Normanton House School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 6 February 2024

Pupils are happy to be part of the Normanton House School family. Younger pupils are smiley and full of enthusiasm for learning. Older pupils have highly positive attitudes to their education. All pupils are respectful, supportive and considerate of each other and staff. Pupils are proud of their school. Parents and carers speak very positively about the school. They appreciate the staff's care for their children. Typically, one parent commented: 'This school is great, not only for its educational provision but also in helping to mould my children into the best versions of themselves.' Pupils benefit from the strong school ethos and supportive environment. The school's values of 'nurturing, honouring and serving' are consistently demonstrated by staff and pupils. Pupils' behaviour is exemplary. Pupils say that they feel safe because 'we all treat each other like brothers and sisters'. Pupils benefit from a range of opportunities that support their personal development. They learn about equality and diversity. They are very respectful of those who may hold different views and beliefs to them. The school has high expectations of pupils. These expectations are realised in most subjects. Many pupils achieve well in the subjects they study.

What the school should improve

• Some pupils who do not achieve as well as they should are not assessed accurately to determine if they may have additional needs. As a result, the support they receive is not precisely targeted as staff do not have all the information they need to understand why these pupils may be falling behind. The school should ensure that there are comprehensive processes in place to accurately identify and assess any additional needs pupils may have, so that these pupils receive precise and effective support to achieve well.
• Not all staff take a consistent approach when supporting pupils to read. Pupils are being given different messages about how to use phonics to help them learn to read. As a result, errors are introduced, as the correct phonemes are not used by staff and pupils consistently. Those with responsibility for reading should ensure that all staff know how best to support pupils to become accurate and fluent readers as quickly as possible.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)