Setting

Paul Davies Grayshott Church of England Controlled Primary School School Road Hindhead GU26 6LR

p.1

School

Following my visit to your school on 21 st 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.

p.1

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.

p.1

Evidence

During the visit, meetings were held with the headteacher, the Governing Body and a representative of the local authority. The school improvement plan and the school’s records of monitoring undertaken since the inspection were evaluated.

p.1

Context

Since the last inspection the deputy headteacher has left the school.

p.1

Main findings

Prior to the December 2012 inspection, the headteacher and local authority were already addressing the weaknesses identified in the inspection report. The inspector reported that, ‘since his arrival two years ago, the headteacher has successfully 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 5359 Direct F 0117 315 0430 Email :christina.bannerman@tribalgroup.com shared his vision for the school’s future with the staff and parents and carers and introduced a whole-school focus on the quality of teaching’. The school’s action plan is rightly focused on improving the quality of day-to-day teaching and the appropriateness of the curriculum, strengthening leadership at all levels, including governance, and ensuring that greater and more rapid progress is made by all pupils, particularly boys. The improvement plan has clear success criteria and

p.1

Main findings

realistic milestones that have already been tracked, checked and evaluated. There are clear plans to restructure the senior leadership team with the recruitment of two assistant headteachers. This is designed to strengthen leadership at all levels and ensure that improvements in progress and teaching can be sustained.

p.2

Main findings

There have been many activities aimed at improving teaching, including more systematic observation of lessons, a focus on dialogue marking, and innovations in the curriculum designed to improve the quality of writing, particularly that of boys. Governors now have a better understanding of expectations of student progress and are beginning to challenge the school more robustly. They have been provided with better tools for evaluating the quality of teaching and learning. Training is planned for the summer term to help all governors understand how to hold the school to account and how to understand fully the information provided about how the school is doing.

p.2

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:

p.2

Main findings

 strengthen senior, subject and key stage leaders’ ability to improve teaching and learning through monitoring teachers’ work and implementing the strategic vision for the school

p.2

Main findings

Ofsted will continue to monitor the school until its next section 5 inspection.

p.2

External support

Prior to the recent inspection the local authority had been supporting the school as a high priority. Following the inspection this work has continued. The local authority has provided support with leadership of teaching and learning, the provision for early years, coaching from advanced skills teachers and guidance from the subject advisors for English and mathematics. Lesson observations have been undertaken by local authority representatives. Further support for the reception year from the early years’ team is planned. The school is taking full advantage of this support and bringing about visible improvements in teaching. HMI recommend that this support continues and is focused on developing school leaders’ skills in monitoring and evaluating the work of the school so that improvements in progress can be sustained long-term.

p.2

External support

I am copying this letter to the Chair of the Governing Body and the Director of Children’s Services for Hampshire.

p.3