Joseph Cash Primary School

Joseph Cash Primary School Owenford Road, Radford, Coventry, CV6 3FS

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Overall effectiveness

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

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Under the effective leadership of the headteacher and governors, the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement have improved since the last inspection.  Subject leaders support improvements in teaching by closely checking its impact on pupils’ learning. Teachers are well supported.  Teaching is good and continues to improve. It ensures that progress over time is consistently good and standards are rising. Pupils in all year groups are learning well and are currently making rapid progress in reading.  The stimulating curriculum and very positive culture of learning across the school contribute to consistently good learning and progress.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils and ensuring their well-being are outstanding. Pupils feel very safe in school.  Pupils’ behaviour is good in lessons and around the school. They are polite and friendly.  Leaders measure pupils’ progress accurately and

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

often. Consequently, pupils at risk of falling behind are noticed quickly. Well-organised support helps them to catch up rapidly.  Children in the early years make good progress, although some have weak literacy skills when they arrive. They thrive personally and academically in the stimulating environment provided.  The school prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Many learning opportunities help pupils to take responsibility and strongly support their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 Pupils do not make as much progress and reach as high standards in writing as they do in reading and mathematics.  Very occasionally, teachers set work which is too easy for the most-able pupils.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed parts of 32 lessons, six of which were seen jointly with senior staff.  They looked at work in many pupils’ books in a range of different subjects. They listened to pupils in Year 1 and Year 2 reading.  Inspectors spoke with parents at the school gates, pupils, teachers, senior and subject leaders, three governors and a representative of the local authority.  They took account of 30 responses to the staff questionnaire.  Because insufficient parents responded to the online questionnaire for parents (Parent View), inspectors looked at 141 responses to the school questionnaire of June 2014, which used the identical questions to those in Parent View. Inspectors also received and considered email communications from parents.  Inspectors looked at the school’s records relating to: the safeguarding of pupils; their attendance and behaviour; the progress made by current pupils and those who have recently left the school; governing

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Information about this inspection

body meetings; school development planning; the monitoring of teaching and learning; staff restructuring; and the school’s arrangements for measuring progress after September 2015.

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Inspection team

Terry McDermott, Lead inspector Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-sized primary school.  There are two classes in each year group. Children attend Reception full time. The Nursery has two part- time groups.  The proportion of pupils supported by the pupil premium is above average. The pupil premium is additional funding to support disadvantaged pupils known to be eligible for free school meals and those who are looked after.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic heritages is above average. The proportion who speak English as an additional language is above average. Many cannot speak English when they join the school. More pupils join the school during term time than in most schools.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs is above average.  The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress in reading, writing and mathematics by the end of Year 6.

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Information about this school

 A new headteacher was appointed in September 2013.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve further the quality of teaching so that:  pupils make faster progress and reach higher standards, particularly in writing, and always have time to complete written work  teachers set work which consistently challenges the most-able pupils.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher, well supported by his effective deputy, has provided strong leadership in promoting a positive culture in which good behaviour and teaching are high priorities. The school’s motto: Together we laugh / Together we learn, underpins its vision and values. All members of the school community – pupils, parents and staff – are individually and collectively encouraged to Love Learning! Because everyone is fully aware of the school’s intentions, pupils know what is expected of them, parents are clear about the school’s commitment to their children, and staff morale is high.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s new curriculum is broad and very wide ranging. It necessarily has a strong focus on building pupils’ literacy and numeracy, but is hugely extended and enhanced by a wide range of topics and activities. For example, pupils study many stimulating subjects and topics, such as: electricity and other scientific topics; special people of faith; Spanish and French; mapping skills in geography; and art, craft and design.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupils build resourcefulness, resilience and collaboration when they undertake termly ‘WOW’ weeks when they engage in outdoor and adventurous activities. They access the ‘Purple Mash Learning Zone’ through the school’s easy-to-use website to carry out research on the internet at home – and in safety. They podcast and contribute to JCTV (Joseph Cash Television). The full impact of these opportunities is not yet fully evident in improving pupils’ writing, but every pupil has equal access and opportunity to all of them.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school’s self-evaluation is accurate. It is based firmly on the progress pupils are making. As a result, the school’s leaders at all levels have a clear picture of the school’s present position, and what it needs to do to get better.

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The leadership and management are good

 Robust, clear and well-understood systems are helping teachers to do their work more effectively. Staff speak positively about the support and coaching they receive to improve their teaching. Much support has come from the headteacher, but other senior leaders and all subject leaders are contributing effectively to improving teaching and learning as the school builds up its leadership capacity.

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The leadership and management are good

 Leaders’ regular checks on pupils’ progress promote equal opportunity and ensure that all pupils do well – irrespective of gender, race, disability or disadvantage. The very positive learning ethos which pervades every aspect of what is done in the school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well and fosters good relationships throughout the school. There is no discrimination in this school.

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The leadership and management are good

 The primary school sports funding is used very well. Most pupils participate actively in physical and competitive sporting activities. External specialist coaches are working closely with teachers to improve their skills in delivering physical education. For example, teachers enabled Year 1 pupils to use balls of varying sizes to develop their hand-eye coordination and spatial-awareness skills.

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The leadership and management are good

 Pupil premium funding is used effectively to provide emotional, personal and academic support to disadvantaged pupils throughout the school. As a result, these pupils achieve well. Vulnerable pupils who require specialist help receive it and gain personally and academically from the support they get.

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The leadership and management are good

 Teachers promote British values effectively through a well-planned series of assemblies, visits and curricular activities and pupils gain a good understanding of these values. For example, pupils democratically elect a school council. They have many opportunities to take on responsibility by acting as ‘buddies’, monitors, or play leaders. Imminent visits to Parliament and Buckingham Palace will continue to extend their understanding of democratic government and tradition. The school has a very clear expectation that pupils will behave with tolerance and kindness to each other. As a result, pupils understand the need for a rule of law to ensure that all are treated fairly.

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The leadership and management are good

 The local authority has given good support and appropriate challenge to the school. The support has proved valuable in bringing about recent improvements in the quality of teaching and in accelerating progress.  The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils meet statutory requirements. Highly effective systems and procedures ensure children and staff are invariably well looked after and kept safe from harm. Comprehensive checks on the suitability of staff to work with children are carried out meticulously.

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The leadership and management are good

 The governance of the school:  The members of the governing body are knowledgeable, professional, focused and effective in improving the school. They give generously of their time and they are fully committed to improving pupils’ results. They check closely on the difference additional funds are making to particular pupils’ knowledge and understanding.  Governors use their professional skills well to analyse and interpret information on pupils’ progress and attainment accurately. They have an accurate understanding of where the school is strong, and where it could yet do even better. As a result, they are well informed and are able to hold leaders to account for the school’s performance.  The governors know what the quality of teaching is and fully understand the need for effective performance management in helping teachers to improve their practice. They have supported the headteacher in providing staff with professional development specific to their needs. They only approve

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The leadership and management are good

rewards for effective teaching when this is demonstrated through the good progress pupils are making.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good. They enjoy coming to school. They wear their uniform with pride and present their work neatly and tidily.

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Behaviour

 Pupils are courteous and polite in the classroom or when moving about the school. They open doors willingly for each other and for visitors. They greet visitors warmly and openly.

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Behaviour

 Relationships within school are good. Pupils say how much they like their teachers. They respect each other and adults.

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Behaviour

 New pupils are made to feel welcome as soon as they arrive. They talk with enthusiasm about the new friends they have made. Their parents speak warmly about the efforts made by various staff to include them in the life of the school. Many cited the headteacher as particularly helpful.

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Behaviour

 Pupils know what constitutes bullying and they say that it is a rare event. They learn through many activities in and out of class that they are responsible for their own behaviour and how it may affect others.

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Behaviour

 Attendance has improved and is broadly average.

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Behaviour

 Pupils generally manage their own behaviour well, although some low-level misbehaviour was seen where learning was, occasionally, slower than usual. In these situations, pupils become fidgety, and do not give their full attention to their work.

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Safety

 The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is outstanding. Risk assessments are very thorough.

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Safety

 Pupils say they feel very safe. The excellent relationships between all in school mean that pupils are happy and confident to speak to adults about any issues that may be bothering them.

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Safety

 The school site is managed very effectively. Pupils are safe because access to the site is closely managed. Visitors are welcomed but undergo thorough checks to ensure pupils’ safety.

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Safety

 The school’s arrangements for safeguarding pupils are exemplary. Staff training is up to date and all staff are actively encouraged to raise any concerns they may have.  Pupils have very good understanding of how to keep themselves safe. Guidance in accessing the internet reinforces how they can look after themselves when using different websites and applications. Road-safety events and drug-awareness programmes help pupils to keep themselves safe when they are not in school. The school operates regular summer-term camping on site, as part of the curriculum, where pupils experience how to use tools, light fires and cook food safely. They learn why they need to follow rules and be self-disciplined.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The quality of teaching has improved since the last inspection and is good.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching consistently promotes pupils’ good achievement in reading and mathematics. Teachers usually plan learning activities successfully to capture pupils’ interest and enable them to learn well.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers and other adults have consistently good relationships with pupils. Teachers treat pupils with respect and the pupils respond in a similar manner.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Effective teaching of the links between letters and the sounds they make (phonics) in the early years, underpins the very good teaching of reading throughout the school. Pupils love reading, particularly in Key Stage 2, because of the wide range of books they have ready access to.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teachers are adapting their teaching well to support the new National Curriculum requirements in mathematics. They give pupils many opportunities to apply their growing mathematical skills through problem solving and investigations. Pupils like this way of learning and are making good progress throughout the school.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The teaching of writing is being strengthened to give pupils a deeper understanding of meaning. Consequently, pupils are developing skills in particular types of writing – for instance, when composing a letter from Anne Boleyn to persuade King Henry VIII to spare her life. However, although writing is improving, it is not yet good across all year groups. Sometimes pupils write little because they do not have sufficient time to get their ideas down on paper, particularly in Years 2 and 3.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Most teachers use their assessment of pupils’ progress and achievement effectively to plan interesting and exciting activities, often requiring pupils to carry out research or investigation. Overall, these activities spark pupils’ imagination and encourage them to think for themselves.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching is not outstanding because, very occasionally, some pupils in a class are not fully challenged. Work seen in pupils’ books shows that all pupils are sometimes set the same piece of work. As a result, the most-able pupils find the work too easy and their learning and progress are slower than they should be.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Teaching assistants work well alongside the teachers. They are well trained, and their skills have improved to provide a good level of support and challenge to pupils of different abilities.

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The quality of teaching is good

 The marking of pupils’ work is frequent, regular and effective. It often gives detailed guidance on what pupils need to do next to improve, although pupils do not follow up this guidance in every case.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils achieve well. They make good progress over time from starting points below those typically found nationally. Their achievement has improved since the last inspection.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, pupils left Year 6 with standards in reading and mathematics a little ahead of average results and achieved well in their use of grammar, spelling and punctuation. However, standards in writing were below average.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 In 2014, results in the Year 1 national check on phonics were average for boys but below average for girls. Disadvantaged pupils caught up rapidly from low reading standards. Any pupils who need more support are helped to catch up with others in their classes by the end of Year 2.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Standards at the end of Year 2 in 2014 were below average in reading and writing and average in mathematics. A significant proportion of these pupils lacked fluency in English when they joined the school and their progress was good in reaching the standards they did.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Progress is good. In 2014, the proportion of pupils making at least the nationally expected rate of progress in reading, writing and mathematics in Key Stage 2 was high. Most pupils made more-than- expected progress in reading and mathematics, and their rate of progress compared favourably with national performance in writing. There is clear evidence from the information gathered by the school and the work seen in pupils’ books that those currently in school are making good progress over time.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Disadvantaged pupils benefit from effective support. They make good progress overall and very rapid progress in reading. Their rapid progress has largely closed the gaps in attainment between them and others in the school and other pupils nationally. In 2014, Year 6 disadvantaged pupils left school more than a year in advance of others in school in reading, and about six months in advance of other pupils nationally. In mathematics, disadvantaged pupils left a little ahead of others in the school, and level with others nationally. In writing, disadvantaged pupils left level with others in the school, but more than a year behind other pupils nationally.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 An increasing proportion of pupils are joining school during the course of the year, particularly in Key Stage 2. Most of these pupils do not speak English. These pupils are helped to make the same good progress as others in their class.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school provides effectively for disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs. These pupils are currently making the same good progress overall as their classmates because work is well planned to meet their individual needs. Support staff are well trained and understand what is required to build the self-confidence and self-esteem of these pupils.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 The school’s work to challenge the most-able pupils is having positive impact, particularly in the early years and Key Stage 1. The proportion of pupils leaving Year 2 with the higher Level 3 is increasing. The most-able pupils in Key Stage 2 are, currently, making good progress overall. These pupils were seen to make outstanding progress in mathematics during the inspection. However, progress of the most able slows when work does not fully stretch them.

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The early years provision is good

 The early years provision is well organised and led. Early years leaders are members of the school’s senior leadership team and, consequently, coordination of the early years provision with the rest of the school is well managed. The school has good systems for finding out what children can already do when they join the Nursery or Reception classes. There are valuable opportunities for parents to contribute to their children’s development, and staff keep them well informed about how they can support learning at home.

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The early years provision is good

 Achievement in the early years is good. The children are well taught because teachers have high expectations of them and move them forward rapidly. Successful learning lays solid foundations for work carried out later in the main school.

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The early years provision is good

 Children typically join the early years with skills and knowledge well below what is usually found in children of their age, with particular weaknesses in communication and language, literacy, personal and social development, and mathematics. Some children do not speak English when they join the school.

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The early years provision is good

 Children make good progress in the Nursery class in communication and language and personal and social development because adults place particular emphasis on developing these skills. Staff engage children in conversations and give them many opportunities to express their thoughts in sentences. They quickly establish routines which give children a sense of security and confidence in learning.

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The early years provision is good

 Children in the Nursery class have opportunities to develop their early mark making. They enjoy listening to stories, and begin to explore shapes and find out about numbers. However, activities to develop their literacy and mathematical skills are not fully provided for. This means that children have to make up some lost ground when they move into the Reception Year. Although their overall achievement is good in the Nursery class, they do not make rapid progress in literacy and mathematics. This weakness is reflected in the relatively lower proportions of children reaching expected levels in these subjects.

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The early years provision is good

 When children move into the Reception Year, however, they are given frequent opportunities to develop their reading and mathematical skills, both in teacher-directed activities and in other learning activities which they choose for themselves. Work is challenging and motivating so that children make good progress. In general, the children are well prepared to move to Key Stage 1.

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The early years provision is good

 In 2014, the proportion of pupils reaching a good level of development at the end of Reception was close to the national average. In the current Reception Year, more children are already working in line with the attainment expected for their age than in 2014.

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The early years provision is good

 Children behave well and are kept very safe in school. They become readily absorbed in interesting activities. They develop trusting relationships with the adults, get on well with one another and feel safe. The classrooms are well equipped and bright places with plenty of toys and colourful resources to stimulate children’s’ curiosity and inspire learning. Outdoor spaces are used effectively to bring learning to life, literally – in bushes, flowers and wild areas.

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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 failing

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Grade Judgement Description

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 103673 Local authority Coventry Inspection number 462584

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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 Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 445 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Corrine Manger Headteacher Jonathan Keay Date of previous school inspection 3 July 2013 Telephone number 02476 594851 Fax number 02476 601799 Email address admin@josephcash.coventry.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted . 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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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 and 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.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

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