Coppice Primary School

Inspection Report Coppice Primary School

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103390 Unique Reference Number Birmingham Local Authority 286645 Inspection number 21 °22 November 2006 Inspection dates John Carnaghan 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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Trinity Road School address Primary Type of school Four Oaks Community School category Sutton Coldfield B75 6TJ 4 °11 Age range of pupils 0121 4647022 Telephone number Mixed Gender of pupils 0121 3232180 Fax number 381 Number on roll (school) Roy Roberts Chair The governing body Appropriate authority Sue Twells Headteacher 31 October 2001 Date of previous school inspection

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Inspection number Inspection dates Age group 286645 21 °22 November 2006 4°11 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 a team of three Additional Inspectors.

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Description of the school

Coppice School is a large primary school set in an affluent suburb of Sutton Coldfield. It has fewer than average pupils from minority ethnic groups and an above average number who speak English as their first language. The proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is below average. When children start their time at school their standards are better than those usually seen.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 1 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Pupils are very happy at Coppice and rightly regard it as a good school. In their own words it is 'helpful, exciting and joyful'. They recognise that all staff work with their best interests at heart and appreciate the care bestowed on them. Most aspects of the school are good and some are outstanding. The pupils are a significant strength. Their behaviour is exceptionally good and attendance is consistently high. Pupils thoroughly enjoy every aspect of their education. The way the school uses its links with other schools to promote learning is outstanding. For example, in liaison with other nearby schools, Coppice taught all Year 4 pupils in the area for one day. This enabled pupils to mix with others from elsewhere and to benefit from specialised teaching, including from invited guests. The school works very effectively to ensure good achievement throughout and that pupils leave with above average standards and as confident young people, well prepared

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Grade: 2

for the next stage of their education. The good provision in the Foundation Stage ensures that children have a flying start to school life. Coppice ensures the needs of pupils from all backgrounds are carefully addressed, which results in good personal development. But not enough attention is given to promoting pupils' spiritual and multicultural understanding. Pupils are well taught, follow a good and interesting curriculum and receive good quality care but they lack sufficiently detailed guidance on how they could reach still higher standards. The school is well led and managed. The thoughtful, analytical and very committed headteacher has welded together a cohesive management team so that there is a shared vision for the school. New management structures are effective, although their full impact has yet to be seen.

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What the school should do to improve further

• Ensure that opportunities for the development of spiritual and multicultural understanding are planned consistently into the curriculum. • Use assessment information to provide simple, helpful targets so all pupils are clear about what they should do to improve.

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Grade: 2

Children enter school with above average standards and achieve well in the Reception Year because their curriculum is exciting and teachers effectively encourage children's learning. Their progress is good, particularly in their knowledge and understanding of the world and personal and social development. By the end of Reception standards are above average. In 2006, fewer children than usual attained the expected standards because several had a combination of learning difficulties and disabilities. Their achievement was still good. 2 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006 Good provision, especially in teaching, ensures that pupils continue to achieve well across all years in the school. Pupils' enthusiasm for learning is clear; they are notably talented speakers, expressing themselves freely and confidently at every opportunity. Standards at the end of Years 2 and 6 have been above average for a number of years.

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Grade: 2

This indicates good achievement overall. Because the school is careful to provide the correct level of support and challenge to pupils, they are kept at 'full stretch' and achievement at all ages is good. This provision also ensures that achievement is consistent between different subjects and all groups of pupils. National results in 2006 dipped a little. Thorough analysis of the underlying causes by the school indicated exceptional circumstances in both the Year 2 and Year 6 groups. The former had a much higher than usual proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities; the latter had a number of disaffected pupils who had specific learning problems including concentration and interest levels. Nevertheless, achievement of pupils in Year 2 was good; for those in Year 6 it was satisfactory. There is ample evidence indicating that current standards are above average and pupils are achieving

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Grade: 2

Pupils' personal development is good. They develop healthier lifestyles excellently, particularly through high levels of participation in sport and extra-curricular activities. Healthy diets are encouraged, for example by eating fruit on 'fruity Friday'. The school has no unauthorised absences and the excellent attendance of pupils is a good indication of how much they like school. Pupils report they feel safe in school and are confident to inform adults if they have any concerns. The school council is a valuable forum where pupils make a very good contribution to improvements in their school community. For example, pupils have suggested the initiation of a 'friendship stop' in the playground. The spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of pupils is satisfactory. Pupils know the importance of combating bullying and how to respect and value one another. Their behaviour is outstanding. However, their multicultural and spiritual development

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Grade: 2

is not promoted consistently well, as there are not enough planned opportunities within the current curriculum. Pupils' contribution to the wider community is good, partly through involvement in raising money for charities. They are well prepared for the future through their good academic achievement and becoming independent learners. Personal and social development in the Foundation Stage is good. 3 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006

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Grade: 2

Teaching is good overall and some lessons are outstanding. Pupils appreciate their teachers and clearly enjoy very good relationships with them. They take part enthusiastically in their lessons and their behaviour is exemplary. This helps to assure that their learning is good. Teachers expect the best from pupils and usually get it. Lessons are very thoroughly planned and carefully prepared to ensure that all pupils are well supported and challenged in their learning. The confident use of interactive whiteboards makes lessons more interesting and helps keep up a good pace. Teachers question pupils carefully to check their understanding. Pupils of all ages frequently answer with a mature fluency which strengthens their learning. They are good listeners and have very positive attitudes; as a result classrooms are calm and purposeful and learning is generally a pleasure. They work well independently. All lessons start with the explanation of the learning objectives. Teachers use these

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Grade: 2

goals as a yardstick to check progress through the lesson and to guide their marking. In consequence, marking is thorough and relevant, containing good explanations to pupils about what they have done well, what needs to be improved and how to go about it. The school has plenty of assessment information that assists the tracking of each individual's progress. This data is analysed well and teachers receive useful intelligence, particularly on those pupils who are at risk of underperforming. The school is adopting a method of assessing each small step in learning. This is starting to provide even more precise information on achievement, but has not translated into giving all pupils precise targets for improvement.

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Grade: 2

The curriculum is good at all stages of the school. It is particularly well enriched in music and sport, and by the inclusion of two additional languages, French and Spanish. There is a strong emphasis on promoting health and fitness. Leaders have introduced 'Flexible September' when teachers are encouraged to plan and teach a topic of their choice. The headteacher describes this as empowering teachers to, 'jump out of the cage', because it encourages them to make good links between different subjects. As there is a lot of group work and discussion at this time, good relationships are developed between staff and pupils. Parents comment positively on this. Promotion of economic well-being is good but the school correctly identifies the need to increase opportunities to develop pupils' skills in enterprise and understanding of basic finances. 4 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006

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Grade: 2

The care, support and guidance for pupils are good. There are good links with other support agencies such as therapists and educational psychologists to ensure the needs of pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities are effectively met. The provision for these pupils is good and recording of their progress has been improved by the introduction of a more precise assessment scheme. The majority of support and guidance is given by the class teachers who have trusting and supportive relationships with pupils which contribute to their good achievement. The needs of more able pupils are comprehensively met and many pupils achieve higher levels in tests. Procedures for protecting pupils and keeping them safe are robust. While marking gives some indications to pupils about what they need to improve on, the school's attempts to set specific targets are, as yet, inconsistent and rather vague.

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Grade: 2

The headteacher and deputy headteacher work well together to provide good leadership and management, giving confidence to staff and empowering them to develop their roles. They have their fingers on the pulse of the school and clearly know its strengths and areas for development. They make perceptive use of assessment information to implement sensible courses of action to bring about improvements, for example, strengthening pupils' achievement in writing throughout the school. Clear direction for improving the school is provided through the well constructed development plan, which is widely shared and understood by both staff and governors. This provides the focus for raising standards, ensuring there is no air of complacency. Monitoring of the school's performance through the use of data and lesson observations is rigorous and has a positive impact on standards. Governors are well informed, knowledgeable and supportive of the school. They hold

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Grade: 2

the school to account effectively through their numerous committees. Along with the headteacher, they have been pivotal in the planning for the future development of the co-location of the school alongside a special school. The school has a good capacity for improvement. The newly structured senior management team, with its increased focus on learning, has made a good start to its work. 5 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006 .

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Grade: 2

set out in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006

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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?

3 The extent of learners' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development 1 The behaviour of learners 1 The attendance of learners 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 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. 7 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006

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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? 8 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

I want to thank you very much for all the help you gave us when we visited the school. We think that you are really polite and mature and we know that your teachers really enjoy teaching you. We think your school is a good one. There are lots of very good things about it. The best ones are: • You enjoy life at school and especially your learning; your behaviour and attendance are both very, very good. • You achieve well and are well taught, studying interesting things. • You are well looked after and this helps you develop as young people. • The school joins with other schools to give you more interesting activities. • You know all about how to live healthily. • The people in charge of the school do a good job. Even in good schools like yours, there are things that could be made better. • Plan lessons so that they regularly touch on the wonderful things in life and help you understand about other cultures.

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

• Give you clear targets to help you make improvements in all your subjects. With best wishes for the future 9 Inspection Report: Coppice Primary School, 21 °22 November 2006

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