Setting

Mr Jon Parry Uxendon Manor Primary School Vista Way Kenton Harrow HA3 0UX

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Manor 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. Could you also pass on my thanks to the Chair and the Vice-Chair of the Governing Body, the local authority School Improvement Partner and to pupils to whom I spoke.

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Manor Primary School

Since the last inspection, the senior leadership team has been reduced to three members, namely the headteacher, deputy headteacher and an advanced skills teacher. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the Governing Body are relatively new to their posts and were appointed in September 2011.

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Manor Primary School

As a result of the inspection on 17 and 18 November 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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Manor 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.

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In 2011, pupils’ attainment in their national tests demonstrated good improvements on the previous year. Pupils in Year 6 achieved standards that were in line with national averages for both English and mathematics. The proportion of pupils who achieved high grades was significantly above the national average in mathematics. However, boys did not attain nationally expected high grades in English. The Tribal 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 0117 315 0430 Direct email : rebecca.jackson@tribalgroup.com January 2012 Page 2 progress that these pupils made from their starting points was exceptional. Middle- ability boys did not perform as well as their peers. The highly effective use of pupils’ performance data and the robust scrutiny of the leadership team enable timely intervention measures to be implemented which has strongly contributed to the

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school’s rise in achievement. There is strong indication that this rise will continue in 2012.

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In lessons seen, there is an increasing use by pupils of peer- and self-assessment to assess their depth of understanding. In some lessons, pupil discussion groups enabled them to extend their learning. Many of Year 6 pupils know their attainment targets but not always what they need to do to improve in their overall performance in subjects. The developing ‘talk for writing’ opportunities make a positive difference to pupils’ vocabulary, and the progress boys make in writing remains a particular focus. Pupils learn well when they are stretched and challenged. This was seen in a Year 5 mathematics lesson where more-able pupils were encouraged to work independently on complex tasks.

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The vast majority of teaching seen is satisfactory, which accords with the school’s view. The school’s determined drive on improving the use of pupils’ assessment by teachers has resulted in good improvements to lesson planning for the needs of different pupils, although a few plans fail to enable some to make effective progress as the tasks are pitched inappropriately. In the strongest lesson seen, the teacher had high expectations of her pupils which resulted in tasks being undertaken that were challenging for all abilities. The fast pace of the lesson contributed to good learning as pupils gained a sense of achievement from completing difficult activities quickly. There are improvements in the quality of teachers’ marked work which enables pupils to know how well they are progressing. Pupils are familiar with the notation used in their books which includes areas they need to focus on. However, this is not consistent throughout the school. In some lessons, teachers talked for too

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long and, as a consequence, the pace of learning was too slow. Some pupils’ tasks lacked sufficient challenge to enable them to do their best. In one lessons seen, the creative curriculum of ‘music to tell tales’ allowed Year 3 pupils to broaden their understanding of different musical instruments and classical music. In some lessons seen, there was good support given to pupils by teaching assistants, especially for those with a disability.

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Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school, which is in line with what was seen at the last inspection. The levels of fixed-period exclusions have significantly declined and pupils say that behaviour is good and improving around the school. The many good strategies to improve pupils’ attendance have been successful in raising January 2012 Page 3 attendance to an average position after some years of being low. There are strong indications that attendance continues to improve rapidly in 2012.

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Pupils enjoy school and feel that teachers provide good support. They say they have good opportunities to voice their concerns to senior teachers through the school’s council. They are appreciative of access to pupil mediators or buddies when conflicts or difficulties at school arise.

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Since the last inspection, leaders and managers have worked hard to improve attainment and attendance. The school’s information for 2012 suggests that both are set to rise further. Attainment of pupils in Key Stage 1 and children in the Early Years Foundation Stage has also improved. Actions taken to improve attainment are extremely well targeted and are based on the robust use of data. Support for those who underachieve is implemented swiftly. The review of the senior leadership team has resulted in clear responsibilities for all members and they undertake these duties well. Self-evaluation is accurate and is based upon the school’s performance; it identifies strengths and weaknesses well. However, some actions need to be time bound. This is building the school’s capacity to bring about further improvements. The role that middle managers play in school improvement is not defined and a clearer structure needs to be implemented in order for these managers to contribute

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effectively to self-evaluation and school improvement.

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The senior leadership team is focused on improving the quality of teaching which has enabled the school to considerably reduce the proportion of inadequate teaching. However, the quality of teaching has not improved enough to ensure pupils make good progress in lessons. Many continued professional development programmes have been devised, including peer observations, but the full impact of these measures is not realised. The process of providing individual support plans for weaker teaching is in place, although this has not brought about significant improvements. Members of the governing body know the school well and there has been progress in developing a governing body that provides an increased level of scrutiny and challenge to the school’s work. The former local authority School Improvement Partner has been robust in her challenge to school leaders and has supported the school well in improving the Early Years Foundation Stage attainment

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and the school’s assessment of the quality of teaching.

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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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place in November 2010

 Raise pupils’ attainment, especially in English, and improve the quality of teaching and learning to at least good by: – ensuring teachers set work that more closely matches the needs and abilities of all groups – giving staff more opportunities to share and build on good practice – implementing the recently introduced assessment strategies consistently across the school.

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place in November 2010

 Ensuring senior and middle leaders raise expectations and accelerate pupils’ learning by: – developing the skills in critically evaluating the impact of teaching and learning – rigorously analysing and using assessment information so that all pupils make accelerated progress.

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place in November 2010

 By July 2011, ensure that pupils’ attendance is at least in line with the national average.

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