Setting

Mrs Laura Crane Whoberley Hall Primary School Overdale Road Coventry CV5 8AJ

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Education act 2005 to Whoberley Hall Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 28 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 Whoberley Hall Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection on 15-16 November 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 senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing body and another governor. Discussions were also held with two representatives of the local authority and the school council. The school improvement plan, the minutes of the meetings of the governing body and the schools records of its recent monitoring activity were scrutinised.

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Context

Since the inspection in November 2012 a new Chair of Governors has been elected. Serco Inspections Colmore Plaza 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T :0121 679 9169 Direct email : elizabeth.rashvand@serco.com

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Main findings

The governing body is clear about its role in holding the school’s leaders to account. Crucially, governors have the expertise required to undertake this role effectively; for instance, they have a good awareness of the key assessment information and what this indicates about the school’s effectiveness. They are using their expertise well; for instance, through linking a governor with a strong interest in science and computing to these subjects in the school’s curriculum.

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Main findings

The school has a new improvement plan that reflects all of the outcomes of the inspection in November. The plan communicates high expectations about the quality of teaching and the progress that pupils are expected to make. The school acknowledges that the plan requires some further refinement to help ensure improvement can be effectively evaluated.

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Main findings

Since the last inspection, there is already evidence that pupils’ knowledge of letters and sounds has improved due to the effective implementation of a more systematic approach to the teaching of this aspect. Middle leaders are becoming more involved in monitoring the work of the school and are ensuring the effective spreading of the good and outstanding practice. Pupils appreciate the greater clarity in the feedback they receive as a result of the changes made to the school’s marking policy. Pupils on the council are excited about the current plans being developed to involve them more in evaluating learning.

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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

 Enhance the arrangements for checking the progress the school is making, through identifying further quantifiable targets and naming who is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the actions in the school development plan.

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Main findings

 HMI will undertake a monitoring visit within the next six months.

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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

Recent consultant support for literacy has been well adapted to meet the needs of the school and, as a result, has accelerated the improvements being made to writing. The work of the Education Improvement Adviser has contributed to increased governor confidence in being able to hold senior leaders to account. However, the governing body is a little over reliant on the meeting agendas provided by the local authority. The local authority needs to further encourage governors to take responsibility for the agendas of its meetings.

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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 Coventry.

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