Miles Coverdale Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Miles Coverdale is a happy and friendly school where everyone knows each other really well.

Pupils are rightly proud of their school and all that it has to offer. Its inclusive ethos helps everyone to feel welcome. Pupils are happy, safe and valued in this kind and caring community school.

The school is excellent at doing whatever it takes to understand and then meet pupils' individual needs. Staff speak of 'leaving no stone unturned' when it comes to helping pupils reach their potential. Pupils' talents and interests are fostered superbly.

Pupils rise to the school's high expectations. From a wide variety of backgrounds and starting points, pupils do excepti...onally well at this school. Staff are particularly strong at helping pupils to build resilience and self-esteem.

As a result, pupils' independence grows, and they flourish here. When they leave the school, pupils have the knowledge, skills and attributes needed to be successful at secondary school.

Pupils' exemplary behaviour and positivity for learning make this a calm and happy place to be.

Pupils learn about their rights and how to engage with concepts of what is just and fair in their community and wider society. Pupils take part in a wide range of educational visits. They readily take on leadership responsibilities, including through the school council.'

Reading rebels' and 'playground buddies' take their roles in helping younger pupils seriously.

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

The curriculum ensures that pupils develop secure knowledge over time. In each subject, pupils build on what they have been taught previously.

This helps them to master new concepts and apply their learning in different situations. For example, pupils in Year 5 drew on what they had learned before in science and design and technology to produce mechanically propelled, electronically operated vehicles. In the early years, children used their number knowledge to work out how many pieces of fruit each animal needed in the pretend restaurant.

They accurately counted 13 bananas for 'Elmer' and 18 apples for the dinosaur. They used their knowledge of counting to check their accuracy.

Underpinning the broad and exciting curriculum is a deep and well-established emphasis on what individual pupils need and when.

A key strength of this school's work is the way in which all staff are highly focused on helping individual pupils to achieve success. These personalised approaches mean that pupils, especially those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), get the right help at the right time. Teachers use their strong subject knowledge to check on pupils' learning and to address any misconceptions they might have.

Pupils achieve highly across the curriculum, including in external assessments.

Right from the start of early years, the school's focus on promoting pupils' language and communication makes a real difference. For example, in Reception, staff helped children to learn new words by narrating their play.

As they filled and emptied different funnels with water, staff introduced words such as 'more', 'full' and 'empty'. Further up the school, staff encouraged pupils to respond in full and accurate sentences. They routinely encourage discussion and debate.

For many pupils, a real measure of success is being able to speak, sing or dance on the stage as part of their class performances. Pupils learn to read fluently and accurately. Staff are well trained to develop pupils' phonics knowledge.

Pupils build a sense of why reading is not only important but enjoyable, too. The school encourages reading in a variety of ways. For instance, pupils visit the library and enjoy theatre visits in London, and the school's 'borrow box' is well used by pupils and families.

Pupils with SEND, including those who do some of their learning in the resourced provision, are very well supported. These pupils benefit from the expertise of well-trained support staff, teachers and other professionals. Staff care deeply about pupils.

They are extremely committed, and can see the difference they make to pupils' learning and well-being every day and over time. Staff feel well supported by leaders and governors. They feel well understood and part of leaders' decision-making.

The opportunities for staff's development are particularly well considered. The whole team has ensured that the school has maintained such high standards over time.

Pupils attend regularly.

The school's inclusive and friendly ethos is characterised by the exceptional relationships that exist all around the school. Pupils show kindness and respect for others. In the early years, children responded quickly to visual reminders, such as 'ears switched on' and 'body calm', at the start of their lessons.

Older pupils moved sensibly between lessons and breaktimes without needing reminders from staff.

Through assemblies and focus weeks and on visits out and about, pupils are taught about important concepts such as climate change and social justice. Pupils learn about different people in their community.

For example, the school's intergenerational music project helps pupils to work with the elderly through singing and making music. The school places great emphasis on everyone's mental health and well-being. Pupils who need extra support to manage their day or to cope with difficult circumstances benefit from the expertise of staff, including therapists.

Parents and carers are overwhelmingly positive about all aspects of the school's work. It is clear to see why.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.