Bunwell Primary School

Inspection of Bunwell Primary School The Turnpike, Bunwell, Norwich, Norfolk NR16 1SN

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is Emily Husbands. This school is part of Co-Operative Education East, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Paul Bunn, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Julie Fletcher. 7 and 8 May 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bunwell Primary School sits at the heart of the local community. Pupils are rightly proud of their school’s welcoming, kind and nurturing ethos. Pastoral support and pupils’ well-being are high on the agenda. Pupils feel listened to, well cared for and are confident any worries will be resolved quickly. Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about the difference the school makes to their children.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils understand the school’s values of ‘ready, respectful and safe’ and use these to guide their behaviour in lessons and during social times. This begins in the early years, where children learn to be kind and to share. Staff respond calmly and sensitively when pupils struggle with their emotions. This enables pupils to get back to their learning quickly. As a result, pupils achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wide range of experiences offered by the school. This includes sporting clubs and events, such as skateboarding and cross country. They benefit from opportunities to develop their talents and interests. These include going on residential visits and performing in shows and concerts. Pupils learn about fundamental British values, such as democracy and tolerance.

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

The trust has designed an ambitious curriculum adopted by the school. It has ensured that pupils in mixed-age classes learn important content in a logical order. The knowledge, skills and vocabulary that pupils need to know and remember have been identified in all subjects. This helps pupils build their knowledge well in most subjects. For example, in science, pupils use their prior learning about electricity to construct diagrams of simple electrical circuits. Sometimes the checks made by teachers on what pupils know and remember are not secure across all subjects. At times, staff do not address pupils’ misconceptions and correct errors in their work. This results in some pupils not learning as well as they could.

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

Staff have strong subject knowledge. Most use appropriate activities to support pupils’ learning of the curriculum as they progress through school. On occasions, however, teachers do not select activities that precisely match the learning they want pupils to know and remember. This can hinder pupils’ progress through the curriculum.

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

The school places a high priority on ensuring that pupils learn to read fluently. Children in the early years quickly learn how to use the sounds they know in order to read words. There is a systematic approach to teaching phonics. Staff check pupils’ understanding regularly. Extra support is put in place for those who need it. Teachers read to pupils from carefully chosen books. As pupils progress through the school they read with increasing fluency and confidence. This is reflected in the Year 6 national reading test where pupils achieve well.

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

The school is ambitious for each pupil. It has clear processes to identify the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) effectively. Teachers make 7 and 8 May 2025

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careful adaptations to teaching to support pupils with SEND. The school works proactively with external professionals to seek any guidance needed. Pupils with SEND are well supported to successfully learn the curriculum.

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The school’s expectations and routines for pupils’ behaviour are clear. Pupils are encouraged to make positive choices and manage their own behaviour. There are spaces for pupils around the school for those who need additional support to manage their feelings or need time to reflect.

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The provision for pupils’ personal development is well considered. Pupils develop an understanding of their place in society and the wider world. Pupils develop an awareness of how people can be different. They understand that this is something to be respected and celebrated. They describe how texts such as ‘The Boy at the Back of the Classroom’ help them understand what life is like for refugees. Pupils learn about friendships; healthy relationships, at an age-appropriate level; body changes and keeping healthy.

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Staff are proud to work at the school. They welcome the support and consideration by leaders to manage their workload and well-being. They enjoy the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues from other schools in the trust. Governors and trustees are well informed about the school’s strengths and priorities. They use this knowledge to provide effective challenge and support, and to set the strategic vision for the school. While the current staffing restructure across the three trust schools is unsettling for staff, pupils and parents, there are plans in place to manage the transition and allay concerns.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the school has not checked effectively how well pupils remember the knowledge they have been taught. Pupils’ misconceptions sometimes go unchallenged. As a result, pupils’ recall of some prior learning can be patchy. The school needs to ensure that staff use their checks on what pupils know and remember effectively across all subjects to address pupils’ misconceptions.  Learning activities do not always help pupils build on what they already know. This can hinder some pupils’ progress through the curriculum. The school should ensure that the curriculum is being delivered consistently well, so that all pupils can know and remember the key knowledge identified in each subject. 7 and 8 May 2025

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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 and 8 May 2025

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 22 and 23 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is part of Co-Operative Education East.  The school converted to an academy in November 2016.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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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 provision. 7 and 8 May 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at pupils’ work. The lead inspector also listened to a sample of pupils read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors also looked at other curriculum areas and spoke to leaders about other subjects, including personal, social and health education.  Inspectors held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, members of the trust and members of the local governing committee, including the chair.  Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation provided, such as the school

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improvement documents and information relating to pupils’ attendance and behaviour.  Inspectors spent time speaking to pupils, including at lunchtime.  The inspectors considered responses to Ofsted’s staff, parent and pupil surveys, and the free-text responses.

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Inspection team

Jo Nutbeam, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Alastair Heath-Robinson Ofsted 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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