Copley Junior School

Copley Junior School Cadeby Road, Sprotbrough, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, DN5 7SD

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Outstanding 1 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

 Over time, pupils, in particular the most able and boys, have not made the progress they should in writing and mathematics.  Teaching is not consistently good in Years 3 and 5 to ensure good progress.  Teachers do not always provide pupils with clear written comments and guidance on how to improve their work, particularly in writing and mathematics.  Teachers’ expectations of the most able pupils are not high enough. This leads to some not making enough progress during their time in school.  Teachers are not always clear about what pupils are meant to be learning. This leads to learning that is not always swift enough for pupils to make good progress.  Over time, leaders, managers and governors have not improved teaching so that it is consistently good. Subject leaders do not check the quality of teaching thoroughly in the areas for which they have responsibility.  Governors are not clear about the effects of

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

the additional money allocated to the school for those pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding.

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The school has the following strengths

 Some teaching is good and results in pupils making good progress and learning well.  Pupils say they are safe and they enjoy school.  Behaviour is good and attendance is above average. The vast majority of pupils attend school regularly and arrive on time.  The new headteacher has quickly gained an accurate view of the school’s performance. She has taken decisive action to improve pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching. She has developed a strong sense of purpose among all staff and there are signs that the school is beginning to improve.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 13 lessons taught by eight teachers. Two observations were undertaken jointly with the headteacher. In addition, an inspector visited a school assembly.  Inspectors spoke to two groups of pupils about their learning in lessons and their safety in school. Inspectors also listened to some pupils reading.  Meetings were held with the three governors, school staff and a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also looked at the school’s review of its own performance, its development plan, subject development plans, school policies and the minutes of governing body meetings. Inspectors considered a range of documentation in relation to child protection, safeguarding, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors looked at pupils’ work in lessons and analysed a sample of their books.  Inspectors analysed the 42 responses to the online questionnaire (Parent View) and 24 questionnaires completed by staff.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors spoke to some parents at the start of the school day.

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Inspection team

James McGrath, Lead inspector Additional Inspector David Matthews Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 This school is smaller than the average-sized primary school.  The proportion of girls in school is well below average.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for support through the pupil premium is below average. The pupil premium is additional funding for those pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals, children from service families and those children who are looked after by the local authority.  The very large majority of pupils are White British. Almost all pupils speak English as their first language.  The proportion of pupils supported at school action is above average. The proportion of pupils supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational need is well below average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in English and mathematics.  The school holds the Healthy Schools award.

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Information about this school

 The headteacher was appointed from September 2013 and the deputy headteacher from January 2012.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 In order to raise standards and accelerate pupils’ progress, particularly in writing and mathematics, improve the quality of teaching by making sure that all teachers:  check that the work given to the most able pupils is sufficiently challenging  are clear about what has to be learned so that pupils, particularly boys, have a good understanding of what is required to make good or better progress  give more opportunities for pupils to write at length in subjects other than English  help the most able pupils to develop higher-level writing skills so more of them reach the very highest standards in writing  provide pupils with more opportunities for mathematical investigations and problem solving  plan more opportunities for pupils to use mathematics in a range of subjects  when marking books, provide clear information about what pupils need to do to improve their work  provide enough time for all pupils to respond to their written comments.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Increase the impact of leadership, management and governance by:  improving the teaching of writing and mathematics so that it is consistently good across all year groups  ensuring subject leaders draw on a full range of evidence to check the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress in their areas  ensuring that subject leaders develop effective plans to improve the progress pupils are making, particularly the progress of the most able pupils and boys  ensuring that governors hold the school to account effectively for the additional spending provided for those pupils who are known to be eligible for the pupil premium funding  undertaking an external review of governance, to include a specific focus on the school’s use of the pupil premium, in order to assess how this aspect of leadership and governance may be improved.

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

 Achievement requires improvement because, during the past two years, the most able pupils and boys have not done as well as they should in writing and too few have done better than they should in mathematics. Lesson observations and an analysis of pupils’ work indicate that this is due to a lack of challenge for the most able pupils and not enough direction for boys to produce high quality written work.  Progress throughout the school is inconsistent. School information shows pupils are making good progress in Year 6 and Year 4 because there is good teaching in both English and mathematics. In Years 3 and 5, progress is variable as teachers do not yet have the skills to teach consistently good lessons in both English and mathematics.  Pupils join the school with standards of reading, writing and mathematics that are well above average. During the past three years, standards have been well above average for those leaving

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

Year 6 at the end of Key Stage 2. Standards of English grammar, punctuation and spelling were well above average in 2013.  In 2013, girls reached higher overall standards than boys, particularly in writing.  Those pupils entering the school with average attainment do well and reach standards that are above average and above those of similar pupils nationally. Attainment for the most able pupils, however, has not yet matched that of similar pupils nationally in writing and mathematics. The new headteacher has recognised this and introduced small-group teaching to drive up standards for them.  Pupils supported at school action, school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs make similar progress to others as they move up through the school.  In 2013, the few pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium made similar progress to others. From their lower starting points, the gap in attainment in English and mathematics is

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The achievement of pupils requires improvement

closing for pupils who are known to be eligible for free school meals These pupils reached standards in reading and English grammar, punctuation and spelling that were similar to other pupils in school, although their attainment was two terms behind others in school in mathematics and writing. This indicates the school has more to do to promote equality of opportunity for these pupils.  The school has not yet obtained enough academic information about its pupils from infant schools. This slows progress in Year 3 as the school spends too long finding out about pupils’ skills. This leads to pupils repeating work they are already confident with.  The school has a strong reading culture. Pupils are avid readers and say they think reading is ‘brilliant’. Parents make a good contribution to their children’s reading as they listen to them read and encourage them to use the local library to read widely.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Teaching requires improvement as it is too variable across year groups. Inspectors observed too much teaching that required improvement, although teaching in Year 6 was consistently good. This lack of consistency leaves teaching requiring improvement.  Teachers are not always clear about what is to be learned and the progress they expect pupils to have made by the various stages in the lesson. Occasionally, their explanations at the start of the lesson are not clear. This slows the progress pupils are making as they have to clarify what is to be done and wait for further explanations to be able to continue with their work.  Teachers’ expectations of the most able pupils are not always high enough. Sometimes, these pupils spend too much time on work they find too easy rather than tackling more challenging tasks swiftly. This slows their progress and leaves them too little time to complete the more

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

challenging work.  Teachers provide good opportunities for pupils to work in pairs and, in particular, to talk about what they are going to write. However, they do not always check that discussions among the boys help them to produce high-quality written work. This leads to the quality of boys’ writing not matching that of girls.  All teachers mark pupils’ work regularly but they do not always provide useful suggestions for pupils to improve their work. Most pupils respond well to improve their work when comments are made but teachers do not always check well enough that all pupils respond.  An analysis of pupils’ work by inspectors shows that pupils are not regularly encouraged to write at length in subjects other than English. Pupils are not given enough opportunities to redraft or edit for improvement. This limits the quality of pupils’ written work and does not allow them to reach the very highest levels in writing.

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The quality of teaching requires improvement

 Pupils are not given enough opportunities to use their mathematical skills in other subjects and to solve practical problems or investigate in mathematics. This leaves the most able pupils with too few opportunities to develop the very highest skills in mathematics.  Teachers and pupils have good relationships. This leads to pupils cooperating well, being highly motivated and striving to do their best.  In lessons where learning is good, teachers’ explanations are clear and concise; pupils start work swiftly knowing what is to be done; teachers and teaching assistants assess pupils’ work regularly and provide good support and advice to help them make good progress; tasks are well matched to pupils’ abilities and what they are learning. As a result, pupils make at least good progress with their work.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils follow the instructions of their teachers very well and are keen to learn, particularly when teaching is engaging and captures their imagination. Sometimes, when teaching is not as effective, pupils do not always concentrate well on their work but they do not disturb others or the flow of the lesson.  Pupils listen well to the views of others and treat each other with dignity and respect. Pupils enjoyed explaining their work to inspectors. They take pride in their work and take great care in making sure their handwriting is clear and in presenting their work well.  Around the school pupils are well behaved as they know what is expected of them. They get on well together at lunchtimes and playtimes. Pupils enjoy the certificates they get for good work, good behaviour and good attendance and, in one Year 4 class, the prospect of winning a prize in the ‘Golden Ticket Draw’.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils say they feel very safe at school and that bullying is rare. They are confident that, when bullying is reported, the school takes swift action.  Pupils talk with great knowledge about the various forms of bullying they might encounter in the world and throughout their schooling. They have a good understanding of internet safety through the school’s e-safety week. They know what to do should there be any cyber-bullying or communications from unknown people.  Pupils enjoy school and opportunities to take responsibility. The school council is very active in the life of the school and has revised the school rules, led work for charities such as ‘Children in Need’ and supported research into diabetes. Pupils have spoken at well-attended parents’ meetings to explain how learning together with their parents will benefit them.  During the past year, attendance has been above average. Almost all pupils attend school

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

regularly and are punctual to school. During the inspection attendance was above average and punctuality was good.  The vast majority of parents responding to the online questionnaire (Parent View) said that their children were safe, enjoyed school and that behaviour is good. Staff are overwhelmingly positive about pupils’ behaviour and safety in school.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Over time, leaders and managers have not ensured that teaching is consistently good throughout the school in both writing and mathematics.  Subject leaders do not check the quality of teaching thoroughly in the areas for which they have responsibility. Over time, this has led to a lack of focus on the progress pupils are making and too few opportunities for teachers to develop their skills fully so they teach both mathematics and English equally well.  Subject leaders’ plans for improvement are not well developed in English and mathematics. As yet, subject leaders are too reliant on the detailed planning of the headteacher.  The new headteacher has quickly gained an accurate view of how well the school is doing and the steps needed to improve it. She has taken decisive action to improve pupils’ progress and the quality of teaching.  The headteacher has high ambitions and all staff and governors now know what needs to be

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The leadership and management requires improvement

done and what is expected of them. They are all supportive of the headteacher and committed to driving the school forward.  At the headteacher’s request, staff are providing extra tuition for the most able pupils to raise standards and improve their progress. The impact of this work has yet to be fully felt, although pupils do say they enjoy these opportunities and believe they are making more progress.  Arrangements to check the performance of teachers are now thorough. They are being used to hold teachers to account for their responsibilities and drive up standards. Teachers’ professional development has been skilfully planned to begin to improve teaching. It uses the best teachers to share their skills with others, as well as using outside support from a good school in the locality. An analysis of the headteacher’s observations of teaching by inspectors and their own observations show that teaching is improving.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 Teaching assistants and other adults on the school staff now have their training needs identified by the headteacher and appropriate activities are planned to improve their skills. This is a good example of how senior leaders promote equality of opportunity.  The curriculum provides good opportunities for pupils to study a range of subjects and topics. However, the opportunities the school offers are not used well enough to drive up standards in mathematics and writing. The good opportunities for art and music make a strong contribution to pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural education.  Pupils speak positively about the range of sporting opportunities available to them and say they enjoy physical education lessons. The additional money provided to improve sporting opportunities is being used well. In this successful sporting school, where pupils compete locally in many sports and nationally at gymnastics, the introduction of additional activities such as

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The leadership and management requires improvement

archery has increased the numbers taking part in sport.  The school has developed a range of opportunities for parents to support their children’s learning more effectively. Parents are highly committed to improving their children’s education with the vast majority attending parents’ evenings and well over a hundred parents attending a recent information evening focused on ‘Learning Together’.  The local authority has not provided effective support for this school during the past few years. Since September 2013, when the new headteacher joined the school, support has been highly effective in improving governance within the school. Also, the new headteacher and the local authority have organised support from a good school in the locality. This is to help to improve the teaching of writing and other aspects of teaching. There has not yet been time for the effects of this very recent work to be fully evaluated.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

 The governance of the school:  Since September 2013, there have been many changes to membership of the governing body. Previously, governors had not challenged the school’s leadership enough to ensure strong progress for all pupils. Now they have a good range of skills and are using them well to support the headteacher. They have a highly detailed plan to check how the work of the school is improving pupils’ progress. Governors have a training plan to ensure that they have appropriate skills to contribute well to school improvement.  Governors understand pupils’ progress data. They are challenging and supporting the headteacher to improve progress for pupils. They use their skills to check the school’s budget and know the proposed plans for new sports funding. Governors have approved the use of pupil premium funding to provide additional support for pupils and to subsidise residential visits. However, they have not checked the impact of this support on pupils’ progress.

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The leadership and management requires improvement

Governors understand the arrangements linking teachers’ performance to pay. Governors have received safeguarding training and ensure that the school’s arrangements meet statutory 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 106722 Local authority Doncaster Inspection number 440746

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School details

This inspection was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. The inspection was also deemed a section 5 inspection under the same Act.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 7–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 201 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Ray Bartlett Headteacher Elizabeth Crayton Date of previous school inspection 17 March 2011 Telephone number 01302 856445 Fax number 01302 855653 Email address head@copley.doncaster.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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