Setting

Mrs J Bradshaw Executive Headteacher Denmead Junior School Bere Road Waterlooville Hampshire PO7 6PH

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Education act 2005 to Denmead Junior School

Following my visit to your school on Monday 17 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 Denmead Junior 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 executive headteacher and head of school, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. A range of documentation was scrutinised, including the school development plan, assessment and pupil progress data and monitoring evidence.

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Context

Since the recent inspection, which judged the school to require improvement, the only significant staffing change has been that one teacher has left and a replacement has been appointed.

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Main findings

The governors, executive headteacher and head of school have welcomed the outcomes of the inspection and are taking suitable action to address the weaknesses 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 identified. Governors and senior leaders are pleased that the school is now no longer the subject of a category of concern, but recognise that there is still much to achieve before they can be judged as good.

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Main findings

A strategic improvement plan has been drawn up to address the weaknesses identified in the last inspection. Although it identifies suitable actions and long term success criteria, it lacks sufficient detail about how, when and by whom the impact of such actions will be monitored and evaluated. In addition, the actions are not broken down into shorter term stepping stones, against which progress and success can be measured in detail. The allocation of resources to achieve the plan’s outcomes is also unclear. The governors have a clear strategic plan for monitoring the school’s progress in addressing the weaknesses identified in the last inspection report. Leaders recognise the need to ensure that both these plans complement each other so as to ensure a more cohesive approach towards improving the quality of the school’s provision.

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Main findings

Plans to broaden the curriculum have been drawn up and this is a priority for January. However, the school is at an early stage of identifying how the progressive development in literacy and numeracy skills will be built into other areas of the curriculum. For example, the current lack of a clear policy on calculation is hindering the development of problem solving skills in mathematics and other subjects.

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Main findings

Pupil progress meetings and systems to monitor the quality of teaching, including feedback to pupils, are more rigorous and make clear links to a well-designed system of managing teachers’ performance. Teachers have clear targets which are linked to pupils’ achievement and this is effectively holding teachers to account. As a result, the school’s monitoring data is indicating that the quality of teaching is improving.

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Main findings

Governors are well organised, skilful and know the school well. They have provided sharply focused challenge and support during and following the time that the school required significant improvement. They have suitable plans for holding leaders to account, which link clearly to improvement planning priorities.

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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

 develop the school’s improvement planning so that it breaks down planned actions into clearer milestones which have specific success criteria and indicates more precisely how, when and by whom progress will be monitored and evaluated and what resources will be allocated to achieve the desired outcomes.  ensure that plans for broadening the curriculum include a clearer indication of how literacy and numeracy skills will be developed across the curriculum. Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection.

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External support

The local authority have worked very effectively with the school during its journey out of a category for concern, and are rightly reducing the level of support to reflect the school’s increasing capacity to know what it needs to do to improve. However, the authority is rightly continuing to monitor the school regularly and provide support and training for specific areas such as in accurate monitoring and assessment and support for recently appointed middle and senior leaders.

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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 Hampshire.

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