Setting

Mrs C Simpson Denham Village Infant School Cheapside Lane Uxbridge UB9 5AE

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Education act 2005 to Denham Village Infant School

Following my visit to your school on 13 December 2012, I write on behalf of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills to report on the findings of my visit. Thank you for the help you gave me and for the time you made available to discuss the actions you are taking to improve the school since the most recent section 5 inspection.

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Education act 2005 to Denham Village Infant School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in October 2012. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with the headteacher, teachers, representatives of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The school improvement plan was evaluated plus a range of other documents that leaders use to monitor and evaluate the schools work.

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Context

The headteacher is leaving the school at the end of December. A new headteacher has been appointed and will take-up post in January 2013. Since the inspection one teacher has left and a supply teacher has been secured to cover this class until the newly appointed teacher joins the school in the summer term. The number on role has declined further since inspection.

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Main findings

The local authority has been providing a range of challenge and support activities for the school during the last year, including training opportunities for teachers and 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 0117 311 5373 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Direct email : jo-anne.harwood@ tribalgroup.com teaching assistants and challenge to the headteacher for the quality of the schools work. They have initiated positive changes to the personnel, roles and responsibilities of governors. Governors have a clear vision and are highly focused on the drive for rapid improvement to become a good school. They are unafraid to tackle difficult issues to ensure that pupils have the best opportunities to make rapid progress and attain high standards. They are now holding leaders to account for the schools work with more rigour.

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Main findings

Since the inspection the existing school improvement plan has been revised with an additional section that includes all areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. This links well with the local authority statement of action and the schools long-term priorities for development. Not all monitoring activities identify specifically when actions or monitoring will start and finish, who will undertake the monitoring or have measurable criteria to support tracking the schools progress towards good.

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Main findings

Changes to staffing since the last inspection has led to some instability with further changes planned from January. As a result, although good emphasis has been given to teachers’ professional training by local authority officers and consultants, new initiatives have yet to be embedded firmly in all age groups. Work started in the Early Years Foundation Stage, to increase the opportunities for the development of children’s’ mathematical skills, are having a positive impact especially in the range of activities being planned and more visual prompts around the indoor and outdoor working spaces.

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Main findings

Leaders have a broad range of assessment and tracking systems and use different formats to record and discuss pupils’ progress with teachers and governors. Not all information makes a clear enough comparison to the national average to ensure that all stakeholders understand fully the progress pupils are expected to make.

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Main findings

Senior leaders and governors have begun to take effective action to tackle the areas requiring improvement identified at the recent section 5 inspection. Following the visit to the school, HMI recommend that further action is taken to:

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Main findings

 include more specific details of when actions will be monitored and by whom  include measurable milestones and criteria to support tracking the schools progress towards good  review assessment systems to ensure all stakeholders understand fully the progress pupils are expected to make in comparison to the national average.

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Main findings

Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The local authority is providing effective support which is helping to improve the schools work, particularly in the Early Years Foundation Stage and in planning activities that better match the different abilities of pupils in one class. The authority has produced a statement of action that indicates how the school has and will continue to be supported by consultants and senior officers. They have been holding the headteacher to account for the schools work rigorously over the last year. They have created effective links with other local schools to support the transition of the new headteacher into his role.

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External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Buckinghamshire.

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