Bure Valley School

Bure Valley School continues to uphold the quality of education established in its previous inspection, maintaining a strong and positive learning environment. The school is recognized for its warm relationships among students, staff, and families, which foster a welcoming atmosphere and encourage high attendance rates. Pupils showcase enthusiasm for their learning, benefiting from a diverse curriculum that includes a focus on reading and varied extracurricular activities, enriching their overall school experience.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve well across all areas of the curriculum.
• Strong relationships foster a happy and positive school environment.
• Effective phonics program supports reading fluency.
• Pupils benefit from diverse extracurricular opportunities including music and sports.
• The school effectively identifies and supports pupils with SEND.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching of writing lacks consistency across the curriculum.
• Key knowledge not always taught clearly in some lessons.

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 Bure Valley School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.5% 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, 1.7% of pupils at Bure Valley School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Bure Valley School had 18.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.2% 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, 28.4% of pupils at Bure Valley School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% 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.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

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

Bure Valley School is part of The Aylsham Cluster Trust, which runs 4 schools. The nearest others:

• John of Gaunt Infant and Nursery School Norwich
• Aylsham High School Norwich
• Buxton Primary School Norwich

What is Bure Valley School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Bure Valley School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was Bure Valley School last inspected by Ofsted?

Bure Valley School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does Bure Valley School have?

Bure Valley School has 225 pupils on roll.

What age range does Bure Valley School cover?

Bure Valley School for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are Bure Valley School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Bure Valley School?

Bure Valley School is at Hungate Street, Aylsham, Norwich, Norfolk, NR11 6JZ.