Copperfield Academy

Copperfield Academy Dover Road East, Northfleet, Gravesend, Kent DA11 0RB

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

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Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

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Early years provision Requires improvement

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Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a school that requires improvement

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 Leaders’ actions have not brought about consistently good outcomes for all pupils. Leaders have focused too much attention on the end of key stage 2.  Improvements in teaching and learning are not consistent. Leaders have not been able to retain teachers. Each year, a large number of new teachers join the school but do not stay.  Assessment information is not always accurate. Over-generous judgements of children’s achievement at the end of Reception and pupils’ phonics skills in Year 1 last summer do not give a clear view of the school’s performance.  The academy trust has not provided a consistent level of challenge to leaders over time. Leaders do not look closely enough at pupils’ progress in all year groups.  The performance of staff who are not teachers is not managed effectively. Some staff that have had training and support are highly effective, but others are not.  Pupils’ attendance requires improvement. The

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

persistent absence of a small number of pupils is high.  The curriculum has been too narrow. Leaders’ focus on mathematics and English has meant that the arts and humanities have not been taught often enough.

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

 The new senior leadership team has a very clear view of the improvements that are required. Leaders know that current assessment information is not always accurate.  Leaders have wasted no time in developing ambitious plans which focus on the most important things first.  The new federation with a neighbouring school provides clear and stable leadership at a time of significant staff change.  Pupils’ behaviour is good.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Ensure teaching is at least good across the school so that pupils make good or better progress by: – making sure that assessments are accurate and starting points for pupils’ learning are used to set work that challenges all pupils, including the most able – ensuring that new teachers develop the subject knowledge they need to provide a rich and engaging curriculum – providing all non-teaching staff with training and development to enable them to support pupils’ learning effectively.  Improve outcomes for pupils by: – increasing the proportions of disadvantaged pupils working at age-related expectations in key stage 1 – increasing the proportion of pupils with low starting points in key stage 1 who reach the expected standards at the end of key stage 2 in mathematics.  Improve the quality of early years to ensure that all children get the best start by: – checking rigorously the assessment information for the Nursery and Reception Year

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

children to make sure it is accurate and used to improve teaching and learning – ensuring that all adults working with children outside are developing learning, especially language and communication.  Improve the effectiveness of leadership and management by: – ensuring that the trust uses regular and rigorous checks on all aspects of the school’s work to hold leaders to account, so that the required improvements are secured and sustained – having effective phase and subject leadership that has a positive impact on teaching – continuing to work in partnership with parents to increase the number of days pupils come to school and to make sure that the number who miss school often reduces – communicating clearly and regularly with parents about what pupils are learning and how well they are achieving across the curriculum.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

An external review of the school’s use of the pupil premium is recommended.

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

 Leaders have not been able to retain teachers. At the beginning of each year, a large number of teachers join the school but do not stay. This term, almost three quarters of the teaching staff are new, with most at the beginning of their teaching career.  Leaders have not managed the performance of all staff, particularly the performance of some support staff. The staff who have had development opportunities are highly effective, including those who support pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities. However, others do not bring the same skills.  The curriculum is not broad and balanced, particularly for older pupils. The focus on English and mathematics has been to the detriment of other subjects. The information for parents about what their children are learning and how they can help is weak. The range of extra-curricular activities requires improvement. Leaders do have a new

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

curriculum in place; however, parents have not yet had relevant information.  Pupil premium funding is not used effectively. Leaders’ plans to spend the money are not sharply focused on the different needs of pupils across the school and the impact of the spending is not carefully reviewed. For example, the language and communication needs of the youngest pupils are identified as a barrier to a strong start, but resources are not specifically identified to improve this. Leaders are not focused enough on the needs of the most able disadvantaged pupils.  Leaders have not used sports funding effectively. Leaders have not focused attention on what the additional government funding is intended for. The analysis of the impact of the spending is weak.  The leadership of subjects across the curriculum is not secure because of the number of new staff joining the school. New middle leaders know which aspects of the school’s

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

work require improvement because they have gathered information quickly, but they have not been in post long enough for the impact of their work to be seen.  Parents have mixed views about the school and the quality of the school’s leadership. The new senior leaders know that there is much work to be done. They provide a strong presence at the beginning and end of the day and have a clear plan to improve communication with parents. Some parents have already noticed some improvements.  Pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils are given good opportunities to reflect and question. The sustained improvements in behaviour around the school and the calm atmosphere are evidence of effective personal development. Pupils spoke to inspectors about the positive features of their diverse community, the skills to speak more than one language and about their heritage. The values of the

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

school are clear and prepare pupils well for life in modern Britain.  New senior leaders have a clear understanding about effective teaching, learning and assessment. The executive headteacher has worked incredibly hard to review all aspects of the school’s work and is already taking decisive action. Plans to secure immediate improvements are in place already and being worked on, for example with the school’s website.  The academy trust has an accurate view of the school’s effectiveness. An external review of the school in the spring highlighted clear areas for improvement. However, the trust has not taken swift and decisive action to hold leaders to account over time. The new leadership team has provided stability and capacity but the arrangements were not in place quickly enough. The sheer numbers of teachers leaving in the summer meant that the trust needed a much stronger presence in the school to ensure

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Effectiveness of leadership and management Requires improvement

that assessments were accurate and that parents were being updated about the significant changes taking place.

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Governance of the school

 The local governing board is clear about the level of responsibility it has within the trust’s governance structure. It is the trust that is accountable for the effectiveness of the school and that manages the headteacher’s performance. The board knows the weaknesses in the school and has worked closely with the trust to secure the new leadership arrangements. The board does receive training and support from the trust and is able to ask the right questions about the information it receives from the headteacher.

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Safeguarding

 The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. The recruitment checks, including for staff from overseas, are in place. The welfare team plays a significant role in the school in keeping pupils safe. Processes for identifying and sharing any concerns are clearly understood by all staff, including those new to the school. Records are very detailed and information is updated rigorously. The systems for tracking work with other agencies are strong and the school demonstrates tenacity on the occasions when it feels referrals are not moving forward.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 Teaching is not consistently good across the school. As a result, not enough pupils make good progress from their starting points. Pupils’ progress in reading, writing and mathematics varies between classes and year groups.  Assessment information for current pupils in some year groups is not accurate. This has a negative impact on teaching and learning. For example, the teaching of reading has been slow to start this year because staff and leaders are re-assessing some pupils in order to have a more accurate view of their ability.  Teachers do not use pupils’ responses in lessons to recognise when the work is too easy or too difficult and consequently do not adapt what they are doing to enable pupils to make good progress.  Teachers’ subject knowledge is inconsistent. However, leaders have a clear plan for the training and development of new staff and these plans are focused on key knowledge and skills.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

 A significant proportion of parents do not think that they receive enough information about their children’s progress, and inspection evidence supports this. Summary information reports at the end of the year do not provide parents with a picture of achievement across the curriculum.  Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities are not taught consistently well. Some pupils with clear individual plans and knowledgeable support staff receive highly effective teaching and support. However, other pupils are simply kept busy, with little focus on learning outcomes.  The quality of the work of other adults in the classroom is inconsistent. Some adults support pupils well and have a positive impact on learning. However, in some classes, other adults mostly observe what the teacher is doing with the whole class and have little impact.  The work in current pupils’ books shows limited and occasionally inaccurate feedback.

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Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement

However, last year’s books show much greater consistency in feedback to pupils, and that resulted in accelerating progress for groups of pupils including the most able and disadvantaged pupils.

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Personal development and welfare

 The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.  Not enough pupils come to school regularly. Improvements in attendance in 2015 were not sustained in 2016, including the attendance of disadvantaged pupils. New senior leaders know that there is more to be done with the gathering and analysis of attendance information.  The number of pupils who miss school often is too high. This has improved for some groups of pupils, such as those who are disadvantaged, but it has not improved overall. Case studies show that school leaders have taken relevant action against some families where attendance is consistently not good enough.  Pupils are eager to learn and confident to contribute in lessons. Pupils work well together in class and show a very high level of regard for pupils who have specific special educational needs and/or disabilities, such as those who are visually impaired.

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Personal development and welfare

 Pupils show respect for their teachers, and relationships in the classrooms between pupils and adults are good.  Pupils have a strong sense of how to keep safe, including being safe online. Pupils feel safe in school. They say that pupils being unkind to each other is rare but when it happens that adults deal with things quickly. The vast majority of parents feel that pupils in school are safe.

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Behaviour

 The behaviour of pupils is good.  Pupils conduct themselves well throughout the day, including when they arrive at school, and during break- and lunchtimes. Pupils know what is expected of them because the systems for managing behaviour are clear.  Pupils behave well in lessons. Teachers have high expectations and pupils meet these. Pupils respond well to reminders about what is expected in class. Behaviour logs are clear. Leaders and the welfare team work closely with parents on the rare occasions when more serious breaches of the school’s rules occur.  Older pupils feel that behaviour in the school has improved over time and most parents also recognise this.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 Pupils’ progress and attainment are variable, reflecting the inconsistencies in the quality of teaching. For example, current Year 4 pupils left key stage 1 with knowledge and skills that were broadly in line with that of other pupils nationally. However, weak teaching has had a significant impact on the proportion of this cohort now working at age-related expectations.  The school’s analysis of pupils’ progress has been a significant barrier to school improvement. Whole groups are taken out of data sets to explain or justify strong and weak performance. Some of the information shared with inspectors did not make sense, which the new leadership and the trust recognised instantly.  Over time, standards at the end of Year 2 have risen in reading, writing and mathematics. However, disadvantaged pupils do not achieve as well as other pupils nationally at key stage 1 and differences have not diminished. The school’s use of pupil

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

premium funding has not focused significantly on younger disadvantaged pupils. The most able disadvantaged pupils do not achieve good outcomes.  The work in pupils’ books from last year shows that pupils, including those who speak English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities, made good progress from their starting points in a range of subjects, particularly in key stage 2.  The trust is pleased with the information it has about the progress and standards reached at the end of Year 6 in 2016. It demonstrates that progress overall for pupils from key stage 1 to key stage 2 was strong. The proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics was the same as the national average. The samples of books that inspectors looked at closely during this inspection show good progress for older pupils, including the disadvantaged and the most able.

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Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement

 The proportion of Year 1 pupils reaching the expected standard in phonics has improved overtime. In 2015, the proportion was the same as the national average. Disadvantaged pupils also achieved significantly better in 2015 than in 2014. The assessment information the school holds for 2016 is not accurate. New leaders know this and are acting decisively to rectify this.

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Early years provision Requires improvement

 Early years assessment information for 2016 is not accurate. The new early years leader knows this and has worked tirelessly to check Year 1 starting points against last year’s good level of development.  In 2015, the proportion of children reaching a good level of development was below that seen nationally, and disadvantaged children achieved significantly less well than their peers. The school’s use of the pupil premium has not focused closely enough on improving the low starting points for children’s language and communication skills.  Teaching and learning in the early years have been inconsistent over time and this has had an impact on the progress children make from their starting points. The tracking of children through their Nursery starting points into the Reception Year has not looked closely enough at the needs of different groups, such as the most able.  The new early years leader has clear plans for improvement, which include the outdoor

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Early years provision Requires improvement

provision. Leaders feel that the quality of the learning will be improved by better resources and also by ensuring that all adults working outside are developing children’s language and communication skills. Inspection evidence supports this.  During this inspection, new Nursery children were settling into school. Some children were ‘dropping in’ with their parents following a home visit and others were staying with staff for the first time without their parents. The youngest children settle well and adults focus closely on their needs. Parents feel welcome in the school and value the opportunity to talk about their child before they start and to ask staff questions. Transition arrangements are effective.  Staff work in partnership with local nurseries and welcome their assessments of children who are new to the school. The early years team works closely with the welfare team and the team that supports children who speak English as an additional

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Early years provision Requires improvement

language to make sure that children and families settle well.

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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

Appropriate authority REAch2 Academy Trust

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School details

Headteacher Gemma Clark (executive headteacher)

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School details

Email address office@copperfield.kent.sch.uk

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened as an academy in November 2013 as part of the REAch2 Academy Trust.  Copperfield is much larger than the average primary school and is expanding. Reception Year, Year 4 and Year 5 have three classes and other year groups currently have two. It also has part-time Nursery classes.  In September 2016, 13 new teachers joined the school, of which five are newly qualified teachers and six are new to the English education system.  As of 1 September 2016, Copperfield is now federated with Tymberwood Academy. The new executive headteacher and head of school were at Tymberwood prior to the federation.  More than a third of pupils are eligible for pupil premium funding.  Over half the pupils are from minority ethnic groups and the proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is twice the national average.  The school does not meet requirements on the publication of information about ‘the

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Information about this school

public sector equality duty’, ‘sports funding’, ‘the SEN information report’ or ‘the curriculum’ on its website.  The school does not comply with Department for Education guidance on what academies should publish about ‘the public sector equality duty’, ‘sports funding’, ‘the SEN information report’ or ‘the curriculum’.  The school did not meet the 2015 floor standards, which are 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 inspection

 Inspectors observed learning throughout the school, mostly with the executive headteacher and head of school. Inspectors looked at pupils’ work during lessons, and at work in classrooms and corridors.  Inspectors looked at assessments with senior leaders and work in books showing progress over time.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, middle leaders and the special educational needs coordinator. Meetings were held with trust representatives and with governors.  Parents’ views were considered through the 13 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and in conversations with parents at the beginning and end of the school day. The views of staff were considered through the 13 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and through meetings.  Pupils’ views were heard through a meeting with pupils and by talking to pupils around the school.  Inspectors observed breakfast club, breaktime, lunchtime and a new-to-nursery settling

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Information about this inspection

session.  Inspectors considered a wide range of documents, including leaders’ evaluations of the school’s effectiveness, improvement plans, records of trust monitoring, and leaders’ analysis of the quality of teaching, and pupils’ progress, behaviour and attendance.  Inspectors reviewed safeguarding records, case studies and the central record of recruitment checks on staff.

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Inspection team

Mark Cole, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Linda Phillips Ofsted Inspector guidance ‘Raising concerns and making a complaint about Ofsted’, which is available from Ofsted's website: www.gov.uk/government/publications/complaints-about-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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Inspection team

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. www.gov.uk/pupil-premium-information-for-schools-and- alternative-provision-settings .

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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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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Inspection team

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, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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