The Cooper School

Inspection of The Cooper School Churchill Road, Bicester, Oxfordshire OX26 4RS

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Requires improvement Personal development Good Leadership and management Requires improvement Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The headteacher of this school is Dr Robert Whannel. This school is part of the Acer Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Nathan Thomas, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Jill Cottee. 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils celebrate each other’s differences and opinions. They know that the school has high aspirations for all pupils, whatever their background. Aligned with the school values, pupils tend to ‘dream big’, ‘work hard’ and ‘be kind’. They benefit from opportunities to learn about different religions, beliefs and cultures. This prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain. Clubs provide pupils with opportunities to discover new interests and connect with others, such as at the feminist book club, chess or sports activities.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has rightly raised expectations of pupils’ achievement, attitudes to learning and attendance. The school curriculum has been vastly improved. Pupils who attend school often, therefore, now achieve well. However, some groups of pupils are too frequently absent from school, meaning they miss out on their important education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons. They focus on their learning. In the sixth form, students have positive attitudes to hard work. They demonstrate curiosity as they explore new ideas with their teachers. However, there continues to be a minority of pupils in key stage 3 and 4 who do not attend their timetabled lessons when they are in school. These pupils miss too much learning and do not achieve well.

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

The school is currently going through a period of rapid change and improvement. Redesigned curriculums are ambitious and accessible for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) or pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. The curriculum sets out what pupils need to learn and when. Teaching staff have been involved in these developments. They know their subject specialisms well and how to teach knowledge effectively.

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

Staff model examples and new vocabulary clearly. This helps pupils to learn new knowledge and understand how to use it. Staff check what pupils have understood frequently. This is often effective, and staff then address pupils’ misconceptions swiftly. Activities in lessons are sometimes adapted to meet the needs of pupils well, including those with SEND. However, this is not consistently delivered across the school. At times, the tasks set for pupils do not enable them to practise using new knowledge or skills as effectively as they could. This is an area for development that the school has identified and is improving through staff professional development.

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

The school’s work to improve the curriculum and teaching since the last inspection is having a clear impact. Although this is not evident in the published examination results in 2024, pupils who currently attend regularly, including those with SEND, are achieving well overall. The school has also enhanced its focus on reading to best enable pupils to access the full curriculum. Many weaker readers now read with more confidence and fluency.

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

In the sixth form, teachers ensure that students are supported to help them learn and achieve well. Attendance, punctuality and engagement in the sixth form are high. Students learn how to work independently and produce high-quality work. They develop 25 and 26 February 2025

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responsibility through their leadership roles and work with the younger years. Students receive helpful guidance about careers pathways and opportunities. This means that students are well-informed as they make ambitious choices about their next steps.

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Lessons are often purposeful. In some subjects, pupils are highly engaged and show enthusiasm for their learning. However, too many pupils do not benefit from the improved curriculum, especially more vulnerable pupils. This is in part because some pupils are not attending school regularly enough. The school has strategies to improve attendance, although these are not having the impact that they need to. Additionally, a minority of pupils do not attend their timetabled lessons when they are in school, and suspensions remain high for a small number of pupils. This means that these pupils also miss school. Pupils with SEND and other disadvantaged pupils are particularly affected by these two issues.

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Staff appreciate and value the professional development they receive to develop teaching methods so that pupils consistently achieve well. There has had to be rapid change to secure improvements in pupils’ achievement. Although the trust and school leaders have taken steps to communicate with parents, staff and pupils, sometimes staff do not feel that they have been fully considered during this period of change. Additionally, some parents do not understand changes to school expectations and processes. The trust and school leaders are aware of this. They are committed to fully embedding opportunities to hear from and communicate with all stakeholders. The ambition is to build on recent improvements with a shared understanding of what needs to change in the best interests of pupils and students.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The activity choices that teachers make do not consistently support pupils to learn and practise using new knowledge as well as they could. When this happens, pupils do not learn new knowledge as securely as they should. The school should ensure that activity choices in lessons consistently support pupils to learn new knowledge so that they can achieve more highly.  The rates of absence remain persistently high for some pupils, particularly those most vulnerable. As a result, they are missing out on vital learning. The school and trust should maintain a sharp focus on reducing rates of absence. They must strengthen the impact of their actions and persist with effective strategies that secure sustained improvement in pupils’ attendance.  A minority of pupils, many of whom are disadvantaged or are pupils with SEND, do not attend their timetabled lessons when they are in school. Rates of suspension among

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

these pupils are also too high. This means that these pupils are not learning the 25 and 26 February 2025

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intended curriculum with their peers. The school and trust must continue to ensure that effective strategies are consistently applied and secure improved behaviour and attitudes to learning for these vulnerable pupils.  The school’s work to engage with its stakeholders, including parents, pupils and staff, is not always successful. This has led to staff and parents sometimes not understanding new expectations and systems. The school must continue to strengthen its methods of communicating with the whole-school community so that this is fully effective and partnerships are strengthened.

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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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,234

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form

Dates of previous inspection 29 and 30 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school joined the Acer Trust in January 2024.  The school uses six unregistered alternative providers and one registered provider.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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 and/or sixth form provision). 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.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, mathematics, science, history, religious education and physical education. 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.  The inspectors met with the headteacher, senior leaders, staff responsible for pupils with SEND, groups of staff and pupils.  The lead inspector also met with representatives from the trust and the local governing body.  Inspectors visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector took account of parents’ responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, and parents’ free-text responses. They also considered the responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, 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.

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Inspection team

Alexandra Aldridge-Gibbons, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Caroline Lowing Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 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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