Coppull Primary School and Nursery

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are very happy at Coppull Primary School. They are proud of their school.

Leaders have forged strong relationships with pupils and their families.

Leaders have clear expectations for what all pupils can and should achieve. Pupils, including children in the early years, understand these expectations and they work hard.

Children in the two-year-old provision settle quickly to their daily activities and routines.

Leaders ensure that all pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), have the support that they need to access an ambitious curriculum. Leaders have well-tested systems in p...lace to identify any additional needs of children in the early years.

Across the school, all children and pupils get the support that they need to achieve well.

Pupils explained that incidents of poor behaviour and bullying are rare. They said that they can talk with adults to share any worries.

Pupils explained that staff quickly sort out issues of bullying and poor behaviour in order to stop them from happening again. Pupils told inspectors that they feel safe in school.

Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities that extend beyond the taught curriculum.

They learn about British values, for example democracy and the rule of law. Pupils demonstrate tolerance towards those whose beliefs may differ to their own.

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

School leaders and governors ensure that all pupils have access to a broad and challenging curriculum.

Leaders have successfully organised their curriculum to ensure that pupils in key stages 1 and 2 build on the knowledge and skills that they acquire in the early years.

Children in the early years, including those in the provision for two-year-olds, get off to a strong start with their learning. Leaders provide children with meaningful opportunities to develop their communication and language skills.

Throughout their time in the early years, children develop strong learning habits and they build up a deep and rich body of knowledge in all of the areas of learning.

The curriculums in key stages 1 and 2 are equally ambitious. Leaders have identified the important knowledge and skills that they want pupils to acquire in each subject.

Leaders have ordered each subject content carefully so that pupils build on what they know already. Teachers use assessment strategies well to check that pupils have remembered the intended curriculum.

In some curriculum areas, leaders have received extra training to develop their subject expertise.

These leaders skilfully support other teachers to improve the delivery of the curriculum for pupils. In other curriculum areas, leaders have not benefited from the same level of ongoing training. In some instances, this is limiting the quality of additional support that they can offer to teachers to improve and refine further how they implement the curriculum in these subject areas.

Leaders recognise the value of reading and they prioritise it. Strong reading routines begin in the early years. Children learn to sing a wide range of nursery rhymes.

Leaders have recently made some changes to how they deliver the early reading and phonics programmes. These changes are beginning to benefit pupils as teachers and support staff are introducing new sounds in a more logical order. Children in the early years and pupils in key stage 1 take home books that help them build on the sounds they know.

Pupils who fall behind in their reading knowledge are generally well supported to help them to catch up. That said, there are times when a small number of staff who support pupils with reading do not always follow leaders' agreed approach to the teaching of phonics. This means that, on occasions, pupils do not benefit from a consistent approach to develop their early reading skills.

Staff know the pupils well. This helps staff to identify the additional needs of pupils with SEND at the earliest possible stage. Teachers and other staff have the information that they need to provide effective support for all pupils, including those pupils with SEND.

Governors are very supportive of the school. They hold leaders to account for the achievement of pupils and the quality of the curriculum that pupils experience.

Leaders place a strong emphasis on developing pupils' health and well-being.

Pupils learn about the benefits of exercise and healthy eating. Older pupils take on a range of additional responsibilities, such as becoming prefects or members of the school council. Many pupils, including those with SEND, represent the school in a wide range of sporting events.

Pupils behave well. Most pupils are polite, courteous and demonstrate respect for their peers. Pupils who struggle to regulate their behaviour receive the help that they need so that they can engage in meaningful learning.

Staff said that leaders are very approachable and that they are supported well. They appreciate the actions that leaders have taken to reduce unnecessary work.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

The safeguarding and pastoral team are proactive in their approach to keeping pupils safe. They ensure that pupils attend school regularly. All staff receive regular and relevant safeguarding training.

Staff understand their safeguarding responsibilities well. They remain alert to potential signs of neglect or harm in children and pupils. Staff know how to record and report concerns to members of the safeguarding team.

They do this effectively.

School leaders work successfully with many partner agencies to allow them to provide additional relevant and timely support to vulnerable pupils and their families, when needed.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• Occasionally, a small minority of staff veer from leaders' recently agreed approach to delivering the early reading and phonics curriculum.

This means that, on occasions, pupils do not benefit from a consistent approach to developing their early reading knowledge. This hinders them from becoming confident and fluent readers as quickly as they should. Leaders should check that all staff follow the school's early reading and phonics strategy with fidelity, to further develop pupils' reading fluency.

• Some leaders have not had the same opportunities as others to improve their knowledge of the curriculum areas that they lead. This means that in some subjects, teachers are not supported as well as they could be to improve the delivery of the curriculum. Senior leaders should ensure that all staff who lead subjects receive ongoing subject-specific training to improve how well teachers implement the planned curriculum for pupils.