Setting

Mrs Tina Norman Headteacher All Saints CE Aided Primary School Norreys Avenue Wokingham Berkshire RG40 1UX

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Education act 2005 to All Saints CE (Aided) Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 18 January 2013, 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 All Saints CE (Aided) 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, other senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The national Leader of Education who is supporting the school spoke with HMI by telephone. The school’s plan for raising attainment was evaluated.

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Context

Since the inspection, one teacher has left the school and another is on long-term absence. Some restructuring has taken place to cover the vacancy and the absence is covered by a temporary member of staff.

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Main findings

Since the inspection there has been a clear focus on improving the quality of teaching through training and support for staff. Teachers check pupils’ progress 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 5307 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Direct email : Emma.Thomson@ tribalgroup.com more regularly and discuss the progress of specific groups. Nonetheless, the targets set for pupils’ progress and attainment are not high enough to ‘get to good’. Similarly, targets set for teachers may not reflect enough challenge. Systems to measure the progress of children in the Early Years Foundation Stage are still developing. In the meantime, staff are using several ways to help parents become more involved in their children’s learning.

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Main findings

Phase and subject leaders relish the development of their role and two are undertaking a course that will lead to a professional qualification. However, there is some lack of clarity about their accountability for the improvements in the quality of provision and the progress of pupils in the areas for which they are responsible.

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Main findings

The governing body accepts that it had missed the issue around the quality of provision in the Early Years Foundation Stage. Changes to the committee structure and to governors’ responsibilities support a stronger monitoring role in the future. A specific action plan for governors is in development alongside plans for further training.

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Main findings

The school’s very detailed action plan contains actions that are generally appropriate. Weekly and termly timetables of actions are a helpful reminder to all staff of the part they must play in the school’s improvement. The plan is reviewed constantly to check that actions are complete. The week beginning 28 January has been set aside to carry out a range of activities to check the impact of the actions taken so far; this will be a pivotal point in helping the school to decide what needs to be done next.

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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

 strengthen the action plan with more challenging targets for pupils’ attainment and progress and review how these higher targets fit with the targets already set for teachers  ensure there are clear strategies in place to measure the progress of children in the Early Years Foundations Stage  review the accountability of phase leaders for improvements to the quality of teaching and pupils’ achievement in the phase for which they are responsible.

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Main findings

Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection. HMI discussed the possibility of a visit in the summer term to focus on developments in the Early Years Foundation Stage and a whole-school review in about a year.

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External support

The school draws well on a wide range of support and additional resources provided or organised promptly by the local authority following the inspection. The local authority has designated the school a high priority and set up a strategic monitoring group to ensure the school makes progress towards becoming good. It has also set up a school improvement board of key people to meet termly to check the school’s progress. Training for governors is planned and the school is receiving regular support from an Early Years consultant. A National Leader of Education has begun to provide challenge and support for the headteacher and other leaders. In addition, the school is buying support from a literacy consultant.

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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 Wokingham and the diocese of Oxford.

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