Great Eccleston Copp CofE Primary School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Achieve consistency in the quality of teaching and learning in mathematics by ensuring that all teachers provide more regular opportunities for pupils to:
  • think more deeply about their work; practise their reasoning skills; and use their increasingly rapid recall of number facts to help them solve problems more quickly.
• Place even more emphasis on ensuring that the most able pupils have challenges that encourage them to deepen and broaden their learning in all subjects.
• Make even clearer to the small number of parents who raised concerns what the school actually does to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, from the point of concern through to involvement of external agencies.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• The headteacher has reinvigorated senior leadership since the previous inspection with the appointment of a new deputy headteacher and a new special educational needs coordinator. In addition, leadership responsibilities are now shared across all staff.
• Actions taken have motivated staff, and created solid teamwork across the school and a strong determination to improve further. Staff say that they feel well supported and the school is led and managed well.
• Leaders have ensured that teaching is good and improving. They manage teachers’ performance robustly. They visit lessons, check on the quality of teaching and learning, and analyse information about pupils’ progress. Leaders make good use of assessment and other information in their regular meetings with teachers. They hold teachers accountable for their pupils’ progress and support them to improve it.
• Staff benefit from well-targeted training that helps them to fulfil their roles better. Working together in school and using the school’s strong links with other schools have enabled them to assess pupils’ progress accurately. Training is securely linked to school improvement plan priorities, which, in turn, arise out of accurate self-evaluation.
• Subject leaders have a much better understanding of their area now and a much clearer view of standards across the school. They have introduced ways of assessing how well pupils are doing in each subject compared to the expectations for their year group. The result is a growing consistency of approach, as can be seen, for example, in science, where there is a strong focus on teaching pupils to think scientifically.
• Pupils benefit from a curriculum that is exciting and broad and closely allied to pupils’ needs and interests. Pupils are highly involved in determining which topics they will study. Teachers explain to them what must be learned in each subject and give them leeway to bring their own interests into their learning.
• The curriculum covers all subjects, giving a reasonably good amount of time for each. Reading, writing and, where appropriate, mathematical skills are threaded throughout, as is pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
• Memorable experiences provide good starters to each topic. For example, younger pupils had a visit from police dog handlers and their dogs, and then visited a fire station as they learned about people who help them. At the same time, older pupils engaged in outdoor activities that stretched their physical ability as part of their work on Superheroes.
• A wide range of extra-curricular clubs adds to pupils’ enjoyment of learning, especially, but not exclusively, in sports and music. The school is justifiably proud of its successes in music, for example in choir competitions. It is beginning to enjoy success in competitive sport. Both are major achievements for a small school. They extend pupils’ learning and greatly enhance their personal development.
• Despite all of the above, subject leaders have not yet made sure that, other than in English and sometimes in mathematics, there are activities that stretch the most able pupils in the school. They know this and are working on it as part of school improvement.
• Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and their understanding of British values are strong. Through lessons and assemblies, pupils learn about different issues such as relationships, diversity and equality, and human rights. They also learn about the wider community, raise funds for different charities, and learn about tolerance, democracy and the rule of law. Thus the school prepares them well for life in modern Britain.
• Leaders make good use of the extra money they receive from the government for the small number of disadvantaged pupils. As with all pupils, the school identifies which of these pupils are the most able and plans their learning accordingly so that they all make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics.
• The primary school physical education and sport funding is also used well. Pupils benefit from good-quality sports coaching that introduces them to a wide range of sports and other activities. They recognise the value of physical education as a part of being healthy. Staff also benefit by working alongside the coaches and learning from them. The school can show that participation in extra-curricular sport has increased from 24% last autumn to 84% currently. It continues to target reluctant participants.
• Almost all of the parents to whom the inspector spoke, and the majority of those who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, are satisfied with the school. They particularly like the school’s use of an online method of providing information on what their children do and achieve on a daily basis. They also like the ‘Family Fridays’ when they can stay with their children and see what and how they learn.
• A small number of parents felt that the school does not do enough to support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. The inspector found that the provision for these pupils is good. The school is vigilant in identifying pupils causing concern and in following the code of practice relating to this area. It provides good support for them, even while determining whether external help is needed, or waiting for it. It has not, however, communicated all of this to parents well enough.
• The local authority stepped up its support to the school after the previous inspection. Its involvement has been helpful to the school and the school has used it well. Confident that the improvements are sustainable and likely to increase, the support has now justifiably been scaled back.

Governance of the school

• The governance of the school is good. It has improved significantly since the previous inspection.
• Governors know their school well. They hold leaders strictly to account, regularly challenging them on standards and finance. They use their considerable range of expertise to do so.
• Governors take part in all relevant training. They understand about pupils’ progress and they make sure that the pupil premium and primary physical education and sport funding are spent effectively and make a difference to the pupils.
• The governing body also understands its responsibilities with regard to managing the performance of staff, including the headteacher. They assist the headteacher in making decisions about pay related to whether staff have met their targets.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Robust systems are in place. Up-to-date training, regularly re-visited, ensures that all staff and governors understand and follow them. Safeguarding is given high priority in the school. The environment is secure and leaders ensure that pupils are kept safe online.
• Leaders are persistent in cases where there is cause for concern. They liaise, as appropriate, with parents and other agencies to ensure that pupils are kept safe and their welfare and safety needs are met.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good

• Teachers are very reflective about their practice. They are willing to learn from each other and they have high expectations of the quality and quantity of pupils’ work, and of its presentation. Pupils respond well. They remain focused on their learning because staff constantly encourage them to try hard to do their best work.
• Teachers have good subject knowledge. They are very clear about the rate of progress each pupil should be making and the importance of helping them to reach the highest possible standards. Throughout the school, consistently good-quality written and oral feedback shows pupils how to improve their work, and how to assess it themselves.
• Through well-targeted questioning, teachers gauge how effectively pupils are learning in lessons. Mindful of the pupils’ different abilities and backgrounds, they then adjust pupils’ work depending on how quickly they are absorbing new learning or consolidating what they have done previously.
• Teachers brief their teaching assistants well and use them to work at different times with different groups or individuals, depending on need. This means that all pupils are able to benefit from direct support from their teacher to help accelerate their progress.
• The teaching of reading, including phonics, is particularly strong. The school has placed a love of reading high on its agenda. This has resulted in pupils becoming avid readers who enjoy reading at school and at home, and for different purposes.
• Writing is taught well. Staff encourage pupils to use their writing skills at every opportunity. The quality of pupils’ writing is equally good in different subjects. However, at times, pupils’ writing contains spelling errors that could be avoided by checking pronunciation or using dictionaries.
• Mathematics teaching is also good. The school reacted quickly to the fact that some pupils did not complete the test papers in 2016. The resulting focus on rapid calculation is helping pupils currently in the school to work more quickly.
• A good variety of tasks, often related to real life, bring interest and enjoyment to pupils’ learning, including in mathematics. Nevertheless, the work in pupils’ mathematics books shows that activities are sometimes repetitive. Consequently, pupils, especially the most able, are not moved on quickly enough to using their skills to develop their reasoning and their ability to solve problems more rapidly.
• Teachers also have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour that result in pupils having good attitudes to and showing enthusiasm for learning. Pupils say: ‘Teachers are very understanding, they make lessons very fun and educational.’
• Teachers value what pupils say. They involve them in planning their learning and often allow them to take it in different directions. Nevertheless, while the most able pupils usually have harder work to do, it is not always as challenging as it might be in all subjects. School and subject leaders are working to improve this.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• Pupils feel very safe in school. They know how to look after themselves and give many examples of how the school helps them to do so. These include learning about bike ability, road safety and stranger danger, as well as computer viruses, unsuitable websites, mobile phones and social media.
• School leaders work hard to ensure that pupils always have someone to turn to should they need help. Pupils praise the system whereby they are asked to identify someone to whom they might go for help, be it their own teacher or another member of staff. The school provides a good range of services to support pupils and their families, including counselling.
• Pupils are very aware of all forms of bullying, including that associated with using mobile phones or the internet. They are adamant that there is no bullying in their school, although they do know of some online bullying that has occurred out of school.
• Pupils enjoy the wide-ranging opportunities for them to take on responsibility, for example as school councillors, head boy and head girl. They are expected to make formal applications for these roles. Pupils learn about democracy as they consider what the candidates say and then cast their votes.
• Pupils readily link British values to the school’s own values. They explain how they learn about one school value each half term in assembly and in personal, social and health education sessions, and are expected to demonstrate it in their daily lives. Currently the value is compassion, which they link to tolerance and respect for all.
• As they are encouraged to discuss topical and sometimes sensitive issues in an age-appropriate way, pupils learn about the world around them and their place in it. They also learn about the dangers of extremism and how to avoid it. This was evident as they explained how they had talked about the war in Syria, the refugee crisis, and the effect they are having on the rest of the world.
• The impact of the school’s provision on pupils’ spiritual, moral and social development is clear but pupils themselves are less clear about how their cultural development is supported. There are good systems in place to do this, such as visits, visitors and work in different subjects, but pupils are not aware that these enhance their cultural development.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Attendance rates are high, showing that pupils thoroughly enjoy coming to school to learn. Pupils take pride in their school and in their work, which is always neat and tidy. They like their new school uniform and they look very smart in it.
• Pupils are confident, friendly and curious learners. Many show high levels of self-discipline as they go about their work and play. They are polite, they hold doors open for adults and for each other and are always ready and willing to help.
• Pupils conduct themselves well in lessons, around the school and at breaktimes and lunchtimes. They understand the rota system at lunchtime and move around safely. In the playground, they play amicably together and adults supervise them well.
• Older pupils help younger ones with games, using the good range of play equipment available to them. Pupils talk about how much they enjoy the increased opportunities they have for sport that help to keep playtimes active, happy, social occasions.
• The school has a small number of pupils who find it difficult to behave well at all times. Much is in place to support these pupils and to help other pupils understand their needs. As a result, learning is rarely disrupted by any untoward behaviour.
• Pupils were quick to show how quickly and effectively the school deals with any behavioural issue, including name-calling or making fun of others, so that it does not turn into bullying. They quoted a recent example to show that such behaviour, which they know to be wrong, is not tolerated.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• In most years, children start school with skills, knowledge and understanding that are broadly typical for their age. In previous years, by the time they leave in Year 6, they have reached standards that are well above average, and have made good progress.
• In 2016, despite the tests being more difficult, standards were above average in reading, writing and mathematics combined in Year 6. Pupils in Year 6 made good progress from their starting points at the end of Year 2.
• Evidence in school shows that pupils in other year groups also made good progress last year and continue to do so. Standards were also above average in Year 2 in 2016, with mathematics the strongest subject.
• Taken separately, achievement was strongest in reading and weakest in mathematics in Year 6. School-held information shows that pupils who were with the school throughout all made good progress in mathematics. It also shows that pupils who joined late on, some having been out of school for some time, made good progress while they attended the school.
• The results of the phonics screening check for pupils in Year 1 were above national averages in 2016, therefore continuing the upward trend of previous years. The teaching of phonics is consistently good. It is strongly linked to the good development of reading skills.
• Reading is a strength of the school. Pupils throughout the school are enthusiastic about reading. They talk excitedly about books and authors and most read widely for pleasure and for information, at home as well as at school. They have good comprehension skills and are able to work out what unfamiliar words might mean from illustrations and from the text, as well as by using their phonics skills.
• Pupils use their writing skills well in literacy and in other subjects. Occasionally, they make easily avoidable spelling mistakes. For example, younger pupils sometimes write ‘f’ instead of ‘th’ but correct the error when asked to think and pronounce words correctly, and older pupils do not automatically use dictionaries to check their spelling.
• Some pupils did not finish the mathematics test in 2016 and, therefore, the results were lower than the school expected, and pupils’ work suggests they should have been. The school acted quickly by teaching pupils to calculate more rapidly.
• Despite the above, there are still some instances where pupils do not have enough opportunities to use their calculation skills in exercises that deepen their understanding and extend their reasoning. Where they do have such opportunities, for example to solve a mini murder mystery, calculate how much carpet is needed to re-carpet the church, or work to a budget to buy furniture, they achieve particularly well.
• Pupils make good progress in a wide range of other subjects, which are often brought together in topic work. The well-constructed ‘floor books’ in every class provide extensive evidence of such work and the pupils’ involvement in it. Pupils are also learning to speak French.
• Good attention is paid to progress in science. Here, pupils learn to think scientifically as they carry out and report on scientific investigations. These include testing different toothpastes to find the best plaque remover and examining data on the effect of drinking sugary liquids on their health and well-being.
• Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. This is because the staff identify their needs promptly and put effective support in place. Where relevant, that support is for behaviour so that the pupils can begin to learn successfully.
• The most able pupils also make good progress overall. However, there is scope to enable these pupils to make even better progress in subjects other than reading, writing and mathematics.
• The good progress that the small number of disadvantaged pupils make means that these pupils are rapidly catching up with the attainment of other pupils nationally and the differences between them are diminishing.
• Pupils understand their targets and know what they need to do to reach them. Teachers show them how to assess their own learning and, therefore, take more responsibility for it. Pupils leave the school well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Early years provision Outstanding

• The proportion of children reaching a good level of development at the end of their Reception Year was above that found nationally in 2016, as it was in the previous year. The children are extremely well prepared for their work in Year 1.
• Leadership and management of this key stage are outstanding. They extend beyond Reception into key stage 1 so that the transition between the two key stages is as seamless as possible for the children. The quality of teaching is exceptional.
• Numbers are too small to report separately on disadvantaged children or on children who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, all children make excellent progress in their Reception Year.
• Staff are extremely vigilant in ensuring the health, welfare, safety and well-being of every child in their care. They liaise very closely with parents. They visit pre-school settings and the children’s own homes to gain as much information as possible so that children can get off to a flying start when they come to school. Where necessary, they also liaise with external agencies to support the children.
• Staff use the information they gain from their meticulous assessments of the children’s progress to plan new learning each day and, where relevant, session by session. Learning is quickly adjusted during lessons to support children who are struggling or to provide further challenge for those who are learning more quickly.
• The baby clinic, which children were anxious to show the inspector, gives the children a good start in understanding how to keep themselves safe and healthy, and of the role of others in helping them to do so.
• Children quickly learn to read and write. They are proud to show off their well-developed phonics skills as, for example, they fish in the water for letters or wait excitedly to see what the teacher will draw from his box to help them learn new sounds and new words.
• As they learn to write, children are successfully encouraged to take responsibility for labelling different areas and artefacts around the classroom. There are many opportunities for them to write, indoors and out. Every available space is used exceptionally well for learning and all activities have a clear learning purpose, which children can explain.
• Early mathematical skills are promoted through extremely well-planned counting and sorting activities that also develop the children’s ability to handle small objects, recognise numerals and different shapes and begin to write about and draw them.
• Children also begin to learn to think scientifically. They were highly excited as they examined their ice-houses to see which one would melt fastest – the one outdoors in the sun, the one in the classroom or the one in the freezer. Their curiosity had been roused by an email the class had received from an evil villain who had trapped a superhero in the ice. They were anxious to find out which house he was trapped in so that they could rescue him.
• The curriculum for this age group is outstanding. Its outcomes are evident in the children’s learning journey booklets and in the exceptionally well put together ‘floor books’, which have now been extended to the rest of the school. These books also show the strong emphasis placed on children’s personal, social and emotional education and an early insight into their understanding of school and British values.
• Staff have an excellent understanding of how young children learn. They place high emphasis on teaching children to take some control of their own learning. Nevertheless, they intervene sensitively with astute questioning at key points to take the children’s learning further.
• An excellent example of the above was noted when children were designing and building brick structures outside, overseen by the (child) project manager in hard hat carrying a clipboard. They gained a good insight into designing and building safely so that structures could be used for the intended purpose.
• Children are polite and confident, eager to converse with adults and with each other. They work and play together exceptionally well and help each other with their learning.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 119549 Lancashire 10019812 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Voluntary controlled 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 130 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Alan Pedder Beverley Melvin 01995 670 969 www.coppschool.lancs.sch.uk bursar@coppschool.lancs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection September 2014

Information about this school

• The school is smaller than the average primary school. Virtually all pupils are of White British heritage.
• The proportion of pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average.
• The proportion of pupils supported through the pupil premium is well below average.
• The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website.
• The school meets current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• There have been considerable changes in staffing since the previous inspection.
• The leader of the early years, who is also the deputy headteacher, is a support partner for a school in Bolton. He holds a Learning Excellence Award for links with parents, transition and beyond, and is used by the local authority to give talks to other schools.

Information about this inspection

• The inspector observed learning in 12 sessions. She was joined by the headteacher in 11 of the observations. She also examined the work in the books of all groups of pupils, as well as the school’s most recent information about pupils’ progress, to inform judgements about teaching and learning.
• The inspector listened to pupils in Years 1, 3, 4 and 6 read and talked to pupils about their reading habits. She checked pupils’ reading in lessons and, with the headteacher, visited two sessions where pupils were learning phonics.
• Discussions were held with senior and other leaders, almost all staff, four members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.
• The inspector spoke with a large number of pupils, formally and informally. There were no responses to the online questionnaire for pupils because the school had been unable to access it.
• A range of documents relating to school improvement were examined, along with policies and procedures related to teaching, safeguarding pupils, and provision for the most able pupils, disadvantaged pupils and pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• The inspector took account of the views of the 77 parents who responded to the online questionnaire for parents (Parent View) or contacted her by letter. She also gained the views of a number of parents at first-hand as they brought their children to school.
• There were no responses to the Ofsted questionnaire for staff because the school had been unable to access it. Therefore, at the request of the staff, the inspector held a meeting with them to gain their views on the issues covered in the questionnaire.

Inspection team

Doris Bell, lead inspector

Ofsted Inspector