Hemsby Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Hemsby Primary School School Loke, Hemsby, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR29 4LH

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Outcome

Hemsby Primary 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?

Pupils are happy and like their school. Most pupils are kind and respectful to each other and to adults. Pupils are safe because teachers prioritise their well-being. Older pupils look out for younger pupils. Pupils play fairly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The majority of pupils behave consistently well because of their teachers’ high expectations. Teachers establish clear routines from the Nursery. As a result, children listen and take turns. When pupils do not behave as well, teachers respond swiftly. Most pupils are enthusiastic learners and participate well in class. They persevere when learning becomes more demanding. Pupils are curious. They apply their learning on the field during breaktime. For example, they build bug houses for insects.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school prepares pupils well for their future lives. Pupils adopt positive attitudes. They learn about life in other countries, which helps them to be tolerant and open-minded. They appreciate other cultures and value difference. Pupils have a voice. They represent their friends’ views. They assume positions of responsibility as councillors, house captains, librarians and play leaders. This ensures pupils gain valuable leadership opportunities. They contribute to the wider life of the school. They help to organise sporting events and assist at parents’ evenings.

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

The school has worked hard to develop the curriculum since the last inspection. Staff have a thorough understanding of the knowledge pupils should learn. This begins in the Nursery. Children learn to recognise simple sounds. They use number well and develop a wider understanding of the world around them. The knowledge pupils learn builds logically on what they have learned before. This ensures, in mathematics, for example, 29 April 2025

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that pupils grasp increasingly complex knowledge. They use this to reason and tackle problems independently and in groups. In history, pupils explore Egyptian, Roman and Anglo-Saxon cultures. Pupils gain an understanding of civilisation and empire. At times, some teachers do not check pupils’ knowledge with sufficient rigour. As a result, misconceptions in learning persist.

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The school has made reading a high priority. Teachers adopt a consistent approach to the teaching of reading. Reception-age children learn sounds quickly. They apply their phonics knowledge to read new words. The number of pupils in Year 1 meeting the phonics standard has risen over the last three years. Pupils who do not read well receive support, and they catch up. Older pupils are expressive, fluent readers. They discuss mature topics such as war and human rights with confidence.

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The writing curriculum is ambitious. This ensures that pupils write at length and in a range of styles. Writing tasks enhance pupils’ wider curriculum knowledge. Pupils grasp imagery well to compose creative accounts of visits to other parts of the world. For example, they write diary entries as members of the Windrush generation. Pupils demonstrate empathy and understand the challenges immigrants experience.

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Outcomes in grammar, punctuation and spelling examinations were low in 2024. Leaders have since bolstered this area of the curriculum for older pupils. However, teachers do not identify younger pupils’ spelling errors effectively, particularly of subject-specific vocabulary. As a result, pupils continue to make the same mistakes.

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The school has established an inclusive ethos. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are supported in accessing the curriculum well. The school uses a range of outside agencies to ensure pupils receive the support they need. The school regularly evaluates how teachers adapt the curriculum for pupils with SEND. Leaders continue to enrich the curriculum for some pupils who have speech, language and communication needs.

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Since the previous inspection, the school has experienced some turbulence as a result of several leadership changes. Leaders and governors now have an ambitious vision for pupils. They review with precision what the school does well and how it needs to develop. This has assured improvement in areas of school life such as the curriculum. Furthermore, the school works closely with parents to ensure more pupils now attend school regularly.

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The local authority and leaders from the school federation provide valuable support to strengthen teachers’ subject knowledge. Staff overwhelmingly endorse the school and appreciate the support they receive from leaders. They find their workload manageable and understand the rationale behind leaders’ decisions. They are committed to realising the school’s vision. Most parents value the quality of education their children receive. They also acknowledge recent improvements. The school has some work to do to convince a significant minority of parents who are less positive. The school is, however, well placed to do so. 29 April 2025

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some areas of the curriculum, teachers do not check pupils’ learning with sufficient rigour. As a result, pupils continue to misunderstand important knowledge and continue to make the same mistakes, especially with spelling. The school needs to ensure that teachers check learning more thoroughly and provide pupils with support to help them improve.

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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 March 2016.

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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. 29 April 2025

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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). 29 April 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.caisterprimaryfederation.org/hemsby

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 15 and 16 October 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school makes use of one registered alternative provision for a small number of pupils.  The school offers Nursery provision for two-year-olds.  Since the last inspection, the school joined the Caister Primary Federation.

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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 met with governors, the executive headteacher, the head of school, subject leaders, teachers and support staff. The inspectors focused inspection activity on the following groups of subjects: reading, writing, mathematics, art and history. Inspectors spoke with subject leaders, visited lessons, met with pupils and staff and 29 April 2025

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considered pupils’ work.  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 extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors considered the views of pupils, staff and parents. There were 17 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey. There were 33 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. There were 46 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted Parent View. The inspectors considered 46 free-text responses from parents. Inspectors also spoke to parents.

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Inspection team

Adam Cooke, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Pedlow Ofsted Inspector 29 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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