Welcome, and thank you for your interest in our Headteacher opportunity

Just a 10-minute walk away from the centre of Malton, a picturesque artisanal market town, lies Norton Community Primary School.

Set across two different sites, we have 551 pupils on roll, 3 form entry, and are one of the largest schools in North Yorkshire. We are the only primary school in Norton, and we provide education to children from 3 years to 11 years.

Despite our large size, our school has been described by Ofsted as retaining a ‘family feeling’. Our leaders and staff know the pupils and their families very well, and there is key focus on care, respect, and kindness.

The top priority is delivering high quality teaching and learning, whilst at the same time promoting new experiences, providing rich and truly enjoyable learning opportunities for our community of children.

Norton Community Primary School is a thriving, purposeful community of learners where adults and children work together in an environment which promotes high quality teaching and learning.

High expectations of behaviour enable our pupils to maximise their learning opportunities and encourages them to become well-mannered, tolerant and respectful citizens.

Through the Norton Values of Friendship, Determination, Courage, Excellence, Respect, Inspiration and Equality, children develop into responsible, considerate and creative members of the community, ready to face their next challenge in education.

At Norton Community Primary, children come first.

Our Strengths

• Our Staff, who are caring, kind, resourceful and hold consistently high expectations of learning and behaviour.
• Pastoral Support and Wellbeing of our children is paramount.
• High expectations for learning and behaviour is consistently evident.
• Excellent knowledge of all children and families so that school can monitor and support quickly when additional support is needed either in school or by the family.
• Inclusive, family feel around the school – irrespective of site. The school has made sure that provision meets the needs of all children and all children are valued and cared for irrespective of their academic ability.  All children feel a part of the school and new pupils are always welcome.
• Outcomes for all children are in line with or above national expectations, regardless of the starting points of children entering the school. Progress is a key strength of the school.
• Fluid Curriculum based on the Foundational Learning that is so important. Opportunities and experiences are grasped if they are of benefit to the children. Nine protected characteristics are covered age appropriately throughout the school curriculum.

Our Pupils

Our children are at the heart of everything we do, and they bring energy, curiosity, and a strong sense of community to school life.

Children are encouraged to take pride in their achievements and teachers encourage consistently positive attitudes towards learning. Weekly Good Work assemblies celebrate the children's achievements and ‘Norton Values', which incorporate and link to the British Values, are promoted within school.

Children are nominated by their peers for showing a particular value (such as Determination or Excellence) and are celebrated and rewarded in assembly each week.  This year, leaders have introduced learning champions which are chosen weekly in every class for maths, reading and writing. These reward a child's learning, effort or resilience displayed in that subject and this incentive acts as a good motivator to promote high levels of engagement, effort and resilience in the classroom.

Pupils’ mental health and well-being are central to everything that happens in our school. The continual focus on care, respect and kindness is reflected in the way in which pupils and staff speak to each other.  Consequently, behaviour is very good. From the earliest days in Nursery, children listen well and have a positive attitude to learning.

Pupils are encouraged to take on roles and responsibilities, such as those of sports and pupil voice ambassadors. They are proud of being democratically elected to take on these roles.

Behaviour culture

Ofsted described pupil behaviour as being very good. We have always maintained high standards for behaviour and have recently revisited and updated the Relational Behaviour Policy. All staff have received training on ‘Understanding Challenging Behaviour’. Teachers identify children who need help improving their behaviour and these children attend targeted interventions to help them recognise their feelings and develop self-regulation skills and emotional control (Zones of regulation).

Attendance

Attendance is currently in line with national figures and improving.  Like many schools, our attendance is not yet at the pre-covid level.

Persistent absence is higher than nationally during the year but tends to come back into line by the end of the academic year.  The main reason for absence is Term time holidays, which equate to 1% of our absence – this has been a long-standing reason for absence.

We follow DFE guidance on Monitoring School Attendance and work with parents closely to get reluctant learners back into school.

Exclusions are rare, this academic year there have been only 3 suspended, 0.544% of our pupil cohort.  We use suspension to have a reset and adapt the learning experience appropriately for when the child returns.  If there is no progress in changing the behaviour or engaging in learning, then the school will seek advice and support from other professionals.  Recently, this has enabled a pupil who was struggling to access specialist provision.

Suspensions and exclusions as a final resort where behaviour is dangerous are harmful to others.  Pupils are supported back into school when returning from suspension.

Our Staffing Team

Norton CP is supported by a highly committed and experienced staff team, spanning strategic leadership, teaching, pastoral care, and essential operational roles. There is a low turnover rate of 11.36%. Teacher turnover is 8.57% and support staff is 13.21%.

Leadership Team:

• Headteacher
• Deputy Head
• Senior Teacher at Grove Street
• Senior Teacher at Langton Road
• Curriculum Leader
• SENDCO
• Wellbeing Lead
• Enrichment Leader
• Business Manager

Curriculum Leadership Team

• Science Lead
• English Lead
• Maths Lead
• Computing and ICT Provision Lead

Staffing capacity (Teaching & Classroom Support): 

87 members of staff - 34 teachers – 28.7 FTE and 53 Support Staff

We have 21 classes, teaching staff are supported by teaching assistants in their classrooms.

• Our Early Team employs 4 full-time teachers who are supported by a team of 6 teaching assistants and one HLTA.
• Year One has two teachers and a team of three TAs
• Year Two has three teachers and a team of two TAs
• Year Three has three teachers and a team of three TAs
• Year Four has three teachers and a team of three TAs
• Year 5 has three teachers and a team of three TAs
• Year 6 has three teachers and a team of three TAs
• Team of Cover Teachers – 4.6 FTE
• SEN Support Team, led by a SEND Specialist Teacher, who oversees Targeted Mainstream Provision and is supported by the SENDCO

Non-Classroom Support:

• Office Team of three members of staff who cover both offices at the two school sites
• Premises Team of Caretaking and Cleaning staff who work across both school sites
• Two school kitchens – Grove Steet and Langton Road both have a team of three members of staff
• Breakfast Club with 2 members of staff and an After School Club with 7 members of staff

Our Governing Body

At Norton CP School, our governors, all our staff, parents and children work as a team, building on success, in a happy, creative, high attaining environment where everyone feels valued.

Our governors are involved strategically in all aspects of the school, three core strategic functions which are:

• Ensuring the vision, ethos and strategic direction for the school is clear and understood.
• Holding the School’s Leadership Team to account for the educational performance of the school and the children, and the performance management of staff; and
• Overseeing the financial performance of the school and making sure money is well spent for the benefit of the children.

Read more about our governors.

Norton Values

We live and celebrate our “Norton Values” both integrated in an exciting awards scheme.

Our Norton Values compliment and build upon our British Values. Anyone at school (a friend, someone in your class or a teacher) can nominate a pupil who has shown they understand and live by our values. All nominations go into a weekly draw for a prize. When all four values have been demonstrated, pupils are eligible for a bigger reward.

Courage - Being brave and facing up to any challenge.

Determination - Never giving up. Having the confidence to keep trying no matter how hard it gets.

Excellence - Good work. Always try your best.

Friendship - A good friend shows; sympathy, empathy, honesty, forgiveness and trust. Good is better than best!

At Norton Community Primary, children come first.

As well as being one of the largest schools in North Yorkshire, we pride ourselves on maintaining a safe, caring and friendly environment which encourages children to want to do their best. Our strong pastoral care ensures that pupils are safe and happy whilst parents and carers feel supported. Children are at the heart of everything we do.

Our priority is to deliver high quality teaching and learning whilst at the same time promoting new experiences which provide rich and truly enjoyable learning opportunities for our community of children. We aim to encourage children to achieve their very best intellectually, physically and socially.

Our school is a thriving, purposeful community of learners where adults and children work together in an environment which promotes high quality teaching and learning. Our high expectations of behaviour enables them to maximise their learning opportunities and encourages them to become well-mannered, tolerant and respectful citizens.

We want every child to be successful; to have high aspirations from the very first day they join us and throughout their school lives so that when they leave us, they are communicative, knowledgeable, are proud of their achievements and are equipped with the necessary key skills for the rest of their lives.

Our aims for all children are that…

• they should be safe, secure and happy in school.
• they have equal access to the curriculum, regardless of ability, social background, gender, race or religion.
• they acquire the necessary skills of literacy and numeracy in order to raise levels of achievement within and beyond the National Curriculum.
• they experience a broad and balanced curriculum where knowledge, skills and understanding can develop at a pace matched to individual needs.
• they have a thirst for knowledge and continuous improvement.
• children have the knowledge and skills to recognise and manage risk
• they experience consistently good teaching in stimulating learning environments.
• their parents are encouraged and supported to take an active role in their learning.
• they develop an appreciation of the importance of responsible behaviour, courtesy and consideration for others.
• that their personal development is promoted, in order to prepare them to become independent, thoughtful, confident, resilient and valued members of an ever-changing, multi-cultural society.

Quality of Education

Norton CP is proud of its curriculum.  It is personalised to our children, broad, progressive and engaging, allowing our children to build up a wealth of skills and knowledge during their time with us.  Learning is revisited regularly, and teachers talk to children about how current learning links to things from their previous learning or what they will go on to learn in the future. It also links to our locality and is flexible to allow adaptations to be made as required meeting the needs of specific year groups.

Wrapped around the content of the classroom curriculum is a wider school curriculum, which bridges the socio-economic gaps that many of our children may have when compared to perceived experiences for primary aged children. Things such as visiting a cinema, learning to ride a bike, singing in church, raising money for less fortunate people, experiencing a theatre or zoo are all valued experiences that enhance our curriculum as well as giving children opportunities they may not always be exposed to.

Leaders regularly review the curriculum to make sure it is meeting the needs of all pupils; it evolves and develops to be ambitious whilst not having barriers.  We have recently added a role that will enable us to enhance our 'enrichment' curriculum by fundraising money throughout the year. Key knowledge is published for all learners and shared with parents/carers at the start of each topic.  Class teachers also send home an 'Ask Your Child about...' question for parents to engage in learning from the topic.

Striving for excellence, our school’s literature-rich curriculum was sparked by the staff team who felt our curriculum drivers should be: communication, independence, knowledge and self-motivation.  It is designed to be ambitious but also to equip all students with the knowledge and skills to help them on their next steps of education whilst keeping themselves safe in an ever-changing world.  Despite a strong focus on PSHE and online safety in our school, we have a number of children who can talk eloquently about how to keep safe but do not follow the steps themselves.

Leaders monitor the quality of teaching and learning and endeavour to maintain the highest standards of teaching throughout the school. This information is then disseminated and used to inform staff of current pedagogy and research-based strategies so that they can adapt teaching and learning appropriately.  When a teacher is seen to need support, this is recognised promptly and given through coaching and staff meetings.

SEND & Inclusion:   

Currently there are 13.8% SEND (76 pupils)

• 1% Pupil Premium (144 pupils)
• 4% Pupil Premium with SEND (35 pupils)
• 17% EAL (91 pupils)
• 9% LAC (5 pupils)

Across school, 14% of children are identified as having SEND (10.5% on SEND Support and 3.5% of children have EHCPs).  Where a child with additional needs can access their mainstream classroom they are supported to do this.  However, leaders at Norton CP recognise that sometimes a bespoke and personalised programme for children is required and they will do what they can to best meet the needs of all pupils.

Senior Leaders have a thorough knowledge of all pupils and staff understand that it is important to quickly identify any barriers to learning, attendance or behaviour. Individual progress, attendance and behaviour are regularly monitored by the headteacher, and where there are concerns a plan is actioned quickly.  Both National and North Yorkshire data shows that any child capable of achieving academically will achieve well in our school.

Curriculum leaders regularly update curriculum plans in line with government frameworks, changing trends across school and research findings. Whole school monitoring takes place across the academic year in each area of the curriculum. This monitoring is conducted by senior leaders and curriculum leaders with opportunities to collect pupil voice. Areas of strength, alongside any areas for further development, training or monitoring are discussed and next steps identified. Subject knowledge mats identify key learning and vocabulary required at each year but have been adapted for children with additional learning needs.

In addition to the pupil voice collected during school monitoring, opinions and views are sought from parents and their children throughout the year, including at parents evening and SEND support plan / EHCP reviews. In the Autumn term, a survey is sent to all parents of SEND children where further parent voice is collated. The SENDCO works closely with the school SEND governor who is actively involved in school monitoring and implementation of the SEND policy and procedures. This is then fed back to the full governing body at least termly and any further questions or queries are fed back to the SENDCO.

Targeted Mainstream Provision

We have a growing number of children with high needs who are unable to access the national curriculum.  Norton has provided a bespoke curriculum for these children based on the Engagement Model.  Progress is measured in small steps, but their individual progress is significant and far better than if they were managed in a mainstream classroom.

Following on from the success of this project, we now run Satellite, a Targeted Mainstream Provision for Communication and Interaction. This is funded by North Yorkshire Council; there are currently four children in this provision. These children have a personalised curriculum but are also integrated into their own year groups as and when it is appropriate.

Norton CP is proud of its inclusive nature.  It does not see the lack of external support or special school places as a barrier to meeting needs.  In total, Norton CP has developed 2 additional provisions, under the guidance and planning of a full time SENDCO, Specialist Teacher and the NYC SEND hubs.

Currently there are 10 children with significant additional needs accessing these additional school provisions.  Each of these children have an EHCP and a personalised curriculum has been developed.  They are happy (as described by their parents/carers) and making good progress from their starting points with us.

Wellbeing of Staff and Pupils

At Norton Community Primary School pupil wellbeing is central to our ethos and daily practice. We recognise the growing importance of supporting children to develop healthy lifestyles, resilience and a strong sense of independence, and we invest significantly in initiatives that promote personal hygiene, nutritional understanding, online safety, respect and emotional development. Pupils’ mental health sits at the heart of everything we do, and this focus on care, kindness and positive relationships is reflected in the way children and adults speak to and support one another.

Equally, we are committed to the wellbeing of our staff. We understand that a nurturing, caring culture for pupils can only thrive when the adults who work here feel valued, supported and respected. Our staff benefit from a collaborative environment. We place great importance on workload awareness, emotional support and ensuring that everyone, regardless of role, has the space to flourish both personally and professionally. By caring for each other, we create a school community where pupils and staff feel secure, inspired and able to thrive.

Relationships with parents, carers and the local community

Norton has a population of 8,500 and has grown due to new housing developments in the area, with a further 600 new homes planned over the next few years.  Norton and Malton are served well with local amenities, including bus and train stations, cinema, swimming pool, local artisan shops, major supermarkets and hotels.

The school is very popular and despite our large size, our school has been described by Ofsted as retaining a ‘family feeling’. Our leaders and staff know the pupils and their families very well, and there is key focus on care, respect, and kindness.

The morning 'Meet and Greet' is one of the most important parts of our school day in ensuring children have a calm and successful start to their day. We make it our priority to greet children (and their parent/ carers) with a familiar face every morning, so we can see from the children's faces or body language if we need to make a quick intervention.  This might be borrowing some warm, dry clothing, finding some breakfast or even just a quick hug to let them know that we are there for them. Class teachers lead their class out of school at the end of the day and are present and available to talk to parents to address questions, concerns or any issues that have arisen during the school day.

Staff at Norton CP work hard to develop positive relationships with the children and their families which results in early identification of concerns and barriers to learning. Our open-door policy means that parents feel happy to contact school for advice and support at the earliest opportunities. They can do this through their child's class teacher, by contacting the office (in person, by phone or email) or contacting the SENDCO directly.

Our intention is that all pupils in our school are supported to make good progress by the time they move onto their next school irrespective of their background or the challenges they face. Our focus for the use of the pupil premium funding is to support disadvantaged children to achieve high attainment across all subject areas, including those children who are already high attainers. We consider the barriers currently faced by our vulnerable pupils, such as those who have a social worker and young carers and then tailor individual support using robust diagnostic assessment.

Relationship with LA

As a locally maintained school, Norton CP enjoys a strong working relationship with the Local Authority and a positive partnership with its School Advisor. As we begin a new chapter with the appointment of our next Headteacher, we are committed to maintaining and further strengthening these valuable relationships.

Wider networks

Norton CP maintains strong links with other schools in the area. Our outgoing Headteacher has served as a mentor to newly appointed Headteachers in neighbouring schools, reflecting the school’s commitment to professional collaboration and support. We have also developed productive partnerships with universities through our work with trainee teachers and ECTs. In addition, Norton CP collaborates closely with local primary schools to provide a wide range of extra‑curricular and sporting activities for our pupils.

Ofsted

The most recent Ofsted report was from October 2022, Norton CP was rated ‘Good’ in all areas and awarded ‘Good’ overall. We are expecting the next Ofsted inspection to be in the academic year 2026-2027.  This provides our next Headteacher with a valuable window to build on the school’s strong foundations, embed their strategic vision, and shape key areas of school improvement ahead of the next inspection cycle. It also enables the Headteacher to ensure that key strengths, such as inclusion, curriculum ambition, staff wellbeing, and leadership practice, are clearly demonstrated in line with the new evaluation areas, while also leading the school confidently into its next phase of development.

Below are the three areas for improvement noted in the 2022 Ofsted reports:

1. Leaders have not clarified how teachers should use assessment effectively.
2. Leaders are not monitoring the intended curriculum closely enough.
3. Variances exist in the accuracy and quality of individual support plans written for pupils on the SEND register.

Actions taken:

• Specific monitoring focus groups on reading, writing and maths. Performance management targets in place for consistent and effective use of adaptive teaching to identify and monitor gaps in learning.
• End of year assessments have been developed to determine which students require targeted intervention groups and additional support for the following year.
• Appointment of a permanent SENDCO in 2025 with sole responsibility for the SEND needs in the school. Previously the SENDCO role had been one of a number of roles for a senior leader. Other responsibilities linked are the TMP overseen by Deputy head.
• The Den managed by a SEND teacher support by two TAs. Leaders have worked hard to ensure that each pupil has a detailed plan in place to support their needs.

Pupil achievement, attainment and progress

Year 6 2025 results were above national and the local authority in all subjects apart from Greater Depth writing.  National and NYC data show that the longer children are in the school the better they achieve.  73% met the required standard for Reading, Writing and Maths with 10% at GDS.  82% met the required standards for Maths (GDS 32%) and Reading (GDS 38%).  For the first time since the Writing SAT was removed, the percentage meeting the required standard was 78% (GDS 10% - that was the only statistic below national or LA).

Budget position

Our school budget is healthy, yet we are aware of falling rolls and the impact this will have over the next three years. We effectively monitor the use of resources, ensuring value for money and long-term sustainability.  Balancing a good school budget with changes to rolls and resources means the next Headteacher will need to understand and have experience of managing school finances effectively.

Current Focus

• Continue to develop and improve the resilience of learners through adaptive teaching and our carefully planned PSHE curriculum.
• Find engaging ways to encourage more children to choose to read rather than only read when an adult listens to them.
• Parental engagement with learning, behaviour and attendance. How do we change an increasing mindset that school is not important?
• Continuing to meet the ever-changing needs of our school with increased SEND need and an increasing range of EAL children arriving but less adults to support because of the budget.
• Writing across school both Framework and handwriting.
• Behaviour in school is good with an effective Relational Behaviour Policy that is based upon teachers building positive relationships with pupils and helping them to manage when things are tricky. High expectations are evident across the school.

Short and Mid-term Priorities

Strategic Priorities

• Curriculum, teaching and improving results
• SEND and TMP
• Managing premises and staffing with account for expected fall in pupil numbers
• SLT Key Focus by Year
• 2025-26: SEND and TMP, ongoing improvement in results

Long term Ambitions

• Pupil numbers have fallen in recent years, from consistently 600+ to around 550 now. Approximately one class per year since 2024. The knock-on effect of this on efficient site-management, staffing model within context of the budget.
• Manging the falling role and the associated challenges of staffing and site management
• Maintaining strong pupil outcomes with ever-increasing SEND and EAL needs, and a wide range of learner profile at the school.

North Yorkshire

North Yorkshire is England's largest county and one of the most rural. The area comprises the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and a stunning coastline around Scarborough and Whitby. There are ruined castles and abbeys, serene gardens, unique breweries, thrilling rides and industrial heritage. The area hosted the phenomenal Tour de France ‘Grand Depart’ in 2014 and has since created the Tour de Yorkshire, an annual event with global recognition. Our success in supporting these events led to Harrogate hosting the UCI Cycling World Championships in 2019.

North Yorkshire has plenty to offer the outdoor enthusiast. From the hard gritstone of Almscliff and Brimham rocks to the limestone of Malham, Gordale and Kilnsey climbing venues are in abundance. The Yorkshire Dales is the premier area for caving and for mountain biking; there are the bridleways of the Dales and North York Moors as well as the renowned trail centre at Dalby Forest. There are a small number of sailing clubs on reservoirs around the county and fantastic surfsport venues and sea kayaking on the east coast.

While the county is rightly known for its wide open spaces, it also incorporates attractive market towns including Pickering and Helmsley, traditional seaside towns, the Spa town of Harrogate and the ancient city of York - the most visited city outside of London. There are a wide range of shopping, leisure and cultural facilities as well as excellent schools, universities, road and rail links, there really is everything to offer you and your family as a place to work, live and enjoy!

Travelling further afield we have convenient connectivity, with close proximity to metropolitan cities of Leeds and Newcastle, with little over two hours commute on the main train line to London. We border the Lake District, Lancashire, County Durham, and Yorkshire & Humber regions with all they have to offer.

You can find out more about what North Yorkshire has to offer on the Visit North Yorkshire website.

North Yorkshire Local Authority

North Yorkshire Council has a strong reputation for delivering high-quality services. Our Children’s Services are nationally recognised for excellence and routinely share best practice across the sector. Our teams are proud of what has been achieved and are committed to continuous improvement, ensuring services deliver real impact for children, young people and families while making effective use of public money. North Yorkshire serves a diverse and dispersed population of around 615,400 people, including 151,000 children, across more than 8,000 square kilometres. Our relationship-based “Strength in Relationships” practice model is embedded across the workforce, underpinned by strong partnership working at all levels.

We are deeply committed to ensuring children and young people are safe, happy, healthy and able to achieve within inclusive, high-quality services that value diversity and individuality. This vision is shaped by children and young people themselves, who told us that what matters most to them can be summed up in one word: Opportunity. We want life chances to be shaped by aspiration and potential, not circumstance or geography.

As the Headteacher of a North Yorkshire Local Authority (LA) maintained school, you will benefit from a comprehensive school improvement offer from the CYPS Education Standards and Inclusion team and access to a wide range of traded services designed to support you in your role. This includes:

• Participation in our ‘Welcome to North Yorkshire’ programme for new headteachers and those new to North Yorkshire, led by the School Improvement Team. The welcome team will ensure you have a clear understanding of working as a headteacher within North Yorkshire and will guide you through key aspects of headship, including Human Resources, School Finance, Governance, Health and Safety, SEND and inclusion, and safeguarding.
• Support from an experienced mentor headteacher who will work alongside you as you establish yourself into your role.
• A named Senior Education Adviser (SEA) from the School Improvement Team, who will support your school improvement journey through our core and enhanced offer. Your SEA will act as your first point of contact, helping you navigate and access wider services as needed.
• Access to specialist school improvement advisers, including experts in Safeguarding, Early Years, Religious Education, Health and Wellbeing and Governance.
• A wide range of specialist teams, traded services, training courses and resources available through North Yorkshire Education Services (NYES), including our recently launched Inclusive Mainstream Toolkit.
• Participation in termly CYPS briefings, offering opportunities to network with colleagues across both LA-maintained and academy sectors in North Yorkshire.
• Weekly LA updates via our ‘redbag’ communications, alongside comprehensive guidance available on the CYPS-info website.
• Access to the biennial Growing Up in North Yorkshire (GUNY) survey, enabling your school to gather valuable pupil voice on health, wellbeing, and educational experiences.
• Opportunities to participate in our Healthy Schools programme, supported by specialist advisers.