Coalway Primary School

Inspection of Coalway Junior School 63 Coalway Road, Coleford, Gloucestershire GL16 7HL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Previous inspection grade Good 23 and 24 May 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils and staff have a deep sense of community and care for one another at Coalway Junior School. This encourages pupils to make the most of the wider enrichment provided by the school. Leaders have designed a comprehensive personal development programme for pupils. Staff encourage pupils to be good citizens and care for each other.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel safe and enjoy attending school. Behaviour is good, and there is very little bullying. Pupils are confident that, if bullying does occur, leaders will deal with it promptly.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff have high expectations of pupils’ learning and behaviour. Leaders have developed a curriculum that helps the pupils ‘to develop and nurture an inquisitive mind and a passion for lifelong learning’. Teachers explain learning clearly. They make sure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), achieve well. Pupils value their learning. As a result, they take care with their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, parents and carers appreciate the trips and visitors that leaders organise, including trips abroad, the Young Voices choir competition in Birmingham, and art workshops. These events help learning to come alive.

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better?

Leaders have set out what pupils will learn each year for all subjects. They have ensured that teachers have the training and resources they need to teach the curriculum. Leaders’ priority is to make sure that pupils can read well. Leaders have recently improved the way that pupils learn how to read words. Leaders make sure that the books pupils read match the sounds they know. Teachers use assessment well to check how well pupils are reading. They provide support to help pupils keep up. Pupils enjoy reading events and competitions, such as visits from the school’s reading patron and local author. This encourages them to read often and to develop a lifelong love of reading.

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better?

After the pandemic, leaders adjusted the curriculum to fill gaps in learning. This helped pupils to learn well and produce good work. Teachers check whether pupils have the understanding to move on to a new topic. This helps pupils to learn in subjects like mathematics. Teachers use resources and practical equipment to help the pupils understand new ideas. Pupils are keen to learn, and they behave well.

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better?

Staff are well trained to support pupils with SEND. They make adaptations to teaching so that all pupils can succeed. These include, for example, providing simplified instructions or visual prompts for pupils who need them. 23 and 24 May 2023

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In most subjects, learning is broken down into small steps, which helps pupils to learn. However, in some foundation subjects, leaders have not broken down all of the learning into these small steps. As a result, it is harder for pupils to learn these aspects of the subject.

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Leaders are keen that pupils have a wide range of opportunities to develop their leadership. They plan for pupils to have new experiences so they will be well prepared for life. There is a clear plan to develop pupils’ understanding of British values, equality and diversity. They learn how to debate issues, understand their rights and to respect others. Pupils have access to a wide range of clubs and sporting activities. Staff teach them to be healthy, and they learn about relationships and consent.

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Leaders follow a rigorous pupil attendance policy. They work with families to overcome any barriers that prevent pupils from attending school. Consequently, attendance has improved since the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Staff are positive about the school’s leadership. They are proud to work at the school and say that leaders do everything they can do to support their well-being and workload. Governors work hard to support the school. They focus on making sure all pupils will be safe, happy and successful. They check all aspects of the work of the school and challenge leaders if needed.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Staff have comprehensive safeguarding training. They build relationships with pupils and families. This means staff are vigilant in raising concerns, which supports leaders to identify any pupils who may need support. Leaders make prompt referrals to appropriate external agencies and follow these up diligently.

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Safeguarding

Procedures for staff recruitment are rigorous, with appropriate checks to ensure that adults are safe to work with pupils. Governors check how staff keep pupils safe.

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Safeguarding

Pupils learn how to be safe through the school’s personal development curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a few foundation subjects, leaders have not been precise in describing what pupils will learn. As a result, teachers are not able to implement the curriculum as well as leaders would like. Pupils do not develop the depth of knowledge in these subjects that they should. Leaders should support teachers by making clear the small steps needed. 23 and 24 May 2023

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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. 23 and 24 May 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Caroline Merritt

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Date of previous inspection

18 October 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 There have been no changes to the leadership of the school since the last inspection.  Leaders do not make use of 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.  The lead inspector met with the headteacher and members of the governing body, including the chair and vice chair. He also held a telephone conversation with the school improvement adviser.  Inspectors looked at a range of documents. These included the school’s self- evaluation, school development plan, school policies, curriculum documents, 23 and 24 May 2023

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SEND records, behaviour records, attendance records and minutes of meetings held by the governing board.  Inspectors held meetings with a range of leaders to discuss safeguarding, provision for pupils with SEND, pupils’ behaviour, attendance, personal development and additional funding.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, art and music. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also reviewed curriculum documents and talked to leaders of history and geography.  The lead inspector observed pupils reading to a familiar adult.  Inspectors spoke to groups of pupils about their learning and experiences at school. They observed playtimes and met with parents before school.  Safeguarding documents were checked, including the checks that leaders make

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on staff’s suitability to work with children. The inspectors checked that staff implement safeguarding policies and procedures effectively across the school.  The lead inspector reviewed survey responses submitted by parents to Ofsted Parent View, Ofsted’s online survey. The lead inspector also reviewed responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Tom Morrison, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Evans Ofsted Inspector 23 and 24 May 2023

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