Aldborough Primary School

Aldborough Primary School is a small foundation primary school that inspectors found to be performing well across all key areas, with effective safeguarding and a strong sense of community. This was its first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has had a change of headteacher since the previous inspection. Pupils are described as confident, happy and proud of their school, and parents are highly positive about the care and support their children receive. The school has introduced an ambitious and well-designed curriculum that is raising expectations and helping pupils achieve well. Phonics teaching is a notable strength, with pupils reading books closely matched to their phonics knowledge and receiving daily practice. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are increasingly achieving the curriculum's ambitions, and behaviour is well managed through clear expectations and positive relationships. Enrichment visits and leadership roles help broaden pupils' experience beyond their rural community. Inspectors identified two main areas for improvement. In some newer subjects, the curriculum does not yet set out all the knowledge pupils need, and gaps from weaker past learning make it harder for pupils to build new knowledge securely. In addition, pupils do not routinely get enough opportunities to write at length and apply their grammar and spelling knowledge in subjects other than English, so some written work is not consistently of the high quality pupils are capable of.

Strengths

• Pupils are proud, confident and happy, and feel part of a supportive school family
• The new curriculum is ambitious, well designed and builds knowledge progressively
• Phonics is taught well, with matched reading books and daily practice
• Pupils with SEND have a voice in their learning and staff adapt teaching effectively
• Behaviour is well managed through clear expectations, consistency and a positive culture
• Pupils attend well and are well prepared for secondary school
• The school broadens pupils' horizons through books, visits and leadership opportunities
• Staff receive high-quality training and support, and governors know the school well
• Early years provision prepares children well and encourages enthusiastic learning
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

Areas for Improvement

• In newer subjects, the curriculum does not clearly identify all the knowledge pupils need, leaving gaps that hinder secure new learning
• Pupils are not routinely given enough opportunities to write at length and apply grammar and spelling knowledge in subjects beyond English
• Some pupils' written work is not consistently of the high quality they are capable of

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Aldborough Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 2.5% of pupils at Aldborough Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Aldborough Primary School had 17.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 13.5% of pupils at Aldborough Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Aldborough Primary School received £7,037 and spent £6,824 for each of its 126 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £84,000 (£664 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Norwich (North Norfolk) · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

What is Aldborough Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Aldborough Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Aldborough Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Aldborough Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Aldborough Primary School have?

Aldborough Primary School has 126 pupils on roll.

What age range does Aldborough Primary School cover?

Aldborough Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Aldborough Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Aldborough Primary School?

Aldborough Primary School is at Alby Hill, Aldborough, Norwich, Norfolk, NR11 7PH.