The rating comes after 16 long years of The Norman CofE Primary School being rated as ‘requiring improvement’ by Ofsted. 

Staff and pupils have worked tirelessly to improve provision and the school environment, and now Ofsted has rated the school good in all five areas of the report.

Inspectors described it as a place where children are: “happy and feel safe” and “there is a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The school’s ethos of valuing every child and every staff member shines through.”

The school which is part of the Diocese of Ely Multi-Academy Trust (DEMAT) was praised for many areas of its provision, including its ambitious and well-designed curriculum, its teaching of reading and phonics and the school’s clear expectations of pupil behaviour.

Pupils’ excellent conduct was highlighted, with the report stating: “Pupils’ behaviour is a strength. They treat everyone kindly and with respect. The school’s behaviour code of ‘respectful, ready, and safe’ is promoted effectively in all aspects of school life.”

Headteacher Mrs Fisher said: “We are all so happy with our latest Ofsted result. The staff and the pupils deserve this, however; there is still always room for further improvement and we will continue to build on this fantastic result. Our school is a happy hive of learning and a place we are all proud of. We have worked to drive up standards in every area and to ensure that every child here is given the best possible educational experience in an environment that helps them to feel safe and to achieve.

“The team is so pleased that Ofsted recognises this and that it highlights our ambitious curriculum and focus on reading standards. We continue to work closely as a team, ensuring we are always working in the best interest of our pupils and delivering at our highest level.”

Mrs Fisher became headteacher in September 2021 and says it was clear the team had to move the school forward, adding: 

“Despite the challenges we have as a small rural school it was fundamental to ensure that all children receive what they are entitled to – a high quality education in an environment where they feel happy and safe, we encourage children to be good citizens in our school, in our village community and the wider world.”

Part of the changes included adopting a Knowledge Rich Curriculum from EYFS up to Year 6 and teachers engaging in additional training, including visits to other schools.

Mrs Fisher said: “They have been absolutely committed to developing our curriculum for the pupils. The impact of this was almost instant. We have developed a comprehensive reading canon with support from the Trust and all children have access to high quality, ambitious texts which has widened pupils’ understanding of vocabulary and the wider world. This has been underpinned by ‘Sounds Write’ Phonics which is used in all areas of the school.”

Further areas which were given focus in the report include the way “teachers skilfully adapt learning to support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND)” explaining that “this enables pupils with SEND to learn similar knowledge as their peers. As a result, pupils are helped to know and do more.”

The report also positively reported that children enjoy helping others in the community and highlighted the way that leaders within the school are supported by the wider Trust.

DEMAT Hub Director Jo Brown said: “We are so pleased with the outcome for The Norman School, the staff have worked hard and we are proud of all the children.”