Norton CEVC Primary School

Norton CEVC Primary is a highly ambitious school where pupils thrive, enjoy their learning and behave exceptionally well. Inspectors found strong quality of education and leadership, with outstanding behaviour and attitudes, personal development and early years provision. Reading sits at the heart of the curriculum, the curriculum is carefully planned to build knowledge over time, and pupils benefit from a wide range of enrichment, extra-curricular activities and leadership roles. Safeguarding is effective. The inspection took place in December 2024 and was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic. The school was previously judged outstanding and had been exempt from routine inspection; it has since expanded to include Years 5 and 6, and the number on roll has more than doubled. Under the current framework, no overall effectiveness grade was awarded. The main area for improvement is that some pupils, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, rely too heavily on adult support and direction. This limits their independence and means they do not always achieve as well as they could when additional adults are not available. Leaders should develop further ways to adapt teaching so that more pupils can access the curriculum independently when they are able to do so.

Strengths

• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, with high-quality texts and strong phonics support.
• The curriculum is carefully considered, builds knowledge over time and is enriched by trips and visitors.
• Writing is taught systematically, including daily practice and pencil-grip activities in the early years.
• Pupils are exceptionally well behaved, focused and hard-working in lessons.
• Personal development is exceptionally strong, including British values, cultural experiences and performance opportunities.
• Pupils have many extra-curricular activities and leadership roles, including clubs set up by older pupils.
• Early years provision is highly effective, with expert language modelling and strong preparation for Year 1.
• Leaders know the school well, staff feel supported and governance is knowledgeable.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, particularly those with SEND, rely too heavily on adult support and direction, limiting their independence and achievement when additional adults are unavailable.

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 Norton CEVC Primary School attended 95.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.7% 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, 1.0% of pupils at Norton CEVC 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 Norton CEVC Primary School had 20.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 15.0% 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, 15.8% of pupils at Norton CEVC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Norton CEVC Primary School received £6,532 and spent £6,656 for each of its 203 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £127,000 (£626 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 Bury St Edmunds · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

What is Norton CEVC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Norton CEVC Primary School is Good, from an inspection in January 2025.

When was Norton CEVC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Norton CEVC Primary School was last inspected in January 2025.

How many pupils does Norton CEVC Primary School have?

Norton CEVC Primary School has 203 pupils on roll.

What age range does Norton CEVC Primary School cover?

Norton CEVC Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Norton CEVC Primary School?

Norton CEVC Primary School is at School Close, Norton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP31 3LZ.