Alder Coppice Primary School

Inspection of a good school: Alder Coppice Primary School Northway, Sedgley, Dudley, West Midlands DY3 3PS

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Outcome

Alder Coppice Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Alder Coppice Primary School live up to the school’s motto of ‘achievement through commitment’. The school has high expectations for all pupils socially, emotionally and academically, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils use the school’s ‘learning climates’ well in lessons to learn together.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well across the school. They follow the school rules of ‘be safe, be kind and work hard’. They are encouraged to sit up straight , to listen , to ask and answer questions, to never give up and to track the speaker in lessons. This ensures that they focus well when learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils eagerly take on leadership roles in school, such as being ‘keep safe guardians’, digital leaders or members of the respect and responsibility team. All pupils in Year 6 have a specific responsibility. Pupils learn what it means to be caring, responsible members of their community through these opportunities. They raise money for charity and think of others.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school makes sure that pupils are prepared well for their next steps. Pupils learn about how to keep safe and about the challenges they may face in the community and when online at home.

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

The school has developed a curriculum that is ambitious, including for disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND. Subject leaders have sequenced the knowledge that pupils need to learn from Nursery to Year 6. For example, in history, children in early years learn about our current and recent monarchs. Pupils in key stage 1 learn about other historical figures. Then, in key stage 2, pupils can relate this information to concepts such as monarchy and empire when studying other civilisations. Teachers receive training and support to ensure that they have secure subject knowledge and understand how pupils 10 and 11 April 2024

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learn. However, in some subjects, there is sometimes too much information identified for pupils to remember and, as a result, they struggle to recall some intended learning.

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Pupils learn to read well in school. Daily story time, rewards for reading and carefully selected texts help them to develop excitement and curiosity about reading. Staff have the knowledge, skills and resources they need to teach reading, including phonics, effectively. Pupils read regularly in school. Younger pupils practise their phonics skills when reading books that match the sounds they learn. Pupils who fall behind in their reading are quickly identified. These pupils receive the right support to catch up quickly, which they do. This means that pupils learn to read with confidence, accuracy and fluency.

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The school works hard to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and on time. They communicate well with families, offering support, including from outside agencies when required. This has led to the attendance of many pupils improving. However, some pupils still do not attend school regularly enough or on time. This means that these pupils miss out on important learning and develop gaps in their knowledge.

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Pupils with SEND have access to the full curriculum. Teachers make sure that pupils with SEND are fully included. For example, pupils with SEND work collaboratively with their ‘learning partners’ and get additional help in lessons from adults so that they learn well. The needs of pupils with SEND are identified effectively and suitable extra support is put in place. However, a number of parents of pupils with SEND are unhappy about the level of support their child receives. These concerns were not borne out through inspection evidence.

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Pupils learn about different relationships, cultures and religions. One pupil commented, ‘It’s good to have diverse cultures in our country.’ Pupils benefit from a range of experiences, such as visits to a zoo and a snow centre and theatre productions, which enrich the curriculum and prepare them well for the future. They also have opportunities to take part in clubs, such as ‘3-D design,’ musical theatre and sporting clubs. Pupils’ talents and interests at home are celebrated and displayed around school. The school makes use of pupils with sporting or musical interests and includes them in relevant aspects of school life.

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Staff are proud to be part of the team here. They feel well supported by leaders. Governors understand what is working well and what needs to improve. This enables them to hold leaders to account.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 10 and 11 April 2024

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In a small number of subjects, the knowledge that the school wants pupils to know and remember is sometimes too much. As a result, pupils do not always remember some of the specific learning in these subjects. The school should prioritise and make clear the important knowledge they want pupils to learn over time.  Some parents of pupils who have SEND feel they have not been kept fully informed of how their child is supported or of the progress they are making. As a result, some parents are unsure about how the needs of their children are being met in school and how they can support them at home. The school should ensure that parents of pupils with SEND are better informed about their work and progress.  Some pupils do not attend school regularly enough or on time. This impacts on their learning. The school should continue to work with families and professionals so that all pupils attend regularly and on time and thus learn.

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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 April 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. 10 and 11 April 2024

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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). 10 and 11 April 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Jacqueline Blake

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School details

Date of previous inspection 2 October 2018, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use any alternative providers.

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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 his evaluation of the school.  During the inspection, the inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher and the assistant headteacher. He also met members of the governing body, including the chair of governors. The inspector held a phone conversation with a representative of the local authority.  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 safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 The inspector carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics and history. He met with subject leaders, visited lessons, spoke with teachers and pupils and viewed examples of pupils’ work. The inspector also examined work in science, geography and religious education.  The inspector observed children in the early years and pupils in key stages 1 and 2 read to a trusted adult.  The inspector spoke with members of staff about their workload and well-being.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school.  The inspector considered the responses, including the free-text comments, to Ofsted Parent View. He also considered the responses to the staff and pupil surveys. The inspector spoke to parents at the end of the school day.  The inspector looked at a range of documentation provided by the school. This included the school’s self-evaluation, school improvement priorities, school policies,

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curriculum documents, SEND records, behaviour records, attendance records and minutes of meetings held by the governing body.

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Inspection team

Barry Yeardsley, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector 10 and 11 April 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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