Coupe Green Primary School

Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T 0300 123 4234 www.gov.uk/ofsted

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Mrs Jenna Littlewood Headteacher Coupe Green Primary School Coupe Green Hoghton Preston Lancashire PR5 0JR

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

Following my visit to the school on 14 November 2018, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report the inspection findings. The visit was the first short inspection carried out since the school was judged to be good in April 2014.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

The leadership team has maintained the good quality of education in the school since the last inspection. Leaders and staff have created a happy, friendly and supportive community where pupils enjoy learning. You know every pupil by name and you lead by example to ensure that staff know pupils and their families well. Pupils appreciate the benefits that this small and caring school community offers. They especially value the help they receive from their teachers. Older pupils and younger pupils are supportive of one another.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

Parents and carers are loyal to the school. This comment from a parent typifies their views: ‘My children love going to school. They are flourishing both emotionally and academically.’ Parents are confident that their children make good progress. Parents are equally positive about the care and emotional support their children receive from staff. Most parents feel well informed about their children’s progress.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

Staff are proud to work at the school and they are highly motivated. Since the previous inspection, the quality of education at the school has gone from strength to strength. This is because you and your deputy headteacher have an honest, comprehensive and accurate view of the quality of teaching. For example, you know that there is some variation in how well teachers challenge pupils in subjects other than English and mathematics. You regularly reflect on how effective your actions have been in bringing about improvement. As a result, your actions to improve the school have been highly successful. You ensure that teachers can benefit from appropriate training. This is helping them to refine their practice and strengthen their subject knowledge. This is particularly the case in English and mathematics. In these subjects, teachers use their expertise and strong subject knowledge to sequence learning over time effectively. This

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

means that pupils make good progress. In the last three years, the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics at key stage 2 has increased considerably. Provisional key stage 2 results for 2018 show that pupil progress is in line with or above the national average in reading, writing and mathematics.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

Teachers ensure that pupils can revisit basic skills in numeracy and literacy. This is especially the case at key stage 1. Teachers plan learning to ensure that pupils’ knowledge is embedded in their long-term memory. Pupils can apply this knowledge with fluency to more complex situations. This is illustrated by work in pupils’ books. For instance, in mathematics at key stage 2, teachers provide pupils with a multitude of opportunities to develop their reasoning skills. Pupils can build on their prior learning. They solve more difficult problems with confidence as a matter of routine.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

Teachers apply leaders’ policies consistently. For example, improvements in the teaching of spelling have had a positive impact on pupils’ learning across the curriculum. This is especially the case at key stage 1, where pupils build effectively on their learning in early years. This has had a positive effect on pupils’ outcomes. For instance, since the last inspection, the proportion of pupils in Year 1 who achieve the expected standard in the phonics screening check has increased year on year.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

You ensure that governors are kept well informed. As a result, the governing body has a strong understanding of those aspects of the school that require further development. For instance, governors know that there is some variation in how well pupils can develop their subject-specific skills in French and music. Governors are committed to strengthening further the level of challenge and support they provide. They bring a wide range of skills and expertise to the governing body. Nonetheless, they remain committed to broadening their knowledge even further. To this end, governors are keen to benefit from relevant training to ensure that they remain up to date.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

Leaders and governors ensure that safeguarding arrangements are fit for purpose. You and your staff place the well-being of pupils at the heart of everything you do. Parents and staff share the view that pupils are safe in school. Pupils report that they feel safe and that incidents of bullying are rare. They trust their teachers to deal effectively with any worries or concerns they may have.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

You ensure that there are effective systems in place to check that adults who work at the school are safe to work with pupils. Governors are meticulous in checking that staff follow appropriate systems. Staff receive safeguarding training. They know the procedures to follow if they have concerns about a pupil. You work effectively with external agencies to ensure that vulnerable pupils receive appropriate support.

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Short inspection of Coupe Green Primary School

Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe. As part of the computing curriculum, pupils learn about staying safe online. Those pupils I spoke with during the inspection showed a good understanding of internet safety. For example, they explained to me how people they encounter online might not be who they say they are. Pupils learn about different religions in religious education, such as Hinduism, Sikhism and Islam. They show respect and tolerance for different cultures and families.

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Inspection findings

 I was interested to know about the progress of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). You have high expectations of all pupils, including those pupils with SEND. To this end, you carefully check on the progress that this group of pupils make. You ensure that those pupils who fall behind receive well-targeted and carefully planned support.  You ensure that teaching assistants benefit from appropriate training. This means that pupils benefit from consistent approaches to learning across the school. For example, all staff teach phonics and calculation methods in the same way. You check to make sure that support is having a positive effect. If necessary, you change and adapt the help that pupils receive. Consequently, pupils with SEND make good progress.  Parents are confident that staff plan learning that meets the needs of their children. You provide reports for the governing body about pupils’ progress,

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Inspection findings

including those pupils with SEND. This ensures that leaders spend additional funding effectively.  I wanted to know whether the curriculum is broad and balanced. Leaders have a strong rationale for the curriculum. They regularly review and adapt the curriculum to ensure that it ‘sparks pupils’ curiosity’ and meets the needs of pupils. Pupils develop their literacy and numeracy skills across a wide range of subjects. They value the opportunities the curriculum offers. For example, the pupils whom I spoke with explained to me how they enjoy their learning in art.  Subject leaders of the wider curriculum have been able to benefit from training. This is helping to improve the quality of teaching in their subject areas and allowing them to influence the quality of teaching. This has been particularly effective in improving the quality of teaching in subjects such as history, geography and science. In these subjects, pupils develop their subject-specific

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Inspection findings

skills. However, some subject leaders have not been able to have the same level of influence on the quality of teaching. This is particularly the case in French and music. For example, some pupils have limited opportunities to develop their composition skills in music.  Pupils benefit from an array of extra-curricular activities. For instance, pupils value the prospect of trying archery and fencing. They welcome the chance to represent their school in netball, football and musical competitions. Pupils explained to me how they are keen to be part of the end-of-year theatrical performance.  I was keen to know whether teachers plan learning that challenges pupils. Teachers have high expectations of pupils. This is especially the case in English and mathematics. In these subjects, teachers use accurate assessment information consistently to plan learning that challenges pupils. For instance, in key stage 1, teaching builds on pupils’ prior learning in phonics to challenge

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Inspection findings

pupils in their writing. As a result, pupils make good progress.  Work in pupils’ books shows that teaching generally provides a high level of challenge across the wider curriculum. This is because work is usually matched accurately to pupils’ starting points. As a result, pupils can build on their prior learning and apply their knowledge. For example, pupils in key stage 2 use results from scientific experiments to make their own predictions. However, there is some variation in the degree of challenge for pupils in subjects across the wider curriculum.

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Next steps for the school

Leaders and those responsible for governance should ensure that they:

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Next steps for the school

 develop the skills of subject leaders further, so that they have greater influence on how well pupils can develop their subject-specific skills  build on the strong practice already evident to ensure that learning challenges pupils across the wider curriculum.

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Next steps for the school

I am copying this letter to the chair of the governing body, the regional schools commissioner and the director of children’s services for Lancashire. This letter will be published on the Ofsted website.

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Information about the inspection

During this inspection, I met with you and other senior leaders. Leaders accompanied me on visits to classes, where I observed pupils’ learning. I looked at pupils’ work in writing, mathematics and the wider curriculum. I spoke formally with a group of pupils and informally with pupils at social times. I spoke informally with some parents before school.

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Information about the inspection

I spoke with the school adviser from the local authority and three members of the governing body, including the chair and vice-chair of the governing body. I examined a range of documentation, including that relating to safeguarding.

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Information about the inspection

I considered the school improvement plan and leaders’ self-evaluation. I also checked on the contents of the school’s website. I considered 13 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and 56 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey. I also considered 61 responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View. This included 57 written comments from parents through Ofsted’s free-text facility.

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