Copley Primary School

Inspection of Copley Primary School Wakefield Road, Copley, Halifax, West Yorkshire HX3 0TP

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Overall effectiveness Good

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

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Overall effectiveness Good

Until November 2020. The school was exempt from routine inspection because it was judged as Outstanding at its previous inspection under section 5 of the education act 2005. Th school has not been inspected under section 5 of the Act since October 2013. 16 and 17 July 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a school that truly feels like a community. Pupils develop extremely secure relationships with staff. There is mutual respect, trust and kindness between staff and pupils. There are high expectations for how pupils should behave in classrooms and as they move around school. These expectations begin in the early years. For example, children in Reception show ‘tidy hands’ as they move through the corridors.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a highly inclusive school. Members of the ‘inclusion team’, who are some of the increasing number of pupils in school with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), spoke to inspectors about feeling understood and valued, in and around school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Playtimes and lunchtimes are calm and filled with many opportunities for pupils to develop positive relationships with each other. Pupils have a distinct understanding of the school rules. They understand that rules are important to help them to learn and to keep them safe. Pupils are keen to look for chances to be of service to each other. They enjoy holding open doors for each other and showing manners and courtesy to their peers throughout the school day.

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better?

Staff and pupils see reading as important. Pupils access a wide range of carefully chosen books. Pupils speak enthusiastically about the ‘bronze’, ‘silver’ and ‘gold’ reading awards that they use to show what they have read over time. The phonics curriculum is taught consistently. Staff have regular training and support from leaders. Pupils who need more support with reading are quickly identified. They receive extra help to learn sounds they are not secure with. However, in phonics lessons, some pupils who need support with reading are asked to learn sounds that they are not ready to learn because they have not securely learned the sounds that come before them.

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better?

Pupils are taught a curriculum that is ambitious and well planned. Subject leaders have worked with staff in the early years to ensure that pupils’ early experiences in school prepare them for future learning. In some subjects, pupils’ knowledge is deeper and more secure. Across the curriculum, there is a focus on pupils knowing and being able to use subject-specific vocabulary. For example, pupils in Year 3 confidently explain how magnets attract or repel, and link this to their learning about magnetic forces. Teachers use assessment in lessons and after a series of lessons to check what pupils have learned. However, this information is sometimes not used well to give support or intervention to pupils to close gaps in their knowledge in some subjects.

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better?

Staff give children in the early years a positive start to their education. They quickly learn to follow routines in and around the classroom. Staff insist upon and model high expectations around behaviour. This helps children to develop positive learning 16 and 17 July 2024

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behaviours that support them to learn. Children with SEND are quickly identified and skilfully supported. The early years curriculum is ambitious and carefully planned. Children learn to work cooperatively and considerately alongside each other. The school works closely with parents of children in early years. The importance of good attendance at school is shared as an important message to parents when they first bring their children to school.

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Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities and experiences that support their personal development. Many of these opportunities have been introduced recently. Pupils emerge from school with a strong moral and social compass. They recognise and value difference, particularly around disability. As one pupil said, ‘At Copley, we celebrate difference.’ Leadership experiences for pupils are varied and valued. Pupils enjoy their roles as anti-bullying ambassadors, school librarians and lunchtime monitors. Educational visits are closely linked to pupils’ learning in the curriculum. These enrich and deepen pupils’ learning in subjects such as history and geography.

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Leaders at all levels are ambitious for pupils. Staff feel extremely well supported by leaders around their workload and well-being. Leaders know where the school is strong and where it can improve. The school has built regular and meaningful opportunities to engage with parents and other members of the community. Governors use external partners to support them with their evaluation of the school. Governors understand their roles. They hold leaders to account and offer challenge and support. The vast majority of parents speak very positively about the work of the school and its leaders. The school is aware of the changing profile of its pupils and how more pupils are beginning their school life with greater disadvantage and a narrower range of life experiences. The school’s evaluation of impact is becoming more focused on experiences and achievement for this growing minority of pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some pupils do not have opportunities to build up secure phonics knowledge before being taught the next set of sounds they need to know. This means that some pupils are taught sounds they are not ready to learn and do not learn to read as quickly as they could. The school should ensure that all pupils are taught phonics sounds in the order that best helps them build up their knowledge securely over time.  Assessment in lessons and after a series of lessons is, sometimes, not used well. As a result, some gaps in knowledge that pupils have are not identified or closed. The school should ensure that teachers are supported to use assessment within lessons and summative assessment to identify and close any gaps in pupils’ knowledge. 16 and 17 July 2024

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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’ 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). 16 and 17 July 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The local authority

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School details

Date of previous inspection 8 and 9 October 2013, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school is federated with New Road Primary School.  The school hosts a satellite provision called ‘The Highbury Hub @ Copley’ for Highbury Special School on the school site. Some pupils from Copley Primary School access this provision for parts of the week.  The current headteacher took up their post in January 2022.  The school has an executive headteacher who took up their post in November 2023 and works across both schools in the federation.  The school does not use any 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.  Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision. 16 and 17 July 2024

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 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: 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.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: mathematics, early reading, science, music and history. For each deep dive, inspectors 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 pupils’ work.  Inspectors evaluated responses from parents to Ofsted’s online survey, Ofsted

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Parent View. They spoke with some parents dropping their children off at school. The inspectors also evaluated the responses that staff and pupils made to Ofsted’s online surveys.  Inspectors spoke to members of the school’s senior leadership team, including the executive headteacher.  The inspector spoke to members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority.

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Inspection team

Liam Colclough, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Karen Smith Ofsted Inspector 16 and 17 July 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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