Cooper Perry Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Cooper Perry Primary School Seighford, Stafford, Staffordshire ST18 9PQ

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Outcome

Cooper Perry Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this happy, friendly school. They are extremely polite and well- mannered. They eagerly welcome visitors. Behaviour in lessons and around school is very good. Staff consistently apply the behaviour policy and pupils say this is fair.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils play happily together. They feel safe in school. Pupils know the difference between bullying and ‘falling out’. They are confident that staff stop bullying if it happens. Occasionally, pupils ‘fall out’ with each other. In these situations, staff help pupils work together to become friends again.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school motto is: ‘Aim, Believe, Celebrate’. Staff encourage pupils to do their very best and to believe in and celebrate their own and others’ skills and talents, which they do. Leaders give all pupils opportunities to participate fully in the life of the school. Staff know the pupils and their families well and want the very best for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Relationships between staff and pupils are good. Pupils know that their teachers care for them. They say that teachers make learning ‘fun’. Pupils are proud of their school and all they achieve.

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

There have been many changes in leadership and staffing since January 2020. Leaders have worked hard to develop a strong team. This has included developing staff expertise and leadership skills.

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

Leaders have planned an ambitious curriculum based on the national curriculum. Leaders’ detailed plans clearly identify the key information that teachers must teach and when. They ensure that pupils revisit topics and build up knowledge and skills over time. This helps all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to know and remember more over time. For example, in physical education, pupils are able to explain how they develop control and techniques in balancing. Pupils 7 and 8 December 2021

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develop the key knowledge, skills and values they need to be ready for the next stage of their education.

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The teaching of reading is a priority for the school. Children begin learning to read as soon as they start in Reception. In Nursery, children enjoy joining in with songs and rhymes. Teachers match reading books to the sounds that pupils know. Most pupils who find learning to read more difficult receive daily help. However, a small number of pupils do not build up fluency in blending words quickly enough. This means that these pupils do not read as confidently or as well as they could.

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Pupils benefit from daily guided reading sessions that explore and develop vocabulary and comprehension. Younger pupils enjoy listening to stories read to them by their teachers. This encourages a love of reading.

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Children settle in extremely well when they first join the school. They are happy and busy. Teachers plan activities that create a ‘buzz’ of excitement in children’s learning, such as making model planes to fly to a theme park. Staff help children to develop their speech and language. For instance, staff encouraged children to use mathematical vocabulary when describing their model planes.

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The teaching of mathematics is strong. Leaders’ clear planning identifies what teachers must teach and when. Each lesson starts with a recap on past learning or a quick warm- up to develop fluency in arithmetic. Pupils with SEND receive the support and equipment they need to access the learning and make progress. Teachers check pupils’ understanding throughout lessons and adapt their teaching to support or challenge pupils. As a result, pupils are becoming better mathematicians. In addition, they enjoy this subject and say that mathematics is ‘fun’.

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Leaders take pupils’ well-being and mental health very seriously. They have developed approaches such as the ‘Hope’ scheme to enable pupils to share their feelings and respect the feelings of others. This helps pupils work well together and reduces any disruption to learning.

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Pupils access a wide range of activities outside of lessons. These activities include guitar, choir, brass lessons, the school council and school ambassador roles. Leaders have developed links with the local village community and church. These links help to promote pupils’ personal development and understanding of the world.

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During the inspection, parents and carers expressed generally positive views about the work of the school. However, some of those who responded to Ofsted Parent View, would like more formal opportunities to discuss the progress their children make at school. These opportunities were hampered somewhat because of the pandemic.

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Governors are passionate about the school. They care about staff well-being and workload and have worked hard to raise staff morale. Staff appreciate this. 7 and 8 December 2021

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding in the school. Leaders ensure that staff receive regular training and updates on national and local issues. This training has made staff even more alert to safeguarding concerns. The school’s safeguarding processes ensure that children at risk of harm get the right help and support without delay.

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Safeguarding

Governors take their safeguarding responsibilities seriously. They regularly check safeguarding practice and ensure that all staff are confident in recording and following up safeguarding concerns. They ensure that all safer recruitment procedures are strictly followed.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 There are a few pupils who do not get sufficient practice with their reading. As a result, some pupils do not read with good fluency. Leaders should review their approach to supporting pupils who struggle to read. They should ensure that pupils get the practice they need to develop confidence in reading fluently.  Some parents do not feel that they have enough opportunities to discuss how well their children are doing at school. Leaders should consider how the school can improve communication with parents about their children’s progress.

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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 second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in December 2016.

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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. 7 and 8 December 2021

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

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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 and 8 December 2021

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School details

Inspection number 10205178 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Sallie Churchill

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School details

Date of previous inspection 13 December 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this inspection

 The headteacher took up post in January 2020.  The school uses one registered alternative provider.

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Information about this school

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with school leaders and has taken that into account in her evaluation.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and other leaders. She also met with teaching staff.  The inspector met with four members of the governing body, including the chair.  The inspector met with key staff responsible for safeguarding and checked the single central record and procedures for staff recruitment. She discussed procedures and policies relating to safeguarding and the welfare of pupils. 7 and 8 December 2021

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 Deep dives were carried out in reading, mathematics and physical education. These included discussions with subject leaders, visits to lessons and scrutiny of pupils’ work. The inspector met with pupils to discuss their learning in these subjects and listened to pupils reading with staff. The inspector also looked at curriculum planning and a range of documents.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in class and at other times during the day. She also spoke with parents, staff and pupils about behaviour in school.  The inspector spoke with a representative of the local authority and the school improvement adviser.  The inspector spoke with parents at the end of the school day. She considered responses to the Ofsted Parent View online questionnaire, including free-text comments.  The inspector reviewed the school’s website and public information.

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Inspection team

Tina Willmott, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 7 and 8 December 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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