Setting

CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 1231231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566932 Direct F 01695 729320 Direct email: hcarnall@cfbt.com

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Mrs Lynn Bragg Headteacher Rose Hill Primary School Elmfield Drive Rose Hill Marple Stockport Cheshire SK6 6DW

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Education act 2005 to Rose Hill Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 10 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 Rose Hill 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, the deputy headteacher, the assistant headteacher, phase leaders, members of the governing body and a representative from the local authority. The school improvement plan was evaluated, a ‘learning walk’ around all classrooms took place and school documentation was examined.

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Main findings

An action plan has been written and agreed based on the areas for improvement identified at the inspection in October 2012. It identifies actions and outcomes and has clear procedures for monitoring and evaluating its effectiveness.

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Main findings

There is a clear management structure in place and the senior leadership team is aware that improvements are needed. There is a focus on improving pupil outcomes and an understanding that standards need to improve. The assistant headteacher has improved the way in which pupils’ data and progress are recorded and displayed. As a result, teachers are becoming more able to intervene when pupils start to fall behind. While assessments are noted on a termly basis, the progress measures are often too wide and do not enable leaders to fully hold staff to account for pupil progress on a termly basis. Furthermore, there is insufficient analysis of data and too little information is gathered on how groups of pupils perform.

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Main findings

The headteacher carries out regular ‘learning walks’ to monitor teaching and learning and feedback is subsequently provided for teachers. The headteacher is aware of the strengths and weaknesses and is developing plans to improve the quality of teaching, for example through team teaching and peer observations. The headteacher is aware that too much teaching still requires improvement. Teachers’ performance management targets are more sharply focused on improving the quality of teaching through the national teaching standards but support programmes are not in place to develop the quality of teaching for individual teachers.

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Main findings

Lesson planning has improved and a more consistent approach across the school has been implemented. The behaviour policy has been up-dated and teaching assistants and mid-day supervisors have received training to implement the recommendations. The marking policy has been reviewed and monitoring by leaders indicates that this is more rigorously applied in pupils’ books. In the best cases pupils respond back to the teachers’ comments.

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Main findings

Key Stage leaders are becoming more involved in school improvement and have a more strategic role including how they support year groups to improve. Staff meetings are more focused on pertinent issues for specific year groups and key stage leaders have greater responsibility for the performance of their teams. Key Stage leaders are becoming more confident in the use of assessment although there is still limited analysis of data. Moderation of pupils’ work is more regular which enables leaders to gain an overview of attainment levels. They are enthusiastic and optimistic about making a difference, but at the present time they are not monitoring the quality of teaching enough and they are not meeting regularly enough as a leadership group.

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Main findings

Governors have received training and are keen to develop their roles further. This includes arranging an external review of the governing body by the local authority. They are developing plans to become more involved with the school, ask more challenging questions and link with subject areas to a greater extent. However, they do not sufficiently understand how groups of pupils are performing because this level of information is not routinely gathered and collated. A new monitoring committee is a positive step to hold leaders to account for their actions.

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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 recommends that further action is taken to:  provide support to rapidly improve teaching that is not judged to be good or better  develop tracking procedures so that the progress and attainment of different pupil groups can be rigorously monitored and smaller steps of progress can be identified  further develop the role of the Key Stage leaders and provide training so they can rigorously monitor their teams  further develop links with local primary schools.

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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 leaders in school are working very closely with the local authority. Support is focused on improving the quality of leadership and management and plans are in place to develop the quality of teaching. This has been well received by all staff. Limited links have been made with high performing local primary schools. Such links would enable the school to widen their experiences of effective school improvement.

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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 Stockport.

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