Copnor Primary School

Copnor Road, Portsmouth, Hampshire PO3 5BZ

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 8 and 9 July 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to show the school’s values of resilience, respect and teamwork. These values are clear in how pupils work, behave and treat others. Staff and pupils have strong, caring relationships. This support helps pupils feel safe, known and valued, despite the large size of the school. Pupils also take pride in shaping school life. For example, the school council introduced friendship benches to promote kindness at breaktimes. From the early years, children are taught to care for their well-being. Even Reception pupils can talk about their feelings and ask for help, using tools like ‘colour monsters’ to understand emotions. Behaviour is excellent across the school. Pupils enjoy a rich variety of planned experiences through their ‘cultural passports’. These include trips, visiting speakers and a gradual approach to preparing for residentials. A very high number of pupils take part in extra-curricular clubs and sporting activities, helping

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What is it like to attend this school?

them to discover and develop their talents. Leaders remove barriers to participation, resulting in particularly high involvement from disadvantaged pupils. Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. Improvements they have made to the school since the previous inspection, such as in curriculum design and early reading teaching, reflect this ambition. As a result, pupils are well prepared for the next stage in their education.

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

Since the previous inspection, the school has made significant improvements to its curriculum. It is now ambitious and well sequenced. All subjects have a strong foundation in the early years. Here, children develop both positive social and emotional skills alongside their learning. Staff focus closely on language development, encouraging children to explain their thinking. For example, when predicting and explaining why objects float or sink. Children’s secure achievement in the Reception year sets them up for future success. Teachers receive clear guidance to support their delivery of the curriculum. They present information in engaging ways that help pupils understand new ideas. Regular checks on learning allow teachers to identify gaps and adapt teaching accordingly. Pupils revisit key content often, which helps them secure important knowledge and develop their skills. In many subjects, there is a well-embedded approach, which supports pupils’ effective

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

progress. However, a small number of curriculum areas are still being refined. In these subjects, the work that pupils complete is not always sufficiently focused on helping them build the most important knowledge. As a result, they may not develop a secure understanding of key concepts in these areas. The phonics programme is now well established and taught consistently. Staff quickly spot any pupils who are struggling to keep up with the programme and provide timely support. As a result, the number of pupils passing the phonics screening check has risen significantly. The school also promotes reading for fluent readers using carefully chosen 8 and 9 July 2025

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high-quality texts. Pupils value reading highly. They appreciate the school’s multiple libraries and the outdoor ‘reading shed’, which they can visit at breaktimes. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well supported. Staff identify needs accurately and ensure effective provision. The school works with external agencies where needed, helping pupils access learning and participate fully in school life. Pupils show high standards of behaviour in both lessons and in the playground. There is a strong emphasis on teaching pupils to manage their own behaviour. Children in the early years develop skills, such as sharing and taking turns. Older pupils know that they can access extra help from the school’s ‘regulation stations’ when needed. The school has implemented an effective strategy to promote attendance, resulting in fewer pupils who are regularly absent. Pupils’ broader personal development is a clear strength. The school delivers a broad

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curriculum alongside carefully planned wider experiences. These help pupils understand themselves and the world around them. Pupils learn about looking after their own mental health and well-being, reflecting the school’s strong pastoral approach. Strong community links enhance learning meaningfully. For example, work with a local football team supports pupils’ understanding of racism and equality. Pupils know the importance of celebrating differences and respecting others’ views. Pupils are clear that they are all equal and their school is a place they can be themselves. Leaders have successfully addressed the areas for improvement identified at the previous inspection. They have also strengthened other aspects of the school’s work. This shows their ambition for all pupils to be well prepared for their next steps, both in learning and more broadly. Governors share this ambition. They know the school well, check its work

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carefully and provide effective challenge and support. Staff are proud to be part of the school’s journey of improvement and enjoy working at the school. Parents and carers are positive about the support their children receive.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some areas of the curriculum are not as well established or consistently implemented as others. As a result, pupils do not build knowledge and skills securely over time in these subjects. The school should ensure that the work pupils complete is closely aligned with the intended content and skills in each subject, enabling effective progress across the curriculum. 8 and 9 July 2025

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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). 8 and 9 July 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 November 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school runs a before- and after-school club.  The school currently uses one registered 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 and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 8 and 9 July 2025

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 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.  The inspection team met with the headteacher and other senior leaders. They also met with other school leaders, staff and pupils.  The lead inspector met with 10 members of the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics, geography, science and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, the 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 looked at curriculum information for a range of other subjects, including pupils’ work. They reviewed a range of documents, including the school’s own

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evaluation of its effectiveness and priorities for improvement. They also looked at information relating to behaviour, attendance and SEND.  Pupils’ behaviour was observed during lunchtimes and breaktimes.  The inspectors considered the responses to the confidential staff survey and spoke to a range of staff and pupils about their views of the school.  The views of parents were gathered through the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View, including free-text comments. Team inspectors also spoke to parents during the inspection.  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.

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Inspection team

Katie Hancock, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Paul Shaughnessy Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 July 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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