Coates Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have fun at school and value learning.

In lessons and during playtimes, pupils care for each other and enjoy their time together. Lessons are calm, and pupils concentrate well on their studies.

Pupils feel, and are, safe within this caring community.

Pupils are confident that on the rare occasions when bullying happens, staff ensure it stops and does not re-occur. Pupils benefit from leaders' approach to supporting emotional well-being.

Pupils are ambitious.

They live up to leaders' high expectations and 'reach for the stars'. Pupils are articulate and discuss with sophistication what they are learning. Pupils take pride in their lear...ning and achievements.

They appreciate the many awards leaders put in place. Pupils are being well prepared for their next steps in education.

Pupils readily take positions of responsibility.

For example, older pupils serve as 'reading buddies' for younger pupils. Many pupils enjoy the opportunities at the school to develop their talents in clubs.

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

Leaders have created an ambitious and well-organised curriculum.

Teachers teach the curriculum well. Staff give pupils lots of opportunities to revisit knowledge previously learned. This helps pupils remember what they have been taught.

Staff check what pupils remember and provide timely support when pupils forget or do not understand what has been taught.

Starting in the early years provision, pupils develop a love of reading. Pupils discuss books with great enthusiasm.

They personally relate to and maturely discuss features of the texts they read. When discussing characters, for example, pupils show empathy. Leaders have provided high-quality staff training to support the introduction of a new approach to reading.

Teachers teach reading well. In the last year, they have also improved the quality of support for pupils who find reading hard. These pupils are now catching up.

Staff provide well for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Leaders have made sure that teachers know the best approaches to support pupils with SEND. When necessary, they work closely with specialist agencies to design appropriate provision for these pupils.

Leaders check to ensure that pupils with SEND learn the curriculum as well as possible. As a result, pupils overcome their challenges and become successful learners.

From the start of early years, pupils learn to behave well.

Staff make the school's expectations and routines clear to pupils. Adults spot and reward pupils' frequent good behaviour. Pupils' behaviour rarely falls below leaders' high expectations.

When it does, staff follow the school's behaviour policy and learning swiftly returns to normal.

Staff teach pupils about different lifestyles and beliefs in contemporary society. Adults make the celebration of diversity an important part of pupils' daily experiences.

For example, pupils learn sign language in assembly and practise together the 'sign of the week'. Pupils understand the importance of values such as democracy. They are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

In the early years, children quickly learn and demonstrate the school's values and learn the curriculum well. The youngest children settle quickly and benefit from the learning opportunities in Nursery. Staff work positively with parents to ensure that children in the early years make a good start in their education and are ready for Year 1.

Parents are positive about how leaders run the school. Staff also have confidence in leaders. All staff who took part in the online staff survey reported that the school is well led and managed and that they are proud to work at the school.

Leaders ensure that staff have a reasonable workload.

Governors have the training and skills needed to ensure that leaders meet governors' high expectations. COVID-19 and the introduction of new governors to the school have interrupted the routine work of governors.

This means that governors have not always been able to check the effectiveness of the curriculum as precisely as they did prior to the pandemic.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders have trained staff effectively.

They know the risks that pupils face and are alert to the signs of potential harm. Staff act swiftly and appropriately when concerns arise.

Leaders work well with external agencies and ensure that vulnerable pupils receive the help they need.

Leaders carefully maintain records about vulnerable pupils.

Leaders check the suitability of all adults who work with pupils at the school.

Governors hold leaders to account for safeguarding practices at school.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• COVID-19 and the need to recruit some new governors interrupted the regular work of the governing body. Governors need to re-establish their routines for checking how effectively leaders are providing the high quality of education that governors expect. ? Leaders' new reading programme was introduced to improve the teaching of reading.

The new programme is having the desired effect, but there are still some pupils needing to catch up. Leaders need to continue embedding their approach to reading to reduce the need for pupils who have fallen behind to catch up. Leaders also need to make sure those who need to catch up do so quickly.

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