St. Anne's Copp CofE Primary School, Great Eccleston

Inspection of a good school: Great Eccleston Copp CofE Primary School Copp Lane, Great Eccleston, Preston, Lancashire PR3 0ZN

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Outcome

There has been no change to this school’s overall judgement of good as a result of this initial (section 8) inspection. However, the evidence gathered suggests that the inspection grade might not be as high if a full inspection were carried out now. The next inspection will therefore be a full (section 5) inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Great Eccleston Copp is a small, friendly, happy school. New pupils joining the school, and their families, are made to feel welcome. They settle into school life quickly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils get on well together. They behave well. Pupils are respectful towards each other and towards adults.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils said that adults make time to listen to any worries that they may have. Bullying is rare and, if it does occur, staff sort things out quickly. This makes pupils feel safe in school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the wealth of clubs and activities that they take part in, such as ju-jitsu and the reading club. They are proud to represent their school in competitions. Junior leaders and school councillors carry out their responsibilities diligently and with maturity.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy learning. They like the range of subjects that they are taught. Most staff have high expectations of pupils. Even so, the curriculum is not well planned in subjects other than English and mathematics. Moreover, some curriculum plans do not set out in enough detail what pupils should be learning. This includes children in the early years. This means that some pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders and governors have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and weaknesses. Since 2019, changes to the leadership of the school, coupled with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, delayed plans to improve the school. The new headteacher and the staff team have started to make the necessary improvements. However, it is too early to see if these actions to improve the quality of education will have the desired impact. 7 October 2021

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Leaders have devised a curriculum which aims to meet pupils’ needs. However, in subjects other than English and mathematics, the school’s curriculum plans lack sufficient detail. They do not set out the precise knowledge that pupils must learn and remember from the early years to the end of key stage 2. While pupils study a broad and balanced curriculum, these weaknesses in planning hinder pupils’ progress across subjects. Added to this, some subject leaders have not had the training and support that they need to carry out their roles and responsibilities effectively. Pupils do not achieve as well as they should.

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Pupils, including children in the early years, love listening to the stories that their teachers read to them. Younger pupils have daily phonics lessons. Adults who deliver the phonics programme receive support from the school’s reading leader. Leaders keep a close eye on pupils’ progress across the reading curriculum. Even so, some pupils do not learn to read as early, or as well, as they should. Leaders rely on small-group and individual support to help pupils to keep up. Currently, leaders are introducing a new phonics programme to overcome these issues.

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Leaders have reviewed the information that they hold about pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They identify additional needs with increasing success. Parents and carers of pupils with SEND said that they value the improved communication that they have had from school staff more recently. Despite this, some teachers do not think carefully enough about how they deliver the curriculum for pupils with SEND. They have not had the subject specialist support that they need to enable these pupils to achieve highly.

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The school is calm and orderly. Leaders and teachers have high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Routines are well established. Lessons proceed without interruption. Across the school, pupils try hard, and they behave well. To support pupils with their ongoing learning, and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders have prioritised activities that promote pupils’ well-being, such as yoga. Pupils also benefit from a variety of extra- curricular clubs.

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Until more recently, members of the school’s governing body have not challenged leaders sufficiently well to improve the quality of education across the curriculum for pupils. However, they have worked well with the new headteacher to identify and agree the school’s improvement priorities.

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Staff are appreciative of leaders’ considerate approach to managing workload. Staff feel comfortable to talk to leaders if they have any worries or concerns. Those teachers in the early stages of their career appreciate the opportunity to work together with their colleagues.

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In discussion with the headteacher, the inspectors agreed that science, computing, geography and modern foreign languages may usefully serve as a focus for the next inspection. 7 October 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders have ensured that there is a strong culture of safeguarding across the school. Staff understand their roles and responsibilities to protect pupils from harm. Staff undertake regular safeguarding training. The designated safeguarding lead works well with external agencies to ensure that pupils and their families get the help that they need. Leaders ensure that pupils learn how to keep themselves safe in the wider community and when using the internet. Leaders also help pupils to learn about healthy relationships.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject leaders lack the curriculum expertise that they need to design well- planned subject curriculums that build from the early years through to key stage 2. Added to this, these subject leaders do not check that teachers are delivering the curriculum as intended. Consequently, some pupils do not achieve as well as they should. Senior leaders should ensure that all subject leaders have the training that they require to plan an effective curriculum. Senior leaders should also support subject leaders to evaluate how effectively teachers deliver the intended curriculum.  The current phonics programme is not planned and taught effectively enough. Pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they should. School leaders should ensure that they implement their new phonics programme so that pupils are taught to read accurately and fluently by the end of Year 2.  A few teachers do not fully understand the specific needs of some of the pupils with

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

SEND. Also, some teachers do not have the subject-specific knowledge that they need to support pupils with SEND in their learning. Consequently, some pupils with SEND do not make enough progress through the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that pupils’ needs are understood by all teachers and that teachers have the expertise to support pupils with SEND to access the curriculum.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in October 2016. 7 October 2021

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted .

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

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. 7 October 2021

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 4 and 5 October 2016, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new headteacher and chair of governors have been appointed. The headteacher took up post in September 2021.  The school had its most recent section 48 inspection in March 2020.  The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 During the inspection, inspectors held meetings with senior leaders, middle leaders and class teachers. Inspectors spoke with a representative of the local authority. Inspectors also met with members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors considered the 37 responses to Parent View, Ofsted’s online questionnaire.  Inspectors considered the 16 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey and the 32 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.  Inspectors met with the people responsible for safeguarding in the school. Inspectors scrutinised a range of documentation in relation to safeguarding. They spoke to staff, parents and pupils about safeguarding. 7 October 2021

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 Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and playtimes. They spoke to pupils about bullying, behaviour and leaders’ expectations of pupils’ behaviour.  As part of this inspection, inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders, reviewed curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and reviewed samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also listened to pupils read.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.

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Inspection team

Pippa Jackson Maitland, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Mike Tonge Ofsted Inspector 7 October 2021

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regulates and inspects to 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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