Colman Infant School

Inspection of Colman Infant School Colman Road, Norwich, Norfolk NR4 7AW

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Outstanding

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The executive headteacher of this school is Georgia Guy. The school is part of the Unity Schools Partnership, which means that other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Tim Coulson, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Christine Quinn. The executive headteacher is responsible for this school and two others. 29 and 30 April 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils across the school are benefiting from the recent changes to the curriculum and are rising to the high academic expectations staff have for them. Children in the early years thrive due to the precise way in which learning activities meet their specific needs. Pupils consistently follow clear routines. Staff inspire them to be fascinated by new learning. The children quickly learn how to collaborate and persevere. They have opportunities to develop their curiosity and explore and use things they learn in different contexts.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils in key stage 1 benefit from tailored support to fill gaps in their learning. As a result, pupils’ achievement is improving. Pupils enjoy the many subjects they are taught and take pride in their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils follow the school rules of ‘ready, respectful and safe’. Pupils respond well to positive praise from staff. As a result, pupils have high self-esteem and the confidence to take part in learning and challenge themselves. Pupils know and understand the ‘Colman Way’. This establishes clear expectations and helps make the school a happy place for everyone to be. Pupils have a strong sense of belonging and understand what it means to be a member of the school community.

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

The school and the trust have successfully navigated a period of instability. The school has ensured an ambitious curriculum is in place to build pupils’ knowledge over time in logical steps. Leaders have taken effective action to ensure rapid improvement has taken place.

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

The school has adopted a new phonics programme in order to address many gaps in pupils’ knowledge. All staff have had training in the new programme. There is a plan in place to ensure pupils close gaps in their phonics knowledge. Pupils who have fallen behind receive effective support. Teachers match the books pupils read to the sounds they learn. Leaders have invested in refreshing and improving the quality and range of the books that pupils read. Pupils enjoy talking about these books. They make links with their learning in other areas of the curriculum. In the early years, children enjoy using their phonics knowledge to read and write independently. They are confident and resilient writers and develop habits and skills that prepare them well for future learning.

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

The curriculum is well ordered. It builds knowledge over time and is ambitious. There is a focus on developing and extending pupils’ vocabulary. Children in the early years use the vocabulary they learn in their independent learning. Leaders have prioritised improvements in English, mathematics and science. They have made adaptations to the curriculum in these subjects to ensure pupils secure the most important knowledge they need. Staff teach and adapt the curriculum well in these subjects. They check how well pupils are achieving. However, in some subjects, staff are less familiar with how to adapt their teaching and have not yet agreed on what high-quality work in these subjects should look like. As a result, some pupils do not yet achieve as well as they could in these subjects. 29 and 30 April 2025

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The school accurately identifies pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have reviewed and improved provision to ensure that pupils with SEND receive the support they need to achieve well.

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Pupils behave well. There is lots to do at playtime and lunchtime. Playground buddies are available to look after their peers if they are unhappy. Classrooms are calm and productive. Staff consistently apply the school’s expectations and use the same language. They publicly praise pupils for demonstrating the school’s values. This motivates pupils to try hard and do their best.

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To prepare pupils for the next stage in their education, the school ensures pupils experience a range of wider opportunities to broaden their horizons. This includes a visit to a beach, representing the school and participating in sports events. There are a range of creative and sports clubs. Pupils attend school more regularly because they do not want to miss out on these opportunities. Pupils know how to stay healthy and the importance of exercise, diet, water and sleep.

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Leaders have carefully managed the implementation of their improvements to the school for staff and pupils in their care. Staff have the knowledge, understanding and support to ensure pupils can overcome barriers to learning. Governors and trustees provide effective oversight of school improvement priorities.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some foundation subjects, teachers’ checks on pupils’ knowledge are not used effectively to inform the next steps in teaching. This limits how well pupils can achieve. The school should ensure that teachers use their checks on learning to inform future teaching in all subjects.  Some foundation subjects are at an earlier stage of implementation than others. In these subjects, some teachers do not have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve. Some teachers do not have a shared understanding of what high- quality work is in these subjects. As a result, some pupils do not achieve as well as they could in these subjects. The school should ensure all staff have consistently high expectations of what pupils can achieve and a shared understanding of what constitutes high-quality work in all subjects.

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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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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 and 30 April 2025

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School details

Headteacher Georgia Guy (Executive Headteacher)

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school converted to become an academy and joined the Unity Schools Partnership Trust in April 2024.  The school uses one alternative provision.  The school provides a specially resourced provision for deaf pupils. There are six places, and pupils are taught in the year group relevant to their age.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education 29 and 30 April 2025

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provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The 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 the executive headteacher, the senior leadership team, including the special educational needs coordinator, the trust’s improvement directors and the CEO.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and art and design. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum and provision for pupils with SEND and sampled work from other areas of the curriculum.  Inspectors considered the responses and free-text comments submitted by parents to

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the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. They also gathered parents’ views by speaking to them at the end of the school day.  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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Inspection team

Oriana Dalton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jules Stops Ofsted Inspector 29 and 30 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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