Copdock Primary School

Inspection of an outstanding school: Copdock Primary School School Hill, Copdock, Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 3HY

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Outcome

Copdock Primary School continues to be an outstanding school

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy coming to school. This is visible in their enthusiasm and excitement for their learning. They feel safe and happy in all aspects of school life.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have created an ethos of exceptionally high expectations, which pupils embody. Pupils reflect the vision of leaders, developing as ‘confident, successful learners and well equipped for future life’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ behaviour in school is exemplary. Bullying is extremely rare. Pupils treat each other with respect and are courteous to adults both in lessons and at social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are enthusiastic in adopting full and active leadership roles. These roles begin in early years, where children become monitors. Other leadership roles include head pupils, school council representatives, worship leaders and peer mentors. These roles provide pupils with a solid platform from which to voice their views and the views of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy a rich, diverse range of experiences to develop their talents and interests. For example, they have recently engaged in a whole-school and wider community coronation event and a visit to London. Other external activities include visits to study science at a local grammar school and participation in local tournaments, such as Quad kids.

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

Leaders have embedded a curriculum that is creative and highly ambitious across all subjects. Teachers carefully plan exciting and engaging activities which enable all pupils to build on their previous knowledge and apply new learning. There is a distinct emphasis, across all subjects, on learning subject-specific vocabulary that enables pupils to tackle increasingly complex ideas with confidence. 4 May 2023

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Pupils are enthused by the challenging tasks they are given. They collaborate very well. Teachers’ planning ensures that all pupils are successful in consolidating their knowledge. Pupils’ behaviour is exemplary.

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Teachers regularly review pupils’ learning across all subjects. They quickly identify pupils who may need additional support. Staff provide extra help for these pupils to ensure they catch up quickly. The robust assessment process also ensures that any pupils who may have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support they need. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, achieve exceptionally well throughout their time at school.

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Leaders place a very high priority on children learning to read from the moment they start at the school. Leaders train their staff to be highly expert in delivering phonics and in teaching reading. This means that children learn to read confidently and fluently at an early age. Any pupils that do not have English as their first language, or who fall behind in their phonics learning, are quickly supported to catch up and become fluent readers. Teachers ensure that the books pupils take home to read match the sounds they have learned at school. Workshop sessions and online resources enable parents to effectively help with reading at home.

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In the early years, leaders make sure that children have stimulating and purposeful ways to learn. The focus on developing children’s personal, social and emotional development is strong. Teachers and other adults model the way in which they can think critically. Therefore, pupils start to develop the confidence and resilience they need for future success.

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Leaders ensure that pupils have rich experiences that are beyond their academic learning. This is through the high-quality personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. Leaders enable pupils to understand what it means to become a citizen in modern Britain. They provide opportunities for pupils to vote democratically and to compile their own class behaviour charters.

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Staff say that leaders and governors are particularly supportive. Staff feel that leaders are considerate of their well-being and ensure that their workload is manageable. Staff feel that the collaborative planning with their partner school has significantly reduced their workload.

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Governors take part in regular monitoring activities across the school to hold leaders to account by, for example, conducting safeguarding audits and curriculum reviews. Governors share the distinct vision and ambition of leaders. They are deeply knowledgeable about the strengths of the school and are very proud of leaders’ and pupils’ achievements.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. Pupils feel safe and are safe. Pupils are confident in articulating how to stay safe and in raising a concern with adults. This is a 4 May 2023

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result of the embedded PSHE curriculum. Additional workshops by external agencies and visiting speakers complement the PSHE curriculum.

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Staff are highly trained in all aspects of safeguarding. This includes training in safer recruitment and the process of reporting allegations and low-level concerns. They contribute strongly to the solid culture of vigilance across the school. School records show that staff respond appropriately and quickly to any concerns raised, engaging support from external agencies effectively.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be outstanding, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains outstanding. 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 first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding in July 2017.

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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. 4 May 2023

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School details

Inspection number 10284265 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 26 November 2020, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005 (remote)

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Information about this school

 The school is part of a federation with Bentley Church of England Primary School.  Leaders provide a wide range of after-school clubs.  School leaders do not use 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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with the executive headteacher, deputy headteacher, early years leader, special educational needs coordinator and subject leaders.  The lead inspector also spoke to the chair and one other member of the governing body as well as the school excellence partner from Suffolk local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in the following subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leads, reviewed 4 May 2023

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curriculum plans, spoke with leaders, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and outside during social times.  The lead inspector reviewed the arrangements for safeguarding by scrutinising safeguarding records and policies, speaking to staff and local governors and holding discussions with pupils.  The lead inspector viewed a range of the school’s documentation provided at the start of the inspection, including the school improvement documentation and governing body minutes.  The lead inspector considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View. She gathered the views of staff and pupils through surveys and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.

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Inspection team

Rowena Simmons, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Steve Woodley His Majesty’s Inspector 4 May 2023

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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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