Coppice Junior School

104041 Unique Reference Number Solihull Local Authority 308489 Inspection number 7 February 2008 Inspection date Andrew McDowall 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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Junior Type of school Community School category 7 °11 Age range of pupils Mixed Gender of pupils Number on roll 278 School The governing body Appropriate authority Martin Maxfield Chair L Armstrong Headteacher 11 November 2003 Date of previous school inspection Coppice Road School address Solihull B92 9JY 01217 053504 Telephone number 01217 058398 Fax number

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7-11 Age group 7 February 2008 Inspection date 308489 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 Additional Inspector conducting the inspection evaluated the overall effectiveness of the school and investigated the following issues: achievement in English, particularly in writing the effectiveness of the academic guidance pupils receive the effectiveness of leadership and management in monitoring the work of the school. Evidence was gathered from lesson observations, the scrutiny of pupils' work, the school's assessment data, school documentation and discussions with staff and pupils. Other aspects of the school's work were not investigated in detail, but the inspector found no evidence to suggest that the school's own assessments, as given in its self-evaluation, were not justified, and these have been included where appropriate in this report.

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Description of the school

This is a larger than average-sized school. The percentage of pupils who are from minority ethnic groups is below average. Very few pupils have English as an additional language. The proportion of pupils entitled to free school meals is below the national average, as is the proportion of pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Building works undertaken since the last inspection have enhanced the accommodation and plans to provide more teaching space are well advanced.

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Key for inspection grades

Outstanding Grade 1 Good Grade 2 Satisfactory Grade 3 Inadequate Grade 4 3 of 9 Inspection Report: Coppice Junior School, 7 February 2008

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Grade: 2

This is a good school because it values, and successfully promotes, the development of the whole child. Pupils reach very high standards, behave well and make excellent gains in their personal development. The school is popular with parents who value the approachability of the staff and the good extra-curricular opportunities the school provides. Pupils enter the school with above average standards. They make good progress and reach very high standards, particularly in mathematics. Within English, standards in reading are very high, and work is underway to improve standards in writing to the same exceptional level. Many pupils attain the higher levels for their age at the end of Year 6 and there is good provision for pupils who are gifted and talented which the school is developing further. Pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities also make good progress because the school analyses their needs

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Grade: 2

and provides programmes of work that help them to make good progress. Pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is outstanding. They have excellent social skills that result in the school being a harmonious place where pupils feel safe and secure. Pupils have a strong commitment to helping others, and work very hard to raise funds for a range of good causes at home and abroad. They are rightly proud of their school. They have very mature attitudes to their work and cooperate very well in lessons. Pupils say they enjoy school very much and this is evident in their cheerful disposition, positive attitudes to learning and shared jokes in assemblies and classrooms. The great majority of pupils demonstrate good self-discipline, but a small minority need occasional reminders from the staff, to ensure they meet the school's high expectations of how they should behave. Good links with the Church

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Grade: 2

and the local and international community enable pupils to have a good understanding of their place in the wider world. The school and class councils provide pupils with good opportunities to be involved in decision making and they make a good contribution to the smooth running of the school when acting as mediators or doing door duty to ensure everyone is safe in school. Pupils are very well prepared for later life. They leave the school with very high standards and the school's links with Land Rover and other local businesses provide them with a good understanding of the world of work. Pupils achieve well because teaching is good and the curriculum is active and exciting. Teachers establish positive relationships with pupils and there is a good working atmosphere in classrooms. They involve the pupils in analysing the skills they need to be good learners and this helps pupils to recognise what they need to do to learn in different situations. Teachers and teaching

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Grade: 2

assistants work well together to ensure pupils concentrate in lessons, and good support is provided for pupils who find work difficult. Occasionally, some pupils are too passive at the start of lessons because teachers are not involving all pupils when they are teaching new ideas. Teachers set work that is well matched to the different abilities in the class. Consequently, pupils make good progress and produce good amounts of work in the time allowed. However, the presentation of pupils' work is too variable because some teachers do not provide pupils with clear advice on what it is they need to do to improve this aspect of their work. Pupils' participation in the wide range of educational visits, school clubs and the two residential opportunities make a good contribution to their personal and social development. The curriculum provides good opportunities for exercise and pupils learn how to stay healthy and make sensible

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Grade: 2

life choices. Teachers have started to make the curriculum more creative and to find ways to link subjects together. As a result, pupils thoroughly enjoy their learning and have additional 4 of 9 Inspection Report: Coppice Junior School, 7 February 2008 opportunities to apply their literacy, numeracy and information and communication technology skills in different subjects. The school provides good care and guidance. The staff know the pupils very well and ensure they are supervised at all times. Pupils express confidence in the staff and feel they can approach their teachers should they be worried about anything. Procedures to keep pupils safe are in place and staff are well trained in first aid and child protection. Good links with other agencies ensure vulnerable pupils receive the support they need to succeed in school. Pupils have a good knowledge of their personal targets in writing, but they are less sure about what they need to

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Grade: 2

do to improve in mathematics to reach even higher standards. Teachers' marking varies in quality. Some is very good and provides the pupils with clear guidance on what they need to do next. Occasionally, the marking has too few comments to guide the pupils in their learning. The older pupils are increasingly engaged in assessing their own work, but this approach is less developed in the lower school. The headteacher and her senior management team have successfully maintained and promoted excellent personal development and high standards in recent years. They quickly addressed the slight fall in results in writing in 2007, and standards are set to return to their previous high levels. There is a strong team spirit amongst the staff and a shared commitment to provide well for the pupils. Challenging targets are set and procedures to monitor the progress of each pupil are good. The reason why leadership and management of the school are good and not outstanding is

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Grade: 2

that, although strategic leadership of the school is very good, some of the management processes relating to the way the school monitors and evaluates teaching and learning are only satisfactory. The headteacher has a clear picture of the quality of provision in the school, but other senior leaders have too few opportunities to observe the school at work. Consequently, they do not have the first hand information they need to guide staff towards further improvement. The governing body provides excellent support and challenge for the school. Governors are well deployed to make the most of their skills and have a clear vision for the school that embraces the development of the whole child. They are close to achieving the building they need to deliver the curriculum they want for the pupils in the school. Financial management was judged to be at the highest level in its recent assessment under the Financial Management Accreditation

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Grade: 2

Scheme. The school's track record gives it a good capacity to improve.

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What the school should do to improve further

■ Involve all senior leaders in the monitoring and evaluation of teaching and learning in order that they can provide the advice and guidance staff need to improve further. ■ Improve the academic guidance pupils receive so it is all as good as the best in the school and involve the younger pupils more in assessing their own work. 5 of 9 Inspection Report: Coppice Junior School, 7 February 2008 .

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What the school should do to improve further

in the guidance 'Complaints about school inspection', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk. 6 of 9 Inspection Report: Coppice Junior School, 7 February 2008

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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? Yes Effective steps have been taken to promote improvement since the last inspection How well does the school work in partnership with others to promote learners' well-being? 2 The capacity to make any necessary improvements

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Achievement and standards

2 How well do learners achieve? 1 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 2 The extent to which learners adopt healthy lifestyles 2 The extent to which learners adopt safe practices 1 How well learners enjoy their education 2 The attendance of learners 2 The behaviour of learners 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Coppice Junior School, 7 February 2008

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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 2 How effectively leaders and managers use challenging targets to raise standards 2 The effectiveness of the school's self-evaluation 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 of 9 Inspection Report: Coppice Junior School, 7 February 2008

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

8 February 2008 Dear Children Inspection of Coppice Junior School, Solihull B92 9JY Can I start by thanking you all for making me feel so welcome when I visited your school recently to talk to the teachers and see your work. I really enjoyed your assembly celebrating your school's 70th birthday. I was very impressed with your good behaviour and the way so many of you spoke out so confidently in front of all the parents. You go to a good school. The teachers help you to make good progress in your work. So much so, that by the time you leave the school you are doing very well in English, mathematics and science. Your teachers are working hard to make your writing even better and as good as your reading. You can help by remembering your targets every time you do some writing. You work hard in lessons and everyone gets along well in school. The learning walls in your classrooms help you to understand how to learn. Some of the work in your books is a little untidy. If yours

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

is, you could improve it by remembering to set out your work carefully and do your best writing every time. Your school has a good range of clubs and activities for you to do out of school. All the staff take good care of you and this helps you to feel safe in school. Your headteacher and the school governors are good at making plans to improve your school. They have improved the school building and the new classrooms will make it even better. Although you go to a good school, there are two things your school can do to improve. The first is find more time for the senior teachers to work with and watch other teachers, so they can help them to get even better at their jobs. I have also asked the teachers to make sure you all know what it is you need to do to improve your work and give you more opportunities to check your work yourselves. Thank you again and good luck for the future. Yours sincerely Andy McDowall

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Text from letter to pupils explaining the findings of the inspection

Lead inspector 9 of 9 Inspection Report: Coppice Junior School, 7 February 2008

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Annex B

Inspection of Coppice Junior School, Solihull B92 9JY

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Annex B

Can I start by thanking you all for making me feel so welcome when I visited your school recently to talk to the teachers and see your work. I really enjoyed your assembly celebrating your school’s 70 th birthday. I was very impressed with your good behaviour and the way so many of you spoke out so confidently in front of all the parents.

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Annex B

You go to a good school. The teachers help you to make good progress in your work. So much so, that by the time you leave the school you are doing very well in English, mathematics and science. Your teachers are working hard to make your writing even better and as good as your reading. You can help by remembering your targets every time you do some writing. You work hard in lessons and everyone gets along well in school. The learning walls in your classrooms help you to understand how to learn. Some of the work in your books is a little untidy. If yours is, you could improve it by remembering to set out your work carefully and do your best writing every time. Your school has a good range of clubs and activities for you to do out of school.

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Annex B

All the staff take good care of you and this helps you to feel safe in school. Your headteacher and the school governors are good at making plans to improve your school. They have improved the school building and the new classrooms will make it even better.

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Annex B

Although you go to a good school, there are two things your school can do to improve. The first is find more time for the senior teachers to work with and watch other teachers, so they can help them to get even better at their jobs. I have also asked the teachers to make sure you all know what it is you need to do to improve your work and give you more opportunities to check your work yourselves.

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Annex B

Thank you again and good luck for the future.

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