Special measures: monitoring inspection of New Chapter Primary School

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1 Tribal 1-4 Portland Square BRISTOL BS2 8RR T Text Phone: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk Direct T Direct T Direct F Direct rebecca.jackson@tribalgroup.com Mr Michael Larkin Headteacher New Chapter School Chapter Milton Keynes MK6 5EA Dear Mr Larkin Special measures: monitoring inspection of New Chapter Primary School Following my visit to your school on 9 10 February 2011 I write on behalf of Her Majesty s Chief Inspector of Education, Children s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings. The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in March The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection is set out in the annex to this letter. The monitoring inspection report is attached and the main judgements are set out below. Progress since being subject to special measures good Progress since previous monitoring inspection good Newly Qualified Teachers may be appointed. This letter and monitoring inspection report will be posted on the Ofsted website. I am copying this letter and the monitoring inspection report to the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Interim Executive Board and the Director of Children s Services for Milton Keynes. Yours sincerely Carole Skinner Additional Inspector

2 Annex The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took place in March 2010 Raise achievement and standards for all pupils and in all subjects by: - ensuring teachers assess pupils work accurately and use assessment information to support their planning and delivery of lessons - making lessons challenging, particularly for the more-able pupils - setting targets for pupils so that they know what they need to do to improve their work - marking work regularly so pupils know how well they are doing and what they could do better - giving pupils more opportunities to learn and work independently. Ensure leaders and managers take swift and effective action to improve provision by: - rigorously monitoring the school's work, particularly the quality of teaching and learning to ensure they are at least consistently good - holding teachers to account for the progress of all pupils in their classes - deploying teaching assistants more effectively to support teaching and learning - ensuring teachers make accurate assessments about pupils' progress and use the information to inform future planning. Ensure that the governing body: - monitors and evaluates the work of the school and holds staff to account for the standards achieved - checks that all safeguarding procedures comply with current government requirements - promotes community cohesion by extending the school's links with diverse communities locally, nationally and globally.

3 Special measures: monitoring of New Chapter Primary School Report from the second monitoring inspection on 9 10 February 2011 Evidence The inspector observed the school s work, scrutinised documents and met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, phase leaders and the Interim Executive Board. The inspector carried out joint observations in every class with the deputy headteacher and examined samples of pupils work from each year group and the most recent progress data. Context Since the last monitoring visit, four teachers have left the school, including one of the two deputy headteachers. In the latter part of the autumn term 2010, the Interim Executive Board agreed to a restructuring of the school s leadership. One phase leader was promoted to the post of assistant headteacher, while two internal candidates were promoted to the role of phase leader. In January 2011, four teachers joined the school, one of whom also filled the role of upper Key Stage 2 phase leader. All but one of the current teaching staff are now on permanent contracts. No decision has yet been made about the proposal to amalgamate New Chapter with a nearby infant school. Pupils achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning The school has made significant strides in accelerating pupils progress since the last monitoring visit. Pupils made good progress in two-thirds of the lessons observed during this inspection. The school s progress data confirm this overall increase in rates of progress but also show that there are still a few remaining inconsistencies between classes and year groups. The school has rightly identified White British pupils, those in Year 4 and pupils with higher levels of special educational needs and/or disabilities as a particular focus for raising achievement. Inequalities are being tackled with vigour and determination by senior and middle leaders. As a result of this accelerated progress, the proportion of pupils who are achieving agerelated expectations has increased significantly and attainment is rising from term to term. Reading and writing have been a key focus for improvement, both through better quality teaching in class lessons and the provision of sharply targeted intervention strategies. In an outstanding Year 5/6 lesson, pupils made exceptionally good progress in exploring and analysing the feelings and motives of Timothy Winters as they discussed and responded to Causley s poem with maturity and insight. A similar emphasis on accelerating progress in mathematics through effective interventions is having a good impact. However, many pupils have gaps in their conceptual understanding due to weak teaching in the past.

4 The progress of more-able pupils has also increased, although, in a few lessons, they do not make sufficiently rapid progress because teachers underestimate how quickly they can move on to more challenging work. As a result of carefully tailored provision, particularly through focused teaching in small groups, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress. Occasionally, in lessons, the planned activities do not meet their needs well enough and they fail to achieve as well as they should. Pupils who are learning to speak English sometimes underachieve because teachers do not have a thorough knowledge of their language needs. For example, in a Key Stage 1 mathematics lesson, misconceptions arose because pupils did not hear or understand the difference between the words fifteen and fifty. Children in the Early Years Foundation Stage continued to make good progress during the autumn term. In lessons, they learn well through an effective mix of self-chosen activities and adult-directed tasks. Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement: Raise achievement and standards for all pupils in all subjects good Other relevant pupil outcomes Behaviour is consistently good, and often outstanding, in lessons. Pupils enjoy learning and speak with enthusiasm about the many activities they take part in. Their positive attitudes are an important factor in their accelerating progress. Attendance has also improved. For example, in the spring term, up to the time of this visit, it was around 95%. The proportion of persistent absentees has more than halved as a result of recent initiatives. The school now holds attendance panels, where parents and carers of pupils who are persistently absent are invited to discuss how to improve their child s attendance. Attendance is monitored rigorously and frequent reminders are given to parents and carers through home visits and weekly newsletters. Learning mentors liaise with teachers in order to help pupils catch up with work they have missed. Learning mentors contact parents to remind them of the importance of hearing their children read every night. Where this does not happen, pupils read to partners in Year 6. Despite these improvements, a few pupils still have considerable ground to make up. Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement: Make further efforts to work with the families of pupils whose poor attendance is hindering their progress and review the systems for ensuring that teachers provide opportunities for these pupils to catch up with learning that they have missed good

5 The effectiveness of provision In the school s most recent round of lesson observations, teaching and learning were judged to be consistently satisfactory with just over half rated as good. On this visit, two-thirds of lessons were good or better but two of the eleven lessons observed were judged to be inadequate. In both cases, the needs of different ability groups were not met well enough to ensure all made adequate progress. In the good lessons, teachers plan activities carefully to match pupils widely differing needs, sometimes for four or five different groups. They explain clearly the objectives for the lesson and the steps pupils need to take to ensure success, often referring back to these at different points in the lesson. Teaching assistants are generally deployed well to support the learning of different groups of pupils. For example, in a good Years 5/6 mathematics lesson, the highly skilled teaching assistant worked very effectively outside the classroom with the most able pupils and extended their understanding of how to calculate the mean of a set of data. This enabled the teacher to focus attention on those pupils who needed most support to understand the concept. Teaching assistants professional development is given a high priority and many have received specific training to deliver intervention strategies. Occasionally, teachers spend too long talking to the whole class and do not tailor their input well enough to meet the needs of different groups. There are still occasions where teaching misses the mark, for example when pupils select randomly from previously discussed WOW words without checking their meaning and use them in the wrong context. Teachers are becoming increasingly confident and accurate in assessing pupils progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Senior leaders from a local school where assessment practice is good are providing training and guidance for teachers. Consistent systems are becoming firmly embedded throughout the school and senior leaders regularly moderate teachers assessments. They arrange for their own assessments to be moderated externally to ensure the reliability of progress data. Many pupils know their targets, which are displayed in the front of their exercise books, and teachers are using these with greater effectiveness to accelerate learning. Marking has improved in response to the new policy, but there are still inconsistencies in quality as teachers become familiar with the procedures and the school s high expectations. The best examples show pupils clearly how to improve their work and provide subsequent opportunities for them to respond. Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement: Ensure leaders and managers take swift action to improve provision good

6 The effectiveness of leadership and management The school s leadership and management have been strengthened further since the last monitoring inspection through new appointments and restructuring. Senior and middle leaders are driving improvement with vigour and determination. Their high aspirations are evident in the Quality Improvement Plan and the very challenging targets they have set for staff and pupils to achieve by the end of the school year. Phase leaders, who are relatively new to the role, have undergone intensive training. They carry out rigorous and systematic monitoring of teachers planning and pupils work, and play a key role in tracking pupils progress. Teachers present their halftermly pupil progress reports to the phase leaders, who challenge any signs of underachievement. Phase leaders produce detailed evaluation reports which inform future planning and identify where staff need further training or support to address weaknesses. Senior leaders, in turn, monitor the work of the phase leaders to ensure rigour and accuracy. A systematic programme for monitoring the quality of learning in lessons is at the heart of the school s improvement strategy. Observations home in on specific aspects of good practice, such as effective use of assessment information, learning objectives and success criteria, and outcomes are shared with all staff. Both teachers and teaching assistants receive verbal and written feedback and are invited to comment on the effectiveness of this feedback. Senior and phase leaders then provide additional support where it is needed. The focus on generic features of good teaching, though appropriate, has tended to shift attention away from subjectspecific issues, especially in mathematics where progression in conceptual development is not currently assured for all pupils. On the positive side, the school has formed a strong partnership with an outstanding local school which provides a specialist teacher and sixth form students to extend learning in mathematics for the more-able pupils in Years 5 and 6. The Interim Executive Board maintains a strong focus on the priorities for improvement identified by the previous section 5 inspection. Members of the board, who are all education professionals, regularly review the school s progress in each area of the Quality Improvement Plan and are rigorous in challenging the school, as well as supporting senior leaders in moving the school forward. Safeguarding arrangements, including vetting and recruitment procedures, fully meet requirements. The school has made significant strides in promoting community cohesion at a local level, including forging stronger links with parents, the community and other schools. Initiatives include a wider range of lunchtime and after-school clubs, some of which are run by members of the community and specialist sports coaches, family learning opportunities and the appointment of a parent champion. A local firm of solicitors provides many volunteers each week to hear older pupils read. National and global aspects are at an early stage of development.

7 Progress since the last section 5 inspection on the areas for improvement: Ensure that the governing body fulfils its statutory duties for evaluating the work of the school, checking that safeguarding procedures comply with government requirements and promoting community cohesion good External support The School Improvement Partner and resident consultant continue to provide welltargeted support for staff and senior leaders. This has helped to strengthen middle management and to improve assessment, planning and teaching. The school is now successfully driving improvements by using the considerable expertise of senior and middle leaders, so reducing reliance on external support. The Targeted Intervention Board regularly reviews the school s progress against the targets in the local authority s action plan. Close liaison with the Interim Executive Board ensures continuity and consistency of approaches.