Setting

Joanna Parkes Ibstock Junior School Melbourne Road Ibstock LE67 6NP

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Education act 2005 to Ibstock Junior School, Leicestershire local

Following my visit to your school on 10 April 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 Ibstock Junior School, Leicestershire local

The visit was the first monitoring inspection since the school was judged to require improvement following the section 5 inspection February 2013. 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, other senior leaders, the Chair of the Governing Body and the Local Authority representative. The school improvement plan was evaluated. The school’s self-evaluation summary was discussed with senior leaders. In addition, short visits were made to a sample of lessons with the headteacher.

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Context

Since the previous inspection in February 2013, there have been no significant changes in school leadership or staffing. Serco Inspections 20 Colmore Circus Queensway Birmingham B4 6AT T 0300 123 1231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk

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Main findings

The school has begun to address the areas for improvement from the last inspection. The school leaders and governors are well aware of the main actions required to ensure good outcomes by the next inspection.

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Main findings

A school improvement plan has been re-written to take into account the three areas that were identified for improvement. This includes clear success criteria which will enable school leaders and governors to measure the progress being made in tackling the three priority areas. This revised school improvement plan is fit for purpose and attends to all the key recommendations noted in the recent inspection report. It has been worked on by both school staff and governors. As a result, there is a shared sense of ownership of what needs doing and how. The progress of all actions taken is carefully noted on the plan using a red, orange and green traffic light monitoring system. It is clear from this monitoring that many of the actions required are already underway.

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Main findings

School leaders have a realistic view of the quality of teaching and learning in the school and what constitutes a good lesson. They know where the strengths in teaching lie. As a result the school is well placed to iron out the inconsistencies to ensure that more teaching and learning are good or better.

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Main findings

The school has a tracking system which provides assessment information at termly intervals. This gives a clear picture of progress in order to spot patterns and trends as pupils move through the school. It is therefore possible to identify pupils, subjects and year groups which perform below, at or above expectations. The tracking data for the current year shows that pupils are making accelerated progress this year compared to that made previously.

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Main findings

The governing body has been restructured in order to maintain a clear focus on school improvement under the direction of a newly elected chair. The chair is very experienced and has a clear view of the direction that the school needs to take. He ensures that the governing body receives clear information on the progress that the school is making, particularly in terms of pupil achievement, subject achievement and teaching. The governing body is therefore better placed to hold school leaders and teachers to account.

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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

 accelerate progress in lessons by planning and sharing learning objectives in a series of small steps  devise a programme of coaching and support aimed specifically at the teaching that requires improvement  work closely with the partner infant school to plan a smooth transition of learning from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 2.

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Main findings

Following the visit to the school, HMI recommend that a further visit will be made in the autumn term to review progress with senior leaders.

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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 regularly draws on support from its School Improvement Adviser to provide an external view on the quality of its provision and outcomes.

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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 Leicestershire.

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