Setting

Mrs J Hesketh-Williams Headteacher Coxley Primary School Harters Hill Lane Wells Somerset BA5 1RD

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Primary School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 9 February 2011, for the time you and two members of the governing body gave at my pre-inspection visit and for the information which you provided before and during the inspection. Please also thank the pupils, parents and carers and governors who gave their time to speak to me.

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Primary School

Since the last inspection, the school has experienced some staff turbulence. The acting headteacher returned to her post as Key Stage 1 teacher from January 2010 and a new acting headteacher was appointed for the spring term 2010. She became the substantive headteacher from the beginning of April 2010. A special educational needs coordinator took up post in the spring term 2010. A new teacher was also recruited to teach in Key Stage 2 from January 2011. The Key Stage 1 teacher, who is also the senior teacher, has been unwell since the beginning of the spring term 2011. At present, this class is being taught by a long-term supply teacher. A new chair of governors was elected from September 2010. The outgoing chair of governors remains on the governing body.

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Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 7−8 October 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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Primary 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. 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 Email :rebecca.jackson@tribalgroup.com Page 2 After the last inspection the governing body acted swiftly to appoint a permanent headteacher. Since her appointment, the school has taken positive and determined action to raise pupils’ achievement. It has involved all staff in introducing a rigorous and effective system for assessing, tracking and analysing the progress of all pupils. Assessments take place six times per year. This system has enabled the school to identify pupils at risk of underachieving. Class teachers are held to account for the

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Primary School

progress of their pupils. The monitoring of teaching has a clear focus on pupils’ learning in lessons. Teaching assistants have been well trained to play a key role in delivering intervention strategies that are now more closely tailored to pupils’ needs. These are proving successful and are being closely monitored and evaluated by senior leaders.

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Primary School

Following a significant dip in attainment in 2009, results in 2010 recovered to show attainment to be broadly in line with national averages. Progress is good overall, but weaknesses remain in writing. The headteacher has a very clear understanding of what the school needs to do to further improve progress and raise attainment in writing. Through a new approach to the teaching and assessing of reading, introduced in the spring term 2010, pupils’ progress in this area of the curriculum is good in all year groups and outstanding in the current Year 5. Plans are now in place to implement similar systems for teaching and assessing writing, and to involve pupils in assessing their own learning.

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Primary School

Leaders and managers have made effective use of assessment information and correctly identified the most pertinent areas for further improvement. The school development plan is now an effective document to support ongoing improvements and is monitored closely by the governing body. Suitable targets for improvement are set and measured using the information gathered through the school’s own self- evaluation. The governing body has ensured that the school fully meets the requirements for community cohesion and has established a link with Kenya. It is now actively seeking to promote this further, through a link with a school within a contrasting ethnic community within the United Kingdom. The determination across the school to improve outcomes for pupils is clearly evident. As a result of this and effective strategic planning, the school has a good capacity to sustain and develop the improvements that it has made since the last inspection.

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Primary School

The school has made very good use of a wide range of support through the Wells and the Street community learning partnerships. For example, links with a local school judged to be outstanding have been mutually beneficial particularly in the development of the international link with a school in Kenya.

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Primary 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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place in October 2009

 Ensure that leaders at all levels contribute to driving the school forward by:  more effective monitoring of the actions taken to bring about improvement  urgently finding a permanent solution to the vacancy within the school's leadership  making a stronger contribution to community cohesion beyond the local community.

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place in October 2009

 Embed more consistent and rigorous systems to record and present information on pupils' progress and thereby increase the precision of the school's self-evaluation and improvement plans.

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place in October 2009

 Raise standards of teaching and learning through more regular monitoring of all staff, with a clear focus on how well their lessons impact upon pupils' learning.

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