The Coopers' Company and Coborn School

Inspection of a good school: The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School St Mary’s Lane, Upminster, Essex RM14 3HS

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Inspection dates: 21 and 22 September 2022

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Outcome

The Coopers’ Company and Coborn School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe here, in what they typically describe as the ‘The Coopers’ bubble’. It is an inviting, friendly environment. Pupils’ behaviour is calm, kind and sensible. Relationships between pupils and the staff are positive and professional. If any bullying does occur, adults take appropriate action to resolve it.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have built a broad and balanced curriculum. The curriculum is ambitious and gives all pupils a breadth of opportunities and experiences that support them to succeed both academically and personally. Leaders’ recent update to the school’s personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education curriculum includes more careers advice than previously. Pupils in Years 8 to 13 receive wide-ranging guidance, including about work placements, apprenticeships and going to university.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Enrichment and extra-curricular activities are numerous and varied. They currently include 15 different sports, volunteering, and many academic pursuits. Most pupils take part in one or more of these activities and are very proud to represent their school in teams and performances.

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

Leaders have ensured that the curriculum is ambitious in breadth and depth. In Years 7 to 9, pupils study an exceptionally wide range of subjects, including French, German and Spanish. All pupils continue to learn a language and many study history or geography in Years 10 and 11. This curriculum breadth prepares pupils well for making subject choices for GCSE and in the sixth form.

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

Subject leaders have thought carefully about what they want pupils to learn. They have considered the knowledge and skills pupils need for future learning and employment. Subject content is enhanced by regularly incorporating examples from the wider world. Subjects are taught in a logical order and themes, such as analysing performance in physical education (PE), are developed year on year and into the sixth form. 21 and 22 September 2022

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Teachers have strong subject knowledge. They use it to present subject matter clearly. Leaders and teachers put ideas gained from their own learning into practice in the curriculum. For example, the way mathematics is organised was influenced by work done with a local university. The school’s approach to assessment is used in many subject areas. However, this approach to assessment is not as effective in all subjects. In some subjects, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding of key learning to identify and address any misunderstanding or misconceptions. As a result, not all teachers have up-to- date knowledge about what pupils can and cannot do to inform future teaching across all subjects.

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Leaders have a clear focus on literacy. All pupils participate in wider reading activities during tutor time. When pupils join the school in Year 7, leaders identify any weaknesses in pupils’ reading fluency. They provide additional support with reading to selected pupils and check how well these pupils build reading confidence. Subject-specific vocabulary is identified in all subjects and teachers teach the meanings of new words explicitly. However, pupils are not encouraged to use this subject-specific language routinely.

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Learning proceeds typically uninterrupted. Should any low-level interruption occur, it is dealt with effectively.

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Leaders are ambitious for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Subject staff know pupils’ needs and adapt their teaching of the curriculum as appropriate. Leaders check that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND, take part in activities beyond the curriculum such as sports, music and university events.

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Staff said that leaders support them well. Teachers have access to a range of professional-development opportunities. Subject leaders are positive about the high level of autonomy they have. Staff workload is well managed.

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The senior team, under the leadership of the headteacher, works effectively together. They continue to develop new initiatives and ideas. The governing body is skilled and experienced. Members of the governing body listen to leaders’ concerns and provide effective support and challenge.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Pupils know who to speak to if they have any safeguarding concerns. They stated that leaders with responsibility for safeguarding are accessible.

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Safeguarding

Leaders with responsibility for safeguarding have updated the school’s safeguarding processes and procedures. The safeguarding team has a comprehensive knowledge and chronological record of actions and support provided for pupils in their care. Support strategies are well judged, timely and specific. The recently extended safeguarding team is experienced and able to assist effectively with the wide range of pupils’ well-being needs that may arise. Assemblies, such as on precautions to take when using social media, help pupils adjust their own 21 and 22 September 2022

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behaviours and support them to know how to keep themselves safe from harm. Leaders provide pupils with the information, skills and knowledge that they require to navigate today’s technological world safely.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, teachers do not check pupils’ understanding and use the information to identify misconceptions or gaps in pupils’ knowledge and to inform further teaching. Leaders and teachers should make sure that, in all subjects, teaching ensures that pupils are supported to learn, remember and use knowledge securely.

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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 an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection, which is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good in March 2013.

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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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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. 21 and 22 September 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10240161 Type of school Modern (non-selective)

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,540

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form

Date of previous inspection 23 May 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the last inspection, the deputy headteacher, in post from 2013 onwards, was promoted to the position of headteacher in March 2019.  The school uses two registered alternative providers, The Bridge and Havering Alternative Provision services.  The school has a large sixth form. Nearly half of the sixth-form students join in Year 12 from other local schools.  The school has a non-denominational Christian ethos and is a designated school of religious character. The next section 48 inspection is due before July 2023. 21 and 22 September 2022

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. The lead inspector met with two members of the governing body, including the chair of the governing body. A telephone call was held with a representative of the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, science, modern foreign languages, design and technology, and PE. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. Inspectors also spoke to leaders about the curriculum in some other subjects.  Inspectors undertook a range of other activities to gather evidence. These included

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Information about this inspection

discussions with leaders responsible for pupils with SEND, extra-curricular activities, and careers information, education, advice and guidance.  Inspectors met with leaders with responsibility for safeguarding and scrutinised records of safeguarding and behaviour. The record of pre-employment checks was reviewed. Inspectors talked with staff about the impact of their safeguarding training, and to pupils about how safe they feel in school.

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Inspection team

Hayley Follett, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Charlotte Robinson Ofsted Inspector 21 and 22 September 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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