Setting

Mrs Liz Burton Headteacher St Mary and John Church of England Primary School Hertford Street Oxford Oxfordshire OX4 3AJ

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Primary School

Following my visit with Mr Andrew Lyons, additional inspector, to your school on 5 and 6 October 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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Primary School

The inspection was the second monitoring inspection since the school became subject to special measures following the inspection which took place in November 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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Primary School

Progress since being subject to special measures is good.

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Primary School

Progress since the last monitoring inspection is good.

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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 Oxfordshire.

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Primary School

Her Majesty’s Inspector Tribal Group 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 1236001 Direct F 0845 1236002 Direct email : matthew.parker@tribalgroup.com Annex

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place in November 2010

Improve the quality of leadership at the highest level by:

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place in November 2010

 instilling strong and effective vision, drive and ambition and ensuring that these permeate the school's work across both sites to raise aspirations and expectations for pupils' academic achievements  ensuring that monitoring and evaluation are systematic, effective and accurate to bring about a strong and demonstrable impact on improving pupils' attainment and achievement.

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place in November 2010

Raise attainment in English and mathematics to above average by the end of Year 6 and narrow the gap between the attainment of Pakistani pupils in school compared to this group nationally, by:

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place in November 2010

 improving the learning and progress of Pakistani pupils in Key Stages 1 and 2  monitoring all pupils' progress more regularly and effectively to identify quickly any pupils who are underachieving and ensure they make accelerated progress  ensuring subject leaders in English and mathematics have a greater impact on improving outcomes, particularly for Pakistani pupils.

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place in November 2010

Improve the consistency and effectiveness of teaching in Key Stages 1 and 2, by:

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place in November 2010

 using the information from pupils' prior attainment and assessments more consistently and effectively to plan appropriate work  broadening the range of strategies used by all teachers to ensure a sharp focus on what pupils of differing abilities should and will learn in lessons  ensuring pupils from Pakistani families are fully included in lessons  implementing an effective system for monitoring the quality of teaching that draws upon a range of evidence and leads to improved learning.

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Evidence

Inspectors scrutinised school documents and pupils’ work, observed lessons and met with the headteacher, senior staff, the inclusion coordinator, groups of pupils, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Governing Body, parents and carers and a representative from the local authority.

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Context

Since the last monitoring inspection, the headteacher has taken up the substantive post having previously been the interim headteacher and then headteacher designate. There have been no other major changes at the school since the last monitoring inspection.

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

There is a trend of improving pupil performance. In discussion with inspectors pupils said they enjoyed their lessons. Year 6 pupils said that they were pleased about how much they had learned since the start of the term.

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

In the most recent 2011 unvalidated national assessments, Year 2 pupils reached well above average levels in reading, writing and mathematics. Attainment of pupils in Year 6 was slightly above average. Pupils performed better in English than mathematics. A much higher than average proportion of pupils reached the higher Level 5 in English. The progress of Year 6 pupils was significantly better than average. In Year 2, the performance of Pakistani pupils was higher than the nationally similar group and in Year 6 they performed closer to their peers nationally, narrowing the previous gap in performance.

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

Across the school there remains some variation in both the progress and attainment of different groups of pupils and between the different year groups. The much improved and more sophisticated analysis of performance is providing senior leaders and class teachers with detailed information about the individual progress of all pupils. The school’s Key Stage 1 assessments were moderated by the local authority and judged to be accurate.

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

Progress since the last inspection on the areas of improvement:

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

 Raise attainment in English and mathematics to above average by the end of Year 6 and narrow the gap between the attainment of Pakistani pupils in school compared to this group nationally – good.

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Other relevant pupil outcomes

Pupils’ behaviour is good and sometimes outstanding. Their attitude to lessons and learning is consistently good. They work willingly on their tasks. In an assembly observed by inspectors pupils’ attitudes, involvement and respectfulness were exemplary. Following a more proactive approach by senior leaders and staff, including the publication of a helpful leaflet for parents and carers, attendance has risen. The school’s most recent analysis shows that attendance is high.

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The effectiveness of provision

Relationships are consistently good in lessons. Pupils mostly work hard and concentrate well, happy to participate, for example by asking and answering questions. These aspects have been sustained since the last inspection. Although the quality of lessons is improving, the quality of pupils’ learning and hence progress is uneven between classes and year groups. Teachers generally plan well and are now much more aware of the different levels of ability in their classes. Teachers frequently use question-and-answer sessions but there are some missed opportunities to extend learning more during these parts of the lessons. There is still improvement needed to ensure that the quality and management of the planned activities and tasks for pupils are promoting consistently good learning in all lessons. The best lessons are sharp and the teaching precise. Where lessons are least effective, the ‘passage’ of learning through the lesson is not clear enough because:

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The effectiveness of provision

 the activities planned do not always have enough potential to develop learning and challenge pupils appropriately  teachers are not fully aware of how individuals and groups are responding to their tasks and how they are achieving  the management of activities is not efficient and causes an unnecessary hiatus in the lesson sequence.

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The effectiveness of provision

Progress since the last inspection on the areas for improvement:

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The effectiveness of provision

Improve the consistency and effectiveness of teaching in Key Stages 1 and 2 – satisfactory.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

The effectiveness of the senior leaders, middle leaders and governors continues to improve. The clear commitment and endeavour of the whole staff have ensured that some key areas of improvement are now embedded. Rigorous monitoring is providing a very clear picture of the progress of individuals and groups of pupils. The inclusion coordinator has a very good understanding about the progress of the most vulnerable groups of pupils and is working closely and effectively with all teachers to help improve provision at classroom level. The local authority inclusion consultant has given good support in this area of the school’s work. Senior leaders’ self-evaluation is accurate. They know clearly what needs to be done. They have a good understanding of the quality of teaching and learning and have implemented a rigorous programme of lesson observations. Their own monitoring shows that there are now more good lessons. Governors have clarified their roles

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

and responsibilities and undertaken a range of training. They work very closely with senior leaders and are working more efficiently. They have further developed activities to gain the views of parents and carers, and pupils. In discussion with inspectors, a small group of parents and carers said they welcomed the improvements in the quality of communication with the school.

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Progress since the last inspection on the areas for improvement:

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The effectiveness of leadership and management

Improve the quality of leadership at the highest level – good.

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External support

The local authority has maintained its good all-round support which has been wide ranging and provided much needed continuity as the roles and responsibilities of the leadership team become fully embedded. The impact of the local authority support is good.

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