ writing across the curriculum. This means that some pupils do not write with the fluency and accuracy required across the wider curriculum. The school should give pupils clearer expectations to help them to write more effectively across all curriculum subjects.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in February 2016. 25 and 26 March 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). 25 and 26 March 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jennifer Mary Youngs

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 2 and 3 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Aylsham Learning Federation, a federation of three local schools.  The school does not currently make use of alternative provision.  The school runs its own before- and after-school provision.

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Information about this inspection

 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. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector met with the headteacher, other members of the school leadership team and subject leaders. He also met with a group of governors, including the executive headteacher, and spoke with a representative from the local authority. 25 and 26 March 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons in a range of subjects, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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 has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector considered the views of parents through responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspector gathered the views of pupils and staff through meetings and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Jonny Wallace, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 25 and 26 March 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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