Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is a very small rural school with 19 pupils, well above average proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals and pupils with SEND, and a capacity of 42. Inspectors found the school meeting expected standards across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing, with safeguarding standards met. National test outcomes are below national averages, but leaders and inspectors see this as heavily influenced by very small cohorts and year-on-year fluctuation; pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, progress well from their individual starting points. The school's strengths include a systematic early years phonics programme, improving attendance, calm and respectful behaviour, strong inclusion and pastoral support, effective leadership and governance through a period of change, and a wide personal development offer that widens pupils' experiences despite its rural location. Staff feel supported and valued, and governors provide appropriate challenge and support. The main improvement priorities are to ensure teachers prioritise pupils' recall of precise essential vocabulary and high-quality conversations across the curriculum, and to fully embed recent improvements in mathematics and writing so outcomes continue to rise. Some staff explanations can lack clarity, at times limiting how deeply pupils understand their learning, and occasional lapses in concentration slow progress for some pupils. Overall, this is a positive inspection with no serious weaknesses identified.

Strengths

• Pupils, including those with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, progress well from their individual starting points.
• Early years children learn phonics systematically and develop reading fluency with growing confidence and accuracy.
• Staff identify learning gaps quickly and provide targeted support that helps pupils catch up.
• Attendance has improved over time and is now close to the national average.
• Pupils behave calmly, respectfully and safely, and bullying is rare and dealt with swiftly.
• The curriculum is ambitious, generally well sequenced and has been strengthened through recent positive changes.
• Leaders deploy staff and resources effectively and provide carefully planned professional learning.
• Inclusion is strong, with prompt identification of needs, effective adaptations and responsive pastoral support.
• Leaders use pupil premium funding appropriately to ensure disadvantaged pupils access trips and wider experiences.
• Leadership and governance are positive and professional, with leaders managing change and governors providing challenge and support.
• Staff report feeling supported and valued, and leaders consider workload and wellbeing.
• Personal development is promoted well through enrichment, community links, relationships education and online safety.
• Pupils develop respect, tolerance and understanding of diversity and healthy relationships.

Areas for Improvement

• National test outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics are below national averages, largely reflecting very small cohorts and year-on-year fluctuations.
• Essential vocabulary is not precise enough in places, making recall difficult for some pupils.
• Recent improvements to mathematics and writing teaching are not yet fully embedded.
• Some staff explanations lack sufficient clarity, which limits how deeply some pupils understand their learning.
• Occasional lapses in concentration slow learning for some pupils.
• Disadvantaged pupils' national test outcomes remain below national non-disadvantaged averages, although cohorts are very small.

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 2023–24 pupils at Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.5%). 13.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 14.6%).

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 2023–24, 0.0% of pupils at Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.0%). 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 2023–24 Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School had 10.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.8). Of its teachers in 2023–24, 100.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 17.1%).

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.

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What is Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School have?

Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School has 18 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School cover?

Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School?

Hapton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School is at The Street, Hapton, Norwich, Norfolk, NR15 1AD.