Coppice Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Coppice Primary School Coppice Primary School, Manford Way, Chigwell, Essex IG7 4AL

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Outcome

Coppice Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Coppice is a welcoming, happy and diverse school community. Pupils enjoy coming to school. They are friendly, polite and considerate.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and governors have set out high expectations for all pupils’ learning and behaviour. Pupils work hard. They behave well in class and around the school. They said that poor behaviour or bullying are rare in their school. They said that they know how to raise any concerns. Staff act quickly and resolve any bullying. As a result, pupils are safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders put pupils’ character development at the heart of the school’s work. Pupils have many opportunities to take on leadership roles. For example, they can apply to become class advocates. This role includes responsibilities for running the school’s library and helping younger pupils. The rigorous selection process includes writing a letter of application, preparing a presentation and attending an interview.

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

Leaders make learning to read a priority. In the early stages of reading, teachers check the sounds that pupils know regularly and systematically. Staff give extra help with phonics and reading practice to any pupils who may need it, so they can catch up quickly and keep up. They carefully match books to the sounds pupils know. As a result, pupils practise their reading skills and become more fluent. On occasion, staff working with older pupils do not ensure they have the right books for them to practise their reading. Some staff working with older pupils missed out on phonics training because of absence during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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

The curriculum is carefully planned and well sequenced in most subject areas. For example, in mathematics, leaders have thought carefully about how pupils develop their understanding of numbers over time. In Reception, children start off learning about small numbers. They learn how the number three is made up of smaller numbers, two and one. By Year 2, pupils apply this understanding to numbers up to 100. By Year 6, they solve 10 and 11 May 2022

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real problems using numbers over a million. Children in the early years plant seeds and read stories about how plants grow. This prepares them well for later learning in science about plants. Teachers check pupils’ understanding precisely and regularly at each step. They offer extra support to pupils when they need it. As a result, pupils build their knowledge over time.

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The curriculum is not yet as well thought out in all subjects. On occasion, the order in which subject content is organised results in too much information being covered at once, or pupils learning disconnected facts. When the curriculum overloads pupils with too much new subject content at the same time, or learning does not build on what pupils already know, pupils do not deepen their learning. As a result, they do not make connections between different knowledge. Leaders have begun to address this.

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Leaders have carefully considered where pupils may have gaps in their learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, in science, the school prioritises learning through practical activities. Pupils had missed out on these during remote learning.

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Children get off to a positive start in the early years. Staff listen carefully to children. They develop extended conversations. For example, working with an adult, children in Reception discussed the differences between sorbet and ice cream. Children play and learn happily in a well-resourced environment, indoors and outside.

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Leaders are ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. Teachers understand and meet the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). For example, they organise extra teaching for pupils with SEND to introduce new vocabulary. As a result, all pupils take part fully. Teachers break down the learning, so pupils experience success one step at a time. On rare occasions, additional adults who support pupils with SEND are too quick to tell them what to do next. This hampers their independence in using what they know and can do.

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There are many after-school clubs for pupils to join. Pupils have the chance to broaden their interests during ‘try something new’ days. Leaders put a strong focus on encouraging pupils’ abilities to listen to each other, reach compromises and apologise where appropriate. Pupils behave well in lessons. Learning is not disrupted.

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Staff said that leaders provide them with the support they need. They make sure that workload is manageable. Staff felt that leaders are approachable and provide welcome advice and guidance. This helps them to improve their teaching.

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Governors have a detailed knowledge of the school. They give leaders the support and challenge they need to keep improving the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff are always ready to listen to pupils. They remind pupils of the different ways they can tell them if they are worried or upset. Records show that they report concerns 10 and 11 May 2022

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promptly. Leaders respond in a timely way to any staff concerns. They work effectively with external agencies to safeguard pupils. Leaders carry out all the appropriate checks on new staff or volunteers before they can work with pupils. Governors are diligent in ensuring that the school follows all the latest government guidance.

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Pupils said that the school helps them to understand how to keep themselves safe. There is a regular focus in classes on ‘my right to stay safe’. Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe online.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s curriculum is not yet sufficiently well planned and sequenced in all subjects. However, leaders are already addressing this. For example, they are reviewing plans to ensure that they have sequenced the curriculum so that pupils build the knowledge they need over time. For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied.  In a few cases, older readers who struggle with reading do not get the help they need. Leaders must ensure that all staff have received phonics training and that these pupils consistently receive the help they need to build reading fluency and confidence so that they catch up quickly and read accurately and automatically.

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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.

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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. 10 and 11 May 2022

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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. 10 and 11 May 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Headteacher

Clare Pike (Executive Headteacher), Michael Fernandez (Head of School) Website www.coppice.redbridge.sch.uk Date of previous inspection 4 to 5 October 2016, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is larger than the average-size primary school.  The school is in an informal federation with William Torbitt Primary School. The school’s executive headteacher works across both schools.  The school runs a breakfast club and an after-school club.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the executive headteacher, the head of school and other senior leaders. He also spoke to the chair and other members of the governing body and a representative of the local authority.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and geography. For each deep dive, the inspector discussed the curriculum with subject 10 and 11 May 2022

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leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspector reviewed safeguarding arrangements by checking safeguarding records and talking to leaders, staff, parents, pupils and governors.  The inspector met with groups of pupils to talk about their experiences of school, their work and behaviour.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and at lunchtime.  The inspector considered the views of parents, staff and pupils, including the replies to Ofsted’s online surveys for staff and pupils, and the free-text responses to the online Ofsted Parent View survey.

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Inspection team

Julian Grenier, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 10 and 11 May 2022

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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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