Coley Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Coley Primary School Wolseley Street, Reading, Berkshire RG1 6AZ

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Inspection dates: 30 and 31 January 2024

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Outcome

Coley Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Staff know the pupils well and put them at the heart of everything they do. The school is a warm, supportive and highly inclusive environment. Pupils are warmly greeted by staff at the start of the day, which helps them feel happy and ready to learn. Pupils celebrate the diversity of their school. One pupil reflected, ‘Everyone is welcome here no matter where they have come from in the world.’

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for how pupils and adults should treat each other. Pupils know the school values and live these through their daily interactions. They play happily together and look after each other throughout the day. Behaviour in lessons is good. On occasions where behaviour is less positive, staff address this swiftly and effectively.

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What is it like to attend this school?

All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from a well-considered curriculum. The school has high ambitions for pupils’ achievement. Pupils rise to these expectations and learn well across the curriculum. They focus and enjoy learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy the opportunities that support their learning. The trips in the local area are well considered and enhance the curriculum. Pupils benefit from a range of clubs that develop their interests such as football, science, dance and art.

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

The curriculum is carefully designed. The school has determined what pupils need to study so that new learning builds on previous knowledge from Nursery through to Year 6. This helps staff to know what pupils have already learned. The curriculum is enhanced through links to the history of the local area. Studying local canals, rivers and the rich Victorian heritage provides many opportunities for learning. 30 and 31 January 2024

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Many staff carefully ensure the tasks that pupils complete are sharply focused on supporting pupils to learn the most important content. They check pupils’ understanding and adapt their teaching so that pupils’ knowledge builds gradually over time. This is not yet consistent across the school. Staff are quick to identify pupils with SEND. They are highly skilled and effective in supporting all pupils by providing suitable adaptions. As a result, pupils, including those with SEND, usually achieve well.

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Children in the early years receive a strong start to their education. The school has carefully created an environment that is language and number rich. Children love counting and reading. They are highly engaged and, with the helpful guidance of staff, practice and refine new skills so that they grow in confidence. Many children start their school journey speaking little or no English. Staff make use of every opportunity to strengthen language and understanding as soon as children start school. Classrooms are enriched with a range of resources to support learning.

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Pupils are enthusiastic about books and reading. The school has created a culture where books are shared and enjoyed by all. Older pupils enjoy an impressive array of authors through the books that are read to them by teachers. Younger pupils learn to read well because teachers deliver the phonics programme with precision. They are quick to identify and help any pupil who needs additional support. The school provides a range of information and resources for parents to help read with their child at home.

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Persistent absenteeism is high. The school takes swift action to identify concerns and works with parents and external agencies to encourage good attendance. Leaders prioritise analysing attendance and are doing all they reasonably can to ensure pupils attend school and on time.

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The school encourages pupils to celebrate diversity. Pupils are proud of their school and community. Staff ensure pupils learn about different families, backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. They make sure everyone in the school understands risk and safety through the well-considered curriculum. Pupils proudly share their work with each other and families in celebration assemblies. The school offers pupils many leadership experiences such as eco-warriors, school council and junior carers. Pupils relish these opportunities and demonstrate a deep awareness of why it is important to look after the school environment and that of the wider world.

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The school provides strong support to staff regarding their workload. The well-being committee plays a crucial role in ensuring staff’s mental and emotional health is well considered. Staff benefit from useful professional development and training to support their teaching. Governors are knowledgeable about their responsibilities and have a good understanding of the school’s strengths and areas for development.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 30 and 31 January 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some task design lacks precision. As a result, pupils’ understanding is variable in a few subjects. The school should continue to refine task design so that it is sharply focused on the most important content that pupils need to learn. It should support pupils to integrate new knowledge into larger ideas so that pupils learn and remember the most important content over time.

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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 school to be good in October 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.

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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’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 30 and 31 January 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Date of previous inspection 3 July 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school currently uses one registered alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school's education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  The inspector met with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and subject leaders.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record, took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around

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safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector reviewed a wide range of documents provided by the school and observed pupils’ behaviour around the school and in lessons.  The inspector met with members of the governing board and representatives from the local authority.  The inspector considered the views of parents shared through Ofsted Parent View.  The views of staff were gathered through surveys and discussions conducted throughout the inspection.  The inspector gathered pupils’ views throughout the inspection, including during classroom visits and at playtimes and lunchtime.

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Inspection team

Simon Woodbridge, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 30 and 31 January 2024

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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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