Coppermill Primary School

Inspection Report Coppermill Primary School

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103078 Unique Reference Number Waltham Forest LEA LEA 276834 Inspection number 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 Inspection dates Martin Beale AI Reporting inspector

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This inspection was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Edward Road School address Primary Type of school Walthamstow Community School category London E17 6PB 3 to 11 Age range of pupils 02085206267 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 02085209755 Fax number 238 Number on roll Mr Martin Swatton Chair of governors The governing body Appropriate authority Mrs Gillian Brady Headteacher 17 January 2000 Date of previous inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 276834 14 June 2006 - 3 to 11 15 June 2006 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied.

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Introduction

The inspection was carried out by two Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Coppermill is an average-sized primary school with a part-time Nursery. A very high proportion of the pupils are from minority ethnic backgrounds and almost half are learning English as an additional language. The main first languages of these pupils are Urdu, Punjabi and Somali. Some pupils join the school during the year from other countries, often with little formal education and no spoken English. Among the highly mobile population there are high levels of socio-economic deprivation and a quarter of the pupils are eligible for free school meals. The majority of pupils who start in the foundation stage do not have the skills normally expected of their age. A below average proportion of the pupils have learning difficulties and disabilities and four pupils have statements of special educational needs.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Coppermill Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Grade: 2

Coppermill Primary is a happy school in which pupils thrive, whatever their background. The school provides well for its culturally diverse community and gives good value for money. Parents are very pleased with the school, which is in contrast to their views at the last inspection. Pupils work and play together harmoniously. They report how much they enjoy learning about each other's backgrounds and cultures. The headteacher has been instrumental in the school's recent improvements and has laid firm foundations for further success. The strong leadership team is firmly focused on improvement and the leadership of English, mathematics and science is strong. However the leadership skills and in particular the monitoring role of other subject leaders is less well developed. Rigorous self-evaluation means that the school has an accurate if at times modest view of itself. The school judges its effectiveness to be satisfactory

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Grade: 2

while the inspection judges it is good. Children in the Nursery and Reception classes get off to a good start. Teaching is good and they have a wide range of interesting things to do. They make good progress, and the majority reach standards expected for their age. Good teaching in Years 1 to 6 and the careful monitoring of pupils' progress is leading to pupils achieving well. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities and those with limited English language skills are catered for well and the school is particularly good at achieving success for its many disadvantaged pupils. However, teaching is not consistently strong in all classes. The accommodation is far from ideal. Practical activities are difficult to manage, computers are not readily accessible and the sound of one classroom can disturb another. Planned building work seeks to eliminate these problems in Years 3 to 6, but not at present in Years 1 and 2.

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What the school should do to improve further

* Improve teaching further by sharing good practice more effectively. * Develop the leadership role of foundation subject co-ordinators to enable them to monitor the work in their subjects. * Provide more suitable accommodation for Years 1 and 2.

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Grade: 2

Achievement is good. Most year groups in the recent past made satisfactory progress, with some more able pupils not achieving all that they might. This is no longer the case. Action taken to provide challenging teaching has been successful. Consequently, increasing numbers of pupils are working above the level expected for their age. Pupils now make good progress from a below average attainment profile when they enter the school. Children make good progress in the Foundation Stage and the majority reach standards expected for their age by the end of Reception. Test results in 2005 in all subjects were average and evidence from pupils' work and the school's assessment 2 Inspection Report: Coppermill Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 information indicates that standards are starting to rise above this level. Pupils are set challenging targets. Their progress is regularly monitored and remedial action taken

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Grade: 2

if necessary so that most pupils reach, and in some cases exceed, their targets. There is no significant variation in the progress of different groups of pupils because teaching focuses so well on meeting individual need; those with learning difficulties and disabilities also make good progress. Careful induction and good teaching enable pupils who enter the school at normal times or mid-year to integrate quickly and make good progress.

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Grade: 2

Pupils are happy learners who greatly enjoy participating in lessons and other activities. Relationships are very good; pupils work well collaboratively and generally behave well. The school has ensured a steady improvement in pupils' attendance through rigorous monitoring, effective administrative procedures and the early involvement of parents. Attendance is marginally above the national average, although a minority of pupils do not arrive at school on time. Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is strong. Pupils value the cultural diversity within the school. Older pupils provide good support for younger pupils through acting as 'buddies' and 'play leaders'. Pupils feel safe and are confident that their views will be heard and acted upon. The school council helps them learn about the contribution they can make to community life. Pupils can identify several improvements resulting from decisions made collectively.

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Grade: 2

Their concern for others is shown by their initiative in organising events to raise money for charities. Pupils demonstrate their good understanding of healthy lifestyles in their selection of food at lunchtime.

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Grade: 2

The quality of teaching and learning is good. Teachers successfully use a wide variety of strategies to engage pupils and to develop their speaking and listening. This is particularly effective in supporting pupils learning English as an additional language. Questioning is carefully planned and used with skill. Pupils' responses are valued and the ideas they come up with are explored further to add greater relevance to their learning. Assessment is thorough, particularly in literacy and numeracy. The most effective teachers plan the next steps in learning from a secure understanding of the pupils' needs. Well-deployed classroom assistants and the careful modification of tasks provide challenge for the most able and good support for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities. The school has a clear understanding of the quality of teaching and takes steps to make it better. In spite of this there is still variation between

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Grade: 2

classes. A substantial proportion of lessons are well taught, but teaching is less strong 3 Inspection Report: Coppermill Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 in a small number. In these lessons, time is not always well used so that the pace of learning slows.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum provides a range and depth of programmes that more than meets statutory requirements. The needs of all learners, including those with particular gifts and talents, learning disabilities and pupils at an early stage of learning English are very well provided for ensuring that they all make good progress. The curriculum for the youngest pupils is particularly effective, offering a good balance of focused, supported and child initiated-activities. Provision for literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) is good. Planning for subjects other than English, mathematics and science is not yet as thoroughly reviewed as that for core subjects. Teachers plan together and are starting to make effective links between subjects and to use computers to support learning and research. The school extends its curriculum through a very good range of enrichment activities, trips residential visits and

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Grade: 2

out-of-school clubs which are well supported and greatly enjoyed by pupils.

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Grade: 2

Consideration for pupils' safety and wellbeing is central to the ethos of the school. Teachers and support assistants know the children well and good systems are in place to safeguard and protect them. Child procedures and risk assessments are thorough and effective. Clear and consistently implemented expectations help pupils know how they should behave. Members of staff model good relationships and manage behaviour positively. The learning mentor works effectively with specific pupils to enable them to participate and to achieve as well as others. Effective partnerships with parents and outside agencies support the progress of all pupils, including those with difficulties and disabilities. Pupils' progress is monitored well and effective arrangements are made when they do not make the progress expected. Pupils are set personal targets to help them to develop responsibility for their own learning. These are not always

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Grade: 2

clearly understood by pupils, a matter the school is currently reviewing.

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Grade: 2

The leadership of the headteacher is very effective and has played a key role in bringing about recent improvements. She has high expectations of her staff and provides support for these to be achieved. Staffing is now stable following considerable teacher turnover after the last inspection. Staff are fully committed to the goal that all pupils should be helped to achieve their full potential. Teamwork is a key strength. The complementary skills of senior leaders enable ideas to be translated into effective action. The school knows itself well and uses this self-evaluation as an effective basis to plan for its improvement. Senior managers have established effective systems to 4 Inspection Report: Coppermill Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006 make sure that all staff do their jobs as well as possible, and are aware of the inconsistencies which exist in teaching. Subject coordinators for English and

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Grade: 2

mathematics play a part in monitoring their areas. Other co-ordinators are beginning to do so but their role needs further development. The systematic analysis of assessment information in English and mathematics ensures that pupils' progress is tracked and interventions undertaken where necessary. This also gives a clear picture of the impact of action to raise standards. The rising standards are evidence of the school's good capacity to make further improvements. Governors fulfil their role well, which is a substantial improvement since the last inspection. They help shape its future direction and have a clear view of where its strengths and priorities for improvement lie. They ensure that there is healthy debate over proposals from the school. Finances are managed well to meet the school's aims of improving teaching and raising standards. 5 Inspection Report: Coppermill Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s

website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Coppermill Primary School, 14 June 2006 to 15 June 2006

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Overall

Key to judgements: grade 1 is outstanding, grade 2 good, grade 3 satisfactory, and grade 4 inadequate

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learners?

NA 2 How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? NA 2 The quality and standards in foundation stage NA 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation NA Yes The capacity to make any necessary improvements NA Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well do learners achieve? NA 3 The standards 1 reached by learners

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Achievement and standards

NA 2 How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners NA 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

NA 2 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development NA 2 The behaviour of learners NA 3 The attendance of learners NA 1 How well learners enjoy their education NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices NA 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles NA 2 The extent to which learners make a positive contribution to the community NA 2 How well learners develop workplace and other skills that will contribute to their future economic well-being

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needs and interests of learners?

NA 2 How well are learners cared for, guided and supported?

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needs and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low.

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and supporting all learners?

NA 2 How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education NA 2 How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets, through quality assurance and self-review NA 1 How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can NA 2 How effectively and efficiently resources are deployed to achieve value for money NA 2 The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities NA Yes The adequacy and suitability of staff to ensure that learners are protected

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The extent to which schools enable learners to be healthy

Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to eat and drink healthily Yes Learners are encouraged and enabled to take regular exercise Yes Learners are discouraged from smoking and substance abuse Yes Learners are educated about sexual health

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The extent to which providers ensure that learners stay safe

Yes Procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements Yes Risk assessment procedures and related staff training are in place Yes Action is taken to reduce anti-social behaviour, such as bullying and racism Yes Learners are taught about key risks and how to deal with them

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The extent to which learners make a positive contribution

Yes Learners are helped to develop stable, positive relationships Yes Learners, individually and collectively, participate in making decisions that affect them Yes Learners are encouraged to initiate, participate in and manage activities in school and the wider community

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The extent to which schools enable learners to achieve economic well-being

Yes There is provision to promote learners’ basic skills Yes Learners have opportunities to develop enterprise skills and work in teams NA Careers education and guidance is provided to all learners in key stage 3 and 4 and the sixth form NA Education for all learners aged 14–19 provides an understanding of employment and the economy

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Pupils I am writing to thank you very much for the warm welcome you gave to the inspectors when we visited your school. We enjoyed talking to you and your teachers and watching you learn. There are very many aspects of your school that we liked. You and your parents are right in thinking that you go to a good school. What we liked about your school:* You are cared for and looked after well in school.* You are making good progress.* Teachers and teaching assistants work very hard to make sure that those of you who need extra help with learning get the right sort of support you need.* You enjoy taking part in the additional activities at lunchtime and after school.* Your behaviour is very good. You play nicely with your friends at lunchtime and speak very politely to your teachers and visitors.* You support each other well and contribute much to improving your school.* You benefit from good teaching.* Your headteacher, staff and governors run the

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

school very well. We are very pleased to see how your teachers and governors are trying hard to improve the school further. We are asking them to try and make teaching even better. One way we have suggested is by giving more time to certain teachers to keep an eye on how well you are learning in all subjects, not just in English and mathematics. We would also like the school to improve the Year 1 and 2 classrooms after the building work this summer in Years 3 to 6.We wish you well for the future. Yours sincerely, Martin Beale Lead Inspector

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