Earlsdon Primary School

Inspection of Earlsdon Primary School Earlsdon Avenue North, Coventry, West Midlands CV5 6FZ

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Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 28 and 29 January 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their school. They are happy, polite and feel safe. They have positive attitudes to learning and behave well in lessons. Staff build warm and trusting relationships with pupils. This starts in the early years and sows the seed for positive behaviour from the outset. Pupils know and follow the school rules to ‘Be ready, show respect and make safe choices’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

An ambitious curriculum demonstrates the school’s high expectations of what pupils will learn. Pupils rise to these expectations and achieve well, particularly in reading and mathematics. The school ensures that learning extends beyond the classroom. Pupils are actively involved in community events. This includes managing a local allotment. Children in the early years settle quickly. They are encouraged and taught to be independent, cooperative and inquisitive in their learning.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s programme for personal development is extensive. Pupil leadership roles help pupils to become responsible, active and respectful citizens. For example, pupils readily take on roles such as young interpreters, welcome committee and eco- team members. Pupils also benefit from an exciting programme of residential visits to develop resilience, outdoor learning and intercultural understanding. These include international visits to Japan, France and Spain.

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better?

The school’s determination to ensure all pupils become competent and fluent readers is clear. Everyone understands the importance of early reading. Well-trained staff ensure children learn phonics as soon as they join the Reception Year. Regular checks ensure pupils who struggle with reading receive the help they need to keep up. Most pupils learn to read quickly and well. Pupils are keen readers. ‘Pop-up’ libraries, author visits and high-quality texts help pupils develop a love of literature in all year groups.

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better?

An ambitious, well-structured curriculum is in place. It reflects and incorporates the local area as much as possible. The school has identified what pupils will learn from early years to Year 6. Teachers use a range of strategies and adapt teaching where necessary. This helps pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn the curriculum well. Staff revisit prior learning and model new concepts effectively. However, the school is still developing its approach to checking how well pupils understand and retain what they learn over time.

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better?

The school has effective systems in place to identify pupils with SEND early. Those with high-level, complex needs receive bespoke, in-school support. The school also commissions additional specialist advice and guidance from external professionals. Staff provide personalised resources for pupils with specific learning difficulties, such as dyslexia, to aid their learning. However, the school has not ensured that the individual learning plans devised by staff set out the precise areas of difficulty pupils need to overcome to achieve as well as they should. 28 and 29 January 2025

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Staff encourage children in the early years to communicate effectively and build their vocabulary. They regularly question children about their learning to check their understanding. However, staff do not routinely check how well children remember what they learn or how many achieve the objectives set. As a result, they do not pick up where early gaps in knowledge start to form.

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The Victorian building presents some challenges for school leaders. However, the school is calm and orderly as pupils know the routines in place, such as always keeping left on the staircases. The school tracks attendance carefully and follows up on all absences. Although attendance is improving, too many pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, are persistently absent. This affects their achievement.

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The curriculum prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. This is underpinned by a strong emphasis on equality. Pupils understand what discrimination and bullying are and that they are wrong. However, they are adamant that everyone is treated equally and with respect at this school. Pupils also enjoy the wide range of activities the school offers to broaden and extend their interests beyond the classroom. These include clubs such as Boccia, table tennis and choir. Many pupils go on to represent their school locally, regionally and nationally in some of the activities they attend.

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The governing body works effectively in partnership with the school. Governors have a detailed understanding of their roles and an accurate view of the school’s performance. They provide an effective balance of support and challenge. The school is mindful of staff workload and well-being and makes reasonable adjustments where needed. Staff are proud to work at the school. They feel appreciated and valued.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In the early years and foundation subjects, teachers do not routinely check what pupils know and can do. As a result, staff do not identify where gaps in knowledge exist or use this information to inform future teaching. The school should ensure teachers’ checks on pupils’ learning are effective to build on and extend what pupils know and can do.  The school has not identified the specific strategies some pupils with SEND need to help them achieve as well as they could. As a result, these pupils do not master some key basic skills or overcome areas they struggle with. The school should ensure that staff develop the expertise needed to identify the precise focus areas pupils need to grasp to enhance their learning. 28 and 29 January 2025

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 Too many pupils, especially disadvantaged pupils, are repeatedly absent. This means they miss vital learning. The school should continue to work closely with parents and carers of pupils who are persistently absent to instil the importance of daily attendance.

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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). 28 and 29 January 2025

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School details

Inspection number 10343755 Type of school Primary

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 18 and 19 February 2020 under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of 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. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They also met with members of the governing body, including the chair, and spoke to a 28 and 29 January 2025

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representative from the local authority.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, English, mathematics, computing, history and science. 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 also discussed the curriculum in some other subjects.  The inspectors considered a range of documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans. Minutes of governors’ meetings and external reports were also scrutinised.  Inspectors looked at records of attendance and behaviour. They observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around school and talked to them informally about behaviour, bullying and welfare.  The inspectors talked to parents at the start of the school day and considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. They also reviewed the responses to the staff

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and pupil surveys and gathered the views of these groups through discussion.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors checked the school’s single central record; spoke to senior leaders about safeguarding procedures; took account of the views of 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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Inspection team

Heather Simpson, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Stephanie Moran Ofsted Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

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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 children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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