Cosby Primary School

Cosby Primary School Portland Street, Cosby, Leicester, LE9 1TE

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Not previously inspected This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Pupils make good progress and do at least as well as their peers nationally. Results have improved steadily over the past three years.  Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs make good progress because their needs are understood and they are well supported.  The provision in the Reception classes is good and enables children to make a good start in their learning.  Pupils behave well, feel safe and have positive attitudes towards their learning.  Teaching is good; some is outstanding. Teachers have high expectations of their pupils and plan their lessons well. Pupils are provided with the right level of challenge to match their abilities.  School leaders have successfully raised the quality of teaching and ensured that all pupils make at least good progress.  Governors know the school well and are highly effective in holding school leaders to account.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 The proportion of outstanding teaching is not yet high enough because pupils do not have enough opportunities to learn independently.  Pupils do not have sufficient opportunities to improve and develop their literacy, numeracy and other skills in different subjects.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching in all classes. Each class was observed at least once. In total, inspectors observed 15 lessons, of which two were joint observations with senior leaders. Inspectors also observed learning as part of a scrutiny of behaviour around the school.  Inspectors met with the Chair of the Governing Body, senior and middle leaders, teaching staff and with two groups of pupils. Inspectors also spoke with a representative of the academy trust.  Inspectors took account of the 26 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and of two parents who expressed their views by telephone. The information from nine staff questionnaires was also taken into consideration.  Inspectors looked closely at pupils’ work and at documents showing how the school uses data and tracks progress. Inspectors also looked at school planning, records of behaviour and attendance, and school policies, especially relating to safeguarding.

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Inspection team

Aune Turkson-Jones, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Jacqueline Pentlow Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Cosby is an average-sized primary school serving the village of Cosby. The school became an academy on 1 August 2012. The academy predecessor school, the Cosby Primary School, was last inspected in May 2010 and judged to be a satisfactory school.  The majority of pupils are from White British backgrounds. The proportion for whom English is an additional language is well below average.  The proportion of pupils for whom the school receives additional income (the pupil premium) is well below average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action is below average.  Low proportions of pupils join and leave the school throughout the year, which means it has greater stability than average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standard, which sets the minimum

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Information about this school

expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the proportion of outstanding teaching by ensuring that all pupils regularly apply and further develop their thinking so that they become more skilled in driving forward their own learning independently.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve and refine the themed curriculum further, so that it sharply identifies and addresses the key skills which will enable pupils to make rapid progress in specific subject areas.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 There has been a trend of rising achievement over the past three years. The gap between the achievement of the small number of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium and the rest of the pupils is narrow and is closing rapidly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils enter the Early Years Foundation Stage with skills, knowledge and understanding below the levels expected for their age. They make good progress and join Year 1 in line with expectations.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Attainment at the end of both key stages in reading, writing and mathematics is above average. Pupils currently in Year 6 are on target to reach similar levels at the end of the year.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress for current pupils is good and a scrutiny of their work shows that pupils work hard to attain high standards and achieve well in school. Achievement in mathematics has improved recently and higher numbers of pupils are now reaching and exceeding their targets in English and mathematics.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils make at least good progress in most lessons. They are keen learners and rise to the challenges set for them by their teachers.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs receive good quality support and achieve well as a result. Using additional funding to provide adult support for smaller groups has been effective in promoting pupils’ success in learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s promotion of reading is good and pupils show a genuine interest in selecting their own books and reading to adults in school and at home.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Younger pupils and those who are less confident as readers have the skills to decode more difficult words, so that they are able to sound them out successfully.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 More able pupils make good progress in both English and mathematics because they are well challenged by the work they are set. There are no significant differences in the progress made by boys and girls.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The evidence from lesson observations and from a scrutiny of pupils’ work shows that good teaching enables pupils to make good progress and achieve well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have a secure understanding of the progress made by pupils and use this to plan and monitor their achievement as they move through the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Staff are keen to improve their teaching, and school leaders have driven forward improvements through sharing best practice with other schools.

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The quality of teaching is good

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage children benefit greatly from exceptionally well- organised activities. Skilful staff consistently create opportunities for children to extend their thinking and make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The majority of teachers have high expectations of their pupils and plan interesting, engaging lessons which are suitably adapted to match the range of abilities in each class.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Where teaching is outstanding, teachers are very effective in creating opportunities for pupils to develop their thinking, apply ideas and independently drive themselves forwards.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Pupils make exceptional progress in lessons where they have developed the confidence and necessary skills to enquire, investigate and solve problems for themselves. In a few lessons, teachers’ use of questioning to promote and extend thinking is inconsistent. When this occurs, pupils do not have sufficient chance to use and apply their different skills.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The curriculum has a positive impact on teaching. Themed units help pupils to build a deeper knowledge of topics, and teachers successfully create links between different subjects.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Marking is good; teachers use a common policy, which pupils understand. Marking provides helpful, good-quality feedback so that pupils know how to improve their work.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants and support staff play an important role in ensuring that teaching and learning are at least good for all pupils. The pupil premium funding is used effectively.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is good. Support staffs’ skilful questioning helps pupils to understand and make good progress.

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The quality of teaching is good

 School leaders regularly check the quality of teaching and effectiveness of learning. Monitoring helps them to keep a close eye on the progress of individual pupils.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils have positive attitudes to learning and are keen to do well. They respond well to adults and collaborate well with each other.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The Early Years Foundation Stage provides a good start in developing children’s positive behaviour, and children learn to treat each other with respect, care and kindness.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Behaviour in lessons and around the school is good and lessons are rarely disrupted. Pupils manage their own behaviour well and are polite and courteous around the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Bullying is rare and is promptly dealt with by staff. Pupils have a good awareness of the different forms of bullying and are confident in the school’s ability to resolve any issues.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The curriculum helps pupils to learn about risks associated with the internet, health aspects and general safety so that they are well prepared for life outside school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school ethos encourages good social behaviour and pupils expressed a sense of pride in the behaviour in their school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The feedback from parents and staff supports the pupils’ views that behaviour in the school has improved; it is now a strength of the school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work in developing the spiritual, moral, social and cultural awareness of pupils has enabled them to become more tolerant and aware of each other’s beliefs and differences.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Attendance rates are above average; punctuality to school and to lessons is good.

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The leadership and management are good

 School leaders are successfully embracing the school’s new status as an academy and driving forward a series of improvements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s self-evaluation is thorough and senior leaders have a very good understanding of what the school needs to do to improve. Detailed action plans are in place to address priorities swiftly.

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The leadership and management are good

 Professional development is thorough and staff are appreciative of the many training opportunities made available to them. Subject leaders share information from their monitoring and evaluation of pupils’ learning with staff, and this has had a direct impact on bringing about improvements in pupils’ achievements.

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The leadership and management are good

 The performance management of teachers is robust and links directly to whole-school priorities and to accelerating pupils’ progress. This is raising the quality of teaching, and the proportion of outstanding lessons.

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The leadership and management are good

 Staff work collaboratively on class-based research projects, designed to drive up the quality of teaching and learning even further.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school has good systems in place for tracking pupils’ progress and leaders meet with teachers regularly to ensure that all pupils are performing well.

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The leadership and management are good

 As a result of the leadership’s robust monitoring, pupils’ progress has accelerated and there is little difference in the achievement of different groups. The school is successfully narrowing gaps in achievement.

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The leadership and management are good

 The academy trust provides good-quality support for the school. This has had a positive impact on how subject leaders assess pupils’ work in English and mathematics.

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The leadership and management are good

 The curriculum is both interesting and exciting and is being reviewed to include more opportunities for pupils to develop the skills which will enable them to achieve more.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school makes good provision for spiritual, moral, cultural and social development and has strong links with the local church, boosted by a good range of extra-curricular activities and visits.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils have opportunities to visit different places of worship and the school has international links. Pupils take on additional responsibilities and engage in sporting, artistic and musical events.

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The leadership and management are good

 Safeguarding meets current government requirements. The school carries out the necessary checks on staff to ensure their suitability to work with children. All staff have undergone training at the required levels.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  is knowledgeable, pro-active and clear in its expectations of the senior leadership team  consistently promotes high standards and ambition for teaching and learning  monitors policies, pupil premium funding and budgets very closely and effectively  is highly committed to helping the school on its journey to become an outstanding school.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school

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Grade Judgement Description

is failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 138528 Local authority N/A Inspection number 409365

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School details

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

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School details

Type of school Academy School category Non-maintained Age range of pupils 4–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 249 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Melvyn Booley Headteacher Tracy Withers Date of previous school inspection N/A Telephone number 0116 286 3103 Fax number 0116 286 3429 Email address office@cosby.leics.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', 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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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

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 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,

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School details

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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School details

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

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