Setting

Mrs J Myers Headteacher Weyford Junior School Washford Lane Bordon Hampshire GU35 0ET

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Education act 2005 to Weyford Junior School

Following my visit to your school on Wednesday 12 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 Weyford 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 headteacher and other senior leaders, teachers, representatives of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The school improvement and raising achievement plan (RAP) were evaluated.

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Context

There have no significant changes since the inspection.

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Main findings

The headteacher and senior leaders have taken positive action since the inspection. Leaders, governors and the local authority are working collectively to drive the school to become good as quickly as possible. However, the timescales for this have 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 5319 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Direct email : matthew.parker@ tribalgroup.com yet to be finalised and included in the improvement plan. The existing RAP has been revised to include the areas for improvement identified at the last inspection. The plan includes appropriate actions, timescales and intentions. However, it is not always clear when activities will start and finish or how the school will measure its own progress through milestones during the period of the plan. Activities started in the last year, and which have been strengthened further since the inspection, are

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Main findings

starting to have a positive impact on improving the quality of teaching and in raising pupils’ achievement. Good emphasis has been given to professional training for teachers and teaching assistants including observing teachers in other local schools and sharing effective practice within the school. Middle leaders are starting to take a more active role in developing and monitoring their subjects and phases to ensure that training is being implemented consistently across all classes.

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Main findings

Following training, all pupils now have target cards in mathematics which are being used to raise expectations and aspirations. This is being replicated in English from January. Teachers are more effectively using the information gained from assessing and monitoring pupils’ progress which is starting to increase the level of challenge in activities for pupils with different abilities. Marking is helping pupils to better understand how well they are doing and their next steps in learning. Staff say they feel motivated by the changes and are enjoying the increased opportunities to discuss, share and improve their teaching practices. They recognise that the new international primary curriculum, introduced in September, is leading to pupils being more excited about learning and includes a broader range of opportunities for pupils to use their literacy and numeracy skills in different subjects.

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Main findings

Leaders have started to work with their partner infant school and other local schools to strengthen the arrangements for when pupils join the school at different times. They have started to explore different strategies that will support further the smooth transition into the school especially when pupils enter the school with lower than expected knowledge and skills.

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Main findings

The local authority has been working with governors over the past year, including a broad range of training, to develop their strategic roles and responsibilities. Governors are now more involved in the direct monitoring of the schools work and analysis of assessment information which is enabling them to ask more challenging questions of senior leaders to hold them to account for the schools work.

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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

 ensure a greater understanding of the timescales for the schools improvement to good between senior leaders, governors and the local authority  include more measurable milestones in the action plan to help track and monitor the schools journey to good  include more specific information on the start and finish dates for initiatives and actions to enable better monitoring of their implementation and impact on pupils achievement.

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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 improve to improve the schools work well. The headteacher and local authority officers have worked together to revise the RAP plan and to evaluate aspects of the schools work. The consultants work in mathematics and English has been particularly effective. The headteacher has been pro-active in creating links with other local schools to support improvements. For example, through opportunities for staff to observe outstanding teaching, for implementing and assessing pupils progress through the new curriculum and to explore the variety of arrangements for pupils who join the school at different times.

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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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