Coulsdon CofE Primary School

Age group 4–11 Inspection date(s) 2 November 2011 Inspection number 376623 Coulsdon CofE Primary School Inspection report

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Unique Reference Number 101792 Local Authority Croydon Inspection number 376623 Inspection dates 2–3 November 2011 Reporting inspector Julie Sackett

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This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Type of school Primary School category Voluntary aided Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 208 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Sue Christian Headteacher Hilary Grainger Date of previous school inspection 21 May 2007 School address Bradmore Green Old Coulsdon Coulsdon CR5 1ED Telephone number 01737 554789 Fax number 01737 552579 Email address office@coulsdon-pri.croydon.sch.uk achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work-based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked

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after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Introduction

This inspection was carried out by three additional inspectors. The team observed nine lessons taught by six teachers. Discussions were held with senior staff, teachers, members of the governing body and pupils. Inspectors observed the school’s work, and looked at documentation including the school’s improvement plan, policies and records of pupils’ progress and attainment. The inspection team considered 89 questionnaires from parents and carers, as well as questionnaires from staff and pupils.

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Introduction

The inspection team reviewed many aspects of the school’s work. It looked in detail at a number of key areas.

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Introduction

 The extent to which the school has been successful in bringing about improvements in teaching, and raised pupils’ performance, with particular reference to the progress made by different groups, and their attainment, in mathematics.  The impact of the school’s provision for guidance and support on pupils’ personal development, achievement, attendance and their behaviour.  The way school leaders and teachers make use of data to identify the learning and progress of different groups and how well this is used to match provision to meet individual needs and support learning and progress.

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Information about the school

The school is slightly smaller than average. The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is below the national average. The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities is below average, although the proportion of pupils supported by school action plus or with a statement is above the national average. The majority of pupils are of White British heritage. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is lower than the national average. The number of pupils who join or leave the school part way through their education is below the national average.

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Information about the school

The school has a range of awards; for example, it has Activemark and Healthy Schools status. The breakfast club, which is managed by the governing body, was included in this inspection. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

Coulsdon C of E Primary School is an outstanding school. The headteacher’s commitment to the school’s development, and to the learning and well-being of every single pupil in the school, ably assisted by senior leaders, has been the main influence in the school’s success. Accurate self-evaluation procedures ensure that the school knows itself well to improve further, and are typical of the way senior leaders and the governing body make an outstanding contribution to the development of the school. There is an excellent team spirit amongst all the teaching and support staff that ensures that the accurate and robust systems to track pupils’ progress are employed very well. Improvements in teaching mean that lessons are well paced and more sharply focused on pupils’ individual needs, while teaching assistants play a very positive and much valued role in supporting pupils in their learning.

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Main findings

The outstanding curriculum has been developed very well, with an increased focus on creative learning and opportunities for pupils to practise basic skills in different subject areas, so that pupils thoroughly enjoy their time in school. There is no sense of complacency in the school about its success, and the desire and drive to improve even further is clear. Given the school’s successful track record in sustaining and improving on previously good outcomes for all groups of pupils, and the high quality of teaching and of the curriculum, the school demonstrates an outstanding capacity to sustain further improvement.

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Main findings

The school enjoys a highly positive relationship with parents and carers, who are extremely pleased with all that the school provides. The quality of care, guidance and support provided for all pupils, including those whose circumstances may make them vulnerable, is excellent, and plays a key role in the school’s inclusive atmosphere. As a consequence, the pupils’ personal outcomes are outstanding. One parent’s comment was representative of many when she said, ‘The school is exceptional in the level of care they give the children and the quality of their learning experience. A wonderful school and fantastic staff and leadership team.’ The school’s strong ethos pervades the school at all levels, ensuring a very happy, nurturing community in which pupils thrive both academically and personally; this is a strength recognised by another parent, who commented, ‘Particularly wonderful is the way the school

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Main findings

enables Christian values to be evident around the school and at the core of the school aims.’ Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is excellent. For instance, pupils demonstrate high levels of respect for each other, as well as for adults, including visitors to the school. Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Main findings

Pupils’ achievement is outstanding. Children make good progress during Early Years Foundation Stage, where they enjoy a good range of activities. That said, the school has rightly identified that there is still scope to increase opportunities in the outdoor area, for children to develop their literacy and numeracy skills. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make excellent progress overall from the time they enter the school, so that attainment is consistently above average, and often higher, in English and mathematics by the end of Year 6. As leaders had identified, national test results in 2011, whilst still above average, showed a slight dip in standards in both English and mathematics. The school put prompt initiatives in place, including focused teaching for groups and individuals, and this successfully addressed this small decline. Pupils have a clear understanding of

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Main findings

how well they are doing because their work is consistently well marked, including teachers’ written comments and suggestions about how pupils have been successful and what else they could do to improve.

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Main findings

Pupils have an excellent understanding of their own safety and demonstrate high levels of commitment to adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyles. They make an outstanding contribution to the school and wider community. For example, pupils successfully participated in a recent campaign for the planned closure of the local library to be reviewed. Their confidence and maturity is reflected in one pupil’s comment: ‘Lots of us are old enough to have a view and the school makes sure that we have a chance to say what we think.’ Pupils’ enjoyment of school is reflected in consistently high levels of attendance and this, combined with pupils’ outstanding achievement and impeccable behaviour, means they are exceptionally well prepared for the next stages in their schooling.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Accelerate the progress made by children in Early Years Foundation Stage by increasing opportunities in the outdoor area to develop their literacy and numeracy skills.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

Children enter school with a wide range of skills and knowledge. Overall, children’s attainment when they start school is broadly in line with expectations for their age. By the end of Year 6, attainment is high. All groups of pupils make excellent progress across the school overall, including more able pupils. Pupils’ strong engagement and their exceptional behaviour, both in lessons and around school, make a strong contribution to their learning. For example, in an outstanding Year 2 numeracy lesson, pupils relished the challenge of measuring a range of objects accurately, focused extremely well on their learning and, as a result, made excellent progress in the development of mathematics skills.

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

Pupils’ personal development is excellent. They feel very safe in school and are entirely confident that issues they raise will be dealt with quickly and effectively by Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

staff. Pupils are very aware of how diet and exercise impact on their health and readily adopt healthy habits. For example, one child in Year 2 referred to the importance of eating ‘Five a day, every day!’, whilst an older pupil explained how he and his father regularly race against their remote-controlled car. Attitudes such as these are reflected in the school’s Healthy School status and Active-mark award. Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is exceptional. They have a keen awareness of right and wrong and think deeply about their own and others’ experiences. For example, pupils’ mature ability to reflect was evident in the quality of the spontaneous prayers they created during a Key Stage 2 assembly exploring the meaning of ‘peace’. One pupil prayed, ‘Dear Lord, please let the wounded be healed’, whilst another said, ‘Dear Lord, please help people who are stressed and angry to become calm and relaxed.’

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Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils 1

These are the grades for pupils’ outcomes Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning Taking into account: Pupils’ attainment 1 The quality of pupils’ learning and their progress The quality of learning for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and their progress The extent to which pupils feel safe 1 Pupils’ behaviour 1 The extent to which pupils adopt healthy lifestyles 1 The extent to which pupils contribute to the school and wider community 1 The extent to which pupils develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being Taking into account: Pupils’ attendance 1 The extent of pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1

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How effective is the provision?

The high quality of teaching leads to pupils’ exceptional progress and high attainment. Strengths in teaching include teachers’ confident subject knowledge, high expectations, the positive role played by teaching assistants, well-paced lessons and very effective planning, so that activities and learning are accurately matched to pupils’ individual needs. For instance, in an outstanding Year 3 mathematics lesson, pupils made excellent progress because the teacher’s input was confident and engaging, so that all pupils were fully involved in considering the advantages of selecting the most suitable type of graph to represent data. Teachers regularly assess pupils’ progress and use this well to plan appropriate work. For example,

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How effective is the provision?

1 The grades for attainment and attendance are: 1 is high; 2 is above average; 3 is broadly average; and 4 is low Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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How effective is the provision?

termly pupil progress meetings are used to identify those who are not making expected progress. This data is successfully used to identify possible barriers to the pupils’ learning and to develop strategies to overcome difficulties.

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How effective is the provision?

The curriculum is well planned, with cross-curricular links very effectively used to make learning relevant and meaningful. Excellent enrichment opportunities make a strong contribution to pupils’ learning. For example, Year 4 pupils spoke with enthusiasm about their trip to an historical farm as part of their topic on The Romans and enjoyed experimenting with graphite pencils to sketch a round house. Innovative aspects of the curriculum include the development and successful use of a programme to identify and address gaps in individual pupils’ reading and spelling knowledge.

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How effective is the provision?

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are particularly well catered for and the school is strongly committed to working in partnership with parents and carers to support their children. These efforts are highly appreciated by parents and carers. For example, one parent wrote: ‘The support from the headteacher, special needs coordinator, class teacher and teaching assistants has been phenomenal. They have made adjustments to ensure that my son succeeds, have kept me informed and supported his transition so well.’ The breakfast club, which is much appreciated by parents and carers, provides a secure, calm and healthy start to the day, with activities which ensure that pupils who attend are in the right frame of mind for learning.

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How effective is the provision?

These are the grades for the quality of provision The quality of teaching Taking into account: The use of assessment to support learning The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships The effectiveness of care, guidance and support 1

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How effective are leadership and management?

The headteacher has been highly successful in building a strong staff team with robust leadership across all levels across the school. Senior and middle leaders work very effectively with the headteacher to monitor and evaluate every aspect of the school’s work. A wealth of information is collected and collated to provide meaningful analyses that pinpoint areas where further improvement is needed, without losing sight of individual pupils’ needs and contexts. This ensures that all staff know every pupil very well and this makes a significant contribution to the strong school community. The school works rigorously to promote equality of opportunity and to ensure there is no discrimination. Targets are ambitious and action is swiftly taken where any hint of underperformance is highlighted. As a result, any levelling off of performance is quickly checked and reversed. The high quality of teaching is Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate

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How effective are leadership and management?

Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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How effective are leadership and management?

indicative of the success of the school’s focus on this aspect since the last inspection.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The governing body challenges the school exceptionally well through questioning and robust scrutiny of its work. It ensures that the safety of the pupils is given a high priority by the school. Outstanding safeguarding arrangements are rigorously maintained so that pupils are extremely safe. The school’s engagement with parents and carers is excellent. The school values their views and these play an active part in the life of the school, for example in the successful development of a travel plan. Partnerships are used very well to enhance the pupils’ learning. For instance, the school’s work with a local secondary school makes a significant contribution to the pupils’ sports opportunities.

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How effective are leadership and management?

The school promotes community cohesion effectively. The school is a very strong and cohesive community, underpinned by the school’s motto, ‘Together – growing in mind, body and spirit’. The school makes an exceptionally good contribution to the local community, for example through the successful development of home learning through the school’s ‘Managed Learning Environment’ and through the work done by the school’s senior leaders in other schools. International links are well established and are very successful in helping pupils to understand life in different parts of the world. The school already has plans in place to develop pupils’ understanding of what life is like for people who live in different parts of the United Kingdom. The school is making very good progress in fulfilling and embedding its plans to make this aspect as outstanding as the rest of its provision.

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How effective are leadership and management?

These are the grades for leadership and management The effectiveness of leadership and management in embedding ambition and driving improvement Taking into account: The leadership and management of teaching and learning The effectiveness of the governing body in challenging and supporting the school so that weaknesses are tackled decisively and statutory responsibilities met The effectiveness of the school’s engagement with parents and carers 1 The effectiveness of partnerships in promoting learning and well-being 1 The effectiveness with which the school promotes equality of opportunity and tackles discrimination The effectiveness of safeguarding procedures 1 The effectiveness with which the school promotes community cohesion 2 The effectiveness with which the school deploys resources to achieve value for money

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Children get off to a good start to their education in the Reception class and make Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Early Years Foundation Stage

good progress towards their Early Learning Goals. Safeguarding is given a high priority so that children are safe. Stimulating displays, interesting activities and strong relationships provide a warm welcome to the children, who clearly feel happy and secure, and consider themselves to be valued members of the school community. Strong inclusion ensures that all groups of children, regardless of their abilities or backgrounds, make similarly good progress. The children’s behaviour is exemplary and they relish the good range of activities available. Many children demonstrate considerable success in their ability to persevere and concentrate, while working independently of adult help, at this early stage in their schooling. One group of children, for instance, took great pleasure in carefully selecting materials to use to colour and decorate pictures of gingerbread men, and concentrated very well until

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Early Years Foundation Stage

they were satisfied with the results. The development of such skills makes a strong contribution to their future success in learning.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

There is an effective balance between activities which are led by an adult, and those which are initiated by the children, so that children make good progress in the development of confidence and independence. For example, one child proudly explained how she had decorated and cut out a paper ‘gingerbread man’ without adult help, before happily going on to choose a new activity. Indoor and outdoor environments are appropriate for learning and development, and activities such as ride on toys and modelling clay contribute well to children’s physical development and knowledge and understanding of the world. However, at the moment, the area available for the children to play and learn outside is somewhat limited in the range of activities it provides, and this restricts the children. The school has very good plans in place to provide improvements in this area.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

Teaching is often of high quality and is very effective in challenging and inspiring children to do their best. For example, during a well-paced phonics session, the teacher’s interaction with the children ensured that questions were carefully and accurately tailored to individual needs. As a result, the children enjoyed identifying whether letter sounds were ‘bouncy’ or ‘stretchy’ and made good progress in the development of literacy skills. At times, however, adult questioning is too closed, so that opportunities are missed to evaluate and build fully on children’s existing knowledge and understanding. Assessments are carefully recorded and used effectively to plan the next steps in learning for individual children.

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Early Years Foundation Stage

These are the grades for the Early Years Foundation Stage Overall effectiveness of the Early Years Foundation Stage Taking into account: Outcomes for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage The quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage The effectiveness of leadership and management of the Early Years Foundation Stage Inspection grades: 1 is outstanding, 2 is good, 3 is satisfactory, and 4 is inadequate Please turn to the glossary for a description of the grades and inspection terms

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Views of parents and carers

The proportion of Ofsted questionnaires completed was above the national average. The overwhelming majority of parents and carers are very happy with the school and are entirely confident that the school keeps their children safe and healthy. They consider that the headteacher and other senior leaders manage the school exceptionally well. Inspection evidence fully endorses these views. There were a very small number of constructive criticisms, which were shared and discussed with the headteacher while preserving anonymity.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Ofsted invited all the registered parents and carers of pupils registered at Coulsdon CofE Primary School to complete a questionnaire about their views of the school. In the questionnaire, parents and carers were asked to record how strongly they agreed with 13 statements about the school. The inspection team received 89 completed questionnaires by the end of the on-site inspection. In total, there are 208 pupils registered at the school.

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

Statements Strongly agree Agree Disagree Strongly disagree Total % Total % Total % Total % My child enjoys school 71 80 15 17 1 1 2 2 The school keeps my child safe 7 87 12 13 0 0 0 0 The school informs me about my child’s progress 45 51 37 42 3 3 0 0 My child is making enough progress at this school 49 55 30 34 2 2 2 2 The teaching is good at this school 53 60 27 30 1 1 0 0 The school helps me to support my child’s learning 56 63 30 34 3 3 0 0 The school helps my child to have a healthy lifestyle 63 71 26 29 0 0 0 0 The school makes sure that my child is well prepared for the future (for example changing year group, changing school, and for children who are finishing school, entering further or higher education, or entering employment) 51 57 28 31 1 1 2 2

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school meets my child’s particular needs 47 53 33 37 2 2 1 1 The school deals effectively with unacceptable behaviour 51 57 34 38 1 1 0 0 The school takes account of my suggestions and concerns 50 56 33 37 2 2 0 0

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The school is led and managed effectively 71 80 16 18 0 0 0 0 Overall, I am happy with my child’s experience at this school 71 80 15 17 1 1 1 1

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Responses from parents and carers to Ofsted’s questionnaire

The table above summarises the responses that parents and carers made to each statement. The percentages indicate the proportion of parents and carers giving that response out of the total number of completed questionnaires. Where one or more parents and carers chose not to answer a particular question, the percentages will not add up to 100%.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding These features are highly effective. An outstanding school provides exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. Grade 2 Good These are very positive features of a school. A school that is good is serving its pupils well. Grade 3 Satisfactory These features are of reasonable quality. A satisfactory school is providing adequately for its pupils. Grade 4 Inadequate These features are not of an acceptable standard. An inadequate school needs to make significant improvement in order to meet the needs of its pupils. Ofsted inspectors will make further visits until it improves.

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Nursery schools 43 47 10 0 Primary schools 6 46 42 6 Secondary schools 14 36 41 9

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

Sixth forms 15 42 41 3 Special schools 30 48 19 3 Pupil referral units 14 50 31 5

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Type of school Outstanding Good Satisfactory Inadequate

New school inspection arrangements were introduced on 1 September 2009. This means that inspectors now make some additional judgements that were not made previously. The data in the table above are for the period 1 September 2010 to 08 April 2011 and are consistent with the latest published official statistics about maintained school inspection outcomes (see www.ofsted.gov.uk). The sample of schools inspected during 2010/11 was not representative of all schools nationally, as weaker schools are inspected more frequently than good or outstanding schools. Percentages are rounded and do not always add exactly to 100. Sixth form figures reflect the judgements made for the overall effectiveness of the sixth form in secondary schools, special schools and pupil referral units.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Achievement: the progress and success of a pupil in their learning, development or training.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Attainment: the standard of the pupils’ work shown by test and examination results and in lessons.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Capacity to improve: the proven ability of the school to continue improving. Inspectors base this judgement on what the school has accomplished so far and on the quality of its systems to maintain improvement.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Leadership and management: the contribution of all the staff with responsibilities, not just the headteacher, to identifying priorities, directing and motivating staff and running the school.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Learning: how well pupils acquire knowledge, develop their understanding, learn and practise skills and are developing their competence as learners.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Overall effectiveness: inspectors form a judgement on a school’s overall effectiveness based on the findings from their inspection of the school. The following judgements, in particular, influence what the overall effectiveness judgement will be.  The school’s capacity for sustained improvement.  Outcomes for individuals and groups of pupils.  The quality of teaching.  The extent to which the curriculum meets pupils’ needs, including, where relevant, through partnerships.  The effectiveness of care, guidance and support.

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Common terminology used by inspectors

Progress: the rate at which pupils are learning in lessons and over longer periods of time. It is often measured by comparing the pupils’ attainment at the end of a key stage with their attainment when they started.

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carers to share with their children. It describes Ofsted’s

main findings from the inspection of their school.

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Inspection of Coulsdon CofE Primary School, Coulsdon CR5 1ED

Thank you for making us so welcome when we recently visited your school. We really enjoyed going into your lessons, looking at your work and talking to you. Thank you also to the pupils who completed the inspection questionnaire. You told us that you enjoy coming to school and we agree with you that Coulsdon CofE Primary is an outstanding school. These are the main reasons why we thought the school is so successful:

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Inspection of Coulsdon CofE Primary School, Coulsdon CR5 1ED

 Your teachers and teaching assistants do an excellent job, so that you make excellent progress.  You all try really hard to do your best at all times and this helps you to reach high standards in English and mathematics by the time you leave school.  You thoroughly enjoy all the different and interesting activities, both during and after school, because your teachers do their best to make learning fun.  Your headteacher, staff and governors do an excellent job of organising the school and making sure that you are safe.  You behave exceptionally well, work hard and listen carefully to your teachers. All of this helps you to succeed.  All the adults in the school look after you very carefully and always make sure you get help if you need it.  You carry out your jobs and responsibilities in school very maturely and sensibly.  You are very thoughtful about your own views as well as those of others.

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Inspection of Coulsdon CofE Primary School, Coulsdon CR5 1ED

 You understand very well how to lead a healthy lifestyle and keep yourselves safe.  Teachers mark your work regularly so that you know how well you are doing and how you can improve.

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Inspection of Coulsdon CofE Primary School, Coulsdon CR5 1ED

Even in an outstanding school, there are a few things that will help it to become even better. We have asked the school to provide children in Reception class with more outside activities which will help them to make even better progress in literacy and numeracy. We wish you all well for the future.

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Inspection of Coulsdon CofE Primary School, Coulsdon CR5 1ED

Julie Sackett Lead inspector procedures set out in the guidance 'Complaining about inspections', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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