Coppetts Wood Primary School

Inspection of Coppetts Wood Primary School Coppetts Road, Friern Barnet, London N10 1JS

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

The quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years provision Requires improvement Previous inspection grade Outstanding

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

This school was last inspected 12 years ago and judged ‘Outstanding’ under a previous inspection framework. This reflected the school’s overall effectiveness under the inspection framework in use at the time.

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Overall effectiveness Requires improvement

From then until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last inspection. 28 and 29 March 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are happy and safe in this school. They learn to play and work together well. Pupils enjoy contributing to their local area. For example, pupils in the school’s eco- team have written a code of conduct for the school. They organise initiatives to increase recycling and reduce the amount of single-use plastic at the school. Pupils in Year 6 take on roles at lunchtime to lead activities with younger pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have redesigned the curriculum to be more ambitious for pupils. They have made the curriculum more representative of the school’s diverse community. Leaders have also introduced a new curriculum for personal, social and health education (PSHE). The rapid introduction of the new PSHE curriculum has meant that some teachers are not secure in the content they are teaching.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The behaviour of pupils around the school is positive. Pupils are keen to learn and do their best. Where there are clearly established routines for behaviour, such as at breaktime, pupils behave very well. Bullying is rare. When it does happen, it is dealt with quickly by staff. In class, routines are less well established. Teachers do not address swiftly low-level behaviour such as calling out.

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better?

Pupils study a broad range of subjects. The newly planned curriculum for most subjects is ambitious and designed to build pupils’ knowledge and skills over time. In subjects including art, music and history, leaders have carefully thought about the order in which content is learned. Leaders have designed these subjects to give pupils a rich understanding of key concepts. Some subject curriculum thinking is not as ambitious and well thought through.

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better?

Some teachers do not have a routinely strong understanding of the curriculum and subjects that they teach. When teachers know the subject well, they explain new content clearly. They break down new concepts into smaller chunks to help pupils to understand. Where teachers’ grasp of the subjects they are teaching is not as secure, they do not identify the key knowledge they want pupils to learn. As a result, activities and work that teachers set do not help pupils to learn as securely, including in early years and in the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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better?

Pupils learn to read well. The phonics programme is well established. All staff have received the training needed to deliver the phonics programme effectively. Teachers introduce and model new sounds clearly. Pupils learn to read from the start of Reception. Teachers assess how well pupils read and identify pupils who need extra time to practise. Pupils who fall behind in the phonics programme are quickly helped to catch up.

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better?

Pupils across the school read widely and often. Older pupils read a wide range of texts from a diverse selection of authors. In the Nursery, adults encourage children 28 and 29 March 2023

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to develop their language and communication skills through songs, games and reading stories. However, staff do not routinely encourage children to share their ideas through conversation, storytelling and role play with support and modelling. The Nursery environment, including the outdoor play area, is not well matched to children’s learning needs.

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Pupils are polite and welcoming to visitors. They listen to the instructions of teachers. Pupils’ movement around the school is calm and orderly. The approach to managing behaviour in classes is not understood by all teachers. Class routines are not fully established, and pupils become distracted. Sometimes, pupils are frustrated by interruptions to their learning caused by pupils’ disruptions. In the early years, teaching does not routinely secure positive behaviour habits from the start.

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Recently, leaders have made improvements to support for pupils with SEND. All pupils with SEND have clear targets that match their development. Staff are aware of pupils’ needs and have clear strategies to help them to access the curriculum. At times, time is wasted when pupils move from one activity to another. During these transition times, a lack of structure can lead pupils to exhibit poor behaviour.

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All pupils have access to a wide range of extra-curricular clubs and activities. The provision for music is a highlight. Pupils have frequent opportunities to explore their learning through educational visits, including to museums, local parks and allotments. Pupils learn about cultural events and religious festivals. They are taught to respect and value everyone in their community.

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Teachers are proud to work at this school. They were very positive about leaders and felt well supported in their roles. They appreciated the efforts of leaders to manage their workload and support their well-being. Leaders have implemented a number of changes to the school in recent years. There is a clear programme of development for staff. However, staff training has been unable to keep up with the scale of these changes.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

Leaders know the families in their community well. They have clear policies for managing safeguarding concerns. Staff know how to report concerns about pupils’ well-being. They are alert to signs that pupils may be at risk of harm. Leaders work effectively with outside agencies to secure help for pupils who are vulnerable to harm. New staff receive a thorough induction to ensure they know the school’s safeguarding procedures.

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Safeguarding

Pupils are taught ways to manage risk. They learn age-appropriate information about e-safety, physical health and mental health. Pupils were confident that the adults who work in the school will help them if they need it. 28 and 29 March 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Much of the school’s curriculum is new. Some teachers do not know the curriculum subjects they are teaching well. This includes those working in the early years and supporting pupils in the specially resourced provision. Where this is the case, explanations are unclear and activities chosen do not help pupils to understand new learning. As a result, pupils do not secure key learning. This is particularly the case for pupils with SEND. Leaders must ensure that all teachers have a secure understanding of the school’s curriculum, including the PSHE curriculum, and develop a shared understanding of good practice.  Staff generally do not have a common understanding of the school’s behaviour policy. They do not apply the school rules consistently. As a result, low-level behaviours such as calling out are not addressed swiftly. Leaders should ensure that the behaviour policy is clear, and that it is consistently applied by all staff.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In the early years, staff lack skills when communicating with children. Language and communication development lacks focus. When supporting children in play, staff do not spend enough time discussing the learning opportunities presented. This means that staff do not routinely check children’s learning and identify any misconceptions that children may have. Leaders should ensure that all staff in the early years have the knowledge and skills needed to support children’s learning and language development.  The early years environment, including the outdoor play area, does not support the intent of the curriculum. The resources used do not promote the learning of children in a planned way. Leaders should ensure the early years environment provides learning opportunities that reflect the planned curriculum and embed children’s learning.

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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. 28 and 29 March 2023

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Headteacher Jennifer Gaffney (Interim Executive Headteacher), Faramade Alawaye (Interim Head of School) Website www.coppettswoodprimary.org.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 19 and 20 September 2011, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The interim executive headteacher and the interim head of school took up their posts in January 2023. At the time of the inspection, the school was in the process of appointing a new headteacher.  The school has a specially resourced provision for pupils with autism spectrum disorder for up to 21 pupils from age 3 to 11.  Leaders use one registered alternative provider.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school. 28 and 29 March 2023

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 During the inspection, inspectors spoke with the interim executive headteacher, the interim head of school and other senior school leaders. They spoke to representatives of the local authority. Inspectors met with representatives of the governing body, including the vice-chair of governors.  Inspectors conducted deep dives in reading, mathematics, geography and music. They met with subject leaders and classroom teachers and visited a sample of lessons. They also reviewed the work of pupils and met with pupils to discuss their learning.  Inspectors met with leaders of the specially resourced provision and visited a sample of lessons. They also visited the school’s nurture class provision.  Inspectors looked at a range of school documentation, including records of behaviour and safeguarding and school development documents.  Inspectors considered the responses submitted by parents to Ofsted’s online

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survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. They also met parents at the school gate.  Inspectors spoke to staff about their workload and well-being. They considered the views of staff and pupils through Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Annabel Davies, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Allan McLean Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 March 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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