Setting

Mrs Adamski Creswell Junior School Elmton Road Worksop S80 4JD

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Junior School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 6 July 2011, for the time you gave to our phone discussions and for the information which you provided before and during the inspection. Please pass on my thanks to pupils, staff and the Chair of the Governing Body who took the time to talk to me.

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Junior School

Since the time of the last inspection a new post of deputy headteacher has been created and filled by an existing member of staff. The Vice Chair of the Governing Body has taken on the role of Chair.

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Junior School

As a result of the inspection on 19 January 2010, 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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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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Junior School

Improvements in pupils’ attainment and progress noted in the previous inspection have continued. The most recent results for Year 6 pupils demonstrate a marked improvement and most pupils gained higher levels this year in English and mathematics. There are clear signs of improvement and the school’s robust tracking demonstrates that more pupils are making good progress in reading and writing. Work to address under-achievement has been effective and swift; especially for the significant number of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to be eligible for free school meals. The attainment of girls of average ability is below that of other groups and actions to address this have not been as successful as other interventions. Serco Inspections Cedar House 21 William Street Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1LH Ofsted T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Junior School

Serco Direct T 0121 683 3888 September 2010 Page 2 The reason for these marked improvements is because teaching is better and more consistent. Most teaching in the school is good because teachers use assessment information to carefully plan tailored tasks that suit the needs of pupils. The school’s focus on improving pupils’ basic skills has resulted in them producing extended pieces of well-presented, imaginative work. Teachers’ questioning skills are not always fully developed and, consequently, opportunities to offer additional challenge and support for the most and least able are sometimes missed.

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Junior School

Pupils told the inspector how proud they were of their work, especially their writing, and gave detailed explanations of how they could improve it. Teachers have also embraced opportunities to promote pupils’ speaking and listening skills. For example, in a good Year 5 and 6 lesson, drama was used effectively with less able pupils to enable them to articulate key characters’ thoughts and feelings. However, the assessment of pupils’ speaking and listening skills is not as robust as it is in other areas.

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Junior School

Senior leaders have implemented rigorous systems for checking the quality of the school’s work. In particular, the monitoring they have done of the quality of learning has been used effectively to challenge and support teachers to improve their practice. Consequently, most lessons are good or better and teaching has improved strongly. There remains a small element of satisfactory teaching and senior leaders and teachers are acutely aware of the need to focus on this and secure swift improvement. Teachers and other adults feel well supported and so morale is high.

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Junior School

The role of the governing body is developing steadily. Members of the governing body visit the school regularly. The quality of the reports arising from these visits is improving. Members of the governing body have embraced training opportunities with enthusiasm. They are developing a good understanding of their responsibilities. However, the quality of challenge they offer to the school has been slower to improve.

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Junior School

External support from the local authority has been effective in helping the school to adopt practical strategies to raise standards in English and in assisting the governing body in improving their work. The rigorous and effective monitoring along with the marked improvement in pupils’ achievement demonstrates the school’s better capacity to sustain these improvements.

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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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took place in January 2010

 Raise standards in English by: - teaching the basic skills of writing, including spelling and handwriting, to enable the pupils to produce extended pieces of imaginative work - developing further opportunities for speaking and listening to enable pupils to build a wider and more descriptive vocabulary.

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took place in January 2010

 Ensure the quality of teaching and learning are consistently good by: - making full and effective use of assessment information to set challenging work for all groups of pupils - rigorously monitoring and evaluating the quality of planning, teaching and learning to ensure the consistent development of key skills.

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took place in January 2010

 Develop the role of governors by: - providing more training so that governors have greater understanding of how to develop their roles in order to fully meet their responsibilities - extending the programme of focused visits to the school to ensure a greater first-hand knowledge of the curriculum and standard

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