Setting

September 2010 Page 1 Friday 26 November 2010

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Mrs Gibbon Ghyllgrove Community Junior School The Gore Basildon Essex SS142BG

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Community Junior School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on Thursday 25 November 2010, for the time you gave to our phone discussion and for the information which you provided during the inspection. Please convey my thanks to the teachers and pupils whose lessons we jointly visited and who spoke to us about their work.

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Community Junior School

The context of the school is much the same as it was at the time of the previous inspection. Staffing has remained very stable with only one additional trainee teacher being appointed to the hearing impairment resource base. The school roll has increased slightly.

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Community Junior School

As a result of the inspection on 11 and 12 June 2009, the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement which are set out in the annex to this letter.

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Community Junior School

Having considered all the evidence I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made good progress in making improvements and good progress in demonstrating a better capacity for sustained improvement.

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Community Junior School

In 2009 the levels of pupils’ attainment were significantly below national averages, displaying a declining trend. The school made good improvements in 2010 and has closed the gaps in all subjects in Key Stage 2, and as a result of robust and decisive action has arrested the decline of the past three years. In 2009, pupils performed less well in reading compared to other subjects. However, the unvalidated 2010 results for mathematics, reading and science demonstrate that pupils’ attainment has markedly improved, and that progress is accelerating. The proportion of students who gained higher levels has also improved, particularly in English. However, progress in writing has been slower. Serco Inspections Boundary House 2 Wythall Green Way Middle Lane BIRMINGHAM West Midlands B47 6LW OFSTED T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk SERCO Direct T 0121 683 2888 September 2010

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Community Junior School

Page 2 The school’s systems for assessment and tracking, especially in science, have been greatly enhanced since the last inspection. They include a regular and thorough review of each pupil’s progress undertaken by the headteacher in discussion with class teachers and learning assistants. The school’s data on current pupils’ attainment show that, year by year, an increasing proportion of pupils are working towards or at the levels expected for their ages, which are broadly in line with the national average. This can also be seen in pupils’ written work and in their responses in lessons. Some unevenness in progress remains, however, between classes and this is mainly linked to past fluctuations in pupils’ attainment on entry. The progress made by pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities both from the on- site resource base and in the main school is similar to that of others.

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Community Junior School

The quality of teaching has improved because expectations of what pupils can achieve have been raised and because staff have increased their skills in assessing pupils’ attainment in English, mathematics and science. Teachers make good use of these assessments to determine the next steps in pupils’ learning, set targets, and plan appropriately challenging work for pupils of all abilities, in particular for the more able. Pupils can explain how well they are doing in writing and mathematics and what they are aiming to achieve next. Teachers have a consistent approach to classroom management so that pupils are clear about how they should work and behave. Pupils feel secure and speak highly about how much they enjoy being at school and the interesting activities arranged for them.

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Community Junior School

In the eight part lessons visited, most teachers match assessment criteria well to what they want pupils to learn in order to help them improve their work... The school and local authority monitoring records show that the training to improve planning and assessment has had a positive outcome on the quality of teaching and that there is now a much higher proportion of good teaching than at the time of the last inspection.

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Community Junior School

The headteacher has successfully led the school improvement and involved and coached staff to effectively develop their roles as subject leaders. As a result, of effective and improved monitoring of teaching, progress is accelerating and attainment rising. There is no doubt that all staff are aiming high and seeking to boost further pupils’ attainment and achievement.

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Community Junior School

There has been good monitoring and scrutiny of the school’s work by the local authority and other advisers and their reports are positive and helpful.

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Community Junior School

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

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Community Junior School

Yours sincerely September 2010 Page 3 David Scott

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 Raise standards in mathematics and science by ensuring that all pupils make at least two full levels of progress during their time in school.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 Make clearer the expectations in outcomes of tasks set for pupils of different ability in order to raise the level of challenge for the more able and to improve the proportion of good or better teaching.

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 Swiftly implement and embed plans that will rigorously track and accelerate pupils’ progress in science.

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