Setting

Mrs H Rouse Headteacher Eynesbury CofE C Primary School Montagu Street Eynesbury St Neots PE19 2TD

p.1

CofE C Primary School

Thank you for the help which you and your staff gave when I inspected your school on 25 January 2012 and for the information which you provided during the inspection. Please also pass on my thanks to the pupils and the Chair of the Governing Body for their help during the inspection.

p.1

CofE C Primary School

There are no significant changes in the school’s context since the last inspection.

p.1

CofE C Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 10 June 2010, the school was asked to address the most important areas for improvement which are set out in the annex to this letter.

p.1

CofE C Primary School

Having considered all the evidence, I am of the opinion that at this time the school has made satisfactory progress in making improvements.

p.1

Achievement of pupils at the school

Achievement remains satisfactory. Most Year 6 pupils who left the school in 2011 made the expected amount of progress from their starting points in Year 2 in English, and a large majority did so in mathematics. Disabled pupils and those with special educational needs made satisfactory progress. All pupils known to be eligible for free school meals reached the expected Level 4 in English and mathematics. Attainment in writing is improving. In 2011, most pupils in Year 2 reached the expected Level 2, although very few attained the higher Level 3. The school’s own tracking data and evidence in pupils’ books show that pupils are making better progress in writing in almost every year group. Attainment in writing in Year 2 and Year 6 this year are at higher levels than they were last year. Attainment and achievement in mathematics have dipped since the last inspection and suitable action is being taken to remedy this.

p.1

Achievement of pupils at the school

Serco Inspections Cedar House 21 William Street Edgbaston Birmingham B15 1LH T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Serco Direct T 0121 683 3888 January 2012 Page 2 Improvements in the teaching and assessment of writing have been introduced. Pupils undertake half-termly writing assessments which are marked and moderated by staff. Attainment levels are recorded and systematically tracked, and pupils’ progress is discussed by senior leaders and class teachers at termly meetings. Intervention programmes are organised for those pupils who are making insufficient progress. All pupils have targets to help them improve aspects of their writing; Year 6 pupils are able to explain how their work is assessed, at which levels they are working and the level they are aiming for. Teachers plan writing activities which stimulate the interest and engagement of boys and girls. There are also many more

p.1

Achievement of pupils at the school

opportunities for pupils to develop their writing skills across a range of subjects, for example in science, history and religious education.

p.2

The quality of teaching

The quality of teaching seen during the monitoring inspection was satisfactory. Some good teaching was observed and the school’s own observations of lessons indicate that the proportion of good teaching is higher now than at the time of the last inspection. Professional development training for staff has strengthened teachers’ subject knowledge and improved planning and assessment. This has boosted achievement and raised attainment, particularly in writing. Regular monitoring of lessons by senior leaders, with detailed feedback to staff, has raised the overall quality of teaching. The good teaching seen during the inspection was helping pupils to make good progress in improving their key writing skills. Effective assessment and targeted support was guiding individual pupils towards improving weaker features of their writing, such as spelling. There remain, however, aspects of teaching that require more improvement, for example, pitching learning tasks more precisely to

p.2

The quality of teaching

individual pupils’ ability levels. Teachers’ marking has improved since the last inspection and there is a clearly defined marking code which all staff have adopted. Pupils interviewed understood the marking code and how it helps them to know what went well in their written work and how it could be improved. There are still decisions to be made about how best pupils should respond to the comments made in their books. The marking seen in pupils’ topic books was not as detailed as in their English books.

p.2

Behaviour and safety of pupils

Pupils’ behaviour continues to be good. Pupils are attentive in lessons, show positive attitudes to learning and conduct themselves well. Those spoken to during the inspection were courteous and helpful. There are good systems to record and follow- up any instances of unacceptable behaviour or any types of bullying. No exclusions have occurred in the last year. Pupils know and respect the school’s code of conduct and understand the sanctions that apply for any misdemeanours. Pupils’ attendance has improved since the last inspection; it was above the national average in the last academic year. January 2012 Page 3

p.2

The quality of leadership and management of the school

Leadership and management are more effective now than at the time of the last inspection. The senior leadership team has adopted a more systematic and rigorous approach to monitoring the work of the school and evaluating the impact of the steps taken to bring about improvements. There is a sharper focus on tracking pupils’ attainment and progress. Focussed observations of teaching, and scrutinies of pupils’ work and teachers’ planning, are included in a more comprehensive monitoring programme. Key priorities are identified in the school’s improvement plans, which include specific targets and defined outcomes to measure success. A key focus in this year’s plan is raising attainment and accelerating progress in mathematics. The deputy headteacher has led staff meetings and training in order to bring about improvements in planning, assessment and target setting in this subject. Leadership responsibility has been distributed more widely among staff. This has

p.3

The quality of leadership and management of the school

resulted in more emphasis being placed on evaluating the quality of support provided for pupils involved in intervention programmes and in tracking the provision for, and the progress of, vulnerable pupils. Training for staff on improving planning and assessment in writing have been organised well by the literacy leader. The governing body has drawn up an action plan to develop its effectiveness and the role it plays in challenging for improvement. Individual governors have been assigned to monitor progress with the school’s key improvement priorities. Overall, these have strengthened the school’s capacity to sustain improvement.

p.3

The quality of leadership and management of the school

The school has received good support from the local authority in helping to bring about improvements. This has included training and guidance for improving provision in English and mathematics and advice on strengthening aspects of leadership and management.

p.3

The quality of leadership and management of the 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.

p.3

place in June 2010

 Raise standards in writing across the school, especially at the end of Key Stage 1, by:  measuring the impact of strategies to improve attainment  increasing the opportunities for pupils to write across a range of subjects.

p.4

place in June 2010

 Improve the consistency in the quality of teaching and learning by:  ensuring all lessons are at least good or better  ensuring marking shows pupils how to improve.

p.4

place in June 2010

 Increase the effectiveness of leaders and managers at all levels by:  implementing plans to make monitoring more rigorous and systematic  focusing on key priorities and setting measurable targets for improvement.

p.4