Great Hockham Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. The majority of teaching is good or better.

Overall, pupils make good progress in reading, writing, and mathematics. Provision for younger children is good, and children are well prepared for their future learning. Pupils make particularly good progress in reading, and the teaching of early reading skills is very strong.

Pupils are able to write imaginatively and with accuracy. Teachers mark regularly and information that shows how well pupils are doing is recorded accurately. Pupils have a very wide range of learning opportunities that are well matched to their needs.

Behaviour is good, and pupils have very good relationships w...ith adults. There is good provision for pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils feel very safe in school, and work and play well together in groups.

The headteacher has made many improvements since she arrived, and as a result teaching has improved and pupils' progress has accelerated. Governors have a good understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the school, and manage the school funds well. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Not enough teaching is outstanding, and a small amount still requires improvement.

The progress made by pupils in mathematics is not as good as that made in reading and writing. Calculation skills are not well developed. Not all more able pupils make good or better progress.

The use of additional teachers to support whole class teaching is not always effective.

Information about this school

The school is smaller than the average-sized primary school. All classes are for mixed-age groups.

The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average. The proportion supported through school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is also below average. A below-average proportion of pupils are known to be eligible for the pupil premium (the additional government funding for certain groups, including pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and children in local authority care).

There are too few pupils in the Year 6 cohort to make a valid comparison with the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress. Since the time of the last inspection the school was, for a short time, led by two different interim headteachers. The school now has a substantive headteacher, chair and deputy chair of governors.