Aslacton Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Aslacton Primary School Church Road, Aslacton, Norwich, Norfolk NR15 2JH

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Outcome

Aslacton Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The executive headteacher of this school is Heather Haines. This school is part of Clarion Corvus Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Jim Adams, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Christine Nichols. The executive headteacher is responsible for this school and one other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and happy at this school, which sits at the heart of its village community. Relationships are warm and kind. Staff know pupils well. This helps pupils to feel valued.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff want the best for pupils. They set high expectations. Pupils strive to live up to these expectations and do well in their learning. Pupils typically achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils generally behave well. They get along together, whether working in class or enjoying games and sports at social times. Pupils who need a little extra help to manage their emotions benefit from well-considered support. This helps everyone to be happy and successful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is enriched by a range of trips and visits. For example, pupils visit Southwold to enhance their learning in geography. Exciting residential trips develop pupils’ resilience and independence. Pupils relish the opportunity to learn to play musical instruments, both in lessons and as an extra-curricular activity. Sporting clubs provide the chance for pupils to be active and develop their teamwork alongside pupils from different year groups. 29 April 2025

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

Children get off to a good start in the early years. They learn the routines and expectations of school quickly. The school has carefully considered the needs of children in the early years, who are taught in a mixed-age class. During the day, they access adult- led sessions as well as chances to practise their learning through planned play. For example, staff promote children’s language and communication development effectively as children play in the gardening area.

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

Pupils start to learn to read as soon as they start in the Reception Year. Staff use their strong subject knowledge to deliver the school’s phonics programme with precision. Pupils practise by reading books that closely match the sounds they have learned. Staff quickly identify any pupils who start to struggle and give them the help they need to keep up. Pupils become confident and fluent readers.

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious. In most subjects, it is well thought-out and carefully sequenced. The school has recently introduced a new way to teach writing to put greater focus on letter formation, sentence construction and spelling. Staff have been trained, and pupils’ writing is starting to improve. However, this approach remains in its infancy. Some pupils do not spell and write as fluently and accurately as they might.

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

The wider curriculum has been strengthened since the previous inspection. Staff deliver the curriculum effectively. They revisit previous learning and help pupils build on what they already know. Teachers question pupils skilfully to check how well pupils have learned new content. This helps pupils to remember important subject content. Pupils talk knowledgably about recent learning. For example, pupils in Year 2 demonstrate a secure understanding of key events related to the Great Fire of London.

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

Staff have an accurate understanding of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Teachers make careful adaptations to the curriculum for pupils with SEND. They make sure that these pupils learn the important knowledge they need. Pupils with SEND are fully integrated into school life and learn successfully alongside their peers.

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

The school has clear and high expectations for pupils’ behaviour, which pupils understand. Staff monitor behaviour closely. When behaviour occasionally falls below expectations, the school acts swiftly to minimise any impact on learning. As a result, the school is typically calm and happy.

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

Pupils benefit from the school’s personal, social, health and economic education. Pupils learn about relationships, cultures and faiths. They are highly respectful of each other and people’s differences. Staff teach pupils how to stay mentally and physically healthy. Pupils know how to keep themselves safe, including online. They are suitably prepared for life beyond school.

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

Trustees and governors rigorously check the effectiveness of the school’s work. Leaders and trustees know where the school is strong and how it can improve further. Staff work 29 April 2025

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closely with other schools in the trust to develop their practice. Staff are proud to work here.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some aspects of the school’s writing curriculum are not firmly embedded. Writing is not consistently taught effectively. This means that some pupils do not write as accurately or as fluently as they could. The school should ensure that the writing curriculum is embedded so that pupils’ writing skills develop securely.

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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 predecessor school, Aslacton Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in July 2012.

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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. 29 April 2025

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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). 29 April 2025

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School details

Date of previous inspection 28 January 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined Corvus Education Trust in March 2017. In April 2023, Corvus Education Trust merged with Clarion Academy Trust, so the school has been part of Clarion Corvus Trust since then.  The school leadership team, including the executive headteacher and executive deputy headteacher, work across this school and one other in the trust.  The school does not use any alternative provision.  There is breakfast club provision before school, which is run by the school.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 29 April 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.  During the inspection, the inspectors met with the executive headteacher and other school leaders. They also met with the CEO, a group of trustees and other leaders from the trust. They also met with the chair of the local governing body.  The inspectors 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 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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 The inspectors considered the views of parents through responses to Ofsted’s online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspectors gathered the views of pupils and staff through Ofsted’s pupil and staff 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

Stephen Cloke 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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