Sandringham and West Newton Church of England Primary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 January 2023

Pupils are kept safe and are ready to learn. The culture of mutual respect makes the school a happy and harmonious place. Pupils live up to the high expectations adults have for them. They learn well, developing into kind, caring and responsible young people by the time they leave the school. Bullying is extremely rare. Pupils are confident speaking to adults if they have a problem. They know they will get the help they need. Children in Reception look up to their Year 6 'buddies' who support and guide them through their first year in school. Pupils with additional responsibilities, such as members of the school council, are rightly proud of their roles. In the school's forest area, pupils are encouraged to build their resilience and to take carefully considered risks. A range of enrichment activities helps them step outside of their comfort zone to try new things, such as sailing, public speaking and representing the school at Royal events. Elfie, the school dog, is a much-loved member of the community. When pupils are feeling sad or anxious, spending time with Elfie goes a long way in helping them to cheer up.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not completed their work to precisely identify the important knowledge pupils need to learn. This means they do not develop deep and detailed knowledge in these few subjects as they do in the rest of the curriculum. Leaders should finish the work they have started to identify this precise knowledge to ensure pupils learn well across the curriculum.

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