Coopers Edge School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Strengthen leadership and management by ensuring that:
  • leaders and governors create a culture of high aspirations for academic achievement
  • leaders and governors stringently hold staff to account for pupils’ outcomes
  • senior and subject leaders bring about school improvement through the consistent and effective monitoring of pupils’ progress
  • leaders use funding for disadvantaged pupils effectively to improve their progress in writing.
• Strengthen the quality of teaching, learning and assessment by:
  • embedding the school’s approach to teaching higher-order reading skills
  • ensuring that teachers have the highest expectations for pupils’ writing across the curriculum
  • ensuring that pupils, including disadvantaged pupils, receive sufficient support to enable them to make stronger progress in writing.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Good

• Leaders and governors have created a nurturing, orderly environment. As a result, pupils are safe, keen and ready to learn.
• The school’s considerable growth in recent years has led to significant staff recruitment. There is now an established leadership team with the capacity to drive continuous improvement.
• Leaders’ commitment to parental engagement is strong. Initiatives such as the family library encourage parents to be active and essential partners in the education process. Almost all parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, said that they feel their child is well looked after and that they would recommend the school to another parent.
• The school is working on the right areas for improvement. The headteacher has a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development. Outcomes for pupils at key stage 2 were not good enough in 2016, and the school has responded effectively to this challenge. As a result, the quality of education and outcomes for current pupils are improving and are now good.
• The curriculum provides a wide range of learning experiences and reflects the core values of the school. Learning is stimulating and varied, which helps pupils to learn across a range of contexts and subjects.
• Leaders correctly identified the need to rapidly improve pupils’ core areas of learning. This is being achieved alongside wider experiences, such as modern foreign languages and forest school. Pupils can enjoy the Zen garden and have excellent outdoor facilities to explore and learn in.
• Leaders use research and training to challenge and support teachers and teaching assistants effectively to improve their practice. This has led to improvements in the teaching of English and mathematics. However, middle leaders recognise that there is still work to do in both of these core areas of learning.
• Leaders’ monitoring of teaching, learning and assessment is not ensuring that pupils make consistently strong progress in writing. Teachers do not receive precise information and guidance to ensure that the quality of teaching improves rapidly.
• While leaders hold teachers to account for their pupils’ outcomes, their expectations for rapid improvement are not consistently high enough.
• The school’s approach to supporting pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is effective. Leaders expect pupils to follow the school’s values and attitudes. In response, pupils are polite and respectful.
• The school prepares pupils positively for life in modern Britain. They are guided to be responsible citizens. Pupils learn about other cultures and celebrate diversity, for example, through the regular visits of various local religious leaders.
• Older pupils have a clear understanding of fundamental British values. They can articulate examples of the rule of law, democracy and equality. Pupils demonstrate respect and tolerance towards others.

Governance of the school

• Governors are ambitious and understand the priorities for the school. They have successfully adapted their strategic approach to reflect the changing and growing school community.
• Governors have raised their profile in the school. Some are very proactive and provide challenge and support. However, governors are not sufficiently stringent in holding leaders to account for pupils’ outcomes. They have not yet fully created a culture of high aspirations for academic achievement.
• Governors monitor the spending of the pupil premium and physical education and sport premium. Additional funding is used to provide effective pastoral support for disadvantaged pupils. However, governors’ monitoring and evaluation do not focus precisely on ensuring that academic outcomes for these pupils are consistently positive.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• Induction of new staff is a strength of the school. All staff are made aware of their responsibilities for child protection. Staff receive training to recognise vulnerable pupils and they know how to protect pupils from extremist views.
• Administrative staff diligently complete the necessary checks on the suitability of staff, volunteers and visitors to the school. Governors check these processes carefully to ensure that record-keeping is accurate and appropriate.
• Pupils are safe and articulate clearly how the school supports them to stay safe online and within the school site. Almost all parents who responded to Ofsted’s online questionnaire, Parent View, said that they feel that their children are safe in school.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment

• The quality of teaching enables pupils to make progress that is typically good.

Good

Teachers’ assessment of pupils’ ability to work at an age-appropriate level is mostly accurate. Teaching usually builds on what pupils already know, can do and understand. Activities are planned to help pupils to deepen their knowledge and understanding.

• The teaching of phonics is effective in Reception and key stage 1. Those pupils who struggle with reading are effectively supported to ensure that they catch up quickly.
• In key stage 2, teachers develop pupils’ ability to predict and infer meaning from a variety of texts. The school’s approach to guided reading supports pupils to build their reading skills. However, the teaching of higher-order skills is not fully effective.
• In mathematics, pupils are experiencing greater opportunities than found previously to demonstrate their reasoning and problem-solving skills. They have time to apply these skills in new ways in mathematics. This approach is still developing and is not yet fully embedded across the school. In lower key stage 2, the needs of all ability groups are met. However, there is some inconsistency in the quality of mathematics teaching in upper key stage 2. As a result, some pupils do not make the progress they are capable of.
• Teachers have high expectations for pupils’ conduct. A positive climate for learning exists across the school. Classrooms are calm and ordered. Teachers reinforce the need for resilience in learning and expect pupils to work with positive attitudes. This approach supports pupils to learn effectively.
• Teachers’ planning meets the needs of most middle-ability pupils. The most able pupils are appropriately challenged in reading and mathematics. However, this is less evident in writing.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are well supported by teachers and teaching assistants who help them to engage in learning. As a result, they make good progress.
• Teaching nurtures, engages and motivates children in the early years. This enables children to develop a sense of achievement and self-confidence.
• In Reception, children get a good start in early writing skills through effective teaching, with adults modelling the writing process through story telling. This approach leads to children making good progress from early mark-making to correct letter formation. However, teachers’ expectations across the school are not consistently high enough for what pupils might achieve in writing. For example, teachers do not encourage and direct pupils sufficiently to take pride in their work in books.
• Teachers do not ensure that expectations for punctuation and handwriting at the end of key stage 1 are regularly applied in pupils’ written work at key stage 2. Teaching does not support pupils well enough to practise writing skills in a range of subjects across the curriculum.
• Support staff make an important contribution to pupils’ learning. They receive effective guidance from teaching staff and use their knowledge of pupils’ needs to deepen their understanding based on what pupils already know, can do and understand.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Good

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is good.
• The school’s pastoral work with pupils and families is very positive; it helps to build pupils’ confidence and self-esteem. Every attempt is made to ensure that pupils are ready to learn. This work is particularly effective in supporting some disadvantaged pupils and vulnerable families.
• Most pupils are confident and self-assured. Older pupils aspire to, and value opportunities to, take on responsibilities in school. For example, pupils are proud to be house captains and librarians.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves healthy and safe. They are confident that adults in school will deal with their concerns. They said that bullying is rare and that it is dealt with quickly if it occurs.
• Pupils know how to keep themselves safe online. Older pupils are confident in staying safe from abuse and exploitation. Pupils who are ‘digital leaders’ take an active role in working with adults in school in order to maximise the use of technology for learning.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is good.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are consistently positive across the school. The school’s aims and values are realised as pupils make good progress because they are keen to learn. Teachers and other adults have high expectations so that classrooms are calm, ordered and purposeful.
• Pupils’ conduct throughout the day is positive; this reflects the school’s efforts to promote high standards of behaviour. Most pupils are polite and respectful, and they respond quickly to instructions. Low-level disruption is rare.
• Attendance is in line with figures found nationally. Although the proportion of pupils who are persistently absent has increased, it is below the national average and is carefully monitored by leaders.

Outcomes for pupils Good

• Most current pupils make good progress in a wide range of subjects, including reading and mathematics. In recent years, attainment overall at key stage 2 has been low. However, there was a significant improvement in outcomes between 2016 and 2017.
• The school’s approach to identifying, working with and addressing barriers to learning for disadvantaged pupils is largely effective, although less so in writing. Intervention work supports these pupils, and other pupils who need to catch up in reading and mathematics, to make progress.
• Current pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities typically make above-average progress from their different starting points. The school works effectively with families to give these pupils every opportunity to make strong progress.
• Pupils get a good start in the early years, where good teaching ensures that their understanding of phonics develops well. Children’s phonics skills are then used to develop early writing skills. By the end of Year 1, a high proportion of pupils achieve the expected standard in the phonics screening check. Outcomes in phonics are in line with those found nationally.
• Pupils make good progress throughout key stage 1, and their attainment at the end of Year 2 is broadly in line with that seen nationally in reading, writing and mathematics. However, the proportion of pupils working at greater depth in reading was below that found nationally in 2017.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in writing by the end of key stage 2 improved significantly between 2016 and 2017, including those pupils working at greater depth. However, current pupils’ progress in writing is not consistently strong, and this includes that of some disadvantaged pupils.
• The school’s focus on developing mathematics is effective and has a positive impact on current pupils’ outcomes. As a result of stronger teaching, pupils are making better progress. An increasing proportion of pupils are now working at greater depth in mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• The proportion of pupils achieving the combined expected standard at the end of key stage 2, in reading, writing and mathematics, improved greatly from 2016 to 2017; it is now broadly in line with the national average.
• The school has successfully improved outcomes for the most able pupils. The proportion of pupils working at greater depth in English and mathematics has improved over time, and the needs of the current most able pupils are effectively met.

Early years provision Good

• The quality of education provided in the Reception class is good. Leadership of early years is effective. Regular and detailed monitoring of the performance of different groups of children results in strong progress for many. Consequently, children leave Reception well prepared for Year 1.
• Early years is a well-resourced environment, which promotes children’s safety, welfare and social skills effectively. Staff in the Nursery and Reception classes ensure that children are happy and get on well together. Expectations and routines are well established.
• The school’s approach to actively engaging parents begins in the early years. The transitions to Nursery and from Nursery to Reception seek to build and develop this partnership.
• Children listen to adults’ instructions respectfully as they explore and learn. Children behave very well and demonstrate that they feel safe. Teaching assistants ensure that movement between lessons and activities is calm and orderly. They care for the children well.
• Careful analysis of what children can do in Nursery enables early intervention to promote more effective learning. A significant proportion of children receive support for communication, language and literacy in the early years.
• In the Reception class, children are ready to learn and fully attentive. Child-led learning is effective in developing confidence and independence. Children enjoy a spacious outdoor area with equipment to motivate and inspire their learning.
• Children make good progress towards the early learning goals in the Reception class, many from low starting points. These children are effectively supported to catch up quickly, including those who are disadvantaged and those who have SEN and/or disabilities. Nonetheless, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development is just below average.
• Teaching ensures that children understand the link between their phonics learning and early writing skills. As children learn new sounds in phonics, the school’s approach provides regular writing opportunities to improve letter formation and introduce punctuation.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 136074 Gloucestershire 10042705 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 Community 4 to 11 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 325 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Brenda Bentley Keeley Folker 01452 612038 www.coopersedge.gloucs.sch.uk head@coopersedge.gloucs.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 12−13 November 2014

Information about this school

• The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which are the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6.
• Coopers Edge Primary School is a larger than average-sized primary school. There are 12 classes.
• The majority of pupils are White British. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is below the national average. The proportion of pupils who have a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is above that found nationally.
• The proportion of disadvantaged pupils supported through pupil premium funding is above the national average.

Information about this inspection

• The inspection team visited classrooms to observe learning. Many of these visits were made jointly with either the headteacher, deputy headteacher or assistant headteacher. Inspectors observed pupils’ learning across the school.
• The inspection team looked carefully at pupils’ work from all year groups and across a range of subjects.
• The inspection team talked to pupils from different year groups about how they feel about school, how teachers help them with their learning and how the school keeps them safe.
• The inspection team held discussions with school leaders, staff and members of the governing body. The inspectors also took into account responses to questionnaires completed by staff and pupils.
• The inspection team looked at the school’s evaluation of its own performance, its improvement plan, a number of key school policies and the minutes of meetings of the governing body. Inspectors also considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.
• The inspectors listened to a selection of pupils read.
• The inspectors took account of 85 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, including a number of free-text responses. The inspectors also spoke to a number of parents during the inspection.

Inspection team

Mike Brady, lead inspector Patricia Dodds Teresa Hill

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector