Setting

Deborah Rowles Headteacher The James Oglethorpe Primary School Ashvale Gardens Upminster RM14 3NB

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Education act 2005 to The James Oglethorpe Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 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 The James Oglethorpe Primary 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 and other senior leaders, the governing body, two representatives of the local authority and six pupils from Years 5 and 6. The school’s improvement plans were evaluated. Pupils’ books were scrutinised, teaching observed and the school’s data on pupils’ achievement was analysed. Documents relating to the performance management of teachers were looked at and discussed.

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Context

Since the school was last inspected there have been no significant changes in staffing and no changes in the school’s context.

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Main findings

The meticulous way in which the school has prepared for the monitoring visit is indicative of its concerted and detailed approach to improvement planning. 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 3115319 Direct F 0117 3150430 Direct email :matthew.parker@tribalgroup.com Immediately following the inspection the senior leadership put in place an interim improvement plan to ensure that valuable time was not lost before the report was published. This was followed by a more detailed improvement plan which was agreed by staff and governors. Parents have been kept well informed about what the school is doing to improve. The senior leadership team has taken urgent action to promote improvement. As a result, the quality of lesson planning has improved and learning more consistently matches teaching to pupils’ differing abilities.

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Main findings

Improvement planning is closely linked to the Ofsted areas for improvement and uses measurable success criteria to judge the impact of actions on teaching. What it lacks are measurable links to pupils’ achievement to allow the governing body to hold the school fully to account.

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Main findings

The governing body is playing an important role in school improvement. It carefully monitors the school improvement plan and is increasingly well placed to ask difficult questions about pupils’ achievement. Performance management has a sharper focus on measurable outcomes for pupils, the Teachers’ Standards and the impact of professional development. It is increasingly linked to how well pupils are doing.

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Main findings

Senior leaders and governors are taking 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

 Use the school’s own expertise and links with other schools to continue to improve the quality of teaching through ensuring that teachers are able to observe high quality practice and teach alongside colleagues.

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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 school is making good use of the expertise available through the local authority. Since the school was inspected there have been joint lesson observations to review the quality of teaching, focused support for mathematics and whole school support for assessing how well pupils are doing. The school has developed links across a cluster of local schools in order to improve teaching through observing outstanding practice.

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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 the London Borough of Havering.

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