Setting

Mrs B Gleich The Headteacher Dinglewell Infant School Dinglewell Hucclecote Gloucester Gloucestershire GL3 3HS

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Dinglewell Infant School

Following my visit to your school on 9 and 10 March 2011, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to confirm the inspection findings.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Dinglewell Infant School

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in May 2010. 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.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Dinglewell Infant School

Progress since being subject to special measures – good.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Dinglewell Infant School

Progress since previous monitoring inspection – good.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Dinglewell Infant School

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 governing body and the Director of Children’s Services for Gloucestershire.

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Her Majesty’s Inspector

Tribal Education 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 0845 123 6002 Direct email : sarah.cartlidge@tribalgroup.com

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 Develop the effectiveness of leaders and managers at all levels in embedding and driving improvement by:  rigorously evaluating the effectiveness of provision, particularly teaching and the curriculum, in meeting pupils’ needs, and taking swift action for improvement whenever necessary  developing the roles of all staff with key leadership and management responsibilities so that they are accountable for pupils’ progress and improving provision in their areas  ensuring that the governing body has an accurate understanding of the strengths and weaknesses and challenges senior leaders to promote improvement.  Closely match teaching and the curriculum to pupils’ learning needs in order to accelerate their progress and raise their achievement by:  ensuring that both teaching and the curriculum are based on an accurate assessment of pupils’ current attainment and the next steps they need to take in developing their knowledge, understanding and skills

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The areas for improvement identified during the inspection which took

 making sure that teaching is focused on giving all ability groups the right level of challenge or support for learning in all parts of lessons  deploying teaching assistants effectively to support learning  making better use of teaching time.  Ensure that responsibilities for promoting community cohesion are fulfilled in order to develop pupils’ understanding of cultural and ethnic diversity.

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Evidence

The inspector observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the headteacher, members of staff, pupils and representatives of the governing body and local authority.

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Context

Since the last monitoring visit in November 2010, there have been no significant changes. Following her absence during the autumn term due to a medical procedure, the deputy headteacher returned in January. Two new governors have been appointed.

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Pupils’ achievement and the extent to which they enjoy their learning

Pupils’ attitudes towards their learning are very positive. Pupils are keen to take part in lessons and other activities. Systems for monitoring and evaluating attainment and progress are secure and effective in identifying individual pupils and different groups. The school data, pupils’ work and in lessons seen during the visit indicate that attainment in reading, writing and mathematics is above average. Pupils make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics. Variations in attainment within year groups are less apparent than during the previous visit. Children in the Reception Classes make good progress and have knowledge, skills and understanding which are above those expected for children of their age. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make good progress because of the effective and targeted support they receive.

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Other relevant pupil outcomes

Pupils behave well and their attendance is above average. They work well together in groups and pairs, often helping each other. Most of them are confident to talk about their work and school life. Some are developing their ability to be self-critical about their work. Pupils’ above-average skills in literacy and numeracy contribute to their good preparation for their future lives.

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The effectiveness of provision

The proportion of good and better lessons is steadily increasing. As a result, the majority of lessons are good or better and none are less than satisfactory. However, the school is aware that there are still some inconsistencies and further work needs to be done to meet the targets set in the Raising Attainment Plan. The most effective lessons have consistently clear planning and are well pitched to meet the ages and needs of most pupils. Pupils’ knowledge and what pupils have previously learned are used well by teachers to plan challenging activities. Interactive whiteboards are used imaginatively to produce materials which are exciting and colourful or provide opportunities for teachers to demonstrate how to write and edit sentences. Teaching assistants are well deployed and work well with individuals and small groups. Most pupils are clear about what their targets for improvement are. The targets are used to good effect in helping pupils improve their skills in literacy,

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The effectiveness of provision

particularly writing. Pupils said that they found targets ‘helped them learn more’. They enjoy the use of different coloured highlighters used to mark their work, pointing out words or phrases that are good or where they could improve further. However, leaders and managers have identified that target setting in mathematics is less successful and they are striving to devise more effective approaches.

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The effectiveness of provision

From time to time, there are some lessons that are not as effective; they have overlong introductions or explanations which do not meet the different learning needs of all the pupils. Consequently, pupils become restless and disinterested in the lesson. When teachers do not remind pupils of their targets or encourage them to think of ways of improving their work during lessons, their progress is slower. Teachers frequently provide too much direction regardless of pupils’ capabilities, hindering pupils’ skills for independent learning.

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The effectiveness of provision

To improve the curriculum, the school has adjusted the weekly timetable. As a result more time for learning is available. Weekly lesson plans are matched well to long- term planning. Themes link different subjects together where appropriate providing pupils with practical first-hand experiences. For example, during the week of the monitoring visit, Year 2 pupils had been to Warwick Castle. Many literacy and numeracy lessons were effectively related to this recent experience. Different subjects are generally well planned, but a formalised, systematic approach to ensure there is an appropriate balance between the different subjects over time and across the different year groups is still developing. In addition, information to measure the impact of the changes made since the inspection has not been formally evaluated.

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The effectiveness of provision

Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement:  closely match teaching and the curriculum to pupils’ learning needs in order to accelerate their progress and raise their achievement – good.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Senior leaders and managers have developed their roles and responsibilities since the last visit. As a result, they have clear and accurate views on what the school does well and where it needs to improve. Plans to improve the school further are secure. Well-matched time lines, that outline the school’s direction and purpose, have clear targets for pupil outcomes. An increasing number and range of leaders and managers are involved in monitoring and evaluating pupils’ attainment and progress. More lessons are being observed by different members of the leadership team. Consequently, teachers receive accurate feedback on their practice. This feedback is generally helpful but does not specifically highlight pupils’ progress. There are good whole-school systems for monitoring the progress of pupils; teachers are challenged on how much progress pupils are making during regular meetings. In these meetings good use is made of individual pupil data analysis and targeted

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

groups are identified precisely. The school’s systems for collecting and presenting data are stronger and more embedded since the last visit. However, there is a limited comparative analysis of pupil attainment and progress, for example the gaps in attainment between reading and writing for different groups compared to the school and national average. Nonetheless, team leaders are becoming a highly effective group for initiating improvements through regular, clear and accurate evaluations of the school’s work. Governors are now building a well-documented record of how they challenge and hold the school to account. New governors are being trained quickly and there is an eagerness to improve further. Safeguarding systems are robust and securely in place to ensure adults are checked and trained before they work with children.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Community cohesion was not evaluated during this visit.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Progress since the last monitoring inspection on the areas for improvement:  develop the effectiveness of leaders and manager at all levels in embedding ambition and driving improvement – good.

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External support

The local authority effectively supports leaders and managers’ abilities and confidence to take key roles improving the school. Funding has been appropriately used to invest in middle leaders’ training and this is paying off. Other support includes extra School Improvement Partner visits, reviewing the school’s performance alongside senior leaders and continued partnership work with a local governing body and headteacher. The school’s progress is monitored regularly through a series of meetings between the school and the local authority.

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