Alburgh With Denton Church of England Primary Academy

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Alburgh with Denton Church of England Primary Academy School Road, Alburgh, Harleston, Norfolk IP20 0BW

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Outcome

Alburgh With Denton Church of England Primary Academy has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of the school is Leigh Goodhew. The school is part of The Diocese of Norwich St Benet’s Multi-Academy 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), Sam Nixon, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Fred Corbett.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe, secure and valued in this small village primary school. Relationships are warm and caring. The welcoming ethos creates an environment where pupils are happy and are given every opportunity to live out the school motto, ‘from tiny seeds, mighty oaks grow’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is broad and engaging. It gives pupils the chance to acquire new knowledge through exciting learning opportunities in the classroom and beyond. Pupils typically achieve well. Achievement is improving over time as the school further embeds some subjects in the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Behaviour around the school is excellent. Pupils are polite, respectful and sensible. They socialise well together in their play. Pupils work collaboratively in class. Classrooms are calm, orderly and conducive to learning. Pupils learn without disruption.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The curriculum is thoughtfully enriched, providing opportunities for pupils to develop their character. Pupils benefit from an extensive outdoor learning offer. Pupils engage in problem-solving, learn how to manage risks and become resilient individuals through hands-on experiences, such as den building and fire lighting. Pupils experience life beyond 7 May 2025

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the local community through visits to London, residential trips and visits to different places of worship. The school aims to develop well-rounded mature citizens.

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

In the early years, the curriculum enables children to secure strong foundations, such as early reading and mathematics. Staff-led sessions are supplemented by well-organised activities in the engaging learning environment. The school has constructed their curriculum with future learning in mind. For example, children eagerly secure their understanding of ‘teen’ numbers in preparation for Year 1.

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

The teaching of reading is highly effective. Staff are experts in the teaching of phonics. Any pupil who falls behind is provided with support to catch up quickly. Pupils read books that match their reading ability. They develop a love of reading as they progress through the school. Pupils become confident, fluent readers and achieve well.

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

The approach to the teaching of writing is developing. The school has recognised the need for a greater focus on letter formation, sentence construction and spelling. Staff have received training to help them teach writing more effectively. However, this training is not yet having the desired impact. Some pupils do not present their work or spell at an age-appropriate level. They do not 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 school has designed the wider curriculum with the intent that pupils’ learning builds in their mixed-age classes. Teachers have secure subject knowledge, new learning is explained clearly. Pupils are given opportunities to revisit key knowledge so that they do not forget it. In many subjects, this allows pupils to learn the wider curriculum well. For example, pupils talk confidently about their learning in religious education. Pupils accurately compare and contrast different beliefs and practices, developing a secure depth of knowledge. In a small number of subjects, the curriculum is not as well developed. The school has not sequenced what pupils should learn as well. In these subjects, pupils’ learning is less secure because they do not successfully build on what they should already know.

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

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified by the school. The school recognises pupil’s barriers to learning. Staff rapidly put in place tailored support to help pupils with SEND to be successful in their learning.

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

Expectations of behaviour are consistently high. The school’s agreed learning behaviours create a shared understanding of what the school expects. Adults model the behaviour they expect pupils to demonstrate, and pupils meet these expectations. Pupils behave consistently well across the school.

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

Pupils learn in an environment where there is respect for all. They develop a keen awareness of the importance of their school values and fundamental British values. Pupils learn about the importance of respecting differences. They have a clear understanding of different cultures and faiths that they may encounter in modern Britain. Pupils eagerly take on leadership roles, such as school councillors. They contribute to the local 7 May 2025

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community and fundraise for charities of their own choice. Pupils are excellent ambassadors for their school.

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Those responsible for governance have a strong oversight of the school. They provide robust challenge and support to the school to ensure it continues to improve over time. The trust provides extensive professional development opportunities for staff, which they both value and benefit from.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the school has not fully sequenced the core knowledge pupils should learn. This means, on occasion, pupils do not build upon and develop a depth of learning over time. The school, with the support of the trust, should continue to refine their curriculum thinking to support pupils to learn successfully across all curriculum subjects.  The school’s writing curriculum is not yet consistently embedded. This means some pupils do not write as accurately and fluently as they should. The school, working alongside the trust, should continue to refine their approaches to writing, so that staff teach pupils more effectively to become better writers.

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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, 7 May 2025

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behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, Alburgh with Denton Church of England Primary School, to be good for overall effectiveness in January 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). 7 May 2025

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School details

Website www.alburghwithdentonprimaryschool.co.u k Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of The Diocese of Norwich St Benet’s Multi-Academy Trust.  The school does not use alternative provision.  The school is of a Church of England religious character. The last section 48 inspection took place in January 2024.  Alburgh with Denton Church of England Primary Academy converted to become an academy school in June 2022. When its predecessor school, Alburgh with Denton Church of England Primary School, was last inspected by Ofsted, it was judged to be good for overall effectiveness.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 7 May 2025

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 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 inspectors met with the headteacher and other school leaders. They also met with the CEO, a group of trustees, including the chair, and other leaders from the trust. They also met with the chair of the local governing committee.  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’ interest first.

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 The inspectors considered the views of parents through responses to the online survey, 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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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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