Coundon Primary School

Coundon Primary School Forfield Road, Coundon, Coventry, CV6 1FQ

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Good 2 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

 Teaching has not been good enough to make sure all pupils, including those who need extra help, make good progress.  Teachers do not make the best use of pupils’ assessment information to plan activities that will move their learning to the next level, particularly for those who are more able.  Some lessons are conducted at a slow pace. As a result, a few pupils lose interest and this limits their learning.  Teachers’ marking of pupils’ work does not always help them to understand how their work may be improved. Pupils are rarely given time to respond to teachers’ comments.  Systems for helping teachers to develop their skills have not been sufficiently rigorous.  Although the school’s interim leaders are strongly committed to making the necessary improvements, and are taking the right action, it is too early to measure fully their effectiveness on pupils’ achievement.  Until recently, the governing body has not

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

asked the school’s leaders searching questions about the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement.  The school does not hold sufficiently detailed records of the extent to which their use of additional funding is helping pupils eligible for the pupil premium to reach similar standards to their classmates.

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The school has the following strengths

 Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress.  Pupils behave well. They feel safe at school and say they are well cared for. Their attendance has been consistently above average for several years.  A strong sense of community within the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well.  Under the leadership of the acting headteacher, the staff team are working very well together to improve pupils’ achievement and the proportion of good and better teaching is improving.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 23 lessons or parts of lessons taught by 17 teachers, and one assembly. Two lessons were jointly observed with senior leaders.  Short visits to observe the teaching of reading were made. Activities related to the teaching of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs were also observed.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, subject leaders, staff and members of the governing body. In addition, the lead inspector talked with representatives from the local authority.  Inspectors talked with pupils, listened to them read and observed them at play during break and lunch times.  The school’s safeguarding policies, improvement plans, notes from meetings of the governing body and records of pupils’ behaviour were reviewed. Inspectors also looked at the work pupils were doing in their books, and at records of their progress.  Inspectors took account of the 48 responses to the online parent questionnaire (Parent View),

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Information about this inspection

parental e-mail communications, and 51 replies to the staff questionnaire. Inspectors also sought the views of parents and carers at the start of the school day as they brought their children to school.

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Inspection team

Sarah Warboys, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Christopher Webb Additional Inspector Jatinder Sembi Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Coundon Primary School is much larger than most primary schools.  A large majority of pupils are White British. An average proportion of pupils comes from minority ethnic groups and speaks English as an additional language.  A below-average proportion of the pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding to the school. The funding is based on the number of children at the school in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals.  The percentage of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is below average, as is the proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs.  ‘Coundon Kidz Club’ operates on the school site. It is not managed by the governing body and is inspected separately.  The school meets the current government floor standards, which set the minimum expectations

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Information about this school

for pupils’ attainment and progress.  The headteacher has been absent since February 2013. Interim leadership arrangements are in place.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching so that all lessons are good or better and thus raise pupils’ achievement by making sure that all staff:  increase the pace of learning in lessons to help maintain pupils’ interests  make better use of pupils’ assessment information to set them work that is at the right level of difficulty to move their learning forward, particularly those pupils who are more able  give pupils precise written guidance when marking their work and the chance to respond to teachers’ comments, so that they know how to improve.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by:  building on the leadership skills of subject leaders in driving improvement across the school  developing the skills of leaders at all levels, in checking that their improvement strategies are improving teaching and raising pupils’ achievement  checking more closely the impact of the support given to pupils eligible for additional funding through the pupil premium  making sure that the governing body holds the school’s leaders fully to account for the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of governance should be undertaken in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 At the end of Years 2 and 6, the standards pupils reach in English and mathematics are average. Pupils’ achievement has not been good in Key Stages 1 and 2. The proportion of pupils making more than the progress expected for their age is lower than that found nationally.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Recent strategies to accelerate pupils’ progress have not been in place long enough to be sustained over time. However, pupils, including those who need extra help, are now making better progress because teaching is improving. Current assessment information and work in pupils’ books show that pupils in Years 1 to 6 are on course to reach above-average standards in reading. Their attainment in writing and mathematics remains average.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Standards in reading are improving because young children are taught phonics (the links between letters and the sounds they make) in a structured way. They learn best when reading sessions are taught at a good pace and adults make clear the links between reading and writing. Teachers provide pupils with good opportunities to use their basic skills in reading, writing and mathematics when learning about other subjects.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Children join the Early Years Foundation Stage with the skills and abilities that are expected for their age. Adults organise a wide range of engaging activities that allow children to learn and practise new skills across different areas of learning. Consequently, they get off to a good start and make good progress to reach above-average levels by the time they enter Year 1.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs are helped to make similar progress to their peers. Adults break learning down into manageable steps, go over key words and provide prompts to help them do similar work to other pupils. They provide good language role models to support pupils from minority ethnic backgrounds who speak English as an additional language, which helps them to learn new words and phrases.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Extra money received by the school to support pupils eligible for the pupil premium has been used to provide additional adult help in lessons, one-to-one tuition and access to trips. Pupils in Year 6 in 2012 were, on average, two terms behind similar pupils nationally in English and five terms behind their classmates. In mathematics, they reached similar levels to pupils in all schools and were about a term behind others in their classes. Recent robust systems measure more fully the impact of the pupil premium on pupils’ achievement.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching in recent years has not made sure that all pupils, including those who need extra help, make good progress. Expectations have not been high enough. However, improvements to teaching are leading to most pupils now in the school making better progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In some lessons, the pace of learning is slow. Time for pupils to get on with their own work is limited and the interest of a few wanes. Teachers do not always use assessment information to plan activities that are set at the right level of difficulty to help pupils learn effectively. Sometimes, the work set for more-able pupils is too easy and they do not make the best possible progress.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils’ books show that the quality of teachers’ marking of their work varies. Although work is regularly marked and encouraging, it does not always provide clear guidance as to precisely what pupils have done well and how to improve. Rarely are they given the chance to respond to teachers’ comments so they can learn from their mistakes or broaden their understanding.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 The best learning happens when teachers’ expectations of learning are high. On these occasions, the tasks set for pupils are closely matched to their needs and abilities. Consequently, they make progress at a good rate. For example, pupils in Year 2 deepened their knowledge and understanding of the value of coins, fully supported by computer technology and practical resources that helped to reinforce mathematical ideas and helped to maintain their interest.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 In the Early Years Foundation Stage, there is a good balance of activities led by adults and those that children choose for themselves. Adults promote children’s independent skills by encouraging them to make their own decisions about what they might like to do next. They are skilled using children’s interests and turning their play into learning opportunities. For example, children in the Nursery class learned to use new words such as, ‘furthest’ and ‘nearest’ while they excitedly rolled balls down channels of different lengths and heights.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ eagerness to learn, their positive attitudes and their willingness to take part in tasks make a good contribution to their learning. Around the school pupils show good manners, are helpful to each other and respectful to adults. Year 6 pupils take on extra responsibility to look after younger pupils at break times, teaching them new games. They say it helps them to develop skills they will need in the future.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils say that they feel safe in all areas of the school. They report a few incidents of name- calling. However, they know how to seek help and are confident that staff will help them to sort out any problems. In lessons, pupils learn about how to adopt safe practices and regularly talk about how to solve particular issues such as minor disagreements with friends. They have a good understanding of how to keep safe when using the internet.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The vast majority of parents and carers who responded to the online questionnaire and who spoke to inspectors agree their children are safe and happy to come to school. A few expressed concerns that incidents of bullying were not always managed well. Inspectors found, and the school’s records show, that instances of bullying, such as physical aggression or name-calling are rare and appropriate action is taken.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 Pupils’ attendance is consistently above average and their levels of punctuality are good. They behave well in lessons. Pupils have a good knowledge and understanding of the school’s systems for managing behaviour and say that they help them to behave well. Occasionally, especially when teachers are talking for too long, they become restless, the pace of learning slows and learning is limited.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Until recently, the school’s leaders have not taken sufficient action to make sure that all pupils achieve well. Systems for helping teachers develop their skills have not been precise enough. Current systems for checking the effectiveness of improvement strategies on pupils’ achievement are not as rigorous as they could be.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Senior leaders, led by the acting headteacher, are ambitious for the school. With the support of the local authority, they have rapidly gained an extensive knowledge of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Actions for improvement are well-defined. Those who lead different subjects are building up a picture of what is happening across the school so that they are more able to make decisions about what needs to be done. There is clear evidence that the new arrangements are beginning to have a positive impact on pupils’ achievement, particularly in reading, indicating capacity for further improvement.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders are taking decisive steps to improve teaching and are making sure that decisions about teachers’ pay are closely linked to pupils’ progress. They are providing teachers with accurate feedback after watching them teach, setting precise targets for improvement and providing training. All staff are fully behind the drive to improve the school and are working well together with a sense of urgency to learn from each other. As a direct result, teaching is improving.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Leaders have recently strengthened systems to check on how well different groups of pupils are doing. They are taking more robust action to ensure equal opportunities and to tackle any form of discrimination. Leaders and teachers meet regularly to make sure pupils get the extra help they need. At present, the support provided to pupils through the pupil premium is not precisely measured and checked to prove the impact of spending decisions.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The Early Years Foundation Stage is well led and managed. There are good links between the Nursery, Reception and Year 1 to see that children settle quickly and get the help they need.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Representatives from the local authority have worked extensively with leaders at all levels, to speed up the rate at which the school moves forward. The school makes good use of their continuing support, particularly in extending its leadership capacity.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The school offers pupils a range of subjects and activities enhanced by clubs, visits and visitors. They are provided with many opportunities to appreciate art, music and sport and this contributes well to their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. A key feature in lessons is teamwork, and pupils from different backgrounds get on very well with each other. Older pupils benefit from a Business Enterprise project which helps them learn useful life skills.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  In the past, governors have not monitored closely enough the work of the school. Not all governors have an accurate picture of how the school’s data compares with other schools nationally, or how extra funding is improving the achievement of pupils supported by the pupil premium; but this is changing. Governors are increasingly aware of how well the pupils are doing. Senior leaders are sharing with them data about pupils’ progress, the quality of teaching and the management of teachers’ performance. They are becoming aware of what the school is doing to reward good teaching and to tackle any underperformance. Governors are undergoing training to enable them to challenge more robustly senior leaders and hold them more to account. New links with subject leaders are enabling governors to understand more fully what is happening in school. They make sure that the school’s finances are properly

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The leadership and management requires improvement

managed and are planning ahead to manage the school’s increase in numbers and building programme. Governors carry out their statutory duties effectively, making sure that arrangements to safeguard pupils meet national requirements.

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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 103680 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 412182

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 491 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Roger Buckle Headteacher Grace Bradford (Acting) Date of previous school inspection 14 January 2009 Telephone number 024 76592559 Fax number 024 76590996 Email address coundon.primary@coundon.coventry.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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