Setting

Mr Curtis Headteacher Carterton Primary School Burford Road Carterton Oxfordshire OX18 3AD

p.1

Primary School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 16 November 2010, for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during the inspection. Please pass my thanks to staff and pupils for taking the time to talk to me.

p.1

Primary School

Since the last inspection three teachers have left and been replaced. There have been a number of temporary changes owing to maternity leave.

p.1

Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 23–24 March 2009, the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement, which are set out in the annex to this letter.

p.1

Primary School

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made:

p.1

Primary School

satisfactory progress in making improvements

p.1

Primary School

satisfactory progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

p.1

Primary School

Standards of attainment in English and mathematics at Key Stage 2 have improved since 2009 and are closer to national averages. In Key Stage 1, standards in mathematics are broadly average; however, standards in reading and writing remain significantly below average. In order to improve standards in Key Stage 1, you have introduced recently a number of additional programmes to support pupils’ learning, Tribal 1–4 Portland Square BRISTOL BS2 8RR T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 0845 123 6001 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Direct email :Fiona.allan1@tribalgroup.com Page 2 including specific support for reading. Early indications show that these programmes are beginning to improve the quality of reading for some children whose reading is poor. However, some teaching in Key Stage 1 does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to develop and practise their reading and writing skills.

p.1

Primary School

As a result of your more rigorous monitoring of teaching and learning, together with the provision of appropriate professional development, you have greatly improved the extent to which teachers plan to meet the needs of different groups of pupils. This is much more widespread and embedded than at the last inspection and is improving the quality of learning. For example, in Key Stage 2 English and science lessons, pupils of different ability were provided with a more suitable range of activities and levels of support. Consequently, almost all pupils made at least satisfactory progress and some made good progress. In a Key Stage 1 mathematics lesson, different tasks for pupils at different stages of development ensured they made good progress in learning about telling the time. The teacher then assessed the pupils’ learning through effective questioning and was able to adjust her planning for the next lesson as a result of this assessment.

p.2

Primary School

With the effective support of the local authority, you have made other improvements in teaching which are improving the quality of learning. These include the increased use of pupil discussion in pairs and small groups before answering questions and teachers working intensively with small groups of pupils during lessons. However, not all pupils have the skills to work without close direction from the teacher. As a result, the change from teacher-directed work to pupil activities in some lessons takes too long as pupils are unsure about how to tackle their activities. Pupils’ behaviour is generally good and they are keen to learn. Recent curriculum initiatives, such as the detective mystery in Years 5 and 6, help to stimulate the pupils’ interest effectively.

p.2

Primary School

You have taken appropriate steps to make the monitoring and evaluation of the school’s work much more consistent. You discuss the progress of individual pupils in each class with each teacher and have made this process more rigorous. This is based on your well-established systems for monitoring and tracking pupils’ attainment and progress against their targets in reading, writing and mathematics. However, targets for each pupil are not set early enough in the year to promote rapid progress. This evaluation is complemented by your regular lesson observations, which provide you with an accurate picture of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching for each class. This enables you to take effective action to guide teachers in how to improve their teaching. In addition, senior leaders have carried out monitoring of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning. The outcomes of these activities are followed up through further monitoring to ensure that agreed

p.2

Primary School

You are building a stronger capacity for sustained improvement. This is based on your increasingly effective self-evaluation. As a result, this ensures that you, together with your senior team, have a good understanding of the strengths and Page 3 remaining weaknesses in teaching and how this impacts on pupil progress. Your planning and subsequent actions are focused on the correct areas for improvement. You recognise that there is still much to do, particularly in Key Stage 1. You have made improvements to the quality of teaching and staff are generally keen to continue to improve their practise.

p.2

Primary School

I hope that you have found the monitoring inspection helpful in promoting improvement in your school. This letter will be posted on the Ofsted website.

p.3

place in March 2009

 Raise standards and achievement in reading, writing and mathematics throughout the school.

p.4

place in March 2009

 Improve the use of assessment so that teachers plan learning that is well matched to the needs of all groups of pupils.

p.4

place in March 2009

 Make monitoring and evaluation more robust to ensure that all staff follow agreed procedures so that there is a more consistent approach to developments throughout the school.

p.4