Copthorne CofE Junior School

Copthorne CofE Junior School Church Road, Copthorne, West Sussex, RH10 3AD Inspection dates 28–29 November 2012

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Requires improvement 3 Achievement of pupils Requires improvement 3 Quality of teaching Requires improvement 3 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Requires improvement 3

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This is a school that requires improvement. It is not good because

 Pupils are not making as much progress in mathematics and writing as they should, and not as much as they do in reading.  The most able pupils are not always progressing as well as they should because the work is often too easy for them.  Teachers do not always explain clearly enough what pupils are going to learn in lessons.  Although the senior leaders and governors of the school check the quality of teaching, this has not yet resulted in sufficient consistently good teaching. As a result, pupils do not learn as much as they should.  There is not enough rigour in the way senior leaders check the impact of the school’s improvement plan or in their sampling of pupils’ work.

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The school has the following strengths

 The leadership of the headteacher is clear and determined and is helping the school to improve. Almost all staff share her ambition, and that of the governors, for the school to continually improve.  The new approach to teaching reading is improving pupils’ achievement. Most pupils enjoy reading and, as a result, progress in reading throughout the school has improved.  Pupils’ behaviour throughout the school is good. Pupils show care and respect for each other’s feelings, property and religious beliefs. They are keen to take part in lessons, asking and answering questions sensibly and confidently.  Pupils are proud of their school. They attend regularly and are almost always on time; this is also shown in their willingness to learn.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed teaching and learning in 15 lessons. Four of these were observed jointly with the headteacher.  In addition, inspectors listened to two groups of pupils read.  Meetings were held with pupils, teachers, a group of governors, the school’s senior leaders and with the headteacher of the feeder infant school. A meeting was also held with a representative of the local authority to discuss the extent and impact of support provided to the school.  In planning the inspection, inspectors took account of the 26 responses to the on-line questionnaire (Parent View), a telephone call from a parent, and the views of eight parents and carers who spoke to inspectors during the inspection.  The inspectors observed the work of the school and looked at many documents including minutes of governing body meetings, the school’s self-evaluation, the school’s development plan, performance management documentation, planning documents, monitoring and assessment

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Information about this inspection

information, school policies and records relating to attendance, behaviour and safety.

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Inspection team

John Collins, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Wendy Forbes Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized junior school.  Pupils are taught in single-age classes throughout the school and in set ability groups for mathematics in Years 5 and 6.  Two pupils are provided with a combination of part-time school-based education and off-site alternative specialist provision.  Most pupils are of White British heritage.  A below average proportion of pupils are eligible for the pupil premium.  The proportion of pupils identified with special educational needs through school action is above average.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is below average.  The school meets the government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The school has recently experienced many changes in its staffing organisation. This has included the recent long-term absence of a number of teaching and support staff as well as long-term

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Information about this school

absence of the previous headteacher. Prior to the appointment of the new substantive headteacher in September 2011 this post was covered by an interim acting headteacher. There have been significant changes to the governing body since the last inspection including a new Chair, two Vice-Chairs and six new governors.  The school has achieved a number of awards including Sportsmark, Healthy Schools and Eco Schools.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that it is consistently good or better by: – raising teachers’ expectations of what pupils can do so that all pupils make good progress – making sure in lessons that all pupils know and understand what they are to learn rather than what activities they are to do.  Increase rates of progress in writing and mathematics, particularly for the most able, by:  ensuring that teachers provide activities that more accurately match pupils’ different abilities and provide the right level of difficulty  ensuring pupils have more opportunities in lessons to practise and extend their knowledge and understanding of basic calculations in mathematics so that they can use these skills to solve problems  improving the teaching of writing skills.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  checking the progress pupils make in lessons  sampling pupils’ work systematically and regularly

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 rigorously reviewing the impact of the school improvement plan.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 The achievement of pupils is not good because too few pupils have made good progress between Year 3 and Year 6 in mathematics and in writing. Progress in reading is much better. Results show that pupils enter the school in Year 3 with broadly average standards, and when they leave in Year 6 they achieve close to the national average. Progress has been limited, especially for the more able, because of inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. In addition, staff absence has left a few pupils with gaps in their learning, especially for mathematics.  Standards in Year 6 improved slightly during 2012 in both English and mathematics; pupils are now making expected progress. This is due to improvements in teaching, the setting by ability of older pupils in mathematics, the appointment of a new mathematics leader, and better use of progress information to track how well pupils are doing.  Writing is below the level expected for pupils’ ages in most years, but there has been a marked

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

improvement in the writing of more able pupils in Year 6. However, it is still below the expected standard.  Pupils’ skills in everyday calculations are not as strong as they should be. This is largely because of inconsistencies in the way these have been taught, and low expectations of what pupils are capable of. In Year 6, mathematics results over the past three years have been close to the national average. However, although a few very able pupils did very well, too few pupils, girls in particular, reached the standards they are capable of.  In the past year, strong emphasis has been given to the teaching of mathematics. As a result, pupils’ achievement in this subject is improving.  The new approaches to teaching reading have led to significant improvement in reading levels, especially the younger pupils. Most children enjoy reading and school records show that all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs, are making good progress. By

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Year 6, most pupils are confident, fluent, and expressive readers who read widely for pleasure.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs read with determination and growing confidence. This is because of the support and tuition provided by adults to develop their knowledge and understanding of phonics (the sounds letters make) and by regularly hearing them read.  Similarly, writing is improving throughout the school but not as fast as it should. Writing displayed in school corridors and classrooms, as well as in pupils’ exercise books, is often imaginative, lively and well presented. However, many pupils find spelling and punctuation hard and they are not always given sufficient help to correct these by their teachers.  Pupil records and average point score results indicate that the small number of pupils supported by pupil premium, and those with special educational needs, make progress that is mostly

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

similar to, and occasionally better than, other pupils at the school. This is because they are given additional support, through both one-to-one and small group tuition. It has helped close the gap between their performance and that of other pupils.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The quality of teaching requires improvement. This is because it is not consistently good in enough lessons over time, and pupils’ achievement reflects this.  In some lessons the pace is too slow and the work set for pupils does not build well enough on what they already know and can do. Too much time is spent on activities that do not result in good learning, such as waiting for too long for others to complete a task before moving on.  Since the last inspection, most teachers have used information about pupils’ progress to match the work more appropriately to their differing abilities. However, this is not yet happening for all pupils, particularly the more able in all lessons. As a result these pupils do not always make the progress they are capable of.  Where teaching is good, teachers have high expectations of pupils. Their skilful questioning probes the pupils’ understanding and knowledge and extends their thinking. As a result, pupils

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

successfully tackle quite challenging tasks. For example, in a Year 6 lesson, pupils chose a variety of methods to make the number 29, that day’s date. Some noticed it was a prime number and so could only be divided by itself or one, others suggested (2x7)+(32÷4) +10-(4-1) = 29, and many other correct solutions were provided.  Teachers motivate pupils to learn, to work well with others and to appreciate different cultures, in many imaginative ways. For example, teachers dressed up as characters from the books they were using, or as Tudors or Romans when teaching history.  Various steps have been taken to improve pupils’ writing and mathematical calculation skills. These have already brought about some improvement, particularly in the improving the quality of written work and in achievement in mathematics. However, strategies that are being used to improve pupils’ calculation skills and the focus on improving spelling and punctuation are

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

somewhat slower in bringing results.  The systematic daily teaching of reading throughout the school, particularly the focus on spelling and word recognition, has helped pupils make good gains in learning to read over time.  Other adults work effectively to promote pupils’ learning, particularly those pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs. In these cases, teachers discuss their lesson planning with them before lessons begin so that they are well informed of their responsibilities and what they have to do.  Most teachers mark pupils’ work regularly, providing useful comments that help them to improve their work. However, this is not always the case. As a result, a few pupils do not always know how well they are doing or how to improve their work. A few parents say that this makes their child less willing to study.  Pupils say they really enjoy their lessons; most parents say that their children are well taught,

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

and all those responding online said their children are happy at school.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ behaviour throughout the school is good, and sometimes outstanding. Pupils are courteous to each other and to the adults in school; they made the inspection team feel very welcome. Whether working in lessons or around the school, the vast majority of pupils show respect for the ideas, beliefs, property and feelings of others.  Pupils are happy to come to school. As one pupil told inspectors, ‘I love coming to school, it’s a great place because I have fun and learn a lot.’ Attendance is above average and has improved since the last inspection.  The great majority of pupils are good ambassadors for the school. They are proud of their school and show they are rapidly developing the qualities of confident and good citizens.  The vast majority of parents who expressed a view about behaviour believe it is typically good. Relatively few commented on bullying. However, pupils say that bullying of any kind is rare but

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

is dealt with effectively by staff. Behaviour records show that incidents are dealt with swiftly and effectively. Pupils all say they feel safe. They have a good understanding of risk, are particularly knowledgeable about personal safety and are aware of the different forms of bullying. Pupils feel very confident that adults know them well and care for them.  Behaviour is not yet outstanding because, in some lessons, not all pupils engage in the activities provided throughout. This is usually in the few lessons where the activity fails to gain the interests of the pupils because the work is too easy.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leadership and management require improvement because the measures that have been put in place have not yet led to consistently good teaching and rapid progress in all classes.  In the past, senior leaders have not focused sufficiently on tracking pupils’ progress or monitoring the quality of teaching to bring about improvements. These are now improved.  Effective leadership by the current headteacher has created an environment where learning is seen as important. She is supported well by the leadership team. The team shows commitment to the school’s continuing improvement and has an accurate awareness of its strengths and areas for development. Steps taken in 2012 to raise pupils’ achievement have secured some improvements in reading, and Year 6 standards. However, leaders do not check samples of pupils’ work regularly enough to check their progress in lessons and over time.  Before the present headteacher’s appointment, the local authority provided much time and

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The leadership and management requires improvement

effort, using skilled personnel, to help strengthen the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement. However, the impact of its most recent work to improve pupils’ achievement has yet to be fully realised.  Senior leaders and the new governing body have a clear and accurate view of the strengths of the school and the areas requiring improvement. Actions to improve pupils’ progress and strengthen the quality of teaching are being effectively implemented. There is good evidence that the approaches adopted are working, for example in the improved teaching of reading.  The school’s own evaluation of how well it is doing accurately identifies what is improving and areas that continue to need strengthening. However, planning for and the monitoring of improvement are not yet rigorous enough to achieve the targets set as quickly as possible.  The headteacher and governing body have introduced a more systematic way of appraising

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The leadership and management requires improvement

teachers. Performance targets are set and regularly reviewed so that teachers know how well they are doing. However, records show that some teachers have received salary increases even though their pupils have not made the progress expected.  The curriculum taught by the school provides a wide and appropriate range of learning opportunities for pupils, including the disabled and those with special educational needs. It has contributed strongly to pupils’ good behaviour and their desire to learn. Good opportunities are provided for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Many clubs and educational visits enrich pupils’ learning and have led to pupils achieving awards for the school, for example, in learning about healthy eating, developing skills in various sports, and getting involved in conservation activities such as recycling. However, the school’s curriculum does not fully meet

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The leadership and management requires improvement

the needs of all the pupils because it does not yet promote good achievement.  The governance of the school: – The relatively new governing body has taken strong appropriate measures to raise standards that have not yet had sufficient time to make much difference. The training governors have received on how to analyse information on pupils’ progress and the focus on improving standards have sharpened their understanding of the school’s performance. The governors have now given particular emphasis to improving pupils’ achievement, especially the teaching of reading, mathematics and writing. They have enabled all teachers to have additional training in the teaching of reading and have appointed a mathematics leader. They are aware of variation in the quality of teaching, its link to performance management and to salary progression. These measures are having good effect but the full impact has yet to be realised.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Governors track closely how finances are used to benefit pupils, especially those eligible for pupil premium, and they ensure that pupils are kept safe. They are meeting all their legal requirements and have good capacity to secure improvement in the 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 is

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Grade Judgement Description

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 126013 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 402371

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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 Junior School School category Voluntary Controlled C of E Age range of pupils 7−11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 230 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Nicky Shaw Headteacher Ann MacGregor Date of previous school inspection 23−24 March 2010 Telephone number 01342 712372 Fax number 01342 718513 Email address head@copthorne.w-sussex.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, please

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School details

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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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