Coteford Junior School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Coteford Junior School Fore Street, Eastcote, Pinner, Middlesex HA5 2JQ

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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Outcome

Coteford Junior School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Joanna Martin. This school is part of Partnership Learning Multi-Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Roger Leighton, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Saadat Mubashar.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is an inclusive and nurturing school for pupils to attend. It is ambitious for pupils to succeed, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils in the resourced provision are fully involved in every aspect of school life. Pupils achieve well by the time they move on to secondary school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils strive to live out the school’s values by being ready, responsible and respectful. These help to shape pupils’ positive relationships with each other and with staff. The school is calm and orderly. Pupils are polite and behave well in lessons and at breaktimes. They are happy and are kept safe in school. Pupils are confident that staff will sort things out quickly if they raise any concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils value their leadership roles, including as reading and mathematics ambassadors and house captains. The school makes full use of the local area with visits to Gunnersbury Park and the adjacent Ruislip Woods. Older pupils look forward to residential trips to Dorset. They also visit different places of worship, including local churches, synagogues and the Mandir in Neasden. Parents and carers speak highly of the school and its role in the community. 12 and 13 November 2024

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

The school’s curriculum is ambitious for its pupils. Teachers have good subject knowledge and deliver the curriculum in an engaging and interesting way. By the end of Year 6, pupils broadly achieve in line with national expectations in reading, writing and mathematics. In other parts of the curriculum, some subjects are not as well embedded. Subject leaders new to their role are at an early stage of overseeing the implementation and impact of curriculum in their subjects.

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

The school places an importance on teaching pupils to read and apply their mathematical skills with confidence and fluency. Staff regularly check pupils’ understanding as soon as they join Year 3. Those who fall behind in reading and mathematics receive support to catch up quickly. The teaching of phonics helps those at the earlier stages of reading to make progress. As a result, most pupils learn to read well. Pupils experience a wide range of texts. They can talk about the stories they have read and their favourite authors. The curriculum supports pupils’ different needs well, including those with SEND and complex needs. The school identifies these pupils quickly. This ensures pupils develop the essential skills they need to access the same learning activities as their peers. Staff make effective adaptations which enable pupils with SEND to progress through the curriculum and achieve well.

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

Expectations for pupils’ behaviour are high. Pupils manage their own feelings and behave well in lessons. The new behaviour policy is being implemented well by staff and is helping to resolve any minor disputes at breaktimes. Pupils actively follow the school rules and uphold its values. The school works closely to support families to overcome barriers to regular attendance. Recent work on improving school attendance is having a positive impact. However, persistent absence still remains high, and some pupils do not attend school regularly enough. As a result, they miss out on important learning and other valuable aspects of daily school life.

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

The school’s commitment to promoting pupils’ personal development is well embedded. The school offers a broad range of clubs and activities, such as drama, basketball and gymnastics. The high-quality programme for personal, social and health education supports pupils to discuss issues around racism, stereotyping and the protected characteristics. Spiritual, moral, social, and cultural development activities, such as debating and philosophy lessons, are an integral part of the school day. The school uses its local area and extensive grounds to enrich pupils’ understanding of woodland ecology, heritage and of fundamental British values. Pupils are being very well prepared for life in modern Britain and for the next stages of their learning.

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

Staff are positive about school leaders’ consideration of their well-being and workload. They feel listened to and valued. Leaders, including the new trust board and the local governing body, are ambitious for the school’s future. Parents are very appreciative and supportive of the school. 12 and 13 November 2024

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some subject leaders are new to their roles. They do not yet have a clear enough oversight of their subject. The school needs to ensure that subject leaders are well trained to be able to lead, monitor and embed their areas of responsibility effectively, so that pupils can achieve well across all subjects.  Rates of persistent absence for pupils, including those with SEND, continue to be high. This means pupils miss out on important learning. The school should strengthen its work with parents and carers to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence so that all pupils attend school regularly.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024, graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged to be good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. 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’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection 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 for overall effectiveness in June 2015.

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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. 12 and 13 November 2024

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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 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). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection 22 May 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Partnership Learning Multi-Academy Trust in September 2024.  The specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND provides education for up to seven pupils with SEND that are primarily related to physical needs (PD).  The school runs a breakfast club.  The school does not use any alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation 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 any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in his evaluation of the school. 12 and 13 November 2024

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 The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, other senior leaders and teachers. He spoke with the chief executive officer of the Partnership Learning Trust and also spoke with members of the local governing body, including the chair of governors.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of their work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of school 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.  The inspector met with parents at the start of the school day. The views of pupils, parents and staff were gathered through discussions, as well as considering their responses to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Sean Flood, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 2024

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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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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