Coulsdon CofE Primary School

Coulsdon CofE Primary School Inspection report

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101792 Unique Reference Number Croydon Local Authority 286184 Inspection number 21 May 2007 Inspection date Peter McGregor Reporting inspector

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

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Primary Type of school Voluntary aided School category 4 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 207 School

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The governing body Appropriate authority Reverend Paul Roberts Chair Mrs Hilary Grainger Headteacher 1 July 2002 Date of previous school inspection Bradmore Green School address Old Coulsdon Coulsdon CR5 1ED

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01737 554789 Telephone number 01737 551579 Fax number

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4 °11 Age group 21 May 2007 Inspection date 286184 Inspection number .

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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 one Additional Inspector

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Description of the school

Coulsdon is an average sized Voluntary Aided primary school. The percentages of pupils eligible for free school meals, and with statements of special educational need, are below national averages. An above average proportion of pupils come from advantaged backgrounds. A below average proportion of pupils have English as an additional language. Attainment on entry is above average.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007

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Grade: 2

Coulsdon is a good school, with outstanding features where pupils are extremely positive about their education. They enjoy coming to school, behave very well and know that all staff care for them as individuals. The school has a very strong Christian ethos that is evident in all aspects of its work. Pupils try hard and show great maturity from an early age, listening exceptionally well, speaking with confidence and showing respect for their peers. The older pupils are reflective, considerate young people, very well prepared for transfer to their next schools. Pupils feel entirely safe and know how important it is to live healthy lives. They have an outstanding awareness of what it means to be part of a community. Their personal development is excellent. As pupils move through the school, they make good progress and attain above average standards by the time they leave. Children have a very good start in the Foundation Stage, where they

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Grade: 2

learn to enjoy their educational experiences in a supportive environment, one where expectations are high. Throughout the school, both progress and standards have improved greatly in English in the current year, particularly in writing. Above average standards are being achieved in mathematics and science. Careful tracking of individual progress, effective intervention where pupils are identified as underachieving, and good teaching, are enabling pupils to achieve well. Pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities make good progress as a result of helpful specialist support. Pupils' literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology (ICT) skills are very good. Care, guidance and support for pupils are good overall. Pupils are very well supervised during the school day, from breakfast club to when they go home. Staff maintain a watchful eye and are on hand to control, guide and respond to pupils' needs. The quality of pastoral care is

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Grade: 2

excellent. Academic care is good and improving as tracking and target setting become established practice. Work is well planned and pupils enjoy a wide and interesting curriculum with a very good range of popular clubs and activities. Teaching is good overall but support staff are not always effectively managed during lessons and the pace of lessons is not brisk enough at times. Marking is helpful and regular. Leadership and management are good. The school direction and vision are clear and followed by all. The headteacher is highly regarded by governors and staff, and provides outstanding leadership. Calm and extremely well organised, she is very well supported by her senior team. Subject leaders are successfully helping to improve standards. Governance is effective, with a strong committee structure, and governors challenge the school about its successes and weaknesses. Links with parents are very strong. Monitoring and evaluation are good and

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Grade: 2

improving. The school's self-evaluation is accurate. Good improvement has been made since the last inspection in 2002. The school has good capacity to improve further.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Improve the quality of some teaching through both more effective use of support staff and greater pace in lessons

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Grade: 2

Following a period of three years of improving standards up to 2005, national test results at the end of Year 6 dipped in 2006. Good progress and standards in mathematics and science 4 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007 were evident, but unsatisfactory achievement in English resulted in below average standards. A very careful analysis of the causes of the dip, and rigorous strategies to bring about improvement, have resulted in substantial progress being made in the current year. The needs of underachieving groups are provided for thoroughly so they make better progress. The structure of pupils' writing and their creative use of language have improved substantially. Further work is in hand for some pupils' punctuation skills and spelling. Pupils remarked upon their good knowledge of practical science and investigative skills in mathematics. Foundation Stage children show very high standards of personal development and are making good progress

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Grade: 2

in the expected areas of learning. Standards at the end of Year 2 in reading, writing and mathematics have been above average and their achievements good for several years. Standards in Year 6 are above average and pupils are achieving well.

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Grade: 1

Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. Pupils greatly enjoyed singing well in assembly, and listened with rapt attention to the story of the Ascension. In the playground, pupils look out for and help each other. Behaviour is excellent. Bullying is almost unheard of, but rare instances are resolved quickly and effectively. A boy referring to his misbehaviour earlier in the year remarked how it had upset others and that he was changing because he knew this was wrong. Pupils from a wide range of backgrounds play and work together well, making for exceptionally good relationships. All have learnt to trust each other. Attendance is good and almost all arrive on time at the start of the day. The school has had no exclusions for many years. Responsibilities such as helping younger pupils during wet playtimes and membership of the school council are taken seriously and valued. The pupils collect

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Grade: 1

substantial sums for charities, such as a children's ward in a local hospital, and use the internet to learn about how life can be so different in other countries.

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Grade: 2

The quality of relationships between staff and pupils in lessons is excellent. Consistent implementation of reward and sanction policies leads to a clear understanding of what is acceptable behaviour and effective learning. Certificates for effort, and 'table points', are prized by the pupils, who try very hard in lessons to achieve them. Lessons are often fun because staff adopt a creative approach. Pupils were highly motivated in an English lesson, which took the form of a television chat show discussion. The use of a radio microphone was very effective in encouraging them to develop their oral skills. Planning is detailed and resources are very well used for pupils' benefit. A great investment of time and effort has gone into improving teaching and learning of English, using expert advice and guidance. Teachers' subject knowledge has improved and the focus on Vocabulary, Connectives, Openers, Punctuation (VCOP) has proved

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Grade: 2

particularly effective. Teaching assistants are very much part of the staff team but at times they are insufficiently involved in lessons. When timed targets of work to be completed are not set, or teachers spend rather too long on an activity, the pace of work and the amount learnt reduces. 5 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good with many strengths. All subjects of the National Curriculum are planned for, promoting progress from year to year. Religious education has a strong emphasis too. As the school works for a 'Healthy Schools' award there is a focus on ensuring a good physical education programme, with two thoroughly planned lessons each week. Visits, such as to the Horniman's Museum and a residential stay at an activities centre, add further interest and enjoyment. Safety education has a central place in planning. For example at the time of the inspection, Year 6 pupils were carrying out cycling proficiency training. Opportunities to promote pupils' literacy, numeracy and ICT skills are present throughout the curriculum, helping to prepare pupils for their future lives. An increasing number of pupils are involved in instrumental music lessons, and the music, sports and academic clubs, such as chess, provide an extra

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Grade: 2

dimension for many pupils in Years 3 to 6. The design and technology curriculum is under review in order to make improvements and a modern foreign language is to be introduced in the coming year. Planning for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is good with carefully prepared individual education plans indicating the way forward. Good provision is made for pupils who are gifted and talented.

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Grade: 2

Staff work very closely together to ensure that pupils receive the pastoral care they need, involving, when appropriate, relevant external agencies. Most parents, in their responses to a questionnaire, remark how pleased they are with the support provided. The school carries out risk assessments as required and adheres to its policies on race equality and disability access and similar requirements. Checks are made on the background of all adults who come into contact with pupils and all staff are trained in child protection procedures. Pupils have academic targets and know the National Curriculum levels that they aspire to achieve. Teachers work together to ensure they have a consistent approach to identifying the levels of pupils' work. Regular teacher assessment of English, mathematics and science enables the school to identify the rate of progress of each pupil. Additional support is then matched to needs, such as

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Grade: 2

withdrawal for literacy and mathematics support when progress is deemed to be insufficient. Tracking systems have been further developed this academic year; these are bearing fruit in terms of improved pupil achievement, although they are not yet fully embedded in the school's procedures.

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Grade: 2

The key priorities of senior staff, led extremely effectively by the headteacher, are improving standards further and maintaining the school's significant strengths. The school improvement plan is concise and clear, showing the current priority of improving standards of writing. Some success criteria are less specific than they should be, which restricts the school's ability to measure accurately the progress it makes. Senior leaders monitor thoroughly both pupils' progress and the quality of the teaching provided, through scrutinising pupils' work and observing lessons. National assessment outcomes are analysed in great detail to find reasons for weaknesses, and resources are expended in resolving issues. Cause and effect are followed 6 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007 through rigorously to try to make sure that problems do not recur. Subject leaders are effective

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Grade: 2

and, although they do not yet monitor the quality of teaching, they take responsibility for moderating judgements on pupils' standards and keep up to date in their designated subject areas. Every pupil is seen as an individual with differing needs and the school strives to meet these through very effective deployment of material and staff resources available. Very efficient and thoughtful administrative staff complete a strong staff team, all of whom are working for the benefit of the pupils. 7 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007 .

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Grade: 2

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 8 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007

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Inspection judgements

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

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Overall effectiveness

How effective, efficient and inclusive is the provision of education, integrated care and any extended services in meeting the needs of learners? How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The quality and standards in the Foundation Stage 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 2 The standards 1 reached by learners How well learners make progress, taking account of any significant variations between groups of learners 2 How well learners with learning difficulties and disabilities make progress

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learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

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

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and interests of learners?

Grade 1 - Exceptionally and consistently high; Grade 2 - Generally above average with none significantly below average; Grade 3 - Broadly average to below average; Grade 4 - Exceptionally low. 9 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007

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and supporting all learners?

How effectively leaders and managers at all levels set clear direction leading to improvement and promote high quality of care and education How effectively performance is monitored, evaluated and improved to meet challenging targets How well equality of opportunity is promoted and discrimination tackled so that all learners achieve as well as they can How effectively and efficiently resources, including staff, are deployed to achieve value for money The extent to which governors and other supervisory boards discharge their responsibilities Yes Do procedures for safeguarding learners meet current government requirements? No Does this school require special measures? No Does this school require a notice to improve? 10 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

11 June 2007 Dear Pupils Inspection of Coulsdon CofE Primary School,Coulsdon,CR5 1ED Thank you very much for welcoming me to your school and helping me to learn about it. I enjoyed talking to several of you and seeing how well you are doing. There are lots of good things about your school. You are sensible, hard working and behave exceptionally well. You told me how much you enjoy coming to school and your parents told me this as well. You take your responsibilities very seriously, like your membership of the school council and collecting money for charities, and get on really well together. You know a lot about keeping healthy and staying safe. Teachers have worked out challenging work targets for you so you know what to aim at and this is helping you to improve and do well. Your science and maths standards are good. Your standards in English have improved a lot this year so they are now good as well. You listen very well and speak clearly, with confidence, and are good at

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

using computers. You are being taught and looked after in a very Christian, caring school. The staff help you to understand and work to the school's rules. You like the sports and music clubs and other activities you can do after school and you find your lessons are often exciting and fun. Your teachers are good, explaining work clearly to you, which helps you to learn and do well. Sometimes you could work a little more quickly and we have asked your teachers and support staff to work closely together to make sure you are finishing as much work as you can in lessons. Your headteacher is really good at her job and the other staff work closely with her to help you to be as successful as possible. They keep checking your work and progress making sure everything is going well. Best wishes, Peter McGregor(Lead inspector) 11 of 11 Inspection Report: Coulsdon CofE Primary School, 21 May 2007

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