Setting

Mrs Avis Ball Headteacher Frogwell Primary School Derriads Lane Chippenham Wiltshire SN14 0DG

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Frogwell Primary School

Following my visit with Kate Heslegrave, additional inspector, to your school on 8 and 9 June 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 Frogwell Primary School

The inspection was the first monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in January 2011. The full list of the areas for improvement which were identified during that inspection are 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 Frogwell Primary School

Progress since being subject to special measures – satisfactory.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Frogwell Primary School

Newly Qualified Teachers may not be appointed.

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Special measures: monitoring inspection of Frogwell Primary 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 Wiltshire.

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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 :rebecca.jackson@tribalgroup.com

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place in January 2011

 Raise achievement in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1 and 2 by:

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place in January 2011

 improving the quality of teaching and assessment  developing planning that effectively uses information about pupils' prior achievement to ensure that work set allows all pupils, including boys and the most able, to achieve their best  making sure that pupils know and understand their targets in English and mathematics and have an opportunity to refer to these regularly  ensuring that marking provides pupils with clear guidance on how to improve their work.

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place in January 2011

 Ensure leaders and managers at all levels, including the governing body, are effective in driving forward improvements, by:

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place in January 2011

 using current data more effectively to gain a clear grasp of pupils’ progress, both within subjects and as pupils move up through the school  developing a systematic cycle for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning  providing subject leaders with sufficient time so that the quality of monitoring has a sharper focus on measuring the impact of initiatives on pupils' progress.

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Evidence

Inspectors observed the school’s work, scrutinised documents and met with the headteacher, members of the governing body, phase and subject leaders, groups of pupils and representatives from the local authority.

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Context

The local authority removed the governing body’s delegated powers, in line with its protocols for schools requiring special measures. Since the inspection, several changes have taken place in the membership of the governing body and a new chair and vice chair have been appointed. New chairs have also been appointed to two of the governing body’s committees. Four teachers, including the deputy headteacher and English leader, are on maternity leave or sick leave. The work of the English leader is currently being covered by the Key Stages 1 and 2 leaders, who are both members of the senior leadership team.

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

Improving pupils’ learning has rightly been central to the school’s work since the last inspection. Teachers have received training from a range of consultants from the local authority. This has focused on improving the quality and consistency of teaching, as this is at the heart of eradicating the inconsistencies in pupils’ learning and progress and raising standards. In all classes, pupils’ prior levels of attainment are now being used to guide teachers’ plans for English and mathematics lessons, and in some classes, the plans highlight the pupils who are to be particularly targeted.

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

The teachers’ assessments for pupils in Year 2 are leading the school to expect better attainment this year in reading, writing and mathematics. This applies both to the proportion of pupils reaching the expected levels and those achieving the higher Level 3. However, attainment at Year 6 in English and mathematics is expected to fall, even when the pupils who attend the specialist resource centre, all of whom have a statement of special educational needs, are taken out of the calculations.

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

Pupils’ progress in English and mathematics continues to show inconsistencies. There are some signs of pupils’ progress beginning to pick up. For example, in Year 2, many pupils who made slower progress in mathematics between September and December 2010 have made accelerated progress since. In contrast, in Year 6, pupils’ progress in writing and mathematics has not accelerated sufficiently since the last inspection. Attainment in several year groups remains lower than it should be; especially given children’s starting points at the end of the Reception Year. More work is needed to raise attainment in Year 5 in both English and mathematics and in Year 4 in writing and mathematics. Pupils in Year 1 also have ground to make up in reading, writing and mathematics if their attainment is to meet or exceed the nationally expected levels when these pupils reach the end of Year 2.

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

The senior leaders and teachers, with support from the local authority, have put some important procedures in place to improve teaching and learning and to lay the foundations for raising attainment. Inevitably, these are still at an early stage of development and approaches are more successful in some classes than others. They have not yet had time to embed and develop and it is therefore too soon to see the results reflected in pupils’ achievement and in raised standards.

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

Progress since the last section 5 inspection on the areas for improvement:  Raise achievement in English and mathematics in Key Stages 1 and 2 – satisfactory.

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Other relevant pupil outcomes

Attendance has remained broadly average since the inspection and there have been no exclusions. Behaviour during the monitoring inspection was good with no instances of inappropriate behaviour observed. Pupils related well to one another and were keen to talk to inspectors about their learning. They like having individual targets to help them to improve. In most lessons, pupils responded very positively when asked to work with a partner to work out an answer or to come up with an idea. A successful ‘Wake and Shake’ session was observed, led by pupils in Year 6. This was lively and much enjoyed by everyone.

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The effectiveness of provision

Teachers are developing confidence and expertise in using the new approaches introduced since the last inspection and making them their own. These are having a greater impact on pupils’ learning in some classes more than others. During the monitoring inspection, the lessons observed ranged from outstanding to inadequate showing that teaching remains too variable. This is also reflected in pupils’ written work, which shows similar variability.

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The effectiveness of provision

Some successful lessons were observed during the monitoring inspection when teachers used their knowledge of individual pupils’ needs and targets skilfully to guide their lesson planning and teaching. Some teachers made very good use of the time available, and adopted a range of strategies, to focus learning for individuals or groups, clarify tasks, or move pupils on by introducing an extra degree of challenge. Strengths were seen in both mathematics and writing lessons. Teaching assistants are beginning to have a greater influence on pupils’ learning in most classes, especially when the teachers provide clear guidance and manage their work. However, instances of teachers talking for too great a proportion of the lesson and using a limited range of questioning strategies remain weaker features in the teaching. These limit the opportunities for pupils to engage, and be involved in, the lesson and their interest wanes.

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The effectiveness of provision

One area that has moved forward most is the approach to planning lessons. A common format is now in place in both key stages and all plans now show what pupils of differing abilities should achieve by the end of the lesson. The detail behind these different tasks and expectations does vary somewhat between classes. There are good examples where pupils across the ability range are given appropriate work and challenge. This is contrasted by other lessons where all pupils, or groups of pupils, are not given appropriate work for their abilities. This holds back their learning and, at times, leads to inadequate learning and progress overall. An example occurred where a large group of more able pupils were not being challenged appropriately and made very slow progress in the lesson.

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The effectiveness of provision

Over recent weeks, a system for sharing the main purpose of the lesson with pupils has been introduced. Linked to this, pupils are given a short list of the main features that teachers will be looking for so that pupils can check how well they have succeeded. This is a positive development and a good start has been made in most classes.

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The effectiveness of provision

The school’s new marking policy provides teachers with clear and helpful guidance and is being implemented in all classes although this is most evident in pupils’ writing books. Pupils are increasingly receiving helpful advice on how to improve their writing and what to work on next. For younger pupils, some teachers annotate their work in great detail, noting the particular aspects that pupils have achieved. In a few classes, pupils are encouraged to respond to the teachers’ marking, for example, by writing a few sentences to show that they have done what the teacher asked them to try. This is contrasted by books where pupils are given suggestions for their next steps but subsequent marking does not refer to this or praise pupils when they have achieved success.

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The effectiveness of provision

All pupils now have target sheets in the front of their English and mathematics books. This has started particularly successfully in some classes, with pupils and teachers checking regularly whether targets have been achieved. In other classes, this has not yet got off the ground to the same extent and target sheets are often blank. Teachers are making more references to pupils’ English and mathematics targets in lessons but these are not necessarily followed up during the lesson to support pupils’ learning.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The senior leaders responded without delay following the school’s last inspection and did not lose any time in starting to plan for the school’s improvement, with the support of the local authority. The new improvement plan includes specific measures of success relating clearly to each key area for improvement. This underpins the work of the senior leadership team and provides clear direction for all staff. Appropriate procedures are in place to review the school’s progress against the actions and priorities in the plan, and the respective responsibilities of senior leaders, the governing body and the local authority are also clearly signalled.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The senior leaders have not yet had an opportunity to monitor and evaluate the extent to which the new approaches and initiatives are having an impact on improving the achievement of groups, particularly any who have been identified as underachieving. However, the senior leadership team is aware that this is an important step and appropriate changes have been made to enable this to happen in the future. For example, reviews of pupils’ progress are to be conducted more regularly and systems for tracking and monitoring pupils’ progress from term to term are being refined and developed. The systems for monitoring pupils’ longer-term progress is not yet secure, to assure leaders that all pupils are building upon their prior attainment successfully from year to year. The analysis of pupils’ progress, carried out recently by the Key Stages 1 and 2 leaders and the School Improvement Partner, gives only a broad view of progress because it is based on the average

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

progress made by each year group. It masks some clear inconsistencies between classes and subjects that become apparent when pupils’ progress is examined in more detail.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The advisory headteacher, from the local authority, has carried out a programme of joint lesson observations to support the school’s evaluation of teaching and learning. This is developing steadily and plans are in place to involve all members of the senior leadership team, to help build the leaders’ capacity and strengthen the accuracy of self-evaluation. The written reports from lessons recognise the strengths in the teaching and provide pointers for further development. They do not yet focus fully on the quality of learning for different groups of pupils, for example more able pupils, during the lesson.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The role of the governing body has developed since the last inspection. Arrangements for linking governors with subjects have been strengthened and a new procedure developed for recording governors’ visits. A governor has also been assigned to take on a key role in monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of the school’s improvement plan. The governing body, in conjunction with the local authority, has also taken positive steps to recruit governors with specialist expertise. This has put the governing body in a stronger position to offer challenge to the school’s leadership team alongside its role in supporting the school’s work. These are positive developments, though still at an early stage. It is too soon to see the impact of the governing body’s role in driving forward improvements and bringing about better outcomes for pupils.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Progress since the last section 5 inspection on the areas for improvement:  Ensure leaders and managers at all levels, including the governing body, are effective in driving forward improvements – satisfactory.

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External support

The local authority’s statement of action, drawn up to bring about rapid improvement in the school’s effectiveness, was submitted soon after the school’s last inspection and judged by Her Majesty’s Inspectors to be fit for purpose. The school has benefited from well-targeted support from the local authority through the advisory teacher and other consultants. This advice is clearly influencing practice in classrooms as teachers are broadening their teaching strategies and most impact has been seen in improving the consistency and quality of teachers’ planning. A n associate governor has been appointed to the governing body from the local authority to provide ongoing advice and support. The School Improvement Partner has worked with the Key Stages 1 and 2 leaders to analyse pupils’ progress in English and mathematics since September, and since the last inspection. This joint work has supported phase leaders’ awareness of the progress in each year group.

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External support

However, the resulting report does not identify sufficiently where the specific weaknesses lie in pupils’ achievement, in order to provide helpful challenge for the school’s leadership team and its governing body.

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