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CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 1231231 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566934 Direct F 01695 729320 gtunnicliffe@cfbt.com www.cfbt-inspections.com 12 May 2011 Mrs L J Coverdale Headteacher Shafton Primary School High Street Shafton Barnsley South Yorkshire S72 8QA Dear Mrs Coverdale, January 2011 Page1
Notice to improve: monitoring inspection of Shafton Primary School
Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 11 May 2011, for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during the inspection. I also welcomed the opportunity to talk with other members of staff, representatives of the governing body, pupils and the local authority school evaluation officer. Please pass on my thanks to all those involved.
The headteacher, who was absent at the time of the last inspection, returned to her post in January 2011 following a prolonged absence due to ill health. The senior leadership team has been expanded. It currently includes a deputy headteacher who is leading on literacy, assessment and tracking, an acting assistant headteacher leading on numeracy and an acting Key Stage 1 phase leader. The very recently appointed inclusion manager and Early Years Foundation Stage leader will join the school and the leadership team in September 2011. Two new parent governors have recently joined the governing body. The local authority has appointed three governors and secured additional support for specific improvement actions from two local schools and a consultant headteacher who is currently supporting school leaders one day each week.
As a result of the inspection on 5 October 2010, the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement which are set out in the annex to this letter.
Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school is making satisfactory progress in addressing the issues for improvement and in raising the pupils' achievement.
The school’s assessment data shows that most children in the Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress from their individual starting points. In 2010, the declining trend in pupils’ achievement at the end of year 6 that commenced in 2008 continued. Pupils’ attainment at the end of Year 6 was broadly average and this represented satisfactory progress for most children. January 2011 Page2
In the current academic year there is an improving picture. The most recent teacher assessments show that the declining trend is being brought to a halt. While variation in pupils’ individual achievement remains, attainment in English and mathematics in both Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 are slowly beginning to rise. Lesson observations confirm that the pace of learning is beginning to accelerate in response to recent improvements in the quality of teaching. As a result, pupils are making better progress in lessons.
Pupils’ attendance for the academic year to date shows an improvement of around two per centage points compared to the previous year. This improvement together with pupils’ positive behaviour makes a significant contribution to their improving progress and achievements, and demonstrates their increased enjoyment of school.
As a result of swift and decisive action the school now meets statutory safeguarding requirements securely. The single central record of staff is up-to-date and reviewed on a weekly basis. Staff and the governing body have a very clear understanding of their responsibilities in respect of safeguarding and child protection and this is kept firmly on the agenda through regular meetings and the safeguarding notice board in the staff room, for example. Staff and designated members of the governing body have completed recent and appropriate training. Procedures and systems, such as those for recording and reporting accidents, are effective and robust. A comprehensive range of policies ratified by the governing body, are now in place. Pupils report feeling safe and happy. The school works closely with other agencies to protect vulnerable pupils.
The local authority, through an emergency meeting with the school's governing body in November 2010, established the ‘Ofsted Recovery Committee’ chaired by one of the three new local authority appointed governors. This is proving to be a highly effective vehicle to drive forward improvement. Members of the committee are investing considerable time in working with the school and bring highly relevant expertise. Their priorities to date have been to address the safeguarding and systems issues, to tackle the leadership capacity and other staffing issues and to establish clear benchmarks against which to measure future improvement. An appropriate programme of training has been undertaken. Named governors have taken on specific duties such as designated responsibility for safeguarding and inclusion for instance. Minutes of the very regular meetings demonstrate that the committee is providing effective support for staff and asking tough questions that challenge school leaders robustly on specific aspects of performance. Members of the committee have a clear and realistic understanding of the school’s current situation and the steps that need to be taken to improve outcomes for pupils further.
The consultant headteacher and local authority officers have provided effective support for school leaders. As a result, the new leadership team has gained a clearer understanding of the strengths and areas for improvement within the school. In turn, they are establishing a greater awareness among staff of the next steps required to raise levels of attainment further. Subject leaders for literacy and numeracy have put in place well thought through January 2011 Page3
plans for improvement. Appropriate measures for evaluating the impact of actions are being established.
Professional development activities are contributing effectively to improvement. Systematic observations of lessons show that the quality of teaching and the progress pupils make in their learning are beginning to improve as a result of strategies, such as coaching and individual support plans for teachers. Performance management for all staff is more robust with individual targets linked to school priorities. Pupil progress meetings hold teachers to account and have raised expectations about what pupils are capable of and should achieve.
An interim special educational needs coordinator is in place until the newly appointed Inclusion Coordinator starts in September 2011. The special educational needs register has been reviewed and systems and procedures have been revised. Consequently, records are more accurate. The format of the individual education plan has been simplified. Early feedback from parents and carers and pupils about these initial changes has generally been positive. As yet, however, lesson planning throughout the school has not developed sufficiently to ensure activities are matched closely enough to individual needs to enable all pupils to make consistently good progress in their learning.
While the rate of improvement is satisfactory, staff and the governing body acknowledge that there is more to do to ensure that outcomes for pupils improve at a faster pace now that the leadership team has been expanded and other key posts have been filled.
The local authority statement of action is matched closely to the areas identified for
improvement at the last inspection and meets requirements. Support from the local authority has been extensive. This has been highly effective in helping the school implement the actions needed to tackle the areas for improvement. The support provided has been valued by the school’s leaders.
I hope that you have found the inspection helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.
Yours sincerely,
Wendy Ripley
Her Majesty's Inspector
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