Setting

Mrs T Cawthra Headteacher Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School Sway Road Brockenhurst Hampshire SO42 7RX

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Education Act 2005 to Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School

Following my visit to your school on Wednesday 6 February 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 Brockenhurst Church of England Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in December 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 the deputy headteacher, teachers, representatives of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The school’s aspirational plan and in-depth action plans were evaluated and the inspector looked at other documents senior leaders use to evaluate the school’s work.

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Context

No significant contextual changes have occurred since the inspection.

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Main findings

The headteacher and other senior leaders, including governors, have taken a range of swift and positive actions since the inspection. The school’s aspirational plan has been expanded well to give higher priority to improving the quality of teaching, 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 particularly in Key Stage 1, and to ensuring that all pupils reach their full potential quickly. The action plan includes comprehensive coverage of all the areas identified for improvement in the inspection report, which has injected urgency and pace into the speed of planned improvements. Timescales are swift but realistic and achievable. The plan identifies a broad range of opportunities for professional development and reflects the determination to return to being a good or better

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Main findings

school in as short a time as possible. The plan has clear milestones but does not include the quantifiable pupil progress targets held elsewhere to help check that actions are having a positive impact on pupils’ achievement.

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Main findings

Senior leaders, governors and teachers acknowledge that the inspection outcome had been a surprise and a disappointment. However, the rapid and focused response is already having a positive impact on improving the school’s work and has quickly generated a momentum of improvement. Teachers say there has been an intense focus on the school’s work since the inspection and that training has been refreshing and useful.

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Main findings

The governing body has a separate section in the action plan related to their role and responsibilities. They have completed an audit of need, which has resulted in development activities and a review of their strategic responsibilities. Governors take an active role in monitoring and supporting the school’s work, including participation in a meeting with parents to outline improvement activities. They recognise that procedures for their visits and recording their findings need to be revised and strengthened to help them challenge and support the school further.

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Main findings

Senior leaders and governors are taking 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

 transfer the quantifiable and measurable pupil progress targets held elsewhere into the action plan to be used as key milestones  include a more explicit reference to the impact on learning in the lesson observation criteria  ensure governors revise their visitor’s policy, record their findings and use the information to challenge and support leaders further.

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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 provided effective, although minimal support, as they are confident that senior leaders and the governing body can bring about the necessary improvements quickly. Plans are in place to use local authority advisers’ expertise to develop the roles of subject leaders further, especially in monitoring and improving their areas of responsibility. 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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