Courtwood Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Courtwood Primary School Courtwood Lane, Addington, Croydon, Surrey CR0 9HX

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Inspection dates: 13 and 14 December 2022

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Outcome

Courtwood Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy here. They show kindness to each other. Pupils build positive friendships with their peers. They enjoy learning because teachers make lessons fun and engaging. Leaders ensure pupils are kept safe.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders and staff have high expectations for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and courteous. They behave well in lessons and around the school. Interactions between adults and children are caring and nurturing. Pupils trust staff and feel able to talk to adults about their concerns. Staff deal with matters quickly, including any incidents of bullying.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are confident and talk about their school with pride. They enjoy the range of clubs that the school provides, such as art and multi-sports. Pupils take part in a variety of local competitions, including sporting and gardening events.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Parents and carers value the positive relationships that leaders and staff promote. They appreciated the strong links leaders have made with the school community. As a result, parents feel confident in seeking help and support from the school.

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

Leaders have developed an ambitious and broad curriculum. They have considered what they want pupils to achieve in all subjects. Leaders ensure that curricular thinking is clearly sequenced. Pupils build their knowledge and skills in a logical way. Teachers regularly revisit content that pupils have been taught. This helps pupils to build essential knowledge over time. Typically, teachers ensure that pupils have many opportunities to develop secure knowledge and skills. For example, Year 5 pupils applied critical-thinking skills when reflecting on photos of Anglo-Saxon historical artefacts. Staff address any misconceptions swiftly through careful checking of pupils’ understanding. 13 and 14 December 2022

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Teachers develop pupils’ knowledge in a logical way. For example, in mathematics, pupils use a range of calculation methods to apply their understanding to different real-life situations. Teachers encourage pupils to use subject-specific vocabulary appropriately when explaining their mathematical thinking. For example, children in Reception used terms such as lighter, heavier and balanced when weighing and comparing different objects.

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Staff benefit from a well-coordinated approach to professional development. They value the opportunity to work with colleagues and experts from other schools within the trust. This is particularly useful in enhancing staff’s expertise. However, in a few subjects, leaders have not secured teachers’ subject-specific knowledge. As a result, the delivery of the curriculum aims in some subjects is not securely implemented. This means that pupils are not consistently given the opportunity to deepen or apply what they know or understand in these subjects.

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Leaders prioritise early reading. They ensure that children have the best start in learning to read. Teachers introduce children to phonics as soon as they start in Reception. Staff focus on promoting children’s accuracy and fluency when reading. Staff model high- quality language and vocabulary use. Pupils who struggle with reading are quickly identified and supported. Pupils segment and blend words with confidence when reading to an adult. Pupils love to read. They enjoy listening to stories in class and assemblies.

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Leaders have created a strong culture where pupils with SEND achieve well. Teachers provide carefully targeted support for these pupils. They make appropriate adaptations to the lessons to reduce the difficulties that may hinder pupils with SEND to access the full curriculum. Consequently, pupils with SEND grow in confidence and independence. They reach ambitious and personalised goals.

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The school is calm and orderly. Staff encourage pupils to ‘have a go’. As a result, pupils show perseverance and persistence when they struggle or face challenges. Low-level disruptions are rare. Pupils are motivated and refocus quickly if they go off task momentarily.

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Leaders support pupils’ wider development. Teachers encourage pupils to form opinions about issues such as discrimination. Pupils speak confidently about their beliefs, other cultures and religions. Staff trained in social, emotional and mental health guide pupils in managing their feelings and emotions, such as anxiety. This helps pupils to use different strategies to help them to calm down when feeling distressed or frustrated.

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Those responsible for governance have well-defined roles and responsibilities. Members of the Trust and governing body meet with leaders and staff often. They know the strengths of the school and what actions to take to secure further improvement. Staff appreciate that leaders are considerate of their well-being and workload.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 13 and 14 December 2022

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Leaders have created a nurturing environment where pupils’ welfare and safety is a priority. Staff know pupils and families well. They identify quickly when pupils may be at risk of harm. Leaders work closely with families in ensuring they receive the help they need. Leaders are tenacious in working with external agencies to ensure timely support.

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Pupils are kept safe because leaders work closely with school staff to make procedures robust. Pupils are taught how to stay safe in school, such as when following routines during fire drills. They are knowledgeable about online safety.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few subjects, leaders have not secured teachers’ subject-specific pedagogical knowledge. This means that teaching does not routinely enable pupils to deepen or apply what they know or understand in some subjects. Leaders must continue to develop staff expertise to ensure that the intended curriculum is consistently implemented in all subjects.

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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 predecessor school, Courtwood Primary School, to be good in February 2014.

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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. 13 and 14 December 2022

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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. 13 and 14 December 2022

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School details

Inspection number 10255435 Type of school Primary

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school became an academy in September 2018. The school is part of The Collegate Trust. The local governing body carry out some functions on behalf of the trustees.  The school has an enhanced learning provision for pupils with autism spectrum disorder. The school does not make use of any alternative provision.

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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 have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector met with the chief executive officer, chair of governors, members of the local governing body, the principal, senior leaders, and a range of staff.  The inspector carried out deep dives in reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, met with teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and considered pupils’ work. 13 and 14 December 2022

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 The inspector considered the curriculum in other subjects.  The inspector considered information provided about safeguarding arrangements. The inspector scrutinised safeguarding records and the single central record. The inspector reviewed procedures and processes by talking to leaders and staff and through discussions with pupils.  The inspector considered the views of parents, pupils and staff, including through Ofsted’s online surveys.  The inspector visited the enhanced learning provision.

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Inspection team

Lascelles Haughton, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 13 and 14 December 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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