Setting

Anne Perry Headteacher St Giles Junior School Hayes Lane Exhall Coventry CV7 9NS

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Education act 2005 to St Giles Junior School

Following my visit to your school on 29 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 St Giles Junior School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in 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 headteacher and deputy headteacher, members of the Governing Body and a school improvement officer commissioned by the local authority. The school rapid improvement plan was evaluated. A tour of the school was undertaken with the headteacher and deputy headteacher. A range of school documentation was scrutinised, and discussions were held that related to monitoring teaching and the performance of staff.

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Context

There have been no significant changes in context since the section 5 inspection, which judged the school to require improvement. Three parent governors have joined the governing body since the last inspection.

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Main findings

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 683 3288 Direct email : beverley.joyner@serco.com The school has spent much time revising and refining its Action and Monitoring Plan. There has been a tendency in the past for the headteacher and deputy headteacher to attend directly to the pastoral needs of the pupils and the day-to-day running of the school. This has sometimes detracted from them working strategically and tackling raising pupils’ achievement and progress efficiently. Senior leaders now realise the necessity of prioritising and taking the necessary rapid action required to improve the school. There are currently insufficient checks on staff with key responsibilities to ensure they are fulfilling their roles effectively and helping to drive improvement. The system of managing the performance of staff to hold them better

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Main findings

to account for the work of the school will help to address this. There is a desire to work even more closely with parents and carers in order to raise the poor attendance of some pupils and to assist their involvement in their children’s learning to help to raise achievement.

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Main findings

A recent review of the Governing Body showed that governors did not fully understand their roles and statutory duties, or have sufficient grasp of recent guidelines. Therefore, they have not been holding the school to account effectively in all areas of its work. They are committed and willing to undertake further training to better enable them to carry out their duties. New governors from relevant educational backgrounds bring the necessary knowledge and expertise and have a clear understanding of what needs to be tackled and their priorities.

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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

 following training, ensure the governing body plans for how it is going to fulfil its statutory responsibilities and effectively check and evaluate the work of the school  ensure that the headteacher and deputy headteacher remain focussed on ensuring that the activities specified in the Rapid Action and Monitoring Plan are carried out to timescales and that information gained from this is followed up  monitor staff with key responsibilities to ensure they are effectively fulfilling their roles  continue to develop the partnership with parents and carers to ensure their attendance at school events and have an increased involvement in their children’s learning.  HMI should return to the school to monitor the development of the strategic role of the governing body to check it is providing sufficient monitoring and effective challenge to the school.

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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 drawing well on external support provided by the local authority and other specially commissioned advisers, including a headteacher from a local leader in education (LLE) school. This has helped senior leaders to develop a robust action plan and begin to improve governance, so that there is greater consistency of provision and progress of pupils across every year group. Recognising there is still much to do, school leaders, including governors, continue to require access to additional external training and support.

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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 Warwickshire.

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