Coalway Primary School

Coalway Junior School Coalway Road, Coleford, Gloucestershire, GL16 7HL

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Outstanding 1 Leadership and management Good 2

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This is a good school

 Teaching is good and sometimes is outstanding. Lessons are planned well so that all groups of pupils make good rates of progress.  Pupils enjoy their learning and work happily together at all times. They are keen to cooperate with each other in problem-solving activities and take full responsibility for their own behaviour as during lessons.  All leaders, including the governing body, have high expectations and are fully committed to ensuring that all pupils receive a good quality of education.  Pupils have excellent attitudes to learning and their behaviour is outstanding.  The school is a calm and happy environment in which to work. Displays and open spaces are managed so that learning ‘comes to life’, and this promotes children’s enthusiasm about their learning.  Pupils’ emotional and learning needs are met extremely well by the wide range of activities which stimulate their enjoyment of learning. They are given high levels of support and care

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This is a good school

which enable them to overcome any barriers to their learning and make good progress.  The headteacher and senior leaders work hard at all times to foster a strong sense of community at the school that welcomes and supports all to achieve their best.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Standards in reading are not as high as those in writing and mathematics. There are not enough opportunities for pupils to respond to teachers’ marking by commenting on their work and ways of improving it.  Links with the adjacent infant school are not fully developed.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 15 lessons or parts of lessons.  Inspectors attended class and whole school assemblies.  They listened to pupils read and held meetings with staff, pupils and members of the governing body. They talked to local authority and independent advisers who provide regular support to the school.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils and to parents as they brought their children to school in the morning. They took account of the 33 responses from parents to the on-line Parent View survey.  Inspectors looked at a number of documents, including those relating to child protection and safety and the school’s monitoring of teaching and learning.

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Inspection team

Marion Hobbs, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Phil Taylor Additional inspector

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Information about this school

 This is an average-sized junior school.  Most pupils are White British.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals is slightly below the national average and the proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium (additional money allocated to schools by the government) is average.  The proportion of pupils supported through school action is slightly higher than the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is slightly below the national average. A specific learning need accounts for the majority of those pupils supported at school action plus.  The school does not offer any alternative provision for pupils.  The school meets the government’s floor standards, which set out the minimum expectations for attainment and progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Raise attainment in reading so that pupils do as well in this aspect as they do in writing and mathematics by:  building on the opportunities for sustained reading in learning topics across all subjects  developing further pupils’ confidence and independence as readers.  Improve links with the adjacent infant school so that all staff have a strong shared understanding of assessment for all pupils and use this information to build quickly on what pupils already know and can do.  Increase the number of opportunities for pupils to respond to teachers’ marking of their work so that they are able to take more responsibility for their learning.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils’ attainment in reading, writing and mathematics when pupils join the school is broadly average. They make good progress and standards by the end of Year 6 are generally just above the national average.  The school is now starting to work effectively with the neighbouring infant school to ensure that all teachers from both schools have an accurate and consistent understanding of pupils’ attainment. This is beginning to help teachers to build quickly on pupils’ skills and knowledge when the pupils join the junior school.  Progress is monitored rigorously so that any pupils whose performance dips are identified quickly and measures put in place to get them back on track. Consequently, most pupils make at least the expected progress across Key Stage 2 and the proportion who make more than the expected progress is high compared with the national figures.  Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs make good progress because of the

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The achievement of pupils is good

well-targeted support they receive. The small number of pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium also receive additional support if it is needed. Test results and progress data show that this effective support helps these pupils make equally good progress as others in the school and that there is no significant difference in the average point scores they achieve at the end of Year 6 compared to their classmates. Consequently, the gap in attainment against the national average is closing.  The good teaching of writing and numeracy skills through topic-based learning means that progress in writing and mathematics is above national averages. Achievement in reading is not as high as pupils are not always given enough opportunities to develop their reading skills across a range of subjects and thus gain greater confidence as readers. The school is aware of this and is now beginning to tackle this issue.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers have high expectations and plan lessons accordingly. Pupils talk enthusiastically about how much their teachers, and the other adult support available to them in class, help them to learn well.  Planning is a real strength throughout the school and this is seen in the consistency of good quality lesson content and teaching across pairs of teachers within each year group.  Lessons are tailored effectively to meet the needs of different groups of learners. Pupils understand and appreciate this design. Year 3 pupils talked very positively about the different activities happening on working tables in both literacy and numeracy and how these mean that everyone ‘can get on with their own work and do well’.  In the majority of lessons, questioning is skilful in the way it allows teachers to check for understanding, learning and progress and refocus lessons appropriately. Teachers support each

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The quality of teaching is good

other through joint planning and peer observations to develop this key aspect of practice.  Good teaching ensures that all pupils are keen to engage as fully as possible in their learning and actively try to improve their work as much as possible. They make effective use of the excellent ‘success criteria’ provided to support them when working in ability groups.  Teaching assistants are deployed skilfully to support different individuals and groups of learners. Parents and carers of pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs are particularly positive about the bespoke support their children receive.  Assessment is frequent and consistent across the school. Pupils understand the ‘pink and green pen’ marking that teachers use. However, there are not yet enough opportunities for all pupils to engage fully in a learning conversation with their teachers by responding to comments in

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

 All pupils are unfailingly enthusiastic about all aspects of school. They enjoy their lessons. ‘Teachers make learning fun,’ said one Year 4 pupil, reflecting the views of many, and pupils are equally positive about other educational experiences along with the wide range of extra- curricular activities on offer at lunch times and after school.  Taking into account the views of parents, carers, pupils and staff, it is apparent that all are unreservedly positive about all aspects of behaviour and safety.  Pupils are fully aware of different forms of bullying. They show maturity in understanding how to deal with any kind of incident, although records over time show that bullying of any kind is extremely rare.  Behaviour for learning is of an exceptionally high calibre. Pupils not only listen well to each other, respecting each other’s viewpoints, but they also share resources as an active part of

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are outstanding

learning. This is a key feature of lesson design.  All groups of pupils feel safe at school. They are very clear about what could be an unsafe situation and strong social skills mean they are highly effective in supporting each other to avoid any such event.  Pupils’ attendance at school shows an improving pattern over time. Staff and governors work hard to promote high expectations about the importance of good attendance.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, senior leaders and governing body are all committed fully to keeping pupils safe and driving improvement continuously across the school. There have been considerable improvements since the last inspection, including pupils’ achievement.  Teaching is good because of the close attention to shared planning and the effective organisation of learning for different groups of pupils. This is monitored closely by senior leaders as part of performance management. There are good opportunities for teachers to develop their skills which are leading to securing improvements for all.  The school knows itself well. Self-evaluation, led ably by the headteacher and using the school’s own data that is robust, effective and shared by all staff, means that pupils’ progress is at the heart of the school. The school is working ever more closely with the adjacent infant school to secure accurate attainment on entry data for the benefit of all pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The range of subjects and activities provided for pupils is a real strength of the school. Topic- based learning means that literacy, numeracy and communication are threaded through all pupils’ experiences, both in and beyond the classroom. Pupils talk enthusiastically about their learning and the opportunities they are given to explore together. Provision for developing pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural understanding is good throughout the curriculum.  The school family support worker, funded by the pupil premium, works effectively with individual pupils and families to provide a wide range of support. As a result, these pupils often make better than expected progress.  The governance of the school:  Governors are fully involved as part of the leadership team and their relationships with staff, parents and pupils are very positive. They are enthusiastic and committed to driving improvement for the school through all aspects of their work. They evaluate the school’s

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The leadership and management are good

performance regularly in terms of the impact of teaching on learning, liaising as often as possible with the adjacent infant school to confirm the accuracy of pupils’ attainment on entry, and putting in place joint training across the staff of both schools to improve consistency. Governors have a clear awareness of how well the school is performing in relation to other schools. They ensure that their own training needs are fully met in order to carry out their duties. They hold leaders to account and ensure that the performance management of teachers is regular and is linked to salary progression. They immerse themselves as fully as possible in the daily life of the school, adding to the strong community atmosphere. The finance committee reviews the school budget and pupil premium funding is used well to support the achievement of this group through extra teaching assistant hours and enhanced resources.

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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 115550 Local authority Gloucestershire Inspection number 401519

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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 category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 216 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Stuart McLester Headteacher Fay White Date of previous school inspection 30 June – 1 July 2010 Telephone number 01594 810271 Fax number 01594 812739 Email address admin@coalway-jun.gloucs.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

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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