Coppice Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Coppice Academy truly is a very special school. Pupils are surrounded by care, hope and ambition.

They come here for many reasons related to their special educational needs and/or disabilities. They leave as excited and ambitious learners, proud to be members of the Staffordshire community.

Pupils feel happy and safe because the school treats them with kindness and care.

Autistic spectrum conditions, learning and cognition needs, speech, language, and other varying needs could make learning harder for Coppice pupils. However, staff, parents and carers work together to overcome any barriers caused by those needs. Pupils are valued as individuals, and this insp...ires their learning.

Positive relationships are what makes this a unique community. Friendship and care underpin relationships between pupils. Calmness and purpose permeate all classes.

Occasionally, some pupils have difficult moments managing their emotions. However, caring and attentive staff work quickly to ensure they get the right support. Consequently, behaviour is generally exemplary.

An impressive range of school clubs enrich pupils' hobbies and ambitions. Basketball, football, virtual and physical construction, choir and sketchbooks are some of the ways that pupils develop personal hobbies and interests. Trips to places like the National Memorial Arboretum provide a moment for pupils to reflect and appreciate local history.

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

Supported by a caring and attentive multi-academy trust, inspirational leaders and caring staff combine to get the best outcomes for pupils. There is an unrelenting conviction that things can always get better. This community is committed to overcoming individual pupil barriers to learning to enable pupils to have a fulfilling, independent life.

When pupils arrive, staff spend time researching and learning what motivates them. The school works closely with pupils' previous schools and families. They establish how to build upon successes or address problems in their educational experiences.

The school also works effectively with additional services, such as sensory support services and speech and language specialists. As a result, staff precisely adapt learning and resources to support individual need.

The school is ambitious about what pupils will learn while at Coppice.

Across all subjects, the school has developed a demanding curriculum that sets out the important knowledge that pupils should know and remember. There are many good examples of how the school sequences this knowledge so that pupils' learning builds over time. Opportunities to practise newly learned knowledge are frequently included so that pupils can embed it into their long-term memories.

Some pupils enter the school unable to read. The school quickly identifies the gaps in their phonic knowledge and puts in place intervention to support pupils to learn to read.Staff receive effective support to deliver phonics and find alternative support programmes for those struggling to read.

Pupils who learn to read fluently then develop their comprehension skills and enjoy reading books from a range of authors and genres.

Pupils are excited to come to school, so many have excellent attendance. For those with less positive attendance, the school acts quickly to provide the right help.

It works with services such as children's and adult mental health and youth offending services to work with the pupil and their family to remove the barriers to higher levels of attendance. Parents appreciate such support.

Pupils are confident, resilient and happy young people who demonstrate a real strength of character.

Independent living and work skill sessions help develop pupils' understanding of the world around them and foster a developed understanding of what jobs could be available for them when they leave education. Personal, social, health and economic education sessions support pupils' understanding of the risks they may face in the real or online world.

Staff are proud to be members of this community.

They get the support and training they need to deliver the curriculum well and to meet pupils' needs. Parents are equally proud of the school and speak effusively about their children's experiences and care. One parent, whose views reflected the views of others, said that because of Coppice, they had 'had the greatest delight in watching [their child] blossom into the young [person] they are now!'

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.