Copdock Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Ensure that teachers have the same high expectations of pupils’ written work in subjects such as geography, history or religious education as they do in English, so that pupils always produce their best work.
• Continue to improve the provision for children in the early years by ensuring that teachers provide regular opportunities for children to choose activities that will develop their independent learning.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• The headteacher’s excellent leadership has created a highly effective school with a strong culture of continuous improvement. No one in the school is complacent, including the pupils. Leaders at all levels constantly review the quality of the education they provide. They are relentless in their pursuit of excellence and take decisive and timely action to improve the quality of teaching and leadership in the school.
• The headteacher’s vision for every child to excel is shared by all leaders, governors and staff. All adults are excellent role models for pupils. What is more, pupils who have additional responsibilities, including playground ‘buddies’, school council members, and the head pupils, are equally good role models for all pupils at Copdock.
• Monitoring and evaluating the quality of teaching, learning and assessment are skilfully undertaken by leaders. Subject leaders know their areas of responsibility very well and have excellent subject knowledge. In turn, this is shared with all staff to ensure that the teaching of, for example, grammar, punctuation and spelling, has improved vastly since last year. Leaders at all levels contribute to the school’s rigorous self-evaluation and school improvement plans, as do pupils. Collectively, they greatly contribute to the school’s capacity to continue to improve.
• Leaders hold staff, including one other, to account through robust performance management which is rooted in improving pupils’ outcomes. This includes those teachers who are recently qualified. The headteacher, special educational needs coordinator (SENCo) and leaders of English and mathematics are skilled at supporting, coaching and training.
• Leaders are always on the lookout for solutions or exemplars to enhance Copdock’s provision. For example, they have considered how other schools effectively manage the teaching of mixed-age classes and took the decision this year to split teaching for Year 2 from Reception and Year 1. This has enabled teachers to concentrate on the needs of these particular pupils and has ensured that they have made good or better progress this year.
• Discussions between leaders, teachers, pupils and parents about pupils’ outcomes are regular and rigorous. These ‘open learning sessions’ are welcomed by parents and enable teachers and leaders to intervene quickly if a pupil is at risk of falling behind their classmates. Provision is regularly reviewed and rapidly altered if needs be, to ensure that pupils continue to be successful in their learning. If it is not working, it is changed without hesitation. ‘We can’t afford to wait. Children are with us for such a short amount of time,’ said one member of staff.
• The leadership of special educational needs support is highly effective. Barriers to the learning of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are explored fully by the SENCo. She ensures that staff are trained very well to be able to address the needs of individual pupils, for example in delivering high-quality speech and language support. Evidence of the impact of such support is recorded well and shared with parents, who value highly such personalised programmes. The SENCo has also established very effective working relationships with a range of external agencies to supplement the school’s provision for pupils. As a result of the school’s use of additional funding, pupils make at least good and often very strong progress from their individual starting points.
• The governor who has oversight of the allocation of pupil premium funding, along with the headteacher, ensure that this resource is used effectively. Disadvantaged pupils in the school, although a small group, largely progress as well as their classmates in reading and mathematics. This is because support is well targeted by both teachers and teaching assistants. Progress in writing is a little slower for a minority of pupils.
• The well-established, engaging and stimulating curriculum is a notable strength of the school. Pupils enjoy the ‘sparkle’ moments that begin a particular theme, and say that they particularly like visits out, or visitors to the school. Pupils gave examples to the inspector of what they had most enjoyed, which included the visitor from a local animal rescue charity, with her two dogs, for whom the school raised £82. Pupils also clearly enjoy and look forward to the Year 4 sleepover where they get to roast marshmallows.
• The promotion of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is particularly effective. The work that leaders do to explore diversity is second to none. Pupils demonstrate a very good understanding of people’s differences and respect the points of view of others with great maturity. Pupils are actively encouraged to reflect on their learning, learn from their mistakes and take every opportunity to develop. They congratulate their classmates on their achievements and are supportive in class if someone needs help. When the headteacher told Year 6 pupils their test results this year, they all clapped each other and acknowledged when one of their friends, for example, had made really good progress even if they had not attained as well as others.
• Governors ensure that leaders use the primary physical education and sport premium effectively. Pupils greatly enjoy being involved in a range of sporting activities. During the inspection, pupils were keen to get to the local cricket match they were taking part in. Leaders supplement the funding to give pupils in key stage 1 similar opportunities in swimming to older pupils in the school. As a result, all pupils from Year 1 upwards are learning to swim. Years 5 and 6 pupils have already achieved the national curriculum requirement of 25 metres.
• Until summer 2016, the local authority’s support was ‘light touch’. Following the 2016 writing results, the school has worked with local authority personnel to train new teachers, moderate teachers’ judgements of writing and enhance the teaching of spelling, punctuation and grammar. The headteacher works very effectively with the local authority to support other schools. For example, she is now headteacher of two schools, and other schools visit Copdock to observe effective leadership and practice. Leaders eagerly accepted the opportunity to be part of the local authority’s programme ‘To Good and Beyond’, to keep up the challenge they place on themselves. This has helped leaders and governors to reflect on and explore financial efficiencies and effective deployment of staff across the federation, to benefit both schools.
• The school’s own parent survey demonstrates that parents are overwhelmingly pleased with their children’s progress, behaviour, and the opportunities this small school provides for its pupils. As one parent said, ‘As the key stage draws to a close, I feel it is important to express how grateful we are to the teaching staff who have worked tirelessly to support my child’s learning journey so far.’ All of the evidence seen during the inspection wholeheartedly supports the fact that all adults in the school are tenacious in ensuring that pupils get the best support they can. It is to leaders’ credit that, during a time of some considerable change for the school, the vast majority of parents would recommend this school to others.

Governance of the school

• Since the previous inspection, the school has gone through a process of merging its governing body with Bentley Church of England VC School, with which Copdock has federated. As a result, there have been several changes to the structure and complement of the governing body. However, it is abundantly clear that governors have not allowed this to get in the way of their core work of holding leaders to account for the achievement, safety and well-being of pupils. Governors take their responsibilities very seriously. They are absolutely committed to continuing the school’s journey and are not complacent, despite the very positive outcome of this and the previous inspection.
• Governors, along with leaders, have an aspirational vision to continually improve the school and have a wider impact on the local community. They have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and its areas for development. Minutes from governing body meetings show that governors receive detailed information about the progress pupils are making, which the headteacher and other leaders present in an honest and straightforward way. Governors test out the accuracy of this information. They visit the school regularly and work alongside leaders and pupils in the school. They have enhanced the skills and expertise of the body with recent appointments. This has helped to ensure that governors are well equipped to evaluate the impact of actions that they and leaders have taken.
• Governors have sensibly ensured that staff expertise is shared across the federation and that financial expenditure results in good value for money. They have taken account of the staff’s workload and have reduced any duplication which might occur when working in and leading two schools. In turn, this has meant that leaders at Copdock have been enabled to concentrate fully on the job in hand at this school. For example, investment in focused staff development and opportunities to ‘grow their own’ teachers and enhance leadership skills, has paid dividends. This has enabled staff to share best practice and to continue to improve teaching and leadership at all levels.
• The governing body seeks the views of, listens to and responds to all stakeholders, especially pupils. The two head pupils present termly reports to governors about the work they have done and the views of the wider pupil population. This is truly one of the best examples the inspector has seen in terms of development of leadership at ‘grass roots’. These pupils are rightly proud of their work. They said, ‘Recently we did a road safety workshop for key stage 1 pupils. It went really well. We got their attention, they were all engaged and they all said they had learned something.’ Inspirational.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Safeguarding is a high priority among governors and staff. Leaders ensure that there are reminders to be vigilant about safeguarding everywhere throughout the school.
• Leaders ensure that the appropriate checks are made on adults’ suitability to work with children. All staff are provided with regular training about how to safeguard and protect pupils from a wide range of risks, including radicalisation and extremism.
• Records of safeguarding are detailed and show that leaders take appropriate action in a timely fashion. Leaders know all pupils very well and have made every effort to get to know families of pupils who may be vulnerable. All adults share information appropriately and sensitively to ensure that pupils are safe and any concerns are thoroughly investigated.
• Staff have a good understanding of how pupils may be vulnerable and know what to do if they have a concern about a pupil’s safety or welfare. The culture of care and protection extends beyond that of fulfilling statutory requirements. Leaders are not only proactive, but are dogged in their determination to ensure that they address these needs. Warm relationships and a sense that everyone knows everyone else and plays an active part in each other’s welfare, are palpable at Copdock.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• All adults have high expectations of pupils’ work and behaviour. Staff have developed excellent relationships with pupils in a culture of continued self-improvement. One of many benefits of a small school is that staff know all pupils very well. Teachers therefore plan learning that meets individuals’ needs and builds effectively on pupils’ prior learning. As a result, pupils are motivated, and keen to learn. They say that their school is ‘fabulous’ because of the teachers.
• Teachers and teaching assistants are skilled at using questions to test pupils’ understanding and extend their thinking. Posing problems and proving predictions or answers is a regular and expected feature in all subjects. Because of excellent teacher subject knowledge, pupils understand and accurately use vocabulary that is often way beyond their years. The language-rich environment across the school provides pupils with plenty of opportunities to listen and reflect. Pupils are clearly used to talking to their ‘talk partners’. They know that a simple answer will not suffice. It therefore comes as second nature to challenge and support each other, and indeed the adults.
• The teaching of reading is strong. As a result of excellent phonics teaching, children as young as those in Reception make plausible attempts at unfamiliar words and read back their work to others accurately. Further up the school, pupils read well, often and widely. They enjoy the extensive range of books in the library areas that are dotted around the school. Pupils say they ‘love reading because you get hooked into a dream’. The responses older pupils gave to the inspector about the books they were reading, the authors they like, and the genre they prefer, were impressive. ‘When a book ends on a cliff-hanger and there is no second book it is so frustrating! In fact, I wrote the ending to one book I read and stuck it in the back of the book!’
• The teaching of writing has been a key focus for the school this year. This has paid dividends. The quality of writing, from the youngest to the oldest pupils in the school, is high. Year 2 pupils regularly use a variety of punctuation to enhance their writing. Evidence in pupils’ books in Years 3 and 4 showed that they are using a range of sentence structures to keep the reader’s interest. An example from a Year 5 pupil beautifully demonstrates high-quality writing: ‘It was dead on midnight, the bare trees were grabbing at thin air; the crooked trees were shaking dramatically at the treacherous thunder that boomed through the darkness.’ Pupils truly are authors. They have clearly benefited from meeting and working with a professional author in school. However, teachers do not always have the same high expectations of pupils’ writing in their topic books as they do in their English work. As a result, pupils do not always show what they are capable of.
• The leader of mathematics, who is also the deputy headteacher, has successfully embedded the new mathematics curriculum. Teachers’ subject knowledge is excellent. Teachers consistently provide pupils with opportunities to explore a range of resources. This undoubtedly aids the development of pupils’ mathematical knowledge, understanding and skills. Pupils in Year 1, for example, confidently predict area when comparing leaves. Using algebra rods, they responded to the inspector’s question, ‘Which leaf has the bigger area then?’ – ‘Mine, as I have 10 more blocks than her’. Pupils in Year 2 successfully apply their knowledge of algebra. In one lesson in Year 5, pupils systematically worked through a problem to see how many combinations there might be for a three- or four-digit password. The emphasis in all lessons is on pupils predicting and proving their answers. This approach is ensuring that pupils, including those who are most able, make excellent progress across the school.
• Teachers use teaching assistants’ skills and expertise very effectively. These staff provide high-quality support for pupils, especially those who need additional support. Pupils’ development of independence is not, however, stifled. As a result, pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who are disadvantaged make similar and sometimes better progress than their classmates.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding.
• Because of the considerable work that leaders have done across the school, all pupils have a very good understanding of how to be a successful learner. The inspector saw numerous examples in lessons of pupils discussing and debating their learning. They are not afraid to get things wrong: in fact this is actively encouraged because they are taught to ‘follow mistakes with learning’. Pupils work extremely well together and respect the views of others. They show that they can work effectively both independently and collaboratively.
• Pupils at Copdock have a growing influential voice in the school. Leaders have ensured that there are many opportunities for pupils to play an active part in decision making on all aspects of the school’s work. The campaign for next year’s head pupils has begun in earnest. As one candidate advertised as part of his bid to win the election, ‘I’ll be organised and ready to take your ideas and concerns.’ Pupils are proud to be part of the school council to improve some aspects of the school, for example by opening a cafe, which is very popular. The head pupils, who are voted for by their peers, play a huge role. They take part in learning walks and report back to pupils, leaders and governors on their findings. ‘We saw how behaviour had improved from one term to the next. Pupils were engaged in their learning and were really listening to each other more.’ These pupils can be very proud of the work that they have done to continually improve the school.
• The overwhelming majority of parents who responded to the school’s own survey reported that their children are safe in school. Pupils say that they feel safe at all times and know how to keep themselves safe, including when using the internet. The school is situated on a main road. Pupils spoke with the local community support officer to ask her to check on how people park outside the school and the speed of passing vehicles. Such an initiative is one of many that leaders encourage in their desire to ensure that pupils are safe at all times.
• Pupils know the many forms that bullying can take. This is because they are constantly reminded about speaking out if they see or are affected by bullying, through ‘values assemblies’, posters and anti-bullying activities. They say that bullying is extremely rare. They know whom to go to if they have any concerns and are confident that they will be listened to.
• Leaders actively encourage pupils to celebrate diversity and difference. They take part in many activities, embracing the ‘rainbow principles’ with which pupils are very familiar. Leaders, pupils and parents alike are rightly proud, for example, of getting to the final of the ‘bake-off’ competition in London. A pupil designed a cake that embodied what difference ‘looks like’ and how it should be celebrated, and had to prepare it in one session, just as in the television programme.
• Care for those pupils who need additional support is extremely thorough and well documented. The very strong relationships that leaders have established with a range of extended services, such as social care and the education welfare service, help to ensure the safety and care of these pupils.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. They conduct themselves in an exemplary manner, both inside and outside the classroom. This is because all adults have high expectations and a common and consistent approach to behaviour management.
• Pupils know and understand the school’s behaviour system well. They explain the ‘traffic light system’, acknowledging that very few pupils get to the red stage. They know that the system of recording incidents clearly shows ‘any patterns of poor behaviour’, and pupils say that they do not want to be one of those identified pupils.
• Playground buddies are on hand in the playground should pupils need their help in resolving playground squabbles. One of the head pupils told the inspector, ‘They are not needed much these days. That’s quite good really. It means that children are much more confident – they sort out any problems they have between themselves.’
• Pupils’ enthusiasm for learning is very evident. They are conscientious learners who constantly push themselves or accept challenge from adults or their classmates. Pupils debate their learning with their ‘talk partners’ and the teacher and readily support each other in class. For example, when pupils were identifying cities on a map of the British Isles, using an atlas to help them, two boys debated whether they had correctly identified one particular city. ‘You think it is Newcastle. Put that down for a start, and I will see if I can prove if it is or it isn’t!’ These aspects of pupils’ learning behaviours strongly contribute to their excellent reasoning skills and the progress they make.
• The school’s own questionnaire evidences that parents strongly agree that their children enjoy school, behave very well and are very well cared for. Parents have great confidence in the leaders and teachers, and work closely in partnership with them to support their children’s learning. As one parent put it on a learning journey response slip, ‘I am impressed to see my child’s sewing, something we definitely need to continue at home.’

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Since the previous inspection, Copdock Primary has maintained its high standards of attainment. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Years 2 and 6 in 2015 exceeded the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils attaining the higher standard in key stage 1 was above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. In key stage 2, the proportion achieving the higher standard was above or close to the national average.
• Leaders were disappointed with the outcomes in writing at the end of Year 6 in 2016. Results in reading were above average, and results in mathematics well above average. However, results in writing prevented the school from being above the government’s minimum standards for pupils at the end of key stage 2.
• Unconfirmed results for 2017 show that all pupils in Year 6 achieved the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion of pupils who achieved the higher score has also risen and is more in line with the national expectation. Progress for this group of pupils also appears to have risen from 2016 in reading, writing and mathematics.
• Current pupils’ writing is very impressive across the whole school. This is because pupils are developing as authors and are acutely aware of the audience for whom they are writing. For example, the inspector saw pupils in Years 3 and 4 describing a setting having watched a piece of film. The teacher reminded the pupils that when she read their work last week, she could not always ‘see’ the setting well enough, and asked them why they thought this might be so. ‘Maybe because it might not have had enough description in it for you to see what was in our heads?’ responded one pupil. The writing that then ensued was high quality. Pupils used their ‘writing tool kits’ to find more expressive words such as ‘sinister’ or ‘calm’ that would help the reader to get a feel for the scene. Such sentences as, ‘The twisted seaweed was waving at the girl’, and ‘the fish whizzed across the water like a Lamborghini’, were commonplace. This example is just one of many lessons seen throughout the school during the inspection.
• Year 2 pupils’ achievement in 2016 continued to be above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics. Likewise, the proportion of pupils who achieved the expected standard in the Year 1 phonics check was above the national average, as it has been for three years.
• The school’s own accurate assessment information, work in pupils’ books and observations of learning show that the proportion of pupils throughout the school who are achieving in line with their age is high. More than 80% of pupils in all year groups are above the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics. The proportion achieving greater depth is high in at least four year groups, and improving term on term in the other two classes. This reflects leaders’ determination to ensure that teaching is strong in all year groups and pupils achieve as well as they can.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make rapid gains in confidence and thrive academically, progressing at a similar rate to their peers and, in some cases, better. This is the result of the SENCo’s well-planned, personalised support programmes that address individual pupils’ needs. The inspector observed the very effective support that these pupils receive from all adults in the classroom.
• The most able pupils respond enthusiastically to the stimulating challenges presented to them. Their responses often belie their age. From the very youngest pupils to the oldest, they are able to reason and debate. They constantly challenge themselves and produce high-quality work, particularly in mathematics and reading.
• There are too few disadvantaged pupils to comment on their attainment compared with the national average. However, evidence seen across the school for this small group of pupils, including the most able disadvantaged pupils, is that they are making progress similar to that of their classmates. This is because leaders keep a close eye on their well-being, attendance and achievement. Effective work with individuals and families has clearly had an impact on many pupils’ outcomes and self-esteem.
• Pupils as young as those in Year 2 work towards joining their handwriting and writing with a pen. As a result, pupils’ work is well presented and they take pride in showing how this aspect of their learning has improved. The subject leader for English has ensured that teachers have the knowledge and understanding to teach grammar, punctuation and spelling effectively. Consequently, pupils’ spelling accuracy has improved, and much more sophisticated punctuation and grammar are evident in their work. It is also evident that the effort that leaders have put into ensuring that writing is for a purpose and is creative has had a huge impact on pupils’ writing. However, pupils do not always produce such high-quality written work in, for example, geography, history and religious education.

Early years provision Good

• Children enter Copdock with skills and knowledge that are below those that are typical for their age. This is particularly so in personal, physical and social and emotional development. However, effective leadership and good teaching over time ensure that all children in Reception get a good start to their education. As a result, they largely make good progress from their starting points.
• The proportion of children who achieve a good level of development at the end of their time in the Reception class has been above or close to the national average for the last three years. The vast majority of children are, therefore, well prepared for their move into Year 1. A number exceed the standards expected of them at the end of early years.
• The school makes every effort to ensure that transition arrangements are effective. Parents are viewed as an integral part of their children’s development. Opportunities are given for parents to meet with the leader of early years and teacher in Reception, and to share with the school their children’s learning at home. The head pupils also meet with parents of children who are due to start in the Reception class to tell them ‘what Copdock’s all about’ and give them a tour. Some parents make valuable use of the online shared area, where they can contribute their observations of their children’s progress and also see the progress that their children are making at school.
• The early years leader ensures that, from the moment they come to school, the children are assessed, so that everyone knows individual children’s welfare and learning needs. Children, therefore, settle quickly into school life.
• Children play well together and on their own. They enjoy sharing their learning and experiences. For example, when in the copse, children were collecting all types of leaves. Two children were animatedly talking about two very different shaped and coloured leaves: ‘They are both dead. But I think this one has been dead about three months, and this one, about a year, because this one hasn’t got much colour at all,’ – a discussion that said so much about these children’s growing vocabulary and reasoning skills.
• Children keep themselves safe by considering possible risks, something that is constantly reinforced by adults. Leaders have already developed an even more stimulating and developed area for outdoor learning. This has been designed to further widen and develop children’s learning experiences and to enable children to have more space in this mixed-age class. However, children are not always given enough opportunities to choose their own activities and learn independently.
• Adults teach phonics effectively, enabling children to write with a degree of accuracy and sometimes in short sentences. Children make sensible guesses at words that are unfamiliar to them, often supported by the older children in the class.
• Children are developing a good understanding of number. They enjoy using the variety of equipment to learn, for example, how to make a half or quarter of a number. Most children can count up to 20, and some beyond, and were keen to show the inspector how they could count objects correctly.
• Opportunities for children to practise their writing skills and number bonds are provided for effectively in the outdoor area. Teachers plan activities which are developing children’s physical skills. There are numerous photographs of children playing, climbing and building structures, or with their friends. Their ability to share is well developed, as are their social skills. ‘I’ll help you,’ said one boy to another who was struggling with using his scissors to cut around a shape.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective. At the time of the inspection, there were no breaches to statutory welfare requirements.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 124577 Suffolk 10025572 This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Community 5 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 79 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Dennis Kell Joanne Austin 01473 730337 www.copdock.suffolk.sch.uk admin@copdock.suffolk.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 24 June 2010

Information about this school

• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• In 2016, due solely to the outcomes in writing, the school did not meet the government’s floor standards for the minimum that pupils should achieve by the time they leave the school at the end of Year 6.
• Copdock Primary is a small primary school whose pupils are predominantly of White British heritage.
• A number of pupils join the school at times other than the start of the academic year, and at different points throughout key stages 1 and 2.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils who are disadvantaged.
• The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.
• Since the previous inspection, the school has federated with Bentley Church of England VC Primary School. The headteacher of Copdock leads both schools, with the deputy headteacher having day-to-day responsibility for Copdock when the headteacher is not on site.
• During the last two years, the school has also restructured its subject leadership. There are, therefore, various roles that are shared across the federation, including the leadership of English.
• The governing body has changed since the previous inspection. After much consideration, there is now one, smaller governing body across the federation.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed eight lessons, the majority of which were joint observations with the deputy headteacher. In addition, the inspector made a number of shorter visits to lessons.
• The inspector heard some pupils read from across the school, including some most-able pupils, and also spoke to many pupils during the inspection about their reading.
• Meetings were held with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, the lead for early years, the special educational needs coordinator, the chair and vice-chair of governors, and a group of pupils from across the school. The inspector also met with the two head pupils and the lead teachers for mathematics and English.
• The inspector scrutinised a range of evidence, including the school’s self-evaluation and improvement plans, the systems to track pupils’ progress, and policies and records relating to behaviour and attendance. She also looked at records of the monitoring of teaching by the headteacher, a range of notes of visits by the local authority and governors, performance management information, and safeguarding documentation. Together with the subject leaders, the inspector looked at pupils’ work in their English, mathematics, learning journeys and topic books.
• The inspector took into consideration the school’s own parent questionnaire responses. Comments from parents in pupils’ learning journeys were also considered.

Inspection team

Ruth Brock, lead inspector

Her Majesty’s Inspector