Clover Hill VA Infant and Nursery School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Clover Hill VA Infant and Nursery School Rawley Road, Bowthorpe, Norwich, Norfolk NR5 9AP

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Outcome

Clover Hill VA Infant and Nursery 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 thrive in this warm and ambitious school. They feel and are kept safe. They are proud to belong to this school. Staff know pupils well. They support pupils to speak confidently and express their ideas clearly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for every pupil. Teaching is clear, consistent and focused. Teachers help pupils to understand, practise and remember important ideas. Pupils respond with effort and care. As a result, pupils achieve well across the curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour is excellent. Routines are clear and consistent from the earliest years. This supports all to know what to do and how to behave. As a result, classrooms are calm. Pupils can easily concentrate on what the teacher is saying. Pupils appreciate the way that staff notice and celebrate their acts of kindness and efforts in class.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school provides a rich range of opportunities beyond the classroom. Clubs, trips and visitors link closely to the curriculum and help pupils to deepen their understanding. Pupils take on responsibilities and take part in musical and sporting events. The school’s strong focus on character supports pupils to learn important values such as compassion and kindness.

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

Leaders have designed a broad and ambitious curriculum that reflects the school’s values and context. Staff understand what pupils need to learn and the order in which they need to learn it. The curriculum is well thought out and adapted to meet pupils’ needs. 7 and 8 May 2025

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Teaching is consistently expert. Teachers present information clearly. They use resources well and check pupils’ understanding carefully. Teachers identify pupils’ gaps in learning quickly and address them through targeted support. In reading and mathematics, for example, pupils take part in frequent, focused practise that helps them improve over time. Teachers choose tasks that help pupils to learn and remember. Writing is a current area of focus. Leaders have strengthened the teaching of foundational writing knowledge, such as handwriting, and this has improved the accuracy and presentation of pupils’ work. However, pupils occasionally do not apply their writing skills with fluency across subjects. Leaders are rightly continuing this work to ensure pupils use and apply their skills confidently in different contexts.

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Children in the early years, experience a rich and purposeful curriculum. They are immersed in language through stories, songs and high-quality talk. Adults set out activities that promote language development, independence and imagination. For example, in the Nursery Year, children confidently use the language of measurement in the ‘shoe shop’ role play. In the Reception Year, children explore science activities linked to the curriculum. Using magnifying glasses to examine the insects they have been learning about. Staff know children well and use praise and clear routines to support positive behaviour.

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Staff teach phonics with clarity. Pupils who need extra help receive ample support to help them catch up. Alongside phonics and daily reading aloud to pupils for enjoyment, the school has introduced an extra story lesson each day. This lesson supports pupils to rehearse new words and ideas. As a result, pupils build the knowledge they need to understand what they read.

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The school supports pupils with SEND well. Staff work as a team to carefully identify and meet pupils’ needs. Staff receive effective training, including from specialist providers and experts. Staff apply what they learn to adapt teaching and provide targeted help. The school’s commitment to developing speech and language is evident in both classroom practice and wider curriculum design. Pupils with SEND achieve well from their various starting points.

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Pupils behave extremely well. Routines are consistently followed and clearly taught from the earliest years. Pupils concentrate in lessons, move calmly around the school and show kindness to others. The school supports pupils with additional needs to thrive. Pupils’ attendance has improved significantly due to leaders’ close work with families and through careful analysis of patterns of absence.

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The school’s personal development offer is wide-ranging and well planned. It includes high quality experiences, such as trips that link to curriculum content and opportunities to develop talents in sport, music and the arts. Pupils learn about safety, health, different cultures and responsibility in ways that are memorable and meaningful.

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Leaders are thoughtful and strategic. They have diligently responded to pupils’ changing needs. They listen to staff and consider workload and well-being. Leaders know their 7 and 8 May 2025

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community well and work extensively, alongside the school’s dedicated pastoral team, with external agencies to meet pupils’ needs.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Recent changes to the way foundational writing knowledge is taught are at an earlier stage of implementation. As a result, some pupils do not apply their writing skills confidently across the curriculum. The school should continue to embed recent improvements to writing so that pupils use their knowledge and skills with increasing independence across all 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 outstanding 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in March 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. 7 and 8 May 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). 7 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 5 and 6 March 2019, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is in a federation with St Michael’s Junior School. The two schools share an executive headteacher and governing body.  The school is part of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich. The last section 48 inspection was carried out in January 2024. The next section 48 inspection will be in eight years of this date.  The school uses one registered alternative 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.  The inspector discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held a discussion with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors. 7 and 8 May 2025

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 The inspector visited a sample of lessons in a range of subjects; spoke with pupils about their learning experiences and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during breaktimes and in lessons.  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 reviewed a wide range of documents, including school development plans, policies and documentation for behaviour and attendance.  The inspectors met with staff and considered their views expressed through Ofsted’s staff survey. She also considered the views shared through Ofsted Parent View and Ofsted’s pupil survey, including the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Hannah Stoten, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 7 and 8 May 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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