Northrepps Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Northrepps Primary School Church Street, Northrepps, Cromer, Norfolk NR27 0LG

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Outcome

Evidence gathered during this ungraded (section 8) inspection suggests that aspects of the school’s work may not be as strong as at the time of the previous inspection. The school’s next inspection will be a graded inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy being part of this welcoming and friendly school, where they feel valued and appreciated as individuals. Pupils are kind, polite and respectful. The school’s values of love, courage, friendship and respect can be seen in the way pupils treat one another in class and at breaktimes. Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. Staff know pupils well. They create strong relationships with pupils and families alike.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The new leadership team has established a shared ambition and a clear strategy for rapid school improvement, with a clear focus on raising the quality of education. Further work remains to ensure that all pupils know and remember what the curriculum intends and are prepared well for the next stage in their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school environment is designed to stimulate interest, and the outdoor space has a wide range of equipment to support active and enjoyable play. The school places a strong emphasis on pupils’ personal development. They enjoy memorable and enriching experiences, such as when they developed mapping skills during a visit to Blickling Hall.

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

The school has designed a broad and balanced curriculum for its mixed-age classes. In subjects such as reading, writing and mathematics, it has identified the important knowledge and skills that pupils need to learn and has sequenced this learning effectively. Staff have secure subject knowledge. They give clear instructions and explanations in lessons. They identify misconceptions and support pupils with effective questioning. When implemented well, for example in the teaching of phonics, this helps pupils to learn and remember the key knowledge being taught. 1 April 2025

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Sometimes, the curriculum is not implemented as effectively as the school intends. This can occur when lesson activities are not adapted to suit the needs of all pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). In addition, pupils are not given enough opportunities to practise or recall prior learning. At times, the school’s key curriculum aims, such as the development of pupils’ vocabulary, are not met. In foundation subjects, the strategies for checking what pupils know and remember have not been developed effectively. This means that gaps can develop in pupils’ knowledge, which slow the pace of learning.

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Children make a quick start to their learning when they join in the early years, including pre-school. They learn how to play together and work independently. A strong focus on children’s early communication skills and language development is effective. Children are challenged through purposeful learning activities, for example when asked to explain their noughts and crosses strategy to an adult.

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The teaching of phonics is given a high priority. There is a systematic approach to the programme, and pupils learn in a carefully sequenced way. Staff skilfully deliver the phonics programme. Effective support is available for those who need to catch up quickly. Pupils of all ages enjoy reading books and use the library well. As a result, pupils are motivated to learn and become confident, fluent readers.

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Pupils have positive attitudes to their learning, and there is a calm and purposeful learning environment. In most lessons, pupils stay on task and concentrate well, but occasional inappropriate calling out can slow the learning of others. Pupils enjoy coming to school and most pupils attend regularly. The school has worked successfully to improve the attendance of pupils who do not attend school as regularly as they should through the development of supportive relationships with families.

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The school is ambitious for pupils with SEND. It identifies their additional needs quickly and accurately. It works closely with a wide range of external partners to provide extra help. However, in class not all lessons are adapted effectively to support these pupils. The support strategies do not include setting measurable targets to ensure that the school can check that the pupils have learned what is intended.

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Pupils understand the importance of staying healthy and have a secure understanding of how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils have a secure understanding of fundamental British values. ‘Play leaders’ take their responsibility for organising breaktime equipment seriously and create a positive environment for a fun playground where pupils of all ages play well together.

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Leaders and governors know the school’s strengths and development needs well. They have put in place an effective strategic plan to bring about rapid improvement. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel supported by leaders for their workload and well- being. 1 April 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s intentions for the curriculum are not realised consistently. Pupils do not get sufficient opportunities to rehearse learning or recall key knowledge. As a result, in some subjects, pupils do not learn as well as they should. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum is implemented effectively in all subjects so that pupils achieve consistently well.  For some pupils with SEND, the school’s guidance is not sufficiently precise to enable their needs to be supported effectively. This means, at times, learning activities are not well matched to these pupils’ needs. As a result, some pupils do not learn the curriculum as well as they could. The school should provide appropriate information about the needs of pupils with SEND and ensure that this information is used to help pupils learn as well as they could.  In some subjects, the school has not established secure approaches to assessing

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

pupils’ learning. Consequently, gaps that develop in pupils’ knowledge are not identified quickly. This slows their progress through the curriculum. The school should develop more effective approaches to checking on pupils’ progress and ensure that these are implemented.

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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. 1 April 2025

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in May 2019.

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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). 1 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Interim executive headteacher Binks Neate-Evans

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 May 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently has an interim executive headteacher and an executive deputy headteacher.  The school is part of the Pathfinders Federation, which is made up of three primary schools.  The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held meetings with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. They spoke with other leaders, staff and pupils. 1 April 2025

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 The inspectors spoke with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. They also spoke with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors observed some pupils read to a familiar adult.  The inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  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.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and throughout the school day.  The inspectors looked at a range of policies and documents relating to pupils’ welfare and education, including SEND.  The inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being.

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 The inspectors spoke with some parents and carers during the inspection. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including parents’ free-text comments.

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Inspection team

Duncan Ramsey, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Nutbeam Ofsted Inspector 1 April 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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