Setting

Helen Cook Greenfields Primary School Ellesborough Close Watford WD19 6QH

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Education act 2005 to Greenfields Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 19 March 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 Greenfields Primary School

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection in January 2013. It was carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005.

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Evidence

During the visit, I held meetings with the headteacher, senior leaders, the vice-chair of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. I evaluated the school’s plans for improvement, visited lessons and spoke to pupils about their work.

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Context

The science subject leader is currently on sick leave and a supply teacher is covering the Year 5 class.

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Main findings

Senior leaders and staff are eager to move the school to good. The senior leadership team have devised a suitable action plan to achieve their goals. The priorities of the school development plan (SDP) are useful, although more coherence between the SDP and the post-Ofsted action plan is required. Some success criteria and 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 completion dates are too vague. In addition, not all subject leaders have clearly defined targets for linking pupils’ progress to improving the quality of teaching.

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Main findings

The quality of teaching is starting to improve. Teachers now make it clear to pupils what they need to learn by the end of the lesson. This is already improving pupils’ progress. However, the temporary staffing arrangements in Year 5 are slowing pupils’ progress in this year group.

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Main findings

The local authority has set challenging achievement targets for the proportion of pupils who should make better than expected progress. Teachers are receiving training from local authority improvement advisers and external consultants to help them set work with a greater level of difficulty for pupils who are more able, though the impact of this is not yet evident. The data available in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 are not sufficiently analysed by teachers to plan pupils’ work on entry to Key Stage 2.

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Main findings

Arrangements for managing teachers’ performance are suitable. The recent external review of governance has raised governors’ awareness of their responsibilities in monitoring the school’s work. The local authority has planned a good range of training sessions for the full governing body.

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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 recommends that further action is taken to:

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Main findings

 bring coherence to planning to focus on what matters most and clarify the impact and time-lines of agreed action  consolidate the role of subject leaders to improve the leadership of teaching and learning across subjects and years, particularly in science and in the foundation subjects  strengthen the analysis of data in the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 to make better prediction and raise teachers’ expectation as pupils enter Key Stage 2.

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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 in several key areas. It assisted the school in devising a suitable action plan and undertook a full review of the governing body’s effectiveness. The Hertfordshire Improvement Partner (HIP) for the school provides critical advice on what the school needs to do next. The local authority is engaging the school in the ‘Closing the Achievement Gap’ project funded through the National College for School Leadership. I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Hertfordshire.

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