Copley Junior School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Copley Junior School continues to be a good school.

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud to attend Copley Junior School. They value the learning experiences that the school provides beyond the classroom.

On a recent visit to Murton Park, pupils learned about the role of women in the Second World War. Visits like this enthuse pupils and capture their interest. Pupils say that experiences like this bring learning to life.

Leaders have high ambitions for all. Pupils have opportunities to understand how to be good citizens. Leaders care about pupils and encourage them to develop independence.

Pupils take on roles of responsibility, such as house cap...tains and 'mini life coaches'. This helps them to develop their confidence and resilience while helping others. Pupils are polite, articulate and respectful.

Their voice is heard in the school and they enjoy sharing their ideas and opinions.

Behaviour is never less than good at this school. At times, behaviour is exceptional.

Pupils say that bullying is rare. If it occurs, staff deal with it quickly and fairly. Pupils feel safe.

They know that staff will always help and support them.

The new headteacher has created a team approach at Copley. Governors and staff are dedicated and determined to improve the school further.

They recognise that further detail is needed to ensure that learning is progressive in all subjects. This will help pupils to know and remember more of what they learn.

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

Leaders and staff work hard to make sure that pupils are interested and engaged with learning.

In some subjects, such as science and mathematics, there are detailed plans in place. These help teachers to plan lessons that build on prior learning. However, there is still work to do to ensure that plans have sufficient detail to help pupils gain key knowledge in all subjects.

Leaders are in the process of bringing this about. They will then be able to accurately assess what pupils know and remember about their learning.

Teachers carefully assess pupils when they enter the school in Year 3.

Leaders found that some pupils had joined the school with significant gaps in their learning, due to COVID-19 disruption. Leaders have adapted the curriculum to enable teachers to focus on the key principles in subjects such as mathematics. Further interventions to help pupils catch up are planned.

However, staffing changes linked to COVID-19 mean that these do not always take place. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) access the same ambitious curriculum as other pupils. Teachers adapt tasks to support individual needs.

This helps all pupils to achieve well.

Some pupils at the earliest stages of reading are struggling with phonics. Leaders are in the process of introducing a new phonics programme.

This is so that staff who teach early reading can do so effectively and consistently across school. All pupils have daily reading lessons and are encouraged to talk about books. Leaders are supporting teachers to identify texts to aid the development of fluency across the school.

Leaders have introduced a new curriculum to help prepare pupils for life in modern Britain. Pupils have started to learn about topics such as gender, disability and ethnicity. Leaders have identified people who have overcome adversity to reach the top of their professions.

These include people such as Marissa Mayer in computing and Stephen Hawking in science. Teachers use these people, along with the school's links to past winners of the Copley Medal, to raise pupils' aspirations.

Pupils are encouraged to learn how to be good citizens through fundraising linked to charities or by raising eco awareness.

They plan and organise events to inform parents about planting trees or about the impact of cars on the climate. Parents recognise the importance of these causes; however, some feel that the events take place too often and can prove to be expensive.

New leaders in the school are very keen to make further improvements.

They are driven and determined. Governors recognise the importance of supporting staff to manage their workload. Leaders value the support that they have received from the local authority to develop the curriculum.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

Leaders promote a culture which ensures that safeguarding is strong and effective in the school. Staff know pupils well and work together to ensure that they are safe.

Any concerns are quickly reported and dealt with appropriately. Good use is made of external support when it is appropriate. Parents say that the school cares for the families and have gone over and above to support them through the pandemic.

Pupils are taught how to keep themselves mentally and physically healthy. There are specific opportunities, such as road safety lessons and e-safety lessons, in which they learn how to protect themselves in the world beyond school. Pupils respect others and know that it is important to talk to adults about worries or concerns.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Leaders are reviewing all of the subjects in the curriculum. Due to delays caused by the pandemic, not all subject planning identifies the key knowledge that leaders want pupils to learn. However, it is clear from leaders' actions that they are in the process of bringing this about.

For this reason, the transitional arrangements have been applied. Leaders should ensure that all subject plans include the essential knowledge that they want pupils to know and remember. ? Assessment does not always identify what pupils know and remember in some subjects.

This means that teachers do not fully understand what pupils have or have not remembered over time. Leaders should ensure that assessment systems reflect the knowledge taught in the curriculum and that teachers use this information to extend learning.

Background

When we have judged a school to be good we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good.

This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection.

Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection as a section 5 inspection immediately.

This is the first section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in April 2016.