Norley Church of England Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

This school has a great family feel about it. Staff and pupils get on very well together and they all care for each other. Pupils enjoy the wide range of exciting activities on offer in and outside lessons.

They attend school regularly and feel safe there.

The staff want the best for their pupils. They are working hard to extend their own skills and knowledge, so they can teach all subjects well.

They know where further work needs to be done to ensure this.

Pupils behave very well. They are very polite and helpful to each other and to adults.

In lessons, they work with concentration and enthusiasm. Bullying happens very rarely. If it occurs,... staff deal with it quickly and effectively.

Pupils very rarely miss a day of school.

Parents told us how approachable and helpful the staff are. The headteacher has high expectations of the teachers.

At the same time, she cares for their personal well-being.

Pupils quickly learn how to become independent. They help to run the school by taking on particular responsibilities.

They make imaginative use of the very attractive school grounds. They particularly enjoy special projects, such as producing a video to celebrate the school's recent 175th anniversary.

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

The school gives high importance to the teaching of reading.

Before they start school, children come in regularly to share a book and attend story time. Once in school, they quickly move to reading words and sentences in books that are carefully matched to their developing knowledge. Most pupils meet the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics screening check.

Those who fall behind are helped to catch up quickly. By the time they leave the school, pupils' achievements in reading are well above the national average.

The school clearly develops pupils' love of reading.

Younger pupils talk enthusiastically about the books they read in school and at home. Comments made by older pupils included: 'Reading transports us into different worlds and makes our minds work.'

Pupils who left Year 6 last year did not make strong progress in their writing compared to other pupils nationally.

Teachers are therefore putting more focus on writing. Pupils in the lower school work very effectively together, for example to develop a piece of imaginative writing about a dragon. They choose interesting words and expressions.

However, pupils' writing seen elsewhere in the school is still rather untidy. The content of pupils' writing does not always reflect the richness of language that pupils use when talking.Pupils study all subjects of the national curriculum.

They are more confident in some subjects than others. Their knowledge of history and their skills in physical education (PE) and dance are developing well. They are also progressing well in mathematics.

In music, pupils have difficulty remembering the names of the great composers or the musical notes that they have learned. In science, pupils learn technical vocabulary but do not apply it consistently when talking about what they have done. Teachers do not always use questioning well to probe pupils' understanding sufficiently.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive good support. They cover the same range of subjects as everybody else. The same is true of disadvantaged pupils.

Pupils learn about the major world religions. They also raise money for charities, contribute to the local community and have a strong sense of the impact their lifestyles have on the world.

The headteacher has high ambitions for the pupils.

She is rightly proud of the consistently outstanding behaviour and positive attitudes of the pupils. She gives strong leadership to a dedicated team, who are keen to develop their skills further through a well-designed training programme. Pupils receive a rich range of experiences, including working with staff from a number of outside companies.

Currently, the headteacher checks on the quality of the work of most, but not all, of these additional staff. The governors are committed and well informed and provide the right balance of support and challenge for the school.

Early years provision is well led by an able teacher.

She ensures that the children enjoy a wide range of activities which capture and excite their imagination. Children settle very quickly into daily routines and show a high level of control and maturity for their age. They are very polite to each other and to adults.

They work with great concentration. The children make good progress through the early stages of learning to read, write and count. They are well looked after and happy.

Parents are very pleased with the way their children develop in the early years.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders check carefully on the suitability of adults to work with children.

Parents, staff and pupils have no concerns about safety. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in a range of situations, including when using the internet and social media. They also learn about road, rail and fire safety and how to keep safe in and near water.

An impressive aspect of the school is the way that pupils learn how to identify risks for themselves. As a result, they can build dens, go pond-dipping and play imaginative games in the school grounds without harming themselves or others.

What does the school need to do to improve?

In lessons, teachers rely heavily on answers volunteered by pupils.

They do not check sufficiently on the understanding of other pupils in the class. They make limited use of supplementary questions to help pupils identify and correct misconceptions or to help them extend their thinking and understanding. There is, therefore, a need to improve teachers' questioning skills.

. The school's curriculum covers all subjects of the national curriculum. However, within individual subjects, such as music and science, not all aspects are covered consistently and in enough detail.

Teachers need to ensure that they plan work which enables pupils to learn more and remember more in every aspect of a subject. . Last year, pupils did not make strong progress in writing in key stage 2.

Although the school is working on improving this aspect of its work, there are still weaknesses in the quality of the writing seen. There is a need for teachers in key stage 2 to ensure that written work is well presented and also reflects the richness of language that pupils use when talking. .

Currently, the school does not check on the quality of the curriculum provision from all external agencies. Leaders need to establish systems to evaluate the quality of education provided by visiting staff, as well as school staff. This will ensure that pupils spend their time well and make good progress across all subjects.

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