Setting

CfBT Inspection Services Suite 22 West Lancs Investment Centre Maple View Skelmersdale WN8 9TG T 0300 1231231 Text Phone: 0161 6188524 enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk www.ofsted.gov.uk Direct T 01695 566855 Direct F 01695 729320 Direct email: gail.hill@cfbt.com

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Mrs Jacqueline Poustie Headteacher John Harrison CofE Primary School North Street Barrow-upon-Humber North Lincolnshire DN19 7AP

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Education act 2005 to John Harrison CofE Primary School

Following my visit to your school on 25 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 John Harrison CofE 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 other senior leaders, two members of the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The inspector evaluated a range of documentation including: the school action plan; the tracking of pupils’ progress; monitoring records, subject reports and a sample of pupils’ work. In addition, senior leaders took the HMI on a tour of the school to look at teaching and learning and the displays and information found in classrooms.

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Context

Since the December inspection, senior leadership roles and responsibilities have been re- organised; a teacher, who is in charge of literacy, has been added to the senior team. One teacher remains absent and her class is being taught by a temporary member of staff. Governors are looking to recruit to fill vacant posts.

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Main findings

The headteacher has, following the December inspection, taken a range of appropriate measures to improve the quality of teaching and accelerate pupils’ progress. She is being supported in this work by other senior leaders who recognise the need to take responsibility for improvements. Classrooms and planning must contain particular aspects which leaders have made clear are non-negotiable. Leaders then focus carefully on these points when they observe lessons, before providing precise feedback to staff. These clear messages enable staff to receive the correct support and coaching they need to improve their practice.

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Main findings

The school action plan matches the areas identified for improvement. Clear priorities are in place to drive the school forward with personnel responsible identified. However, the milestones, in this document and in the action plans for literacy and numeracy, need to be more precise. It is not clear when staff and governors check whether interventions are making a difference and ensuring that the long-term targets set by leaders are going to be reached. This lack of sharpness is evident too in the documents written by subject leaders for governors. The quality of these documents does vary as some staff find the process challenging and content is descriptive rather than evaluative.

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Main findings

Governors are becoming more aware of what goes on in the school. They have mechanisms in place to gain first-hand information. The training they receive, with more planned, is helping members of the governing body develop their confidence to act as a critical friend to the school and hold senior leaders to account.

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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

 sharpen and include regular milestones and targets within the school action plan  ensure that the action plans for literacy and numeracy include measurable outcomes to show if all pupils are making the expected progress  include within the subject reports, precise information about how well all pupils are doing in particular subjects.

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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 provides an effective level of support to the school. The school improvement partner and the headteacher work well together coordinating this support to ensure it is right for the school. Links have been developed with other schools so that staff can visit, observe practice and discuss common issues. It is, however, too early to assess the impact of this work.

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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 North Lincolnshire.

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