Copnor Primary School

Inspection of Copnor Primary School Copnor Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO3 5BZ

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Good 8 and 9 November 2022

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and proud members of the school. They describe the school as ‘caring’, ‘fun’ and ‘amazing’. Pupils behave well. Staff develop warm and caring relationships with pupils. Bullying is rare. Pupils are confident to tell adults if they are worried and know that staff will deal with concerns promptly. Parents and carers are also positive about the school. One parent said: ‘My child loves attending and feels safe and nurtured in the school environment.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities to develop their sporting and leadership skills. They enjoy representing the school in local competitions and being active members of the school council. They are excited about trips and events, such as visiting the local beach and a naval warship. These opportunities help to extend and enrich the school’s curriculum.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders want the best for pupils to help them succeed. However, pupils do not learn as well as they should across the whole of the curriculum. Some pupils have not had the support they need to read well. These pupils therefore find it more difficult to understand what they are being taught and to then apply this to new learning.

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better?

Leaders introduced a new curriculum in September 2021. They are ambitious for all pupils and this is recognised by parents, pupils and governors. Subjects such as science, history and mathematics have suitably ambitious curriculums. These subjects have been thoughtfully organised, meaning pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop knowledge and skills over time. For example, in history, pupils could recall prior knowledge and apply it to the new topics they were learning about.

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better?

However, some weaknesses persist in a few curriculum subjects, including art and early reading. In these subjects, the curriculum is not planned and sequenced well enough, including for children in the early years. Curriculum leaders have identified the skills that pupils need to develop but it is not clear what important knowledge and vocabulary pupils should know. They have considered what pupils will learn in the early years but, overall, the curriculum for the early years lacks coherence. Children therefore do not learn what they need to know to be ready to move into Year 1.

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better?

The headteacher recognises that over time, younger pupils have not been achieving well enough in reading. To address this, a new phonics programme has been recently introduced. All staff who deliver this have been trained. However, some staff are still learning about how best to deliver this programme. This means that the methods used by teachers to help pupils read, including pupils with SEND, vary in quality. Some pupils also do not get enough practice because the books they read are not well matched to the sounds they know. Strategies used to help the weaker 8 and 9 November 2022

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readers catch up quickly are also not always effective. This means that too many younger pupils do not have the support they need to read fluently and confidently.

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Pupils behave well, including in the early years. Pupils respect adults and know they are there to help them learn and keep them safe. Systems for rewarding pupils reflect the positive culture of the school. Pupils’ attendance, including those who are disadvantaged, is high. Staff have strong relationships with pupils and their families and provide appropriate support to ensure that they attend well.

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The school provides a wide range of opportunities for pupils beyond the curriculum. Pupils across the school enjoy an extensive programme of residential trips and are offered a wide range of extra-curricular clubs. These include dodgeball, art, film, choir and football. Leaders have developed the personal, social and health curriculum to ensure that pupils have a strong understanding of modern Britain and the world. The children visit places of worship and take part in local events, such as the Remembrance Parade. Pupils are appreciative of others and celebrate diversity.

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Pastoral care is a strength of the school. The welfare needs of all pupils are well identified and catered for. Trained adults ensure that all pupils know how to keep themselves healthy, both physically and mentally. Parents appreciate the focus on pupils’ well-being. One parent said: ‘My children are listened to and supported by all staff.’ Furthermore, pupils with SEND are supported well. Staff work closely with families to identify pupils’ needs and find ways to help them learn. This has been particularly successful for those pupils who find it difficult to manage their feelings and get on with their work.

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Leaders and governors have a clear vision for the school. However, leadership is not consistently effective across the school. The headteacher recognises that leaders at all levels need to develop their skills and expertise so that they can carry out their roles more effectively. Staff enjoy working at the school. They value the training they receive and agree that leaders consider their workload and well-being.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

There is a strong culture of safeguarding at this school. Leaders and staff work as an effective team and know the children and families well. Regular training ensures that all staff know how to report any concerns about a pupil. Close working with external agencies ensures that pupils and families, who are in need of extra help, get this quickly.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe. They have an age-appropriate understanding of how to stay safe online. Pupils say they feel safe and staff and parents agree. 8 and 9 November 2022

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The curriculum is not yet consistently well planned across all subjects. As a result, pupils do not always confidently learn important knowledge or understand the key vocabulary. Leaders should continue to implement their plans for a well- sequenced curriculum, providing teachers with the subject knowledge and expertise they need to deliver it effectively.  Too many younger pupils do not learn to read as quickly as they should. This means they cannot learn confidently across the full curriculum. Leaders need to carefully monitor the implementation of the new reading curriculum. This includes providing further training and support so that all staff have the expertise they need to help all pupils read fluently.  The curriculum in the early years is not coherently planned and sequenced. This means children do not develop detailed knowledge and skills across the seven areas of learning. Leaders need to ensure that the curriculum for early years is

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

coherently planned and sequenced, and staff are trained to be able to implement it effectively.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 8 and 9 November 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10242060 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 1 December 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is a larger-than-average-sized primary school.  There have been many changes to staff and leadership since the last inspection. The current headteacher took up his post in September 2020. The current chair of governors was appointed in October 2020.  The school runs a breakfast and after-school club.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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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 school leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, meetings were held with the headteacher and members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. 8 and 9 November 2022

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 The inspector held a telephone conversation with a representative from the local authority.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, history, art, computing and science. For each deep dive, the inspectors met with subject leaders, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about other subjects in the curriculum.  The views of parents, pupils and staff were considered through Ofsted’s online surveys.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors looked at the school’s training records, spoke with pupils and checked staff’s safeguarding knowledge to ensure that pupils are safe.

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Inspection team

David Harris, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Justin Bartlett Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 November 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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