Setting

Mrs Katy Young Headteacher Cove Junior School Fernhill Road Cove Farnborough Hampshire GU14 9SA

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Education act 2005 to Cove Junior School

Following my visit to your school on Wednesday 23 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 Cove 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, the Local Authority Area Manager, ten members of the governing body and a group of pupils. The school action plan was evaluated. The lead inspector visited a number of classes accompanied by members of the senior leadership team

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Context

Since the last section 5 inspection, the acting deputy headteacher has been appointed to the substantive post. The governing body has designated its curriculum committee as the ‘Raising Standards Committee’. 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

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Main findings

The school action plan addresses all of the relevant areas for improvement identified in the last section 5 inspection. It is clear from the plan what action is to be taken, who will monitor for progress against the plan and how success will be measured. The plan also identifies key times across the year when progress will be measured during monitoring meetings attended by senior and middle leaders, as well as by a member of the governing body. Leaders have already started to develop pupils’ understanding of targets by providing most of them with national curriculum attainment descriptors for writing and mathematics. However, pupils are not yet informed of what level the school expects them to have achieved by the end of each year. Pupils told the inspector they would welcome this information. Systems for tracking pupils’ achievement have been refined. Leaders have also directed experienced teachers towards supporting targeted children in Years 5 and 6 to

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Main findings

develop their skills in mathematics and writing. Although meetings to discuss pupils’ progress already take place, senior leaders school would gain more from these meetings by using them to hold middle leaders to account for pupils’ performance, and by using evidence gathered on the quality of teaching, marking and students’ achievement to measure the quality of teaching and progress over time.

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Main findings

Governors are committed to raising standards. Members of the governing body have reviewed their committee structure and have sharpened their focus on achievement by designating the Curriculum Committee as the ‘Raising Standards Committee’.

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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

 embed and further develop the use of targets for pupils so that they know what they are expected to achieve over the longer term  make sure that pupils’ progress meetings are used to the very best effect, so that middle leaders and classroom teachers are held to account for the progress of pupils in their care  use all available evidence gathered through monitoring systems to measure what good progress looks like over time, particularly through scrutiny of pupils’ books.

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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 has supported the school well. For example, it helped school leaders to fine tune the action plan and is providing appropriate support to assist school leaders in achieving the challenging targets set out in the plan. The local authority’s Leadership and Learning Partner acts as a coach to the new deputy headteacher, and works alongside the English and mathematics managers to support them in maximising their role.

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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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